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Imagine being young and having millions of dollars, with nobody to tell you how you have to spend it. You are rich, you are famous, and no matter where you go, everyone knows who you are. Sounds great, doesn't it? Perhaps it would be nice for a little while, but eventually you just might run out of things to spend your money on and start to turn to alcohol, drugs or maybe even illegal activities, just out of boredom. It may sound fantastic, but for these people, they had it all and then lost it all. A few of them may still have a bit of money left, but it doesn't even compare to what they were making in the past.
Sometimes actors and actresses play a character for so long that that's what people expect from them, and it is very difficult to get roles doing anything else. This is what happened to quite a few people in Hollywood, and they have found it nearly impossible to get any other acting jobs because they were remembered as being “that one kid” from “that one show.” It is especially difficult when the parents of these kids aren't in the acting business, and really don't have any idea on what to tell their kids when their lives seem to be spiraling out of control.
It may be easy to judge these people, and to simply say “don't drink or use drugs.” Just try to imagine having that much money and just tell yourself not to spend it on such frivolous things. It may sound simple to do; but once a person has that much money, it’s tough to just live “like a normal person.” Now imagine being a teenager. Just what would you do with millions of dollars? Would it be easy to save your money and be responsible, or do you think you might end up like these celebrities that lost everything? It's hard to say if you're not in their shoes.
10. Edward Furlong
Does everyone remember the awesome kid from Terminator 2? At the time of the filming, Edward Furlong was 12 years old when he played John Connor in 1991. It appears (from sources) that his home life wasn't that different from the independent character he played in the film. At 15 years old, he was fed up with his aunt and uncle who had raised him and decided that he wanted to be on his own. He filed a lawsuit to become emancipated and won, most likely because the courts believed that he was old enough to take care of himself and had enough money from the movies he would (probably) be making.
Edward was in a few other movies as well, but none as well-known as the Terminator series. After he was out on his own, Edward moved in with his 29 year-old manager. Apparently (according to his ex), he was doing drugs and not paying his boss, so she sued him for what he had left of his fortune.
9. Jaimee Foxworth
“Did I do that?” Snort, snort.
Can you guess what show that is from? Most people probably remember Steve Urkel, but don't really remember the name of the show, Family Matters. The sit-com revolved around the Winslow family, and Jamiee Foxworth played Judy, the youngest member of the clan. Jaimee was only on the show for four seasons when the producers thought that her character just wasn't as important as the rest. It could have been because Urkel was taking over the show, and being the “cute little girl” in the family just didn't cut it for poor Jaimee. She turned to drinking and drugs to try and ease her pain, but ended up completely broke by the age of 19. Since Jaimee was used to fame and earning her own paycheck, she turned to acting in p*rnographic movies. It paid the bills, but her alcohol and drug use left her with next to nothing at the end of the day. When Jaimee became pregnant with her son, she sobered up and quit drinking, doing drugs and left the adult film industry altogether.
8. Erin Moran
If you grew up in the 80s, surely you knew who Erin Moran was, or at least when you saw her face you would know the character she played. Erin played the adorable 14 year-old little sister of Ronnie Cunningham on Happy Days, who we all knew as Joanie (and sometimes Shortcake, as “The Fonz” would call her). After the show was over, Erin had what seemed to be a very lucrative career ahead of her. Erin was in a spin-off of the previous sit-com called Joanie Loves Chachi, and had many walk-on parts in shows that were on at the time. After the 1990s, Erin more or less disappeared from the limelight, and got married. She moved in with her husband and his mother, and left Hollywood for a more “down to Earth” type of living. According to many eyewitness accounts, Erin was last seen homeless and living in Indiana after getting evicted from a trailer park.
7. Brian Bonsall
The television comedy Family Ties, was on for a few years before Steven and Elyse Keaton's fourth child on the show, Andrew joined the sitcom. Brian Bonsall played the adorable youngest child of the Keaton's, but according to his real-life mother, was sometimes “treated too much as an adult.” After the end of the almost decade-long television show, Brian moved on to a few more roles; including a short stint on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
After his acting career on two of the most widely-watched shows on television ended, Brian decided to give up acting and go back to school. Unfortunately, growing up in Hollywood did not fare well for the actor. After retirement of a very young age, Brian lost all of his money and was arrested multiple times for alleged domestic abuse and other charges that were filed against him.
6. Lindsay Lohan
When Lindsay Lohan was just a toddler, her parents realized the star potential of her child and enlisted her with Ford Modeling Agency. From the age of three, Lindsay was thrown into the spotlight by starting out in commercials for large companies such as Gap and Pizza Hut. When she was just ten years old, Lindsay landed a spot on Another World, where she became a household name for soap opera fans. After about a year on the soap, Lindsay became a Disney star practically overnight by appearing in the remake of The Parent Trap. After playing roles of identical twins, Lindsay's career basically exploded. She was in many films that made millions of dollars, including Mean Girls and Freaky Friday. Everyone had thought that Lindsay's acting days were just beginning, and at one time she was worth millions.
Unfortunately, being young and rich has its drawbacks. According to references (and many tabloids, websites and pictures found throughout the world), Lindsay developed a drug and alcohol addiction, and had to go to rehabilitation when she was in her early twenties. At one point, it is said that she borrowed money from Charlie Sheen and a credit card was declined in 2014 for a bar tab that came to $2500. It is reported that Lindsay's net worth is $500,000; but after having $30 million, her money is rapidly diminishing. Lindsay is reported as saying that she is spending most of it on rehab and that she “needs to go back to work.”
5. Adam Rich
The year was 1977, and a newspaper columnist in Sacramento, California makes enough money to support a wife and three children. Or at least that's what the television show, Eight is Enough, would have had you believe. It really isn't that far-fetched; however, because the series that ran into the early 80s was actually based on a true story.
Adam Rich played the youngest of eight kids on the show, and after it had ended, was seen on many others during the decade of neon colors and Miami Vice. He had even inspired the “bowl haircut” that almost every parent in America had given their young sons in the 1970s. Adam never really wanted to be famous, he only wanted to be an actor, and had a difficult time while being in the limelight. He has since given up acting, but reportedly spent all of his earnings on drugs and alcohol, since he has been arrested (on multiple occasions) for burglary.
4. Jeremy Jackson
Jeremy Jackson was the adorable Hobie Buchannon, who was Mitch's son on Baywatch. Surely everyone knows that show, it was what introduced Pamela Anderson's bathing suit to the world. Jeremy had actually “beaten out” Leonardo DiCaprio for that part of Hobie, according to reports. After spending years trying to make it big in Hollywood, Jeremy landed many roles on television shows and commercials, and had even taken up a singing career. His fame seemed to have taken over (like so many other young celebrities), because he was arrested on several occasions for drugs and for violence. It is now estimated that Jeremy is worth only $200,000, which is probably now being spent on rehabilitation for his drug use.
3. Dustin Diamond
Dustin Diamond basically grew up on television, and being known to the public as “Screech,” the skinny, goofy kid on Saved by the Bell. He was ultimately type-cast as this character, so it was very difficult for Dustin to find more acting work after the show had ended. He found ways to earn money by playing “himself” on different shows and events on television. Dustin started doing stand-up, and was performing in comedy clubs. He even appeared on Celebrity Fit Club, making $125 an episode. That is far from what we would imagine a celebrity's salary to be. Dustin was arrested in 2015 for allegedly stabbing a man at a bar who was getting too close to his girlfriend.
2. Leif Garrett
You may not know who Leif Garrett is, but if you were a child in the 1970s, or even a teenager, chances are that you may have had a poster or two of this boy on your bedroom wall. Back before it was “normal” for child actors to turn pop stars, Leif Garrett paved the way by starring in television and screen, then turning to music at a young age. He had made several albums during the 70s and 80s, but eventually gave up his music career all together. Today Leif is only worth a reported $1000, with the majority of his fortune lost due to his drug abuse.
1. Amanda Bynes
From an extremely young age, Amanda appeared to have been headed towards an incredibly lucrative future. She had her own television show on Nickelodeon when she was only twelve years old, and had continued to be on TV and act in movies for several years before she decided to retire. In 2012, Amanda was 29 years old and worth over $5 million when she retired from acting. This is the time when most people don't even know what they are planning on doing with the rest of their lives yet, and here is this young girl who appears to have had enough of her career.
Amanda was allegedly doing drugs and acting strangely when her parents decided to take control of her finances. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and was arrested multiple times for DUI, before losing her driver's license entirely. Amanda was found sleeping in an airport on one occasion, because she was under the assumption that her parents would not give her any of her money. Amanda went from making a few million dollars a year to trying to find a place to sleep at night.
Sources: imdb.com, complex.com, radaronline.com, huffingtonpost.com, usmagazine.com
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