Why Hollywood Won't Cast These Child Stars Anymore

Once upon a time, these child stars had it made. Some had just starred in mega Hollywood productions next to legendary A-listers. Others had their very own shows they'd secured simply based on their magnetic charisma and all-too-relatable comedic charm. And there were even a select few who dominated multiple lanes at once, mastering music, movies, and/or TV. It seemed like the only direction they could go in was up — but then life happened, and they instead faded into the background.

Whose acting career went left after sharing a hurtful misconception about sexual assault? Who nearly self-destructed after a secret battle with anorexia? What rapper-turned-actor derailed his career after one too many social media stunts gone wrong? We'll talk about it all as we explore why Hollywood won't cast these former child stars anymore. Keep reading to find out the shocking moments that changed their careers in the entertainment biz forever.

Kyla Pratt got her big break in 1998 when she was cast as a nerdy pre-teen in Dr. Dolittle. The movie was a commercial success and helped springboard her into starring roles in The Proud Family and One on One. But she just couldn't manage to build on top of her success, and, after three Dr. Dolittle installments flopped, she decided to take a break from the spotlight to focus on building a family — partly because of relentless judgment and criticism she'd received over the years.

In fact, Pratt keeps her life so private now that she even successfully managed to keep two of her pregnancies — with daughters Lyric and Liyah Kilpatrick — under wraps completely. She opened up about her decision to focus on family life in a 2014 interview with Ebony, telling the publication she preferred to "nurture each of those relationships and give those relationships a great amount of time," rather than putting all her time and energy into the entertainment industry.

She could be gearing up for a major comeback, though, as she starred in a play adaptation of the 1996 cult classic Set It Off in March 2018, which debuted to favorable reviews.

Andrew Keegan was America's collective #MCM before it was even a thing. But these days, instead of attracting fans, he's attracting converts.

According to Vice, Keegan leads a spiritual movement called Full Circle, based in Venice Beach, Calif., whose reported goal is to promote individuality rather than societal standards.

"I very much speak what comes through [while] in the collective. We create a resonance of balance and equality of the crew," the 10 Things I Hate About You actor explained to the outlet in 2015. "When you feel those chakras aligned, there's guided messaging coming in. If there is something of spiritual ego within that, it must not exist."

He might've chosen his beliefs over Hollywood, but in 2017 Keegan told Page Six he was gearing up to take his movement to the next level. He said his fans can continue to look forward to "sound healing, educational, medical type practices, food and health."

Tatyana Ali was poised for superstardom back in the '90s, thanks to her role as Ashley Banks in the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Her time on the show even launched her into a successful singing career, but, when the show finished, the demand for Ali dwindled. So she opted to pursue education instead.

She enrolled in Harvard University, graduating in 2002 with a reported degree in Afro-American history and government. After taking an interest in politics, Ali went on to travel the United States for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign — and then she seemingly dropped off the radar. Again.

Ali again reemerged for BET's series Second Generation Wayans in 2013, but her comeback was cut short, as the show was canceled after the first season. However, she appears to be doing just fine without the spotlight these days. She married Stanford University English professor Vaughn Rasberry in 2016, and the pair welcomed their first child that same year.

After Family Matters wrapped in 1998, Jaleel White's career faltered. Although he returned to television just a year later for UPN's comedy series Grown Ups, the show received poor reviews and was canceled just a year later. Fans presumably just didn't want to see White star as anyone other than Steve Urkel — the googly-eyed nerd that pretty much stole every scene in Family Matters.

Even so, White made it clear that he wouldn't be picking up another role that was similar to the one that made him famous, telling a reporter when the show wrapped (per The New York Times), ”If you ever see me do that character again, take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery.”

It was pretty sad news for all of White's loyalists, especially for anyone who thought there was a chance he'd reconsider. The former child star echoed the comment in 2011 and — even though he told Vanity Fair he'd "never say never" to reprising the legendary role — he said he couldn't imagine doing it in a way that would be fun for both him and his fans. Oh well.

Hilary Duff's downfall in Hollywood can be attributed to a slew of box office bombs, including 2004's Raise Your Voice, 2005's Cheaper by the Dozen 2, and 2006's Material Girls. But instead of plotting ways to return to Hollywood's good graces, she's opted to try her hand at independent movies, including the 2018 film The Haunting of Sharon Tate.

Tate was only 26 years old when she was viciously killed at the hands of cult leader Charles Manson. In addition to covering her untimely death, the film will reportedly focus on a quote the slain actress gave a year before she passed away, in which she reveals having dreams of being haunted by ghosts and premonitions of her own murder. It seemed like just the role Duff needed to revitalize her career as an actress. However, people were already upset over the film before it even released, including Tate's own sister, Debra.

Debra called the movie "classless" and "exploitative" in a February 2018 interview with People. And as for the dream? Debra said "it's a total fabrication."

Evidently, Duff just can't catch a break. At least she's got TV Land's Younger. Still, maybe she should take a page out of Raven-Symoné's book and push for a Lizzie McGuire spin-off.

Amanda Bynes was the undisputed queen of Nickelodeon in the late '90s and 2000s, but those days are long gone. Unfortunately, Bynes weathered a very public mental breakdown in 2013, which brought her career to a grinding halt.

Bynes' erratic behavior began in March of that year, when she tweeted that she wanted Drake to "murder [her] vagina." The "Crew Love" rapper didn't appear to reply to Bynes' advances, which is likely why she targeted Drake's on-again, off-again fling Rihanna on social just two months later. The comedian lashed out against the Barbadian singer, tweeting a hurtful take on Rihanna's 2009 domestic violence incident with singer Chris Brown. Bynes wrote, "Chris Brown beat you because you're not pretty enough" (via Entertainment Weekly).

And it didn't stop there. Bynes hit rock bottom in October 2014 when she was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold after exhibiting increasingly strange behavior, including the time she allegedly threw a bong from her apartment window.

Luckily though, she appeared to have done a complete 180 shortly after completing her stint, opting to sober up and shift her life's path to a more "wholesome" career: fashion. But don't turn your back on her yet. In June 2017, Bynes told The Lowdown host Diana Madison that she might get back into acting really, really soon.