Where Are The Stars Of Toddlers & Tiaras Now?
Toddlers & Tiaras was once one of TLC's most popular television shows and a guilty pleasure for millions. Don't lie — those tykes were adorable, and they dropped enough hilarious one-liners to remind us that despite looking like miniature 30-year-olds, they were still toddlers through and through. But kids grow up fast, and it's been awhile since we've watched them strut across a stage in gowns, full faces of makeup, and sometimes fake teeth.
Some of these young ladies landed spin-off TV shows. Others hit the books. earning good grades in middle school, high school, and — believe it or not — college. That's right, one of these stars is adulting now! The post-pageant paths of these little princesses run the gamut, from normal kid stuff — swimming, soccer, amusement parks — to seriously sophisticated endeavors — as in rap videos, modeling contracts, and million-dollar companies. Find out where the stars of Toddlers & Tiaras are now.
Eden Wood
You might remember Eden Wood as the tiny blonde pageant queen who went from Toddlers & Tiaras to starring in her own show, Eden's World. She's come along way since her beauty queen days, like in 2014, when she starred as Darla in The Little Rascals Save the Day. Eden even has aspirations outside of her acting career. She told ET in November of 2016 that she "dreams of being the next Taylor Swift."
At the time of this writing, Eden is reportedly a middle-school cheerleader who is temporarily retired from pageants—although she did return to the rebooted Toddlers & Tiaras as a judge—and seems to be enjoying life as a normalish kid. Mixed in with all the glamour shots on Eden's Instagram (Do all tweens have Instagrams?) are some refreshingly age-appropriate shots of her doing kid stuff like going to band camp and walking the red carpet. Okay fine, maybe she is just living that fab life.
Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson
Who could forget the toddler known as Honey Boo Boo? After her pageant days, Alana Thompson starred in TLC's hit spin-off Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, but it was canceled in 2014 after her mom, June Shannon, was accused of dating a sex offender. Alana resurfaced in 2015, when she released her first rap single and music video called "Movin' Up." (Yes, that is real.) A few years later, much of the Shannon/Thompson clan, including Honey Boo Boo herself, became reality TV stars reborn on Mama June: From Not to Hot, the show that tracked the family matriarch's dramatic 300-pound weight loss. "She looks great, I'm really proud of her," Alana said on the show of her slimmed-down mama.
Taralyn Eschberger
On Toddlers & Tiaras, Taralyn Eschberger was known for being the perfect redheaded princess, and seeing photos of her now it seems like nothing has changed. According to her official Facebook page, Taralyn is a straight-A middle-school student. She also loves "basketball, soccer, golf, swimming, dancing, singing, acting, 4 wheeling, and just being a kid!" And judging by some of her recent posts, she's been busy doing everything but competing in pageants. She went to Sky Ranch Summer Camp, an amusement park, and she even got to do that crazy indoor skydiving thing. It's unclear whether she'll return to the glitzy world of pageantry, but one thing is for sure: She seems to be having a blast with or without it.
Madison 'Tootie' Berg
Madison "Tootie" Berg was older than a lot of the kids on Toddlers & Tiaras, and she got a bit of a bad rap for being a diva. But by all appearances, it seems like Madison may have outgrown her bad attitude. At the time of this writing, she was a college student enrolled at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss., according to her Instagram page. She's still strutting her stuff as a cheerleader, and she's still crushing it in the pageant circuit, having won the Miss Mississippi Teen United States 2017 crown. Maybe we'll see her compete in Miss America someday? Go, Tootie!
Paisley Scott Dickey
You might remember Paisley Scott Dickey as "Peppermint Paisley" from Toddlers & Tiaras. Her mom caught a lot of heat from other parents after dressing her daughter in a homemade Pretty Woman-inspired costume. But the controversy hasn't slowed this young lady down. She is still courting the limelight, having appeared in small TV and film roles, and other video projects. Outside of her professional pursuits, Paisley is learning to play the guitar and sing, and she's already written her first song. Is there anything this kid can't do?
'The Tiara Twins' Alycesaundra and Giavanna Lyerly
Known collectively as "The Tiara Twins," Alycesaundra and Giavanna Lyerly were fan favorites, and not just because their mother, Kelly, was arguably the most outlandish pageant mom on the series. Admittedly, that's a tough title to claim, but Kelly earned it by once boasting on the show (via HuffPost) that she's spent "probably near a million dollars" on the girls' pageantry. That includes their "tour bus, race-car trailer, Carl the bodyguard, and 13,000 square-foot practice building with a stage."
Thankfully, the twins seem well-adjusted despite their mother's indulgences. Alycesaundra, at just 10-years-old, began to dabble in the fashion world as a designer. Giavanna branched out into modeling and is still doing quite well within the pageant scene, having recently won Little Miss South Carolina United States. Looks like that million dollar investment is paying off.
Isabella Barrett
Even though most of the Toddlers & Tiaras stars seem to be doing well, Isabella Barrett has perhaps the biggest post-show success story of all of the tiny queens. According to a 2016 Inside Edition segment, at 9 years old, Isabella had a net worth of approximately $1.9 million dollars, which is the result of her successfully launching a clothing and a jewelry line.
Her mom, Susanna Barrett, said Isabella's "tangible" valuation is worth far more than that. "It would probably be equal to several million dollars," Susanna told Inside Edition, noting that her daughter is an equity-holder in the two companies, "As her money grows, we hope to invest it and make that grow as well for her." That seems to suit Isabella just fine, who despite insisting that she's still just a "normal kid" has also said, "There's nothing not to like about being famous."
Destiny Christian
Who could forget Destiny Christian, the adorable 4-year-old whose Grease routine—complete with a fake cigarette—almost caused Nancy Grace to have an aneurysm. The TV journalist devoted an entire episode of her own show to the incident. Classic Toddlers & Tiaras, right?
At the time of this writing, Christian was a fourth grader who loves to model, sing, and dance, according to her Facebook page. She had a few acting credits in 2014 and 2015, but these days, she seems to be living her life farther from the spotlight, or perhaps just refocusing her passion for performance in a new direction. She took second place in her first dance competition in January of 2017. Great job, Destiny!
Alexis Todd
You may remember Alexis Todd as the pageant contestant whose mother made her get a chiropractic adjustment before the competition in order to "give her an edge over all the others." Unfortunately, she only snagged the runner-up spot in that show, but she did go on to win many more.
These days, Alexis is still very active in the pageant world, as well as in competitive cheerleading, according to her Facebook fan page. She has even showcased her impressive gymnastics moves on Twitter as well.
Alaska Mathews
Another pint-sized pageant star to make headlines with her appearance on the show was Alaska Mathews. Actually, it was her mother, Lori, who had to defend herself after the show portrayed her bleaching a then 8-year-old Alaska's teeth, as well as performing a home-applied eyelash dye job that went terribly wrong. Lori even found herself on Dr. Phil, which is never good, trying to explain why she went to such extremes in the name of child pageantry.
Thankfully, Alaska's eyes and teeth seem to be doing just fine. According to her Facebook page, she's grown up to be an active teenager who participates in cheerleading, theater, and pageantry. She was a contestant in the Feast of the Flowering Moon Teen Queen competition in May of 2017, and while she didn't place, it's great to see her competing again!
Kylie LaDuca
Kylie LaDuca was introduced as "fearless and ferocious" on Toddlers & Tiaras when she was just 5 years old. Already a successful child model, her mother boasted that Kylie had earned approximately $30,000 in her young career. "The money is my favorite part. I love money," Kylie said on the show.
It's not surprising Kylie has continued her modeling career and even branched out into acting. Her IMBb page shows a few credits in 2012 and 2013, and her Instagram page lists her as an "actress, model, dancer." As of this writing, she's even flexing her performance muscles in front of live audiences by starring in a production of Annie Jr. at The Shawnee Playhouse in Delaware.
Ava Bartello
Ava Bartello had one of the all-time epic meltdowns of Toddlers & Tiaras after she won the title of "Grand Supreme," not "Ultra Grand Supreme," like she'd hoped. Like most 5-year-olds who don't get something they want, she spazzed out and then scowled the entire time while posing for a group photo with the other winners. It was quite the performance.
Fast forward a few years: Ava can be seen all over social media with her very active Instagram and YouTube accounts, which she uses to share everything from photos with family and friends to vlogs and "shopping hauls," whatever those are. She's definitely still a character, and hopefully not still hung up on that second-place finish.
Lacey-Mae Mason
Lacey-Mae Mason was the first child with dwarfism to appear on Toddlers & Tiaras. Her obvious enthusiasm for pageantry won over both the audience and the judges, who awarded her overall best outfitoOf choice during her episode, despite the fact that her Bollywood-inspired costume didn't exactly cooperate.
Lacey-Mae has continued participating—and kicking butt—in beauty pageants in the years since her reality TV debut. She's also decided to become active in anti-bullying movements by launching her "Peace By Piece" Dwarfism Awareness and Anti-Bullying Facebook page. On teh site, she shares funny memes, as well as articles related to fighting social stigmas pertaining to dwarfism. Very inspirational!
SaLiz Anderson
According to SaLiz Anderson's Facebook page, she's been competing in pageants since she was 11 months old, so you may think she had one of the craziest pageant moms ever. This couldn't be further from the truth. In an interview with Less Than Reality, SaLiz's mom, Sarah, set the record straight: "Here is my philosophy: a mother has about a two-year window of opportunity during which putting her child in pageants is what SHE wants. Right around ages 2-3, said child develops her own opinions and when that happens it's time to listen. If she doesn't want to do pageants, don't make her because she will be doing it for the wrong reasons. My child is an extension of me, not the other way around."
That grounding obviously led to a healthy upbringing. As of this writing, SaLiz has just started junior high, boasting "All AP and Pre-AP classes, plus basketball" in a recent Facebook post. She has also participated in theater and band and was part of a championship volleyball team. So take that, critics of child pageants! Look how many of these young ladies are thriving.