Why You Don't Hear From Andrew Keegan Anymore
In the late '90s, Andrew Keegan was nothing short of a teen dream, with that signature Joey Donner smirk from 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) plastered across practically every teeny bopper magazine cover at the supermarket. He ranked among the most elite young heartthrobs, frequently featured alongside fellow nineties hair-swoopers Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Keegan once sizzled on small screens and made a splash on the movie scene, but over the years, he's all but dropped off the radar. Here's what he's been up since the limelight left him.
He founded his own spiritual organization
As his acting career began to slow in the mid-aughts, Keegan found himself searching for an identity outside of just being another former child star. According to Vulture, he discovered his spiritual calling in front of a century-old temple in Venice, Calif. Keegan reportedly felt "especially aligned with [the] place of worship," so he dug a hole in front of the building, and in the hole, "Keegan placed a small rose-quartz crystal, and as he dropped handfuls of dirt upon it, he made a solemn promise. 'I was clear that if there was ever an appropriate time to be in the service of the temple, I would be.'"
When the time was right, Keegan leased the building and launched a community called Full Circle. The tenets of his "spiritual community center" are fairly ambiguous. The website promotes a belief that "all of us have unique gifts" and that "each of us is on a journey to fulfill a unique mission in this life." Keegan's fellowship practices yoga on the beach, hosts various music concerts to celebrate the spirit, and teaches methods of meditation and self-empowerment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9sBZObCJCY
He's bummed people don't love him anymore
When one journalist paid a visit to Keegan's religious sect for Vulture, he admitted that he does still get recognized from time to time by those who adored him as the oft-shirtless poster boy made famous by Camp Nowhere (1994). "It's always past tense now," he said of his more recent fan encounters. "I'm like, 'Can't we just always love each other and everybody in the world?'"
He's a father now
A new generation of teen idolatry is nigh! Keegan and his partner, Arista Ilona, welcomed daughter Aiya Rose Keegan into the world in March 2016. Of course, Keegan made sure to mention his favorite four-letter word ("love") in the family's birth announcement. "Our intention is to raise our child in a co-creative environment where truth and love are foremost," he told People magazine. The proud papa has already started teaching his tot how to meditate, too.
His relationships are less high-profile than in the past
Before Keegan settled down and began a family with his current flame, he had a long-term relationship with country crooner LeAnn Rimes. After their romance went south, the tabloids delivered a heaping helping of salt from both sides. A friend of Rimes' called Keegan "a jack**s, conceited and arrogant," after the breakup, and Rimes father alleged he was only interested in the singer's money and publicity. Rimes and Keegan reportedly split over his evolving relationship with Coyote Ugly (2000) star Piper Perabo, spurring suggestions that a love triangle was afoot. True or not, the gossip kept Keegan's name in the news, even when his professional claims to fame began to dry up.
He doesn't act much anymore
In addition to running his own ministry, Keegan has maintained some connection to the Hollywood scene, albeit at a much smaller scale. After his recurring part on 7th Heaven fizzled in 2004, marking the end of his teen beat, Keegan went on to star in a number of bit parts in TV and film. He landed a background role in Love, Wedding, Marriage in 2011 and a small gig on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2012. He also randomly appeared in the 2015 music video for the Band of Merrymakers' "Snow Snow Snow." Suffice it to say, Keegan has nowhere near the star status that won him starring roles in the hit show Party of Five (1994-2000) and blockbuster action film Independence Day (1996).
He's been in trouble with the law
Whether Keegan is as self-obsessed as his 10 Things I Hate About You alter ego or not, he's certainly made enough headlines to support the idea that he hasn't always been such a contemplative peace-slinger. In 2009, he was accused of abusing a former girlfriend, who sought a restraining order against him, and in 2011, he was reportedly tasered by police responding to a noise complaint at his house party. Even his new faith-friendly routine got him into trouble in 2015 when his church was raided by police on suspicions of selling Kombucha Dog, a fermented tea, during a fundraising event. Keegan's establishment reportedly did not have a license to serve alcohol. Suffice it to say, who has time to stage an epic comeback with so much trouble on the home front?
The 10 Things reunion was overlooked
In 10 Things I Hate About You—a modern high school interpretation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew—Keegan's character is the central villain whose plot to bed a pristine sweetheart (played by Larisa Oleynik) at prom catalyzes the entire plot. In the end, however, what people really remember about 10 Things is the palpable chemistry between co-stars Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in their iconic roles as social outcasts.
When the cast of 10 Things gathered for a reunion in 2014, Keegan and cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz, and Susan May Pratt were on hand, but some of the film's biggest stars: Stiles, Oleynik, Allison Janney, Gabrielle Union, Larry Miller, and the late Ledger were sorely missed. The throwback gathering was still somewhat nostalgic, but definitely incomplete. A more comprehensive cast might have made a bigger splash and given Keegan's career a much needed boost.