6. Britney Spears
“Hit me baby one more time!” One of the biggest celebrities and music icons on our list, Britney Spears joins the ranks of child stars after launching her career at just eight years old alongside Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling on The Mickey Mouse Club.
It wasn’t long before the 18-year-old Spears released her smash album …Baby One More Time only to follow it up with hit albums like Oops! I Did It Again and Blackout.
Perhaps one of the most public meltdowns on our list, the Princess of Pop’s music career came to a complete halt in 2007 after she entered a drug rehab clinic just weeks after her aunt died of cancer. Spending less than a day in the center before leaving, Spears had one of the most famous tabloid shots in media history when she walked into a salon and shaved her head. Soon after, Spears returned to rehab and has managed to make it through a very public rough patch only to establish herself once again as a star.
5. Edward Furlong
The next and certainly not the last child star on our list, 38-year-old Edward Furlong made his silver screen debut at 14 years old when he was cast as John Conner in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Earning an MTV Award for his performance, Furlong continued to land roles in successful films like Before and After, American History X and A Home of Our Own.
Though hindsight is 20/20, Furlong could have easily been a huge star in Hollywood today if not for his drug and alcohol problems. Struggling with heroin and cocaine addiction throughout much of the 1990s, Furlong eventually checked himself into rehab in 2000.
Unfortunately, his sobriety was short-lived as he had multiple relapses that led to an arrest in 2010. With another arrest to follow in 2013, Furlong avoided jail time when he agreed to 90 days of rehab and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. Having already served over two months in jail at the time, Furlong took the sentencing seriously and has managed to stay out of trouble ever since.
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