10 Former Child Stars Share Their Experiences of Exploitation and Mistreatment by Parents

Sep 13, 2023

By: Vallari Vaidya

Former Child Stars Speak Out: Exploitation and Overwork by Their Parents

Becoming famous at a very young age can be overwhelming for celebrities, especially when their parents make career decisions for them. Because they are young, they can easily be taken advantage of. Many former child stars have spoken out about how their parent...

1. Taylor Momsen

When Taylor Momsen was questioned about her perceived "bad attitude" during her time on the set of "Gossip Girl", her response shed light on the early start of her career. She revealed that her parents had enrolled her in Ford Modeling when...

2. Gary Coleman

In 1989, Gary Coleman took legal action against his parents for allegedly mishandling his substantial multimillion-dollar earnings during his time as a child actor on the TV show "Diff'rent Strokes". Upon turning 18, he discovered that his finan...

3. Brooke Shields

Brooks' involvement in "Pretty Face" as a child worker and a scene received huge backlash as she was just a 12-year-old child. Her mom being her manager also received a lot of hatred. "I was such a naive and innocent child. I wasn't ...

4. Judy Garland

Judy Garland's journey into performing began at the young age of two, orchestrated by her mother. She, along with her sisters, would sing and dance before movie screenings in their father's local movie theater. However, when Judy turned four, her fam...

5. Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin's father, Kit, managed his early acting career, but Macaulay has revealed his father's controlling behavior, including a demanding filming schedule in the early '90s. This included late-night memorization sessions and an instance...

6. Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy has been open about her mother, Debbie McCurdy's, early ambitions for her. She revealed that her mom was determined to make her famous from the age of six, which led to changes like hair bleaching, teeth whitening, and calorie counting wh...

7. Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore's journey into acting began incredibly early, at just 11 months old when her mother, Jaid, got her a role in a dog commercial. Her global fame came at the age of seven with her role in "E.T." Jaid managed her career and often took...

8. The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 endured physical abuse from their father, Joe Jackson. Michael Jackson disclosed that their father would physically mistreat the group to push them to work longer and harder. According to Michael, any errors made during their rehearsals would res...

9. Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter has discussed how her mother, Crystal Workman, drove her into acting instead of it being her own choice. Ariel explained that her mother had dreams of becoming an actor and acted as her stage mom, where she dealt with abuse and exploitation. Ariel...

10. Aaron Carter

Aaron Carter asserted that during his teenage years as a musician, his family spent a substantial portion of his earnings, approximately $500 million, on acquiring 15 houses and 30 cars. He further alleged that when his parents eventually sold these properties...