The following article contains discussions about addiction.
The life of a child star is not easy. In addition to what unlimited fame can do to a child’s developing brain and ego, there’s also a curse that comes with bringing home the bacon at a young age. Child stars can often earn much more than their adult relatives. While this may seem like winning the lottery to some, for these talented young people it means learning financial responsibility at a very young age. Unfortunately for many of them, this is often a lesson they only learn after a huge loss of money, either due to their own spending or perhaps their parents’ spending habits.
The fact that fame is fleeting only makes things more difficult. Some child stars are able to ride the ebb and flow of Hollywood and grow up within the industry instead of growing out of it. Unfortunately, for others, fame and fortune often have an expiration date. Due to their limited outlook on life and lack of stable income, many child stars of the ’80s lost much of the money they earned in childhood. Whether or not they were able to recover from it is a whole different story.
Corey Haim’s struggles with addiction and money led to disturbing extremes
Corey Haim made waves as an ’80s teen heartthrob. He made his way in the industry, starring in several films including ‘Silver Bullet’, ‘Murphy’s Romance’ and ‘Lucas’, to name a few. It was his titular role in “The Lost Boys” that took him to a whole new level of fame. What followed in his life was a downward spiral of darkness, depression and substance abuse that would eventually end his life. Haim’s addiction led to him going in and out of rehab for most of his life.
Despite Haim’s illustrious career and rising success as a child star, he died with very little money to his name. The actor sadly passed away at the age of 38 in 2010, after a long battle with substance abuse and financial problems. In 1996, he withdrew from the film “Paradise Bar” due to his heavy drug use. He was sued by the film’s insurance company for failing to list his addiction as a pre-existing condition on his medical form. Shortly afterwards, he filed for bankruptcy protection. Desperate for money, he even went so far as to try to sell his hair and teeth on eBay. After this he lived with his mother until his death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance abuse and mental health website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Corey Feldman paved the way for Hollywood’s emancipation, but at what cost?
One of Corey Haim’s close friends was Corey Feldman, star of “Gremlins,” “The Goonies” and “Stand By Me.” The two rose to fame together in the 1980s, playfully dubbed “the Coreys” by the media at the time. They appeared together in seven films, leading Haim and Feldman develop a close but complicated friendship. Feldman started his career by appearing on several television shows, including “Mork and Mindy,” “Eight is Enough” and “Cheers,” before becoming a teen icon.
Haim and Feldman rose together in the rankings of 1980s teen heartthrobs, but unfortunately that wasn’t the only similarity the two actors shared. It seems Feldman couldn’t avoid the child star curse of delving deep into substance abuse and financial problems. Feldman managed to win his battle against addiction and boasted thirty years of sobriety, but his money problems persisted. After emancipating himself from his parents at the age of 15 due to intense abuse, he discovered that his acting fortune had dwindled to just $40,000 – miles away from what he had actually earned at the time. Years later, after divorcing his wife, Feldman’s court documents revealed that he had unpaid taxes and significant credit card debt.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance abuse and mental health website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Jaimee Foxworth’s journey from family matters to adult content
Before her years on the hit sitcom ‘Family Matters,’ Jaimee Foxworth had been modeling and acting since she was five. “Family Matters” aired in 1989 and lasted nine seasons, but Foxworth only contributed to four seasons. The actress was known for playing Judy Winslow, the youngest of the Winslow siblings. However, once Steve Urkel was introduced, Judy had less and less to do and was eventually written off the show entirely. In the later seasons of the show, the family only acknowledges that they have two children – as if little Judy never existed.
Foxworth never regained relevance after being written off. She formed a short-lived girl group with her sisters, SHE, but it had little success. The actress eventually joined the adult industry because it was quick money. This caused her to fall even deeper into addiction after the sudden end of her youth career. After the birth of her son in 2008, Foxworth began her sobriety journey. Although she no longer struggles with addiction, the actress has never regained the money she made as a child star, and her career has not seen the level of success that ‘Family Matters’ once offered her.
Gary Coleman sued his parents after learning how much of his money they had wasted
Despite Gary Coleman’s health problems who followed him all his life, he made his way to stardom by performing on the show ‘Diff’rent Strokes’. The show, which aired from 1978 to 1986, gave Coleman other opportunities to continue building his legacy. He appeared on “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times” and even had his own Saturday morning cartoon, “The Gary Coleman Show.” Despite being one of the highest-paid child actors of his generation, Coleman fell into financial trouble later in life.
Coleman successfully sued his parents after discovering that his earnings had dropped to just $220,000. They reached a settlement of $1.3 million, which was certainly not enough to make up for the estimated $18 million that Coleman earned on the job. Due to his numerous health problems, Coleman eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1999. The “Jimmy The Kid” star sadly passed away in 2010 after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a fall. At the time he had little left to his name.
Willie Aames went from child star, homeless, to working a regular job
Willie Aames grew up and became famous on the show ‘Eight is Enough’, earning up to $1.5 million a year during filming. The popular series ran from 1977 to 1981, but Aames’ stardom didn’t stop there. He went on to star in the 1980s sitcom “Charles in Charge,” the movie “Zapped!”, and then voice a character in the animated series “Dungeons and Dragons.” Decades later, audiences became aware of Aames’ financial situation when he appeared in the aptly named VH1 special “Broke and Famous.”
In his episode, Aames explained how he owed more than $260,000 on his house, which had declared foreclosure at the time. After a series of ‘bad deals and investments’, Aames was officially bankrupt. In addition, he also described his estranged relationships with his ex-wife and daughter, who had not spoken to him in almost six months at the time. The episode seemed to completely embarrass Aames, as he worked with a financial advisor to raise enough money to survive. Ultimately, he changed his life. After becoming “virtually homeless,” the child star got a job as a cruise ship director, making his mark as another ’80s child star leaving fame behind for normalcy.
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