He was known for being a child actor having starred as Paul Joshua Pfeiffer in The Wonder Years during the 80’s. However, this was one of Josh’s very few roles in film and television, and he was not to stay in the acting world much longer following the end of The Wonder Years. His last television appearance was in 1989, and he went on to major in political science at Yale University. He ended up being a corporate lawyer, though he appeared as a guest in Law & Order in 2016.

He played the young Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but this was to be Ostrum’s first and last role in Hollywood. While his younger face may be recognized by millions who have watched the film and envied the character which he played, Hollywood was not the path Ostrum continued to follow. His focus turned to animals, and he now resides in New York state, where he works as a vet specializing in large animals.

He may have been the young boy from The Shining, but you could have been a student being taught biology by that same person. Having grown much into his adult years, Danny Lloyd is now a biology professor in Kentucky rather than a celebrity walking down the red carpet. He retired from acting two years after The Shining release, at which time he was only eight-years-old. Apparently when he was filming for The Shining, he had no idea he was starring in a horror film.

Most people will still be familiar with MC Hammer, although he was at the height of his career during the 80s and 90s. With all the success during his musical career, MC Hammer struggled to manage his finances properly and ended up filing for bankruptcy. Fortunately, he was able to work it all out, as he now officiates weddings, lectures at Ivy League Schools, and is working on developing iPad Apps. This year he’s also embarking on a 90s nostalgia tour.

Jeff Cohen was one of the child stars in the film The Goonies, but the child actor did not choose to pursue acting in his adult life. Rather, Cohen moved to pursue a professional career elsewhere and left Hollywood to become a lawyer in his older years. He had attended the University of California, Berkeley, and later went onto becoming an entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles. He also founded his own law firm, Cohen & Gardner, in 2002 and writes for The Huffington Post.

Another former Hollywood star who went on to teach rather than continue a career in Hollywood is Carrie Henn. Henn starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in Alien when she was 10-years-old, but said she would not return to acting after. She only ended up having a short-lived acting career and lived a Hollywood-free existence. Although she stood out in the role as the young girl in the film, her career turned to teaching in her adult life, and she now works in a school in Atwater, California.

He was famous for playing Mike Seaver in Growing Pains, but over time Kirk Cameron lost his focus for acting. Rather, he turned his attention to becoming a full-time author, as well as a religious activist. It was during his time on Growing Pains that he became a born-again Christian and insisted some of the scripts be changed if he did not see them as appropriate. He has mostly worked on Christian documentaries lately.

Saved by the Bell was a 90′ hit, and the cast members were definitely household names with their audience during this time. However, following their success during the 90’s, some were not to be seen again and pursued a career elsewhere. While Lark enjoyed her time in Hollywood, she chose to leave her original passion for acting and set her sights on a different career. Since choosing to leave Hollywood, Lark has become an accomplished author and has stayed away from acting.

He stole our hearts as a child actor when he starred in The Never Ending Story, but Barret Oliver did not continue his career in Hollywood during his adult years. After his last role in 1989, he decided that acting was not for him and that he preferred being on the other side of the camera. He now works in print and photography, and he has proven successful in this field. His work has been displayed in museums and gallery exhibitions.

The Canadian actor is well-known for appearing in Hollywood films such as Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. In 1991, Rick’s wife sadly passed away, and Moranis decided to retire from acting completely in 1997 so he could focus on raising his two children. While working as an actor, Rick had to do a lot of traveling, which he admits made movies was too difficult to commit to while raising children. However, he’s returned to voice acting in the past decade.

She was the cute little girl in The Little Rascals, and while that cast made an iconic movie, it seems that there was not much more in the acting world for Brittany following the end of production. Having retired from acting in 1996, just two years after playing Darla in The Little Rascals, Holmes’ acting career was short-lived. Holmes currently lives in Los Angeles and is working at Starbucks while also hoping to complete a degree in political sciences.

He was the heartthrob on Melrose Place for seven years during the 90’s, but following his success on the series, he became one of the world’s most famous mommy bloggers. The former actor exchanged scripts for content, and Shue co-founded CaféMom alongside his childhood best friend, Michael Sanchez. CaféMom is a social networking site that focuses on the interests of women and the site delivers parenting content and is a platform for help, advice, and recommendations.

Amanda Bynes was the successful child star that has a huge repertoire of films and television series to add to her resume. However, after a few legal battles and personal struggles, Bynes disappeared from the limelight. The former She’s The Man actress is now setting her sights on fashion and has since put a halt to her acting career. She is now spending her time focusing on her education and has enrolled in California’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

He starred as the funny kid on Two and a Half Men and even continued his starring role in the show into his teen years. However, as he grew into his older years and starred on the show for a total of ten years, it seems that Jones had a change of heart for acting and for the show he was so well-known for. Rather, Jones decided to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventists Church, and has since joined the management team for an event production called Tonite.

He was on one of the biggest shows of the moment, but after he played King Joffrey on Game of Thrones for three years, Jack Gleeson decided to quit acting. As one of the most hated characters on TV, fans rejoiced when Gleeson was killed off from the series. At the same time, Gleeson decided to kill his acting career after saying he no longer enjoyed it like he used to. Rather, Gleeson chose to go and study philosophy and theology at college.

It seems that Sullivan followed suit with his former co-star Frankie Muniz and chose to leave Hollywood after his stint in Malcolm in the Middle. Having decided that Hollywood wasn’t his thing, Sullivan went to study at the University of Southern California. After finishing his time on Malcolm in the Middle at age 14, his last role on screen was in 2006, and he has not made any television appearances since he decided to focus his attention on his studies.

She was a hit during the 80’s and a well-known Hollywood actress starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. However, Cates decided to slow things down during the 90’s and took a break from Hollywood altogether. During this time, she focused her time on her family and also decided to pursue other work too. Cates turned her focus to charity and does a lot of charity work, as well as raise awareness for Juvenile Diabetes.

She starred alongside Will Smith on the hit series, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, playing cousin Hilary. Having starred on such a successful show during the 90’s, and had a few more acting stints for the years that followed, Parsons chose to turn her back on acting and focus on another passion of hers. Rather than starring in front of the camera, Parsons founded her own company. The company, called Sweet Blackberry, funds animated films about unsung black heroes.

Charlie Korsmo will probably be best remembered for his role as Jack in Steven Spielberg’s take on Peter Pan – Hook. Getting the chance to star alongside Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman must have been a dream come true. However, he ultimately decided that acting wasn’t for him and enrolled at MIT before moving on to Yale Law School. Korsmo is now a qualified lawyer and a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Mike Vitar had a handful of notable roles during the 90s, appearing in movies such as The Sandlot, as well as the two sequels to the hit movie The Mighty Ducks. At the turn of century, Vitar tried his luck as a firefighter and has been a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department since 2002. The former actor ran into legal trouble in 2015, when he and a bunch of firefighters were charged with misdemeanor battery after assaulting someone. He didn’t contest the charges.

Arguably the most iconic custodian of a mustache in the history of pop culture, Tom Selleck is undoubtedly a TV superstar. Winning numerous awards and making an absolute fortune from his time on the hit show Magnum P.I., Selleck has pretty much called time on his acting days in recent years. Nowadays, he enjoys nothing more than quiet life on his 60-acre Californian ranch, where he manages his own avocado farm.

Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen, became a household name after he starred in Life as a House in 2001, and won international fame after appearing as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. While Star Wars certainly gave Christensen the platform to pave his way in the entertainment world, the actor chose to buy a farm with some of his earnings. He worked on his own farm before starting his own clothing company and launching a production company.

Mara Wilson will be best recognized for her roles in the ’90s hits Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, but the child star is now all grown up. Mara found it difficult to win acting roles as she grew out of her “cute” phrase following the box-office hits, and decided to pursue other interests of hers. These days, Mara has been finding sporadic work as an actress, while spending most of her focus on her new profession as a writer.

The man behind one of the most iconic one hit wonders of all time is undoubtedly Vanilla Ice. Winning numerous awards for his hit single “Ice Ice Baby,” the man born as Robert Van Winkle has traded in his rap skills for real estate endeavors. In 2009, Ice started a reality show called The Vanilla Ice Project, which focuses on home renovation. Every single episode deals with a different house. He even had a book published that teaches how to be successful in real estate. Finally, it seems his time in the spotlight has ended.

Gene Hackman was a name to be heard in 1967 when “Bonnie and Clyde” just came out in theaters. In the 90s, Hackman went on to star in several films, including “Crimson Tide” (1995), but his final role was in 2004. That year, Hackman appeared on Larry King and announced that he had no acting projects coming up. He went on to write three successful novels.

In the 70s and 80s, Swedish pop group ABBA was one of the biggest bands in the world. After the band’s breakup and her subsequent solo career, singer Agnetha Falskog stepped away from the music industry. She bought an isolated country house in Sweden to focus on the things that meant most to her. Falskog spent her time in Ekero studying astrology, doing yoga, and riding horses. She claims that she did not sing at all for a 13-year stretch, after which, she returned to music.

Erik Estrada is probably best known for playing Officer Frank Poncherello in CHiPs, the hit police TV show from the late ’70s to early ’80s. He’s kept busy since then, with over 150 credits, yet the role he’s best known for inspired him to make a career later in life. In a case of reality imitating art, he has been sworn in as a police officer in St. Anthony, Idaho, as of July 2016. Even before that was in reserve officer, gradually phasing out his acting over the past decade.

Jon Gosselin became famous with his family when Jon & Kate Plus 8 became a hit, but after his divorce from his ex-wife, Kate, the network decided to go with her instead of him. Left unemployed, he went back to work. He’s been a waiter, a DJ, and a cook, juggling several jobs at once to provide for his family. He has a girlfriend, custody over two of his children, and is reportedly happy despite a custody battle with his ex-wife. Currently, he’s an IT administrator, assuming his LinkedIn account is up to date.

Crystal McKellar’s breakthrough role was Becky Slater on The Wonder Years, which also happened to feature her sister, Danica. Even during the sisters’ time as child stars, education was emphasized more than acting in their family. A star student, she ended up going to Yale, Oxford, and Harvard to study law. Harvard gave McKellar her J.D., and she has been working as an attorney ever since. She provided legal counseling for Mithril Capital Managemen, but this ended on a sour note in 2019.

Michael Maronna played Kevin McCallister’s older brother in the Home Alone movies and big Pete on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Since then, though, he hasn’t appeared in much of anything, preferring to work as an electrician on TV show and movie productions. So it’s not that he wanted to leave the industry altogether, just would rather his face not everywhere. He maintains a podcast called the Adventures of Danny and Mike with his ex-costar, little Pete actor Danny Tamberelli, as they stayed friends despite all the years that have passed.

Since his role as Mark Taylor Home Improvement alongside Tim Allen and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Tarran Noah Smith has moved away from show business. A vegan himself, he and an ex-wife opened up a restaurant in California called Playfood, which only served organic, vegan food. In recent natural disasters, including a 2014 Philippine tropical storm and 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, Smith has devoted his time in volunteer relief work doing construction. Besides helping rebuild after destruction, he is a technical manager at the Community Submersibles Project, where he teaches regular people to pilot submarines.

Chris Owen is best known for his role in American Pie, where he was the Sherminator. Even though it doesn’t seem to be voluntary, he has stepped away from the limelight out of necessity since he fell out of fashion. He still plays in B movies, but these don’t pay the bills and he has been spotted waiting tables at Sushi Roku in L.A. in addition to being a photographer. Most recently, he had a supporting role in 2018’s Sharknado 8, so clearly acting’s not paying the bills.

Jeffrey “Skunk” Allen Baxter is a guitarist who helped found Steely Dan and also played with the Doobie Brothers. He’s played with some great stars, such as Dolly Parton, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, and more doing session work. However, he has phased out his music career over the past decade, although he still plays, because in recent years he has taken up a job as a defense consultant for the US Department of Defense. He got this job after becoming an in-demand expert on military software and hardware.

Omri Katz was a ’90s child star who became famous for playing Max in the classic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, and Marshall in the TV show Eerie, Indiana.  Thanks to roles such as these, he found stardom and had many roles on TV during that decade, including a role in Freaks and Geeks. However, he decided to leave all the acting behind him when he grew up, with his last credited appearance being in 2002. Since then, he has become a hairdresser.

Steven Anthony Lawrence played the annoying Beans in Even Stevens, which was Shia LaBeouf’s breakthrough role. It was a success, running from 2001 until 2003, but the iconic Lawrence didn’t have anywhere near the same career as LaBeouf. Although he has appeared here and there since then, he makes money teaching seminars at USC, Berkeley, and in high schools. Now he’s moved on to other things besides Bean, he’s expressed surprise at people still recognizing him on the street for his iconic role.

Although Isaac Lidsky left a life of acting to start a normal life, his accomplishments have been extraordinary. Right after playing Weasel on Saved By the Bell: The New Class, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. He eventually went blind, but this didn’t stop him from enrolling in Harvard when he was 15 and graduating with degrees in applied math and computer science. He went back and got a law degree, eventually becoming the first legally blind Supreme Court clerk. In addition to being a lawyer, he’s also started several successful businesses.

You might recognize Travis Tedford as the adorable child actor who played Spanky in 1994’s The Little Rascals. Additionally, that year he was Welch’s first “advertisement spokeskid.” He played in several minor roles since then and was able to put acting on the backburner while he graduated from high school and college. Since growing up, though, he has only one role in the horror movie The Final. Living in Texas, Tedford now works for Texas Trust Credit Union as a specialist for inbound marketing.

Frankie Muniz suffered terrible memory loss following two mini-strokes in one year. Reportedly, he can barely remember being the star of Malcolm in the Middle. The child star became a racecar driver and a drummer, yet he left both those pursuits and bought a specialty shop called Outrageous Olive Oils and Vinegars in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. Although he never stopped token appearances on TV, seeing as he can’t even remember his glory days as an actor it’s clear that running the shop with his partner, Paige, is what he’s mostly been concentrating on.

You may remember Maia Brewton as the Thor-obsessed little sister on Adventures in Babysitting, or as the younger sister of Lorraine Baines, Marty McFly’s mother, in Back to the Future. Since her childhood stardom, Brewton went to school at Yale and studied theater. She was a bartender for a bit, but decided to go back to school and study law, which ended up being her calling. She’s now an attorney living in Manhattan, where she lives with her partner, Lara Spotts, and their twin boys.

Lisa Jakub played Lydia Hillard in the classic 1993 flick Mrs. Doubtfire alongside the legendary Sally Field and the late, great Robin Williams. She was actually expelled from high school for missing too much school, even though Williams wrote to the administration, pleading them to let it slide. Since then, she has played in a few films, but by the time she was 22 years old in 2001, she was sick of acting. She graduated in 2010 with a sociology degree from the University of Virginia. Today, she is a writer and yoga instructor.

Andrea Elson got her big break on the ’80s CBS sci-fi adventure show, Whiz Kids. She’s probably best known for Lynn Tanner on ALF, which ran for four seasons in the late ’80s. She stopped acting gradually, with fewer and fewer appearances in the ’90s. She remembers her time in the limelight fondly, apparently, as she posts things like throwback pictures and other nostalgic items periodically on social media. There don’t seem to be any aspirations of returning to acting. Currently, she is a traveling yoga instructor and maintains a blog.

There was a time when Sarah Michelle Gellar was one of the most famous faces in the world of TV. Of course, she was the titular main character in the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was also one of the most iconic scream queens of the ’90s. In 2015, she founded startup company Foodstirs, which focuses on selling baking kits to children. While she does make the odd cameo here and there, Gellar spends most of her time taking care of her kids.

While he is best known for his roles in the TV show Grace Under Fire and the movie Big Daddy, Dylan Sprouse hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations as an actor quite like his brother Cole has. Despite this, the young man has managed to make a name for himself outside of acting, specifically as a businessman. After graduating from NYU’s Gallatin School with a degree in video game design, he has since gone on to found his own business, All-Wise Meadery.

If Sarah Michelle Gellar was one of the most iconic female teen stars of the ’90s, then husband Freddie Prinze Jr. was certainly one of the most iconic male ones. The She’s All That star seemed to be in everything at one point. Ultimately though, Freddie decided to take a step back from the limelight to focus full-time on his family. Since then, Prinze Jr. has developed a passion for cooking and even released his own popular cookbook in 2016.

Truth be told, Ali MacGraw’s acting years are long behind her. Despite being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1970’s Love Story, MacGraw hasn’t had a movie acting credit for over 20 years. In recent times, the retired actress has used her time to support charitable organizations such as PETA. Also, she opened her own yoga studio and MacGraw is believed to be one of the most influential figures in popularizing yoga in the United States.

There is no denying that Rick Moranis’s reasons to step back from the world of acting are not without their fair share of tragedy. The star of movies such as Honey I Shrunk the Kids was heartbroken when his wife Ann passed away in 1997 after a long battle with cancer. Ultimately, he was determined to take care of his kids after this and wasn’t interested in compromising that with acting opportunities. However, Moranis has developed a passion for music and even made some albums.

It’s impossible to ignore Noah Hathaway’s role as Atreyu in the ’80s classic The Neverending Story. Since those glory days though, Hathaway has switched his attention to a variety of other fields. The former child actor became a dance instructor but had to give this up after suffering an injury. Hathaway has also competed in supersport motorcycle racing and even spent some time working as a tattoo artist. According to him, he has given many clients tattoos of the iconic Auryn amulet that Atreyu wore in the movie.

While it appears that Cameron Diaz hasn’t been working ever since announcing her retirement from acting, she is currently considering her options. In an interview with InStyle, Diaz said that she thinks she has earned the right to take a break while also expressing her passion for writing about health and wellness. “Right now, I’m looking at the landscape of wellness and all that,” she said. “But whatever I do, it has to be something I’m passionate about – something that just feels effortless.”

There have been a few stars from Full House who have seemed to find more success outside of acting. Take Blake McIver Ewing, for example, who also made a name for himself as Waldo Aloysius Johnston III in 1994’s The Little Rascals. In 2013, the young man worked as a go-go dancer in L.A. According to him, “The tips were good. In fact, I raised so much money,” he said. “I was able to finish my record — mission accomplished.”

There is no denying that Dustin Diamond is best known for his role as Screech in Saved by the Bell. While it’s safe to say that no other role he has had has quite eclipsed that one, his personal life has seemed to overshadow his acting credentials in recent times. Despite his legal issues, Diamond is also a musician and even formed an alternative metal band called Salty the Pocketknife. Diamond is the bassist and also wrote most of the band’s music.

While she is by no means the most famous child star on this list, Carrie Henn certainly has one of the most iconic child-acting roles of all time. Her role in the hit movie Aliens alongside Sigourney Weaver was simply unforgettable. Ultimately though, Henn was happy to take a step back from acting in order to pursue a degree in liberal studies. Eventually, she went on to become an elementary school teacher and has been happy not to act ever since.

Sadly, Zach Galligan hasn’t really lived up to the hype that he made for himself back in the ’80s. Most casual fans will recognize him for his role in the hit film Gremlins. However, the actor, who is now in his mid-50s, decided to take a step back from acting after that role to pursue his studies at Columbia University. Apparently, his parents wanted him to have “a more stable career.” Since then, he has worked with British prog-rock band Gandalf’s Fist on the album The Clockwork Fable.

For sure, Nikki Blonsky’s current job isn’t without a sharp twist of irony. She is best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the movie adaption of the musical Hairspray. While she has had other roles since then, despite her newfound household name status, Blonsky’s fame didn’t last too long and she had no choice but to look for work outside of acting. In between auditions, she has been working in her hometown as a hairstylist.

Lauren Bosworth, better known in the reality TV scene as “Bo,” came to prominence because of her role in the popular series The Hills. She also appeared in Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. However, she has since traded in her fame in order to find some success in the world of business. In 2016, Bo became the founder and CEO of Love Wellness – her very own female-first total body care company. Her own health issues inspired her to create the successful company.

There was a time when Willa Ford fancied her chances as a successful pop star. In 2001, the singer’s single “I Wanna Be Bad” reached No. 22 in the Billboard Hot 100. However, she never managed to push on from that after releasing her second single on September 11 of that year. Since stepping away from singing, Ford has been working full-time as an interior designer. She even founded her own L.A.-based WFord Interiors company, which she is also the head designer for.

If you ever watched the show 7th Heaven back in the day, you probably remember the sweet child actress Mackenzie Rosman, who played the character, Ruthie Camden. While there were some characters on that show that viewers simply couldn’t like, Ruthie certainly wasn’t one of them. Since then, Rosman has taken a step back from the limelight. Instead, she is more interested these days in doing good for the world, having served as the chairman of CureFinders, which raises money for cystic fibrosis research.

There was a time when Jason Zimbler starred alongside the likes of Melissa Joan Hart in the ’90s sitcom Clarissa Explains it All. Despite having a mixed career as a child actor as well as in the world of theater, Zimbler has since shifted his passions completely. After his acting life came to an end, Zimbler ended up studying at the University of Notre Dame. Since 2011, the former actor has been working as a software designer for HBO, staying in the TV family.

To be fair, Leanna Creel never quite made it in the world of TV. With some recurring roles in shows such as Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210, that was the height of Creel’s acting efforts. At the end of the day though, Creel was more interested in working behind the scenes and eventually co-founded production company Creel Studio. This company specializes in travel, food, and lifestyle. She also has developed a passion for photography over the years.

Many American TV and film fans might not be so familiar with Kevin Kennedy. However, British fans will certainly recognize his face, especially if they ever watched the popular soap opera Coronation Street. Originally the popular character Curly, Kevin Kennedy has since traded in his acting career for something a bit more lowkey. These days, Kennedy works as a tour guide and has given tours of the actual set of the show he worked on.

While little sister Elizabeth Olsen is certainly carrying on the acting torch for their family, Mary-Kate and Ashley are perfectly happy to focus their attention elsewhere. Of course, they are best known for having burst onto the scene on shows such as Full House. Ultimately though, their acting careers dried up over a decade ago and since then, the twins have developed a respectful career in fashion after establishing their own clothing line, The Row.

It seems strange to think that David Caruso no longer acts. The man famous for his role as Lieutenant Horatio Caine in CSI: Miami was a key figure in a number of crime dramas for a few decades. However, after being described as a nightmare to work with and CSI: Miami‘s cancellation, Caruso decided to retire from the world of acting altogether. Since then, he has founded DavidCarusoTelevision.tv and LexiconDigital.tv. He is even the co-owner of South Miami clothing store Steam on Sunset.

Just like his brothers, Kevin Jonas is a talented jack of all trades. And even though he has not completely stepped away from the world of entertainment, it seems like Kevin is the Jonas with the most enthusiasm for business. After making an appearance on a 2014 episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Kevin enjoyed his role as a contractor and pursued it further afterward. He has also created apps such as food app Yood, as well as partnering with video-sharing app We Heart It.

While Portia de Rossi has had a fairly successful acting career over the years and she is known for having tied the knot with Ellen DeGeneres, which is only scratching the surface of her work life. De Rossi has embarked on many charitable endeavors, having supported organizations such as Locks of Love and FXB International. Although she announced her retirement from acting in 2017, De Rossi did claim that she would make an exception if she was asked to reprise her role in future seasons of Arrested Development.

There is no denying that Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s acting life saw its best years during the ’90s. Having had a key role in the hit show Home Improvement and lending his voice to the role of Simba in The Lion King, the future certainly looked bright for this talented child actor. However, Thomas ultimately took a step back to enroll at Harvard University, where he studied both philosophy and history. He also studied General Studies at Columbia University.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Former American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra has been through hell and back over the last few years. Despite having competed in the popular singing contest, Sierra has realized that singing is not her calling after all. Since then though, the former singer has descended into a pretty tough chapter of her life, getting into a series of legal entanglements. Along the way, she has been trying to make ends meet by working at a bar.

Daniel Day-Lewis shocked Hollywood when he announced his retirement from acting in 2017. However, an official statement did hint that the Academy Award winner is happy to work, but no longer in Hollywood. “Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor,” a representative wrote on his behalf. His final role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread saw the method actor immerse himself into a number of costume departments. When asked if he’d consider pursuing a career in fashion designing, he simply answered with the following: “Who knows?”

Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit and his brother, Blake, made their break when they were toddlers on Full House, where they played Aunt Becky and Uncle Jesse’s twin sons, Alex and Nicky. Since then, they have reprised roles for the reboot Fuller House, but that’s all they’ve done in acting. Despite wanting to lead normal lives since then, Dylan is still involved in the entertainment industry, but as a normal sound technician instead of a cute TV toddler. He’s worked on Game of Thrones, Black Sails, and Death Note, to name a few.

Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit, just like his brother, decided to leave the acting world behind after they were cast in Full House. Furthermore, he also now works as a sound technician like his brother, but that’s only after a long stint as a firefighter in Georgia. It seems that Fuller House brought his attention back to the entertainment industry, as he has some credits since the 2016 reboot, yet it’s clear that he’d rather not stay in the spotlight. Since 2018, he has been a Foley mixer, meaning he mixes the everyday sound effects that are added back in post-production.

Remember Dale Arden in the 1980’s version of Flash Gordon? That was none other than Melody Anderson, who also played alongside Chuck Norris in 1986’s Firewalker. She continued acting for several good years, but left the pursuit behind in 1995 with her last appearance on Burke’s Law. Since then, she went back to school at NYU for social work in 1997. Currently, she specializes in providing family therapy, in addition to lecturing on mental health and substance abuse.

Ariana Richards became world-famous when she featured as Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park, a role she also played in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Since then, she decided to take a break from acting in 2001. She went to Skidmore College, where she earned a fine arts and drama degree, but stayed away from acting almost entirely, except for a minor 2013 role. For the most part, she’s been filling her time as a painter, which is much more relaxed than a high-profile actress.

Jamie Walters will always be connected to Beverly Hills, 90210 in our minds for his role as Ray Pruit, but we forget that he also had a successful music career in the mid-’90s. Remember the theme song from The Heights, “How Do You Talk to an Angel?” Walters sang the song, which went to number one on the charts in 1992. In addition, he was the lead role in the Aaron Spelling-produced show, although it was less successful than 90210. Since then, he has worked as a firefighter and paramedic in L.A.

Probably best known for starring alongside Molly Ringwald in the classic 80s movie Sixteen Candles, Michael Schoeffling was the man who played the hunky Jake Ryan. After a few years in the game, he quit acting altogether in 1991 due to the lack of opportunities. Moreover, Schoeffling was growing a family and had many mouths to feed. He needed money quickly, otherwise, things could’ve proved to have been very difficult. Since then, he has been the owner of a woodworking shop, creating his own furniture.

See which celebs gave in to alimony and shared their millions, going down in history as the most expensive divorces ever!

Tiger Wood’s reputation was shattered when his adulterous behavior with dozens of random women was discovered. Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren officially split in 2010 after six years. Tiger was reportedly forced to hand over $750 million in their divorce.

Since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, the couple has been working with a private judge. She asked for full physical and joint legal custody of their children. It’s too soon to tell, but rumor has it that the divorce will end up costing $400 million.

16 years of marriage and three children later, the Hollywood couple decided to call it quits as a result of Costner’s alleged infidelity. The Hollywood actor ended up having to pay $80 million to Silva in the divorce and later admitted that he had a child on the side with socialite Bridget Rooney.

Jocelyn managed to get $2.5 billion out of her ex-husband Alec Wildenstein, French businessman and billionaire. Known for her plastic surgery, which cost her a total of $2 million, Jocelyn thought changing her look would keep her husband around.

Michael Douglas married Diandra in 1977, and had a son with her a year later. In 1995, Diane filed for divorce. By the end of their divorce, Diandra received a $45 million settlement, which was half of the actor’s net worth at the time.

After 33 years of marriage to his partner, Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET Robert Johnson separated in 2002. Two years before their divorce, in 2000, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for $3 billion; of which Sheila ended up getting $400 million.

Dr. Phil had a failed marriage with his high school sweetheart Debbie Higgins, who McGraw divorced after three years. The split cost around $1 million as at that point he didn’t have much. Higgins calls herself the “secret first wife of Dr. Phil.”

Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone made headlines for all the wrong reasons after having a divorce settlement worth an incredible $1 billion! Not wasting any time, Slavica turned this money into $1.6 billion from investments.

Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock shocked fans when they announced their split in 2015. Despite this, the two remain friends and support each other. Given that there was no prenuptial agreement was in place, we can assume that the couple divided their assets evenly.

Michael Strahan met Muggli in 1994 and they married in 1999. Since saying “I do,” the two have had quite the tumultuous relationship. After filing for divorce, Muggli was awarded $15 million in a settlement and $18,000 in child support each month.

After years of trying to make the marriage work, Michael and Juanita Jordan mutually agreed on a divorce. As part of the settlement, Juanita received $168 million, on top of the couple’s seven acre Chicago mansion and custody of their children Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine.

This couple who lasted 32 years and have three children together split up in 1999. Murdoch ended up amassing a net worth of $8 billion. Torv received $1.2 billion as part of the couple’s divorce settlement.

Heidi claims that Seal’s temper got so out of control, it scared their children. Heidi left with a broken heart and bank account. Despite their prenup agreement, Klum ended up settling the divorce for $70 million.

After 26 years together, Robyn’s final decision to file for divorce was brought on by Mel’s DUI arrest in 2006. Because the couple didn’t sign a prenup, Robyn ended up getting half of Mel’s fortune in the divorce, which was about $425 million.

Frank McCourt, known as the owner of Dodgers Stadium and Fox Entertainment Group, was married to wife Jamie McCourt until their messy divorce in 2011. Since Frank is such a successful entrepreneur, the divorce ended up costing him a substantial $130 million!

The businessman married Barkin, who became his fourth wife, in June of 2000. Their short-lived marriage ended in 2006, and the divorce was expensive. Ellen reportedly received a settlement of more than $20 million after she sold off jewelry Ron had given her.

When the golf legend left Laura Andrassy in 2008 after 25 years of marriage, for fellow tennis star Chris Evert, he was forced to pay Andrassy an estimated $103 million! You’d think those big payouts would make couples work harder to keep their relationships together.

Johnny Carson has been married four times, but his most financially successful wife was model/socialite Joanna Holland, who squeezed $20 million out of their long and ugly divorce. When they divorced, Carson was the highest paid TV personality, raking in $15 million a year.

Saudi Arabian billionaire, Adnan Khashoggi was once thought to be one of the richest men in the world. He married his partner Soraya Khashoggi when she was just 20 years old, but the marriage in an expensive divorce. Soraya was awarded $874 million.

After 22 years of marriage, Firth and Giuggioli are in the midst of their divorce. Although we cannot know exactly what settlement they will come to, we are assuming the Italian producer will receive half of the actor’s net worth. The duo decided to call it quits two years after Giuggioli admitted to having an affair with an Italian journalist and childhood friend, Marco Brancaccia. Despite their efforts to work through the affair and raise their two sons together, it seems the infidelity got the best of them, and they have called it quits for good.

The divorce of tennis player, Andre Agassi, and actress/model Brooke Shields has been pretty famous for being one of the highest payouts per-months-married ever! The two settled on $8,450715 per month.

This is especially high considering they were only married for two years. The two started dating in 1997 and called it quits in 1999.

When these two wed in 1997, there was no prenuptial agreement. After 14 years of marriage and two children, the couple split up in February 2011. Camille ended up on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and $30 million of Grammer’s money.

When Charman married his high school sweetheart Beverley, he had no money, but during their 29 years of marriage, he become the eighth richest businessman in London. Beverly gave up her job to raise their children, so when the couple separated, Beverly received $95 million.

One of Hong Kong’s most powerful billionaires, Samathur Li-Kan, divorced his wife Florence in 2008 because she wouldn’t get an abortion. A Hong Kong judge ordered the wealthy real estate mogul to pay his ex-wife $154 million.

From 1991 to 2007 Irina Malandina was married to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who was valued at 8.5 billion. When the couple divorced, Irina ended up getting $300 million which included cash as well as lavish homes in Moscow and London.

It has been confirmed that Jesse Williams and his wife Aryn Drake-Lee are divorcing amicably. The Grey’s Anatomy star filed for divorce from Drake-Lee, a real estate broker. No settlement amount was disclosed, but is estimated that it will cost around $4 million.

Although the marriage seemed a happy one, the couple divorced in 2006 after nearly twenty years together. Following their split, Eddie Murphy dated and had a child with former Spice Girl Mel B. Nicole went onto date Michael Strahan. Currently Eddie is dating Paige Butcher and the couple have a child together.

Ted Danson met Casey Coates in 1976 and the pair were inseparable for 15 years. Things went south after Danson and Whoopi Goldberg began having a secret affair. In one of Hollywood’s most expensive divorce settlements at the time, Danson paid Coates $30 million.

17 years of marriage and having two children couldn’t save this doomed Hollywood couple. Ford and Mathison divorced in 2001, and with no prenuptial agreement, she ended up getting away with $118 million of the actor’s cash.

Amber accused Depp of being abusive, and eventually a settlement of over $6 million was decided on. Amber vowed to donate the money to charities. Although the couple never had children together, Depp has two, including model Lily-Rose Depp.

The News Corporation CEO didn’t waste any time as he married Deng 17 days after his previous divorce was finalized. In June 2013, Murdoch decided Deng wasn’t doing it for him anymore and divorced her too, settling for $1.8 million.

This relationship came to an end after Cameron was unfaithful while on the set of Titanic. Within days of Cameron winning an Oscar for the movie, the couple announced their separation and Linda’s $50 million settlement.

Kim Bassinger and Alec Baldwin were married for 9 years and had a daughter together before splitting. The divorce was tough, with Kim blocking Alec’s visitation rights to their daughter. It is reported that they settled for around $3 million.

Steve Wynn managed to strike out twice, with the same woman! Wynn divorced Elaine Wynn, for the second time in 2010, costing the billionaire $741 million!

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills celebrated their marriage with a $3.2 million wedding in Ireland, he probably wasn’t thinking that he’d be spending a whole lot more than that dissolving it. McCartney had to pay her $48.6 million settlement.

Vladimir Potanin is reported to be one of the richest men in Russia, worth an estimated $14 billion. He was married to Natalia Potanina for 30 years before calling it quits in 2013. The divorce was extremely complicated, and Natalia received around $7 billion.

Michael Polsky is one of the most famous businessmen in the world, formerly the owner of SkyGen, it was only natural that his divorce was going to cost him! He split from his wife Maya in 2003 and it cost him an astonishing $184 million.

Charles Fipke discovered the first diamonds in Canada’s Northwest Territories, which in turn made him a very rich man. Charles divorced Marlene after being married for a number of years, and the divorce cost him close to $200 million, making it one of the biggest divorce settlements in Canada.

Gwen and Gavin were considered a happy successful couple, however like most matches in Hollywood their marriage came to an end after 13 years and a total 20 years together. Their settlement estimated to cost around $25 million. Since the split, Gwen has gone on to date Blake Shelton.

Three and a half years into their marriage, the couple agreed to divorce. In the end, Amy Irving got $100 million for the divorce which might seem like a lot, but it was just a drop in the bucket for Spielberg, who’s worth more than $5 billion.

Hilary Duff was considered one of America’s teenage sweethearts throughout the 2000’s. The world was thrilled for her when she married Mike Comrie, however, the marriage didn’t last. What followed was a messy divorce and a settlement which cost around $2.5 million.

Demi and Bruce were married for 11 years and have three daughters. They divorced in 2000, and Bruce said that he felt like “he had failed as a father and husband.” Demi moved on with a younger man, Ashton Kutcher, as well as a $90 million settlement.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver had a difficult split after 25 years of marriage. Shriver filed for divorce following the news of his affair with their housekeeper. Since they never had a prenup agreement, Shriver ended up getting $375 million and custody of their children.

In October 2022, Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen announced their divorce – after 13 years of marriage. Many people speculate that Gisele filed for divorce due to Tom returning to football, despite his announcement that he’d retire. Gisele wanted Tom home with the family and, supposedly, didn’t agree with him continuing his career.

At the time of writing, Tom’s net worth stands at roughly $333 million while Gisele’s net worth is an estimated $400 million. Their high-profile divorce is estimated to cost a whopping $733 million.

Harold Hamm, one of the biggest entrepreneurs in the gas and oil industry, divorced his wife Sue Ann Arnall in 2012 after 24 years of marriage. The legal battle ended when Sue accepted Mann’s settlement check of $974.8 million!

Grammy Award winner Michelle Branch married her bass player Teddy Landau and the marriage lasted nearly 11 years. However, it didn’t last and the couple decided to separate, which was then followed by a divorce. The settlement cost close to $300,000.

After being married for 24 years and having five children with a man who mounted a hefty $150 million debt, Tawanna decided to file for divorce. While in the divorce court, Allen shouted to his wife, “I don’t even have money for a cheeseburger!” to which Tawanna responded by handing him $61. After pleading for her back, Tawanna withdrew the papers but it was not long until she backtracked. She re-filed for divorce in 2013 and was awarded everything in the post-nuptial agreement, a staggering $32 million.

The marriage between the Madonna and Guy Ritchie lasted only seven years. Luckily for Guy, the couple didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, and he made out like a bandit getting somewhere between $76 and $92 million as part of the divorce settlement.

After 26 years of marriage, Dmitry and Elena called it quits. Dmitry ended up coughing up half of his money in a six-year legal battle that saw the Russian billionaire handing over $4.5 billion to Elena.

After seven years, the singer and his second wife, Diane Alexander, called it quits. After a dragged out legal dispute, Diana was awarded the couple’s $5 million mansion and a lump sum of $20 million, burning a huge hole in the artist’s fortune.

Being married to the world’s richest man has its perks, but divorcing them isn’t too bad either. Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, who is worth an estimated $137 billion, has just announced his divorce to wife, MacKenzie, on Twitter. Since he founded the company after their marriage, MacKenzie could be entitled to half his Amazon-based fortune, a whopping $66 billion! Bad news for Bezos, as he will need to sell or pledge shares to fund a settlement that huge, reducing his control of the company.

The famous country crooner and his college sweetheart Sandy Mahl sadly parted ways due to difficult times in their relationship and divorced in 1999 after 15 years of marriage. Mahl was awarded a whopping $125 million in the divorce settlement.

This ultra-wealthy couple has been together for over 27 years but decided to call it quits in 2021. Their reason for the split was that they felt they couldn’t “grow together” anymore as a couple.

We’re not sure what growth they felt still needed to be done, given the enormous success they achieved together, it seems that even the greatest achievements weren’t enough to keep this relationship going. While their exact settlement remains confidential, it’s estimated to be around $80 billion.

Mike Tyson and Robin Givens’s divorce cost more millions than the time that they stayed together. The couple only lasted eight months but the split earned Robin a whopping $10 million.

Apparently, she could have gotten even more but she stresses that she was never interested in Mike’s money and she married him out of love. While we appreciate the sentiment, that’s a pretty interesting claim from someone who just made $10 million from an eight-month marriage.

Adele and Simon were together for seven years and all seemed to be going well but their marriage only lasted two years, implying that the switch to becoming husband and wife didn’t work out for them.

Although they never disclosed the details of their divorce, they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, meaning that Simon would be entitled to half of Adele’s $182 million fortune. Given Adele’s significantly happier energy since the split, it’s clear that money truly can’t buy happiness.

This former couple had an extremely messy divorce in which Orianne refused to leave Phil’s $40 million mansion. Phil had to take legal action to remove his ex-wife, and her new husband, from the property. The house in question has since been sold for $39 million.

This isn’t Phil’s first expensive divorce, though. He also paid a whopping $34 million to Jill Tavelman when they split. Hopefully, this singer’s next relationship will be built to last – or at the very least end amicably.

Janet Jackson has had a lot of unfair things happen to her and, unfortunately, her divorce settlement with Rene Elizondo can be added to that list. Despite their prenuptial agreement, Janet still had to shell out spousal support as Rene claimed that he signed the prenup “under duress.”

Given what Janet went through after her Superbowl wardrobe malfunction with Justin Timberlake, she seems pretty used to men blaming her for the consequences of their actions.

Kelly Clarkson’s $1.3 million payment to Brandon Blackstock may not seem like that much but she also has to pay monthly child support to the tune of $45,601. Furthermore, Kelly was paying $150,000 a month for spousal support, which has since been lowered to $115,000 monthly.

Brandon will also get some of the couple’s cars, expensive household items, and farm animals. The couple has split custody of their two children, River and Remington.

This divorce battle lasted over three years and resulted in some pretty hefty payouts. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist had to pay Perla $6.6 million, plus $100,000 a month in spousal support and $39,000 in child support.

Since their split, Slash has banned Perla from all of Guns N’ Roses’ shows. However, she’s been attending the band’s performances anyway. To be fair, Perla insists that she went to the shows for her son (who was also performing) not for Slash.

Kim Kardashian’s relatively low divorce settlement is due to a prenuptial agreement that she signed prior to marrying Kanye West. Although Kimye can’t seem to agree on anything at the moment, neither of them is debating their prenup. Kim’s net worth is $780 million, while Kanye is currently worth $1.3 billion.

That being said, unfortunately, there seems to be no legal contract in the world that can stop the rapper from constantly harassing Kim and her new boyfriend, Pete Davidson. If there were a payout that could save Kim from Kanye’s antics, we have no doubt that she’d go for it – at any price.

Russell Brand was entitled to $20 million of Katy Perry’s fortune, however, sources claim that he didn’t take a single penny. Russell insists that he doesn’t want Katy’s money and he’s happy with his own earnings, despite the fact that they’re significantly less.

The comedian says that he wanted to end his marriage to the pop star amicably, even if that meant skipping out on a huge payday. The couple appears to be true class acts in their split. Maybe they can give Kanye some lessons?

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise’s divorce was already in the public eye due to both of them being celebrities, but it became even more highlighted by Tom’s involvement in Scientology.

Katie’s time with Tom, and the Church of Scientology, earned her $5 million for herself and $4.8 million in child support. Given what we know about both Scientology and Tom, we think that Katie deserved a whole lot more.

Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow had no interest in fighting over anything in their divorce. As the creators of “conscious uncoupling”, they simply wanted to part ways amicably and without any messiness involved.

To make matters even more ideal, Chris and Gwyneth have similar net worths, so there really wasn’t much to argue about. They each got $100 million and shared custody of their children. That’s not a bad start to conscious uncoupling…

Although Grimes and Elon Musk are not yet officially divorced, they have an existing prenuptial agreement that determines how much Grimes would get. Grimes is guaranteed $20 million but she wants a bit more.

The singer is requesting an additional $6 million, $80,000 in monthly alimony, a 5% stake in Space X, and a 10% stake in Tesla. Given Elon’s influence in the world, we’re pretty sure he’ll be able to fight Grimes’s requests.

This couple’s relationship ended with a lot of assumptions and guesses by the public. From Ben’s “marriage is work” speech, to rumors of cheating, to issues with drinking, it’s a miracle that their marriage lasted for the 13 years that it did.

The pair were separated for two years before officially getting divorced in 2021. While Jennifer got $47 million, Ben got a new and, also famous, Jennifer in his life, as he’s now with Jennifer Lopez.

Britney Spears, like the rest of us, just wanted her marriage with Kevin Federline to be over. In fact, Britney was so eager to be out of that relationship that she paid far more than what the prenup required in order to finalize the divorce quicker.

Instead of $250,000 for each year they were together, Britney gave Kevin $500,000 per year. In exchange, Kevin is not allowed to talk to the press about his experiences with the Princess of Pop.

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards had a notoriously nasty divorce, which wasn’t helped by Charlie’s personal and professional hardships.

The controversial celebrity went from being the highest-paid actor on TV and a married man to being an often unemployed divorce. Denise, on the other hand, got $7 million in the divorce, $10 million in child support, and $25 million in royalties from Two and a Half Men. All she had to do was be married to Charlie Sheen for four years, so… she earned it.

Country crooner Kenny Rogers is no stranger to divorce—he’s been married five times—but his most expensive split was with his fourth wife, Marianne Gordon. In 1993, the couple divorced, and Rogers shelled out a cool $60 million to Gordon.

25 years and two children later, Murphey filed for divorce  and walked away with $150 million! Once rumors of Diamond’s unfaithfulness spread around Hollywood, the odds were in Marcia’s favor. He later said that “she’s worth every penny.”

The Bronx-born singer-actress filed for divorce from Chris Judd less than a year after tying the knot, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. Although they settled for an undisclosed amount, there are numerous reports that J.Lo shelled out $14 million.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana appeared to have a fairytale marriage. Affairs lead to the dissolution of the royal marriage, and Diana was paid a lump sum of around 17.5 million pounds, which at today’s exchange rate is about $22 million.

Founder of McCaw Cellular, Craig McCaw, sold his company to AT& T for over $12 billion and was married to his wife Wendy Petrak for 21 years. By 1995, the  couple split when McCaw filed for divorce. Petrak received $450 million cash in the couple’s divorce settlement.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez had only been married for two years, but the pair officially called it quits in July 2023. Although neither half of the couple has revealed the reason for the split, it’s believed that Grande’s busy work schedule was to blame.

Although it’s still unclear what this divorce will cost, Grande has a net worth of $240 million, while Gomez is worth $20 million, so it’ll probably be Ariana who pays up.

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello were together for seven years before calling it quits in 2023. A source close to the couple revealed, “Sofía and Joe have been growing apart for a while now and are taking some distance from each other to contemplate their future.”

Although the exact cost of this split is still to be determined, one can imagine it’ll be a high number given these actors’ net worths. Vergara is worth a whopping $180 million, while Manganiello pales in comparison at $40 million.