Hollywood has always had a complicated relationship with its youngest stars. The cameras roll, the applause builds, and somewhere behind the velvet rope, a parent decides that their child’s talent is a resource to be managed, spent, or controlled. For many of these kids, the entertainment industry wasn’t a dream they chased. It was a schedule handed to them before they were old enough to push back.
The stories below cover a wide range of eras and circumstances, but a common thread runs through all of them. Parents took advantage of their children’s youth to control their careers, with direct consequences on the future of their children’s finances and mental health. Each of these nine former child stars has spoken publicly about how a parent’s ambition, greed, or need for control shaped and in many cases derailed their earliest years.
1. Macaulay Culkin
In the early 1990s, Macaulay Culkin became a household name almost overnight. His performance as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and its sequel made him the most famous child actor in the world, and at his peak, he was also the highest paid child star in history. His father Kit, who managed his career, had become increasingly controlling as his son’s popularity grew and soon had a reputation in the industry for being unreasonable and demanding.
Kit Culkin was described by Macaulay himself as “abusive, physically and mentally,” and this strained relationship eventually led to a bitter legal battle over his trust fund, reportedly worth between $15 and $20 million. In 1994, at only 14 years old, Culkin made the bold decision to step away from Hollywood. In a 2025 interview, Culkin revealed that he and his father have not made contact in over 30 years.
2. Judy Garland
Judy Garland’s early success wasn’t so much the result of a lucky break as it was the outcome of years of planning by her mother, Ethel Gumm, a former vaudeville performer who pushed all of her daughters into show business but recognized early on that Garland had the most talent. When Garland was just 10, her mother started supplying her with “pep pills” to boost her energy during the day and sleeping pills to knock her out at night, and eventually Milne worked with film studios to control her daughter’s appearance.
All of these moves were co-signed by Garland’s mother, who was desperate for her daughter to reach the heights of a leading lady. The result was that Garland struggled with addiction for the rest of her life, ultimately dying of an overdose in 1969. Liza Minnelli alleges in her forthcoming memoir that Judy Garland was “poisoned” with pills as a child star by studio executives and even her own grandmother.
3. Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan came into the spotlight as the star of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 movie “The Kid,” and was barely 10 years old when he incorporated Jackie Coogan Productions, a company that saw him earn up to $4 million as a minor. When he reached adulthood, he discovered that his mother and stepfather had spent nearly his entire fortune on luxury items. His mother’s public response at the time was that every dollar a child earned before turning 21 legally belonged to the parents.
Out of the fortune he had amassed, he was left with only $35,000 dollars to his name. One year after Jackie Coogan filed his lawsuit, the State of California passed the California Child Actor’s Bill, also known as the Coogan Act, which stops parents or legal guardians from having full access to a child performer’s earnings. Suing his mother and stepfather took a toll on Coogan’s career, and since his stepfather was well known among Hollywood folks, studios turned a cold shoulder on him. From 1939 to 1947, he had no screen jobs and took to the stage to keep acting.
4. Shirley Temple
By the time Shirley was 12, she had already starred in 44 films. Her mother, Gertrude, started her in the entertainment industry when she was a toddler, receiving a weekly $250 stipend from 20th Century Fox. Meanwhile, Shirley was only allowed to keep less than $20 in pocket money. Despite being one of the biggest box office draws of her entire era, she was essentially a financial passenger in her own career.
She was 20th Century Fox’s biggest box office draw during the 1930s. To her surprise, instead of the $3 million she had earned, she only had $44,000, because of her parents’ indifference and reckless spending. In her 1988 memoir, Child Star: An Autobiography, the actress described the early series of films she appeared in as “a cynical exploitation” of her “childish innocence.” Despite everything, Temple went on to rebuild her public life, eventually becoming a diplomat, though the financial losses from childhood were never recovered.
5. Jennette McCurdy
Jennette McCurdy has been open about her mother Debbie’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 when she was 10, resulting in her struggling with eating disorders during her time on the sitcom “iCarly.” When McCurdy was only 6, her mother pushed her into acting. As her family’s main source of financial support, she was taught to view her body and emotions as commodities.
In her memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” McCurdy recounts feeling responsible for her entire family’s financial well-being alongside stories of verbal abuse and a parent-endorsed eating disorder. Tragically, her mother passed away from cancer in 2013. In 2018, Jennette started therapy to help her recover from her eating disorders, and she believes that if her mom were still alive, she would still be battling these issues. The memoir’s brutal title alone communicated what years of polished television appearances had kept hidden.
6. 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.” and Jaid managed her career, often taking her out with friends several times a week. Barrymore’s story turned tragic, as she got caught up in the Hollywood party scene and was barely 10 years old when she had her first drink.
The pair often went to parties together. Drew was a minor when she began partying at New York’s infamous nightclub Studio 54, where she started using drugs, and was eventually sent to a rehabilitation facility at 12 years old. Finally at age 15, Drew was emancipated from her parents and no longer legally bound to them. She would eventually build a long, successful career on her own terms, but the damage done in those early years was both real and lasting.
7. Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter began acting in commercials at 4 years old and later landed her breakout role as Alex Dunphy on the ABC sitcom “Modern Family.” Ariel has explained that her mother had dreams of becoming an actor and acted as her stage mom, where she dealt with abuse and exploitation. Her mother also put her on a strict diet and neglected her education, and had her dress in outfits that sexualized her.
Her mother Crystal Workman was alleged to have abused her actress daughter both physically and emotionally. As far back as 2012, Winter tried to wrangle back control of her earnings, but the court did not grant her request until 2014, when permanent guardianship was given to her older sister Shannelle Gray, along with control over her earnings. Winter has since been vocal about the importance of protecting child actors from predatory parental behavior.
8. Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter rose to fame at only 9 years old and quickly became a solo pop sensation separate from his famous brother Nick. Aaron Carter asserted that during his teenage years as a musician, his family spent a substantial portion of his earnings on acquiring 15 houses and 30 cars. He further alleged that when his parents eventually sold these properties, he did not receive a share of the proceeds.
The young star struggled with the financial fallout of his early success and eventually filed for bankruptcy. He often spoke about how his parents’ management of his career led to long-term financial and personal struggles. His story remains a cautionary tale about the intersection of family and the music business. Aaron Carter passed away in November 2022 at the age of 34, leaving behind a biography that was defined as much by what was taken from him as by what he achieved.
9. Michael Jackson
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 result in Joe Jackson using items like a tree branch, belt, or electrical cord to discipline them. Michael revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that his father was a strict disciplinarian and was very strict and stern, and that Michael was scared of him.
Jackie Coogan’s court case with his parents over his childhood earnings illustrated how money-hungry adults consistently use and abuse their children’s talents as a means to their own profits, and Michael Jackson’s experience follows the same grim logic. Joe Jackson’s management style left lasting psychological marks that Michael would speak about publicly for decades. The pursuit of perfection under threat of punishment created one of the most famous performers of the twentieth century, while also denying him a recognizable childhood entirely.
The pattern across all nine stories is difficult to ignore. A child has something valuable, a talent, a face, a voice, and a parent moves in to manage it. What follows is rarely simple exploitation and often involves genuine complexity: parents who believed they were helping, mothers who saw fame as survival, fathers who confused discipline with control. The legal frameworks that exist today, imperfect as they are, exist specifically because these stories kept repeating. Knowing the names behind them matters.
