What do Amanda Bynes, Justin Bieber and Macaulay Culkin have in common? They are all childhood stars that have fallen from the great vista of the media world. Through illicit drug use and misbehavior in society, these celebrities strayed from the great dream of being a star and plummeted right back down to reality.
Many of us remember coming home after a long day of elementary school and sitting down to a plate of chicken nuggets made by Mom and turning on the television to watch our favorite show, The Amanda Show on Nickelodeon. Child actress Amanda Bynes hosted this variety show, airing many funny and innocent sketches for America’s youth. Understandably, seeing Amanda Bynes on the news with charges of driving under the influence and accusations of drug use was heartbreaking. She was also guilty of several hit-and-run car accidents. With the addition of a period of psychiatric care at the University of California, Los Angeles medical center and her mother, it seems reasonable, according to the Huffington Post, to put Amanda in custody of her mother Lynn Bynes until Sept. 30.
Amanda Bynes is just one of the many stars who, after childhood success, started behaving recklessly, given her once-admirable celebrity persona. Similar to Bynes’ situation, we see pop star Justin Bieber’s rough journey in to young adulthood while being in the spotlight. At first, Bieber’s popularity swept over the globe with great force, acquiring a massive fan base of teenage girls and selling millions of records. Now 19, Bieber has been spotted peeing into a mop bucket at a restaurant, spitting on his fans from the balcony of his hotel room and handling drugs on his tour bus. Due to these crude and irresponsible acts, Bieber’s fan base is dwindling and his overall popularity is decreasing. Once innocent icons, both Bieber and Bynes are subjected to risky circumstances due to their celebrity upbringing.
Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin is one of the more serious cases of degenerate stars. Previously known as the vibrant star of the Home Alone series, Culkin has recently been suspected of heroin abuse. In photographic comparisons, Culkin now appears to be very thin and withdrawn. Accompanied by heavy smoking, the actor who once charmed American audiences now lives as a deadbeat amongst American society.
Who or what is to blame for these celebrities’ actions? Perhaps these fallen stars are due to excessively luxurious lifestyles because of their celebrity titles. Many times, once fame and success are initially gained, childhood stars do not have to work hard; all they have to do is stand there and look pretty. When they gain fame, they feel as though they are on top of the world and can disregard almost all societal rules and regulations. However, as seen by the cases of Bynes, Bieber and Culkin, reality will present harmful consequences that will make them wish that they had never become famous.
