You likely first saw Keri Russell on the television series Felicity. She won a Golden Globe Award because of her role in Felicity. She’s continued to appear on television shows and films, starring in The Americans, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Waitress, and most notably Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. During season four of The Americans, Russell was pregnant and had to hide her baby bump using sweaters and other large clothes (via The Americans).
You wouldn’t think that some stars’ careers began by dancing, but that’s exactly what happened to Carmen Electra. After dancing in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a brief stint in the music world with Prince, she appeared on the big screen. She produced a self-titled album at that time, something most of us could never achieve. Thanks to Prince, she changed her name. In an interview, she said, “I auditioned for an all-girl group that he was putting together and he ended up signing me to his label Paisley Park,” Carmen told The Yo Show. “After I danced for him he said, ‘You look like Electra. That should be your name.” But it was all thanks to Baywatch that she became a model for Playboy. But her relationships with other famous men helped her career and step up the level of fame she currently has (via Yahoo).
We all know Amanda Bynes from The Amanda Show, especially with her famous quote “The girl’s room!” But that wasn’t how she climbed her way to fame. She starred in All That in 1996, and for the next decade, became more popular with viewers around the world. Eventually, she starred on the screen What a Girl Wants! and She’s The Man. But her life started spiraling downwards when she was supposedly involved in a series of hit-and-run accidents in addition to rehab. She’s tried to produce her fashion line, though lost a lot of popularity due to strange social media posts, similar to Britney Spears. In 2013, she was found roaming the streets naked and on drugs and was put on psychiatric hold because of it (via Page Six).
Another female celebrity who reached her peak in the ’90s is Britney Spears. It’s likely that many of us even had posters and CDs of the star, though nowadays most of us just feel sorry for her. She reached incredible fame as a teen with her music. Even to this day, she’s the world’s best-selling artist. Her famous head-shaving incident made headlines around the world, and only just received control of her finances after being put on hold. It sounds like she couldn’t handle the stress that comes with being famous. For years, the star has struggled with substance and drug abuse, and many people worry about her well-being to this day (via Fox).
Love Hewitt starred on Kids Incorporated, a famous show featured on the Disney Channel. Most of us ended our days with Disney Channel, so you’ve likely seen this star on your screen. She also starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer, which is how she made her way to the life of a famous celebrity, and ever since then, has been on Garfield, Tropic Thunder, and Heartbreakers. Now, she’s married to Brian Hallisay and has a daughter named Autumn, and two sons named Atticus and Aidan (via Yahoo).
Starring in McDonald’s commercials, Jell-O, and Crayola helped Tara Reid begin her career and paved her way to fame. But those were the stepping stones to her big career when she starred in The Big Lebowski and American Pie. Her career started to decline at one point, and she blamed the failed plastic surgery on her breasts that messed up her look, as well as a failed lip augmentation. In an interview, she said, “The last thing I wanted to happen was to have the whole world see it. The actual center part, where the areola is, instead of being a circle, it turned out to be a large square. It was horrifying.” That doesn’t sound like something you want to happen to your body as a famous person (via The Sun).
Another star from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Sraha Michelle Gellar. But that wasn’t how she climbed the ladder to fame, it was all thanks to her Daytime Emmy Award from All My Children. The science-fiction hit helped her gain fame. Since then, she took random movie roles like Scooby-Doo. At some point, the star hit a wall and had a total acting burnout. She wanted to prioritize her life and her husband, so she took a halt from the world of being famous. Now, she’s in a recent series called Wolf Pack, but the hands-on mom isn’t letting her acting job get in the way of being a mother (via The Guardian).
For 25 years, Denise Richards acted in the movie business, pushing her way to the top. She had notable roles in Starship Troopers, The World is Not Enough, and Wild Things. She was unable to make her roles stand out from the rest of the crowd, but she did star in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Richards left the RHOBV after a tumultuous series of events, but only recently will return to the show. In regards to her return, she said, “This all just happened recently on the spur of the moment. I was at her screening as a friend — like a real friend — I didn’t tell anyone I was gonna be there.” She’s jumping back onto the housewives bandwagon to continue her life as a famous celebrity (via Today).