It may have been 25 years since '70s and '80s teen sensation Kristy McNichol announced her retirement from acting, but she still has that same pull among fans.
And famous ones, too! Musician and one-third Wilson Phillips, Carnie Wilson, is one of them, taking to her social media page to share a glimpse of her run-in with Kristy, 63. Kristy now keeps out of the spotlight, her last public appearance being in 2019 at the Chiller Theatre Expo, outside of the odd fan convention.
"Totally fangirling!!!" Carnie, 58, wrote alongside a selfie of herself with Kristy. "Kris (Kristy McNichol) was a part of my youth. I adored her in her movies…Especially Little Darlings and The End."
© Facebook"I told her how meaningful her movies are to me and my bestie @summercamp_ham and how we were JUST TALKING ABOUT HER ....and how special she is. What a gracious sweetie. She sure is loved," she gushed.
Fans were equally as effusive in their praise for the star, saying as much with comments like: "Back in the late '70s this 12yr old boy would cut out pictures of Kristy from Teen Beat magazine and plaster them all over my bedroom wall!" and: "For me, the peak of her acting was Only When I Laugh."
Who is Kristy McNichol?
For those uninitiated, Kristy was one of the most beloved teen stars of the '70s and '80s, known especially for her Emmy-winning TV work, her many talk show appearances, and starring in popular '80s cult classics.
© Getty ImagesAnd acting clearly runs in the family, with her older brother being Jimmy McNichol, also an actor and a popular teen idol during those two decades. The pair would appear together in several TV shows and commercials in the early '70s, thanks to family friend Desi Arnaz.
What is Kristy McNichol most famous for?
Kristy made her leading TV debut at just 12 years old in the short-lived drama Apple's Way in 1974. But that paved the way for her to star in the character-centered drama Family, playing Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence.
Across the show's five seasons, which ran from 1976-1980, Kristy became a household name, frequently appearing in magazines and on TV talk shows. Her performance also received critical acclaim, earning three back-to-back Primetime Emmy nominations, of which she won two.
© Getty ImagesMidway through Family, Kristy transitioned to film, making her debut in the 1978 TV movie The End with Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. Her feature debut came as the co-lead of the 1980 classic Little Darlings opposite Tatum O'Neal. 1981's Only When I Laugh even earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
By the late '80s, Kristy began working primarily on the small screen once again, taking on the starring role of Barbara Weston in Empty Nest in 1988, a spin-off of Golden Girls. While she left in 1992 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she returned for the series finale in 1995.
Where is Kristy McNichol now?
In June 2001, Kristy's publicist revealed she had retired from acting a few years prior. A statement released at the time read in part: "My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part – myself! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me."
© Getty ImagesIn 2012, Kristy publicly revealed with a photo alongside longtime partner Martie Allen that she is a lesbian, and the couple had been together for 20 years. Through a statement she released at the time, she hoped her "coming out can help kids who need support." She also emphasized at the time that she had no intention of returning to acting and wanted to focus on her personal life instead.
