What happened to the biggest child stars of the Y2K era? From building a £300 million empire to fading from Hollywood entirely

Frankie Muniz rose to fame when he played the leading role in sitcom Malcolm in the Middle between 2000 and 2006. Despite landing Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance, and landing roles in films such as Agent Cody Banks and Big Fat Liar, he put his acting career on hold in 2008 to pursue other interests.

He now competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and is a dad of one to a five-year-old son. Frankie married actress and model Paige Price from October 2019, but announced their split in July 2026.

She was a noughties icon with roles in films like The Parent Trap to Mean Girls, but Lindsay's talent was often overshadowed by her personal life and rehab stints. However, over the past few years she has gradually returned to acting with Netflix films including Falling for Christmas and Irish Wish, along with reprising her role in Disney's Freakier Friday.

Now 40, Lindsay is married to financier Bader Shammas, and the couple share a son together.

Amanda Bynes was the star of movies such as What a Girl Wants, along with her own Nickelodeon sitcom, The Amanda Show. However, she abruptly quit Hollywood with a single tweet in 2010, at the age of 24. 

"Being an actress isn't as fun as it may seem. If I don't love something anymore, I stop doing it. I don't love acting anymore, so I've stopped doing it. I know 24 is a young age to retire, but you heard it here first," she wrote from her now-deleted account.

Following a series of legal troubles, including two DUI charges and two hit-and-runs, plus several mental health challenges, she was placed on psychiatric hold in 2013 and 2014 in Los Angeles, which led to a conservatorship being granted to her parents, Lynn Organ and Rick Bynes. After nine years under a conservatorship, in February of 2022, and with her mother's approval, Amanda filed for the arrangement to come to an end, and a judge ruled in her favor in March.

After leading roles in iCarly and Sam & Cat, Jennette McCurdy was adored by fans. But she gave up acting in 2018 and has since worked as a writer, director and memoirist. Her 2022 book I’m Glad My Mom Died became a New York Times bestseller, and she has since followed up with her debut fiction book, Half His Age, which was published in 2026.

Whether you remember her as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas or as Gossip Girl's Jenny Humphrey, Taylor Momsen made it clear that she wanted to break away from her wholesome child star image when she launched a music career in her band, The Pretty Reckless.

Over a decade on, Taylor's music career is still going strong, and her band has toured with AC/DC across North America and Canada.

Haley Joel Osment was only 11 when he received an Oscar for his role in The Sixth Sense, and although he was destined for stardom and had a few successful films in the years that followed, he has also had a few run-ins with the law. At just 18, he was charged with driving under the influence, and he was arrested a second time in 2025 for public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance. 

However, Haley continues to work, including voice acting for TV series such as Golden Axe and Family Guy in recent years.

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen grew up on screen as child stars in Full House, before moving into their own television series and movies such as It Takes Two and New York Minute. However, the 2004 movie was set to be their final acting appearance

Now, they've found success as fashion designers, running luxury label The Row. Mary-Kate was married to French businessman Olivier Sarkozy between 2015 and 2021. Sister Ashley is married to artist Louis Eisner and they share a son, Otto. They have an estimated net worth of $500 million (around £377 million).