Who is the most screwed up of former child stars (still living)?
Danny Bonnaduce gets my vote.
The really screwed-up ones aren’t living: Dana Plato, “Alfalfa,” Scotty Beckett, Mickey Daniels . . .
Though Baby LeRoy and Baby Peggy turned out pretty stable!
I have to say, sadly, probably Robert Blake.
Nah, Bonnaduce seems to have his shit together at this point.
I vote for Gary Coleman. Not only has he not had any work in a couple of decades, but his grasp on reality is tenuous at best. A&E did a Biography episode on him once which, for some reason, wasn’t a biography at all, they just followed Gary Coleman around for a few days. He came across as an incredibly self-absorbed, narcisistic schmuck.
Umm, Michael Jackson, anyone? I think he’d be pretty hard to beat, unless some child star has been arrested for habitually molesting dolphins or something like that.
Aw, c’mon now. Carl Switzer wasn’t screwed up. Sure, he acted out a lot as a kid, but he wasn’t a terror. Did a few more films, then had a family and went into business. Sure, the circumstances of his death are a bit odd, and no one wants to get shot to death over an argument about money and a dog, but he was a pretty regular guy. Certainly nothing like Blake turned out to be.
I agree. Even ignoring the molestation issues (which might be unfounded, although I kinda doubt it), just what he’s purposely done to his own appearance is enough to take him to the top of the list.
Has he changed that much and that fast since his reality show, in which he was having meltdowns, sneaking drinks, and threatening suicide?
This is simply not true. Ask anyone who has seen the Broadway production of Avenue Q
Troy McClure was a child star?
stabbed, not shot, wasn’t he?
Shot. He was training some hunting dogs for a fellow named Bud Stilz. One got away, Carl posted a reward, someone returned the dog and Carl paid him. But he added the cost to Bud’s bill, and Bud objected. They argued, and Bud shot Carl fatally in the stomach. Since no one witnessed the shooting, and Bud claimed that Carl was coming at him with a knife, there was reasonable doubt for self-defense, and Bud was acquitted.
I go with Jackson – who should be rechristened the Prince of Perversion
Though really, Blake is probably a close second.
Blake was, by all appearances, a well-adjusted adult until just a few years ago. Whatever happened is not correlated with his having been a child star. Plus it’s reaching, since he had far greater success as an adult than as a child. And for that matter, what happened is not unusual for a celebrity of any age.
I guess we’ll find out soon. They were showing ads for season 2 all night last night.
Possibly, but I remember some of this interview show appearances during the 70’s, and he always seemed as if he was on something.