The Stunning Transformation Of Jennifer Love Hewitt

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When you think of iconic '90s heartthrobs who are barely recognizable today, Jennifer Love Hewitt might come to mind. After getting her start as a child star, she quickly climbed the ranks and cemented her place in Hollywood as one of the "it girls" of the era, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alicia Silverstone, and Neve Campbell. But where dozens of '90s stars eventually faded into obscurity, Hewitt just kept on going. Although the famed singer, actor, and writer spent some time away from the limelight in the '10s, she's back now and better than ever.

There's no denying Hewitt has had an incredible career, spanning more than three decades. "There are people that blow up and are hugely famous," she remarked during a July 2025 Vulture interview. "And then there are those little warriors from the '90s who just keep going. I secretly root for all those people. We're steady little racehorses, and you can't get rid of us. We're a special breed." From her early days in Barbie commercials to her time as a triumphant final girl in "I Know What You Did Last Summer," along with her latest ventures, here is the stunning transformation of Hewitt.

While many of the successful stars of the '90s hailed from families deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, Jennifer Love Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas to two medical professionals. Sadly, her parents divorced when she was just a baby, leaving the soon-to-be star and her brother Todd to be raised by their mother in Nolanville, Texas, amongst countless animals. Hewitt was 3 years old when she first debuted as a singer at her local livestock fair. "That was a very Texas thing to do," she told Modern Dog Magazine in August 2013. A couple years later, the young performer's mother enrolled her in various dancing classes.

"I didn't really know it was the entertainment industry that I wanted to be a part of, I just knew that I loved entertaining people and making them happy," Hewitt explained during the interview, noting that she was 6 or 7 years old when she decided it was something she wanted to pursue. Her impressive knack for performing was clear, and she soon landed a spot on the Texas Show Team, which allowed her to tour Europe with the group and sing. Hewitt was the subject of a lot of press upon her return to Texas, and she ultimately caught the eye of a Los Angeles talent agent who encouraged her to make the move to California and follow her dreams.

Jennifer Love Hewitt was fortunate to have a supportive mom by her side as the two navigated their move to Los Angeles together when the starlet was 10. Between the late '80s and early '90s, Hewitt appeared in more than 20 commercials for companies like Mattel Toys and LA Gear. Hewitt also landed her first recurring role on the Disney show "Kids Incorporated," where stars like Martika, Fergie, and Mario Lopez also started out. It was a lot of hard work for the young star, but she insisted her mother never pressured her to stick it out and thankfully avoided the stereotypical "stage mom" status.

"She still says, 'If you get tired of being in the business or you're not having fun anymore, we can still pack our bags for Texas and go back,'" Hewitt told Rolling Stone in May 1999, years after she'd landed her big break. "My mom was incredibly gracious and sort of handed over her life to me and said, you know, go for it," she added. Although she had a tough time attending public school in the Valley, feeling that she stuck out for being an actor, she still preferred this new way of life over her hometown in Texas. "Only when I came to Los Angeles did I feel like I truly belonged somewhere, because there were lots of people around just like me," Hewitt remarked.

After securing her breakout role on Fox's "Party of Five" in 1995, Jennifer Love Hewitt went from child star to teen idol. However, as she set her sights on a film career with "I Know What You Did Last Summer," along with the shift in how the media portrayed celebrities at the time, she was quickly deemed a sex icon. During her Vulture interview, Hewitt revealed one of the inappropriate questions she was asked while appearing on Jay Leno's show.

"I was known as 'the girl who laughed her way through "The Tonight Show."' I just couldn't stop laughing," she explained. Leno asked about her romantic life and her age. When Hewitt revealed she was just 16, the host looked disappointed and asked when she would be turning 17. "I don't put blame on the people asking those questions," Hewitt remarked. "Nobody was saying, 'Don't talk to women like that. Don't talk to little girls like that.'" Still, it was disappointing for the horror star to only receive accolades for the way her body looked rather than her acting ability. "It was just 'boob, boob, boob' everywhere," Hewitt recalled. Thankfully, she managed to keep booking movie roles, going on to star in "Can't Hardly Wait," "Heartbreakers," and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." Granted, many of these roles still involved a lot of tight clothing and cleavage, further cementing Hewitt as a type cast.

Seeing as how Jennifer Love Hewitt got her start singing songs in Texas, it should come as no surprise that acting wasn't the only creative outlet she pursued. She released a couple cover songs before dropping her debut album "Love Songs" at 12 years old, though it was only available in Japan. Two more albums followed, including "Lets Go Bang" in 1995, a self-titled album in 1996, and her track "How Do I Deal?," which was featured in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer."

Hewitt's final studio album, "BareNaked," dropped in 2002, which had a surprisingly warm reception given that it was her last attempt at breaking into the music world. She co-wrote the majority of the songs and was heavily involved in the songs' arrangements. While promoting "BareNaked" in October 2002, Hewitt explained to UPI how important singing has been to her. "Music, for me, has always been something that is directly connected to my heart," the "Heartbreakers" star remarked. "Acting is a very important thing for me, and I love doing it. But when I'm acting, I spend 14 hours a day and months [at] a time being someone else. When I'm singing, I just get to be me."

Despite Jennifer Love Hewitt absolutely dominating the scene in the late '90s and early aughts, her career seemed to stumble a little. Finally, after starring in "Garfield: The Movie" and a string of TV movies, the actor landed "Ghost Whisperer." When asked during her interview with Modern Dog Magazine which role she's been most proud of, Hewitt replied, "Surviving the business has been my biggest role. That's probably what I'm most proud of." However, portraying the medium who helped ghosts cross over to the other side on the CBS drama came second, as she described it as "probably the most fulfilling part [she's] ever played." Hewitt explained, "Everyday I felt like I was doing something extraordinary. Not necessarily in the performance I was giving but I felt like I was connecting with people. I felt like that show connected with people." The show also helped earn the '90s star a Saturn award in 2007.

Once the series ended after five seasons, much of the cast of "Ghost Whisperer" seemed to fade out of the public eye for a while — but not Hewitt. Almost immediately, she landed yet another lead television role with "The Client List," in which she portrayed a Texan sex worker struggling to support her family. Unfortunately, the Lifetime series ended rather abruptly after just two seasons, but Hewitt has managed to keep up her impressive filmography since then.

From Carson Daly to Patrick Wilson and even John Mayer, Jennifer Love Hewitt has been linked to some of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors of the '90s and '00s over the years. Eventually, she met Scottish actor Ross McCall, who is known for his role on HBO's "Band of Brothers." McCall guest starred on an episode of "Ghost Whisperer" back in 2005, and the two began dating shortly after. Two years later, in November 2007, McCall proposed to Hewitt with a ring that had been in his family for over 100 years, and the "Tropic Thunder" star said yes. They jetted off to Hawaii to celebrate — but less than a year and a half later, they called it quits.

Despite seeming perfect together, the famed couple ultimately called off their engagement at the end of 2009. Just a few months prior, Hewitt had been telling outlets about her excitement to turn 30 and get married. "They're both really sad about this," a source told People at the time. "Even their friends are surprised; they seemed really happy. Everyone just wants the best for both of them." Fortunately, Hewitt bounced back quickly and met the man she would go on to marry just a couple years later.

Talk about a triple threat. Not only has Jennifer Love Hewitt established herself as a talented singer and actor in both TV and movies, but in 2010, she also released her dating advice book, "The Day I Shot Cupid," and became a New York Times bestselling author. In the non-fiction book, the self-professed "love-aholic" detailed her many trials and tribulations in the dating world, offering her genuine advice to readers navigating love.

While promoting her book on KTLA at the time, Hewitt remarked, "My dating life has been written about so much for so long that I was like, 'Well maybe I can actually give my real opinion on dating.'" While speaking on the segment, the "If Only" star cleared up several misconceptions about her life, including the fact that many outlets have referred to her as a "serial dater." Surprisingly, Hewitt insisted that she dislikes playing the field and that she's actually a lot more down-to-earth than people give her credit for. "That's what I was trying to prove in the book, is I was trying to say, 'I'm not doing anything different than any other girl.'"

After becoming something of a love guru for her book, Jennifer Love Hewitt must've taken her own advice because she met her future husband in 2011. It seems the star has a habit of dating her co-stars, because she and Brian Hallisay met while filming a pilot for the unaired show "Love Bites," then they reconnected while filming "The Client List." Shortly after news broke that Hewitt and Hallisay were expecting their first child together in June 2013, they announced their engagement. The actors ended up tying the knot in November 2013, just five days before the "Criminal Minds" actor gave birth to their daughter Autumn.

Although Hallisay may arguably be less famous than his partner, what we know about Hewitt's husband is that he loves working with her. Since their collaboration on "The Client List," the Hollywood couple has also co-starred in the series "9-1-1" and the Lifetime movie "The Holiday Junkie," which marked Hewitt's feature directorial debut. "I was so happy to be able to be there and support it because, truthfully, it wasn't always necessarily going to be the plan that I was going to be in it," Hallisay told Variety in 2024 of getting to be a part of the Christmas movie. He cited prior scheduling issues to explain how Hewitt nearly missed out on the opportunity to work on the film. We'd wager that it's more than likely Hewitt and Hallisay will reunite on screen again in the future.

After "The Client List" ended in 2013, Jennifer Love Hewitt's career slowed a little — but for a happy reason. She and Brian Hallisay had their daughter Autumn in November 2013 and their first son, Atticus, in June 2015. While Hewitt continued working on shows like "Hot in Cleveland" and "Criminal Minds," she ultimately took a hiatus until being cast on "9-1-1" in 2018.

The actor described motherhood as "beautiful" during an October 2018 conversation with Now to Love, noting, "I needed to be a person for a while and experience new things to bring back to my craft." This time off was also Hewitt's first break from working on screen in nearly 30 years. "It was really important to me to have children and be there for them. I feel like I've been able to do that," she stated. In September 2021, Hewitt and Hallisay had their second son, Aidan, rounding out their sweet family of five.

The truth about Hewitt's kids is that they have remained primarily out of the spotlight over the years. However, as the "Ghost Whisperer" star revealed during her 2024 interview with Variety, her daughter has been "bitten by the acting bug." Autumn received her SAG-AFTRA card at 10 years old, the same age Hewitt was when she got hers, and she made a cameo on "9-1-1." Although Autumn joined the acting union, that doesn't mean she'll be an on-screen regular just yet. "I don't want her, and [Hallisay] doesn't either, to be a full-time actress at this age," Hewitt said.

There's no denying that Jennifer Love Hewitt's makeup-free looks prove she's an ageless natural beauty. However, as we all know, the internet can be a cruel place. And, after living through the hellscape that was the celebrity gossip columns of the early aughts, Hewitt has received criticism for her looks in recent years — particularly when it comes to her age.

In December 2024, the star bravely spoke out about how frustrating it's been to feel expected to still look like she did when she first made it big. "People seem to have a really hard time accepting that ... I don't look that way anymore," Hewitt told Fox News, noting some of her fans seemed to struggle to adjust to her as a then-45-year-old woman. "As humans, we want to evolve. ... It's hurtful sometimes when people reject you as you are."

In a February 2025 Instagram post celebrating her birthday, Hewitt again addressed the pressures of aging gracefully in Hollywood alongside a series of stunning selfies. "46 years old. No make up and no filter," she captioned the post. While reflecting on the state of mind her birthday had her in, Hewitt added, "I have experienced and seen how the world can be cruel to women as they age and yet seen the women I admire become happier, sexier, and more powerful with every added number." Countless voices of support filled the comment section in support of the "Tuxedo" star.

Unless you're a fan of ABC's "9-1-1" or Lifetime's holiday movies, you may not have seen Jennifer Love Hewitt on screen for a number of years. However, the '90 star has had an impressive comeback in recent years. In December 2024, Hewitt told Authority Magazine that the entire year had been "a huge pinch-me moment." As she explained, "I have a book ["Inheriting Magic"] and a movie ["The Holiday Junkie"] coming out in the same week. I also have a Christmas song ["Christmas Magic"], which I've always wanted to do."

There was also no missing Hewitt reprise her role in the 2025 reboot of "I Know What You Did Last Summer." However, as she told Vulture, the actor almost didn't come back to play Julie James. "All of my friends had to talk me into it," Hewitt remarked. "Literally up until the last night before shooting, they were like, 'You know you're going tomorrow, right?'"

When questioned about what exactly made her feel nervous about participating in the horror movie, she replied, "What people were going to say about how much older I would seem than when I was 18 [years old]. That's literally the only thing I was anxious about." Although Hewitt was initially worried, she looked absolutely incredible and (spoiler alert) fans finally got to see her deliver her iconic final girl line again: "What are you waiting for?!"