These Former Child Stars Have Kids Of Their Own — And They're Adorably Stealing The Spotlight

Some children are extraordinarily talented, and some of those children become child stars in Hollywood. Hollywood has been home to child stars since nearly its inception. The beloved Shirley Temple got her start as a toddler, and the truth about Liza Minnelli is that she also joined the ranks of show business from a young age thanks to her mother, Judy Garland, another child star. As movies and television shows continued to be made, child stars continued to be produced. And in the late '90s and early '00s, thanks to the creation of television networks specifically for kids, like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, being a child performer took on an entirely new meaning, with an entire crop of adolescents achieving a level of fame that hadn't been met by young stars in such high volume since The Brat Pack. For better or worse, child stars always have been and always will be part of the entertainment industry.

And while some child stars have ditched Hollywood for surprisingly normal jobs, many of them continue acting and singing into adulthood. Lots of young actors have gone on to have children of their own, and a select few have already exposed their progeny, in one way or another, to show business. This next generation of young actors may even surpass their parents.

Not many predicted that "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin and 2000s Disney Channel icon Brenda Song would get together, but the couple have proven to be a great match. The duo has two children together, Dakota Culkin and Carson Culkin, and the kids have already experienced something most people never will: attending a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for their father. Macaulay received his star — an homage to one of the greatest childhood acting careers of all time — in December of 2023, and his fiancée was there with their sons in tow for their first public appearance.

Although Macaulay and Song's children definitely stole the spotlight that day, the kids have otherwise stayed out of it. As Song later explained in an interview with Bustle, the event was too important for Dakota and Carson to miss, but they weren't too fond of the cameras, especially Dakota. "They did not understand what was happening," Song said. In reference to an incident that occurred at her kid's soccer practice, she added, "My son was like, 'Why is that man taking pictures of you, mama?' You could take pictures of me all day. I don't care. But when it's your kids, it's different. They didn't ask for this life." Even though Macaulay and Song's children are no strangers to the cameras, fans shouldn't expect many willing appearances from Dakota and Carson while they're still young. Though, the former child stars should expect the public to be quite interested whenever the kids are seen.

America has borne witness to the stunning transformation of Hilary Duff. The former child star began working when she was very young, gaining traction in her career thanks to "Casper Meets Wendy," and she eventually landed the eponymous role in the hit Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire." Her work on the show led to other opportunities in film, including "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" and projects outside the Disney Channel, such as "A Cinderella Story" and "Raise Your Voice." If there's a millennial who isn't familiar with Duff, that person probably didn't have a television growing up.

Most millennials know how iconic Duff is, and her work wasn't limited to the screen. Duff also released a handful of musical projects in the 2000s, which plenty of millennials still play from time to time. And they're not the only ones. Duff listens to her own music, too, at the request of her daughter, Banks Bair. "Someone played my daughter my old teeny bopper music, and now I have to bump it in my car," Duff said on an episode of "The Late Late Show." Bair doesn't just shine when she's in her mom's car; she's also made a splash on social media. Back in 2022, the adorable child was caught by her father, Matthew Koma, singing along to "Watermelon Sugar High" at a Harry Styles concert, much to the delight of Koma's followers. A few years later, Duff posted footage of a trip she and Bair took to New York City, much of which showed she's already fearless in front of a crowd and ready to take on the duties of a performer.

Drew Barrymore is, in many ways, the child star blueprint. She worked with Steven Spielberg, became the youngest person in "Saturday Night Live" history to host, and became wildly famous all before the age of 10. She also, tragically, fought addiction, sought treatment, and was granted emancipation from her mother before she turned 18 years old. But Drew never let her past define her, and she became even more successful as an adult than she was as a child, eventually giving birth to two children of her own, Olive Kopelman and Frankie Kopelman. While Olive and Frankie aren't following their mother's blueprint exactly, they have expressed interest in getting into the family business.

And the Barrymore family business is show business. Drew comes from a long line of actors, so it's no surprise that her daughters want to act, too. But Drew isn't going to let her children get involved in the industry quite so young. "As a parent, I would really love to support my kids when they're older. Again, what number is that? I don't know, but it's not 13 and it's probably not 14. It's up there, but your kid will present themselves in a way where you've got to listen to them and support them and trust them. And I don't know what number that is, but it's probably north of 14, 15," Drew told People of when she expects to be comfortable letting her kids act professionally, noting that she does allow them to participate in theater camps and school productions.

Tamera Mowry's experience as a child star was different from that of many others because she got to have the entire experience with a close companion — her twin sister, Tia Mowry. Tia and Tamera hit mainstream fame when they starred as twin sisters in the hit sitcom "Sister, Sister," and then they played twin sisters again in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Twitches" and its sequel. Tamera hasn't worked with her sister on a project in a while, but she does still act, primarily in made-for-TV movies, and she now has a family of her own.

The Hallmark star has two children, Aden Housley and Ariah Housley, with her husband, Adam Housley. Although they have yet to take on any professional work, Aden and Ariah are both intrigued by the entertainment industry. "They love 'Sister, Sister.' Ariah watches it on her own. She loves it so much [and] Aden loves it so much that now both of them want to be actors," Tamera told People. Until she becomes a stage mom, however, Tamera remains busy traveling with her kids. The family took multiple vacations over the summer of 2025, including to Maine and New York City. "We are a family that truly believes traveling with our kids is essential. Concrete jungle, summer vibes ... and family time that made beautiful core memories — plays ("MJ" was AMAZING), baseball parks, great food, and endless love," Tamera captioned an Instagram post with footage of their time in the Big Apple.

Melissa Joan Hart took on some seriously iconic roles as a child star. Her reign as a '90s teen star began when she starred in the hit sitcom "Clarissa Explains It All," and it continued when she acted alongside her witchy on-screen aunts in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." As an adult, Hart has followed the somewhat recent trend of former child stars growing up to star in made-for-TV Christmas movies. She also became somewhat of a Hallmark and Lifetime star thanks to her work throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Hart has three children — Mason Wilkerson, Braydon Wilkerson, and Tucker Wilkerson — and part of her parenting journey has included ushering them into the entertainment industry.

All three of Hart's kids have worked with their mother — Mason in "A Very Nutty Christmas," Braydon in "The Santa Con," and Tucker in "Santa Bootcamp." Although the boys have tried their hand at acting, none of them have taken it seriously so far. In fact, according to Hart, Tucker is the only one she thinks has real interest in the craft, but she is okay with her boys focusing on other interests for now. And as Hart has said, her kids aren't too fond of watching their mother act, either. "They want nothing to do with it," Hart told Us Weekly. "They're like, 'It's just weird. I don't want to watch you on TV and I don't want to watch you kiss another man in a Christmas movie.'" Whether Hart's kids take acting more seriously in the future remains to be seen.

Kevin Jonas became a star musician as a teenager when he and his brothers, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas, formed the band Jonas Brothers. All of the band members have since grown up, gotten married, and had children. And while Joe and Nick keep their children hidden from the public eye, Kevin's daughters, Alena Jonas and Valentina Jonas, are becoming honorary members of the Jonas Brothers. To kick off their 2025 "Jonas20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour," the band had their parents, their youngest brother, as well as Kevin's wife and daughters join them on stage to sing their hit "When You Look Me in the Eyes" together.

But it seems that Alena and Valentina are most influential behind the scenes. Before the band kicked off their tour, the daughters joined their father and uncles for rehearsals, and they filmed a darling video with Alena and Valentina acting as the band's stage managers. And they proved to be some of the Jonas Brothers' biggest fans when they filmed a video of themselves singing to the band's song "Backwards." Although Kevin's job does keep him away from his family a fair amount, he does whatever he can to spend time with his kids. "He flies home every chance he can. Even if it's a day off and a six-hour flight, he'll come home for a couple of hours and then fly back. I give him so much credit for that," Kevin's wife, Danielle Jonas, told Parents in 2025.

Christina Ricci is one of the undisputed screen queens of Halloween, and she has been since she was a child. Ricci rose to fame as a young actor thanks to her role as Wednesday Addams in the early '90s "The Addams Family" films, and she kept up her spooky reputation by starring in "Casper" a few years later. While not all of Ricci's projects, especially in adulthood, have been directly associated with the macabre, she'll forever be associated as an old-school horror movie kid whether she likes it or not.

That said, Ricci, somewhat surprisingly, doesn't really like Halloween. But the actor's on-screen ties to the October holiday are too strong, apparently, as one of Ricci's two kids, Cleopatra Hampton, loves it. "I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but my youngest daughter, who's only 2 years and 8 months, she happens to be just like preternaturally obsessed with all things Halloween," Ricci told People in 2024. Ricci also has a son, Freddie Heerdegen, who likes dressing up for Halloween, too, and has asked Ricci if he can be a child actor. "Every time he's on set, he asks me if he can be a child actor," Ricci said of her son in an interview with TODAY. "I do think he would be a very good actor. He's very good at tricking me into things!" Ricci added, noting that she doesn't want her son to act professionally until he's an adult. Perhaps one day the entire family can star in a Halloween film together.

Candace Cameron Bure's career as a child actor took off when she joined the cast of "Full House" in 1987. Growing up in front of America, Bure played D.J. Tanner on the hit series for its entire run. As an adult, Bure has been better known for her work on Hallmark and the Great American Media network, which she joined as Chief Creative Officer in 2022. When it comes to her projects for the latter, the former sitcom actor is really putting an emphasis on family. Bure has three kids stunning kids, and her daughter, Natasha Perry, is now an actor, too.

Bure and Perry have even worked together on several projects, which Bure loves. "There's nothing more joyful to a mom or a dad to have your kids in your family business. [My husband and I] feel a real privilege and honor that we have these great relationships with our children and get to not only be their parent but work alongside them as they are adults," Bure told Fox News. Although they have worked together, Perry doesn't want anyone thinking that her career is due to nepotism. "The misconception is that everything is handed to you, or that you don't have to work for what you get," Perry told People about growing up with famous parents. "I would say that I work for everything that I get, and I'm hustling on my own." And while Perry and Bure work together now, Perry doesn't always want to remain by her side on screen. "We are in the same industry, although eventually, I would love to do a lot of different stuff than what she does," Perry said.

Keke Palmer has made a stunning transformation from child star to adult multi-hyphenate. The actor started her career early, becoming known for projects like "Akeelah and the Bee" and "True Jackson, VP." And once she started acting, she never stopped. Some of her more recent projects have included "Nope," "One of Them Days," and "Hustlers." There is no bigger hustler than Palmer. In addition to her acting career, she produces, writes, directs, sings, and hosts. Palmer announced that she was pregnant with her first child during her monologue when she hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time, and since then she's added another title to her resume: stage mom.

Palmer's son, Leodis Jackson, is still very young, but he's already a professional. Jackson made his modeling debut in a back-to-school advertisement for The Children's Place, which he starred in alongside Palmer. The actor has said that she would love for her son to star in more projects with her, and she's already noticed that he has a knack for performing. "I have so many ideas for me and Leo," she said in an appearance on "Good Morning America." "I love seeing Blue ... and Rumi up there with [Beyoncé]. It's just the best. So, if I could have something like that with Leo, it would make my dreams come true," Palmer said. Until Leodis can be in movies of his own, Palmer is excited to show him some of her past work, namely "Akeelah and the Bee."

For anyone wondering what Aly and AJ Michalka are up to now — well, quite a bit. The duo became famous in the 2000s, starring either together or separately in projects like "Cow Belles," "Phil of the Future," and "Easy A." Both sisters have continued acting, but their passion is music, just as it has been since they were releasing bangers like "Chemicals React" and "Potential Breakup Song" as teenagers.

Perhaps the biggest change for Aly since being a teen icon was becoming a mother. She delivered her son, Jack Francis, in April of 2024. "Your dad and I adore you so much it's hard to put into words. We'll keep loving on you till the end of time," Aly said to her son in an Instagram post. And one way she's shown love to her son is through music. Aly recorded music while she was pregnant with her son, and he's already joined his mother and his aunt on tour. If he gets even a shred of the talent that Aly and AJ have, Aly's son will be one musical child.