Sun Baby From Teletubbies Grew Up To Be Gorgeous
Imagine having an iconic role in a beloved TV show before you're even a year old. Not a lot of people can say that, but Jess Smith can. The child actor who took on the role of the Sun Baby in the original "Teletubbies" is all grown up now, but she still has the same adorable smile (via The Sun). If you grew up in the '90s, you were very familiar with the British TV show "Teletubbies." It's where you got to see Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po play around in the Teletubbyland — with Smith as the Sun Baby smiling on.
If there ever was a "feel old yet?" meme, this is the one. The original Sun Baby is now in her 20s, and old enough to have a sun baby of her own. However, despite what some on Twitter would want you to believe, the Sun Baby does NOT, in fact, have her own little sun baby. According to USA Today, there was a tweet going around in 2019 that shared a picture of Smith with the new Sun Baby, Berry, for the Teletubbies revival series, which premiered in 2015. The tweet read, "The Teletubbies Sun Baby has a baby." That was misleading. The "Teletubbies" Twitter account cleared up the rumors by letting us all know it was just the OG baby taking a picture with the new baby
Someone on TikTok claimed to be the OG Sun Baby
Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the last time there would be some confusion surrounding the original Sun Baby. Just last year, a TikToker named Nick Green claimed to be the original Sun Baby in a music video he posted to his TikTok account. Since you know who the actual OG Sun Baby is, you know where this is going. As reported by The AV Club, Green's video was fake, and after deceiving quite a few people, he posted a follow-up apology video. Despite the lies, the accompanying song was pretty good, so all seemed to be forgiven.
After all, only Jess Smith would know what it was like working on the original "Teletubbies" show. According to her mother, Anji Smith, to film everything they "just sat [Jess] in front of a camera and she just laughed and smiled at her dad" (via E! News). Seems easy enough. As exciting as it is to be such an infamous character on a beloved children's television show, it did take Smith years to finally confess she was the Sun Baby. Now, she's gained the confidence to proudly admit it, and even said she still has the same baby face and is just as "giggly."
She's on a new career path now
After delighting children and parents around the world with her adorable antics as Sun Baby, Jess Smith has decided she'd like to be the one behind the cameras now — security cameras, that is. The child actor told the Daily Star about her new career trajectory, "I now work for a security company based in Medway, managing the administrative side of the process," she explained. Her plans for the future include expanding her horizons by traveling the world. After that, she plans on starting a family of her own.
She may have a new career path, but Smith still enjoys spending time with fans who will always remember her as the iconic smiling face in the sun, giggling along with whatever silliness the Teletubbies were getting up to that episode. In an Instagram post shared to Smith's personal account, she and her mother can be seen with Laa-Laa and Po at Sony Pictures Europe for a fan event. "Really enjoyed teaching the kids a little routine at @sonypicturesuk yesterday," Smith wrote.