These Iconic ’90s Stars Look Nearly Unrecognizable Today–Here’s What They’re Doing Now

Rick is known for many ‘80s blockbusters like Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but he also starred in beloved ‘90s films like The Flintstones, Little Giants, and Big Bully.

The Ontario-born actor retreated from Hollywood in the late ’90s after losing his wife and the mother of his two children, Ann Belsky, to breast cancer.

"I took a break, which turned into a longer break," he told THR in 2015. "Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, and move to another city. Really, that's all I did.”

Rick is set to return to on-camera acting by reprising his role of Dark Helmet in the sequel to Spaceballs from Amazon MGM Studios, Variety reported last month. The film is slated for release in theaters in 2027.

At six years old, Jonathan starred alongside none other than Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, playing the son of Renée Zellweger’s Dorothy. He went on to appear in the Stuart Little films, The Little Vampire, and Little Mike.

The actor opened up about being bullied in middle school, saying he was "made fun of relentlessly" and told he was a “has-been” who would “never book a job again.”

After guest-starring on Dawson's Creek, Jonahan took a break from the entertainment industry to attend high school in California.

As an adult, the 34-year-old starred in the Lifetime movie Secrets at the Museum and the horror film Camp Pleasant Lake.

Jaleel is best known for playing Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters for ten years. His character became so popular that it inspired merch like an Urkel doll and even Urkel breakfast cereal.

After the sitcom ended, Jaleel went on to appear in Grown Ups, Boston Legal, House, Castle, Psych, and Bones.

He now hosts the CBS game show Flip Side, which puts contestants’ intuition about human behavior to the test.

Jake got his big break playing Jamie Langston in Jingle All the Way, the 1996 Christmas film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad.

You may also recognize him as the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace.

The 36-year-old retired from acting in 2001 after experiencing bullying at school following his Star Wars role.

In high school, Jake was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was hospitalized in a mental facility in 2023 after being arrested for reckless driving and stopping his car in the middle of a busy freeway during a psychotic episode.

His most recent arrest, in March 2023, came five years after his younger sister, Madison, passed away in her sleep of natural causes.

Saved by the Bell’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar, 51, went from teen heartthrob to mature actor. 

After saying goodbye to the blond Zack Morris on the NBC series, he has starred in various TV shows, including Mixed-ish, NYPD Blue, Franklin & Bash, and, more recently, Found.

Speaking with People, the star revealed that he still keeps in touch with his Saved by the Bell co-stars. “We text each other all the time (...) We don’t hang out because I live somewhere else, we all have schedules, we all have kids, but we always text.”

Mark-Paul shares two children with former model Lisa Ann Russel. He also has two children with his current wife, advertising executive Catriona McGinn.

Chris founded *NSYNC in 1995, recruiting Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, two members of the 1990s Mickey Mouse Club.

He later brought in Joey Fatone, who was working at Universal Studios, and Lance Bass, whom the group met through Justin's vocal coach.

The boy band officially split in 2007, five years after releasing their last song. Chris continued his music career as the lead of his alternative rock band Nigel’s 11, which eventually disbanded due to the members’ geographical distance and Chris wanting to focus on his work as a producer.

The 53-year-old has since appeared on different reality shows, such as Big Brother and The Masked Singer. Last year, he returned to the stage to perform *NSYNC hits during the Pop2000 Tour.

The twins charmed audiences at just nine months old on the popular ABC sitcom Full House, which aired from 1987 to 1995.

They went on to co-star in several films, including To Grandmother’s House We Go, Passport To Paris, Getting There, and When in Rome.

Mary-Kate and Ashley retired from acting in 2012 to focus on their careers in the fashion industry. The sisters own The Row, a luxury fashion brand, as well as the more affordable lines Olsenboye and StyleMint.

Ashley welcomed her first child with artist Louis Eisner in 2023. Mary-Kate married French businessman Olivier Sarkozy in 2015, but the pair divorced in 2021.

Edward began his film career playing young John Connor in Terminator 2. The role propelled him to teen idol status, and he was often featured in teen magazines throughout the 1990s, particularly in North America and Japan.

His career declined after 2000, coinciding with his substance dependence issues. In 2012, he was arrested and charged with domestic violence against his girlfriend, actress Monica Keena.

Edward reportedly committed to rehabilitation following the arrest. "I genuinely was afraid of facing what I would be without all that, because I carried all that as who I was,” he said in 2021 of his decision to get sober.

Now 47, he continues to act, with recent roles in The Forest Hills and Heart of a Champion.

In 1998, Lindsay starred in one of Walt Disney Pictures’ most popular films, The Parent Trap. As a teen, she followed up her success with hits like Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

The actress, who has recently made a career comeback with Netflix holiday films, is rumored to have undergone laser treatment to remove her signature freckles.

Lindsay appeared freckle-free in an Old Navy ad, in red carpet photos for her films, and award show appearances.

The 39-year-old has been living in Dubai since 2014 and shares a two-year-old son, Luai, with her husband, financier Bader Shammas.

Amanda was a child actress in the 1990s and early 2000s. She had children glued to their screens watching the Nickelodeon show All That, and later her own spin-off series, The Amanda Show.

You may also recognize Amanda from her roles in the comedy films She’s the Man, Hairspray, and Easy A.

The star, now 39, quit acting in 2010. She told Paper Magazine that she was struggling with “self-esteem issues” and “couldn’t stand” to watch her own work.

In the years that followed, she experienced substance dependence issues and legal troubles, which led to an eight-year conservatorship from 2013 to 2022. She is now focused on her career in fashion design.

Tara famously played Vicky Lathum in the American Pie film series.

She had supporting roles in The Big Lebowski and Cruel Intentions, as well as appearances on the soap opera Days of Our Lives and the sitcom Scrubs.

More recently, she has starred in lower-budget films like the Sharknado series and appeared on various reality shows.

Tara, 49, opened up about undergoing plastic surgery in 2006, including liposuction and breast augmentation. “I weigh 110 pounds now, but I always used to fluctuate by 10 pounds, so my skin was kind of saggy. I figured, I’m in Hollywood, I’m getting older, I’m going to fix them,” she told Us Weekly of her breast surgery.

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