Teen Heartthrobs Grown Up
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11 Teen Heartthrobs That Are *Checks notes* Definitely No Longer Kids

The stars we loved as kids grew up in the blink of an eye.

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zac efron grown up

I was casually listening to the Jesse McCartney Pandora station during work one day, and I came to the realization that Jesse and a lot of other "teen heartthrobs" from my younger years had suddenly grown up.

From scandals to photo leaks to more grown-up roles/music, many of the teenage stars we crushed on when we were in middle school are now adults, just like us.

Here are 11 examples of teen heartthrobs who grew quickly into their adult lives.

1. Ashley Tisdale

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We all remember Ashley from the "High School Musical" franchise, "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "Phineas and Ferb." But since Ashley's Disney days, she has been acting in more adult films, such as "Scary Movie 5."

Ashley's music career always teetered the edge of "kid appropriate" and, well, not. She even had a song on her album "Guilty Pleasure" called "Acting Out." Ashley's "glo-up" wasn't as noticeable, but she did grow out of her Disney persona.

2. Zac Efron

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Zac Efron was the "High School Musical" actor who stole our hearts and plastered them on the walls of our bedrooms. "HSM" fans were able to watch Zac grow throughout the movie series, but am I the only one who noticed when he suddenly became hot with a capital H?

He was no longer the "boy next door" that we all wanted as a neighbor. Instead, he became the hot pool boy. Zac's career officially took an "adult" spin with his appearance in the movie "Neighbors," where he co-starred alongside Seth Rogen.

3. Demi Lovato

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Our love for Demi began as early as "As the Bell Rings" and "Camp Rock" in 2008. Can you believe it has been 10 years since she entered our lives? Well, Demi has done A LOT of growing up during those 10 years.

Her acting career has been pushed to the side as she focused a lot more on her music. Her self-titled album released in 2013. Two years later, our ears were blessed with the album "Confident" which included her hit single, "Cool for the Summer," which is reportedly about a fling with another female.

Demi has been very active in feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. It's no doubt that Demi's music is absolutely her, and it has proved that she isn't the wannabe rock star from "Camp Rock" anymore. Now she's an actual rock star we can all relate to a little.

4. The Jonas Brothers

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Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas were the three brothers none of us knew we needed in our lives. All three starred in "Camp Rock" alongside Demi and eventually had their own TV show on Disney Channel. And I know we were all hyped when they guest starred on "Hannah Montana."

The JoBros ended up parting ways to begin their solo works. Joe released an album in 2011 called "Fastlife" and joined DNCE, who are best known for "Cake by the Ocean" and "Toothbrush." Nick began his solo career in 2015 and shocked all of us JoBro fans with his steamy song "Chains."

Oh, and did I mention that all of them are STILL very attractive? Yes, even Kevin. I want whatever genes they have!

5. Vanessa Hudgens

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Vanessa Hudgens became the perfect "girl next door" with her role in the "High School Musical" franchise. She was the quiet, smart girl who had a love for singing (and the popular basketball player). However, her reputation as a Disney Channel star was damaged when her nude photos were leaked.

Not only did that scandal shock everyone to their core, but five years later she starred in a movie called "Spring Breakers." The movie, which is rated R and features other well-known actresses, including Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson, was not suited for children. It showed fans a different side of Vanessa, one we'd gotten a glimpse of during the photo scandal.

6. Mitchel Musso

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Mitchel played one of Miley Cyrus' aka Miley Stewart's aka Hannah Montana's best friends in "Hannah Montana." After his long run on "Hannah Montana," Mitchel starred in "Phineas and Ferb" and "Pair of Kings." His run in "Pair of Kings" was cut short due to his issues with obeying the law. He was arrested in 2011 for a DUI and was cut from the show.

Mitchel hasn't been doing much acting or singing since his arrest. It hasn't been reported that he's had any more run-ins with the law. Maybe we will see a return from Mitchel sometime in the future.

7. Amanda Bynes

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Amanda Bynes was everyone's favorite actress in the late 90's and early 2000's. Amanda is best known for her roles in "All That," "The Amanda Show" and movies, such as "She's All That" and "What A Girl Wants."

According to IMDB, Amanda hasn't starred in anything since 2010. Amanda's Twitter can be best described as a mess. She claimed someone hacked into her Instagram and stole photos of her, claiming the actress was pregnant and getting married.

In 2012, Amanda was reportedly arrested for driving under the influence and a hit-and-run a few days later. Bynes has been under the radar for the past few months, keeping her online presence to a minimum. I think we can all agree that we hope she's doing well and getting her life in order.

8. Lindsay Lohan

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Lindsay began her career very young. She first appeared in the movie "Parent Trap" in 1998 at just 12 years old. Since then, she has starred in movies such as "Life-Size," "Freaky Friday," "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and "Mean Girls."

Lindsay's career has been more here-and-there in the last few years. Lindsay tried to go to rehab many times. She's been involved in many "DUIs, reckless driving, a hit-and-run, theft and had gone to jail several times," at least according to biography.com.

IMDB shows that the movie "Life-Size 2" is in pre-production. Hopefully, Lindsay will be able to show fans that she's still the same lovable, talented actress she was.

9. Aaron Carter

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"Merry Christmas, Lizzie McGuire." Those words are enough to throw young adults all the way back to the moment they fell in love with Aaron Carter.

Aaron came from a wildly talented family. His brother, Nick Carter, is a member of the 90's boy band The Backstreet Boys. Aaron had many popular songs back in the day, such as "I Want Candy" and "Aaron's Party."

Aaron has also been through a lot with his family. He was diagnosed with PTSD after his father passed away from a heart attack in 2017, five years after the death of his 25-year-old sister, Leslie. Aaron went to rehab after being arrested for a DUI and possession of marijuana. He also struggled with his weight, weighing only 115 pounds when he was checked in.

When the presidential election was happening, Aaron announced his support of now President Donald Trump but retracted it once he discovered his candidate did not support LGBTQ+ rights. Aaron came out as bisexual in 2017.

10. Miley Cyrus

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I promise that this is probably the least shocking person on this list. Miley's transformation shocked us all when it happened.

Miley starred as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on "Hannah Montana." She starred in movies since her career began, including "The Last Song" and "LOL."

Miley told Rolling Stone that she enjoys smoking weed and dropping Molly. Despite her love for drugs and longtime boyfriend (if you don't count their breakup) Liam Hemsworth, she enjoys working with deaf children in Haiti. She has hearing aids fitted for them and sends them to the children there.

Miley has done a lot that has surprised fans, but she's still making one hit after another. Her latest hit "Malibu" is the perfect example of this. She's simply grown up and wants everyone to know that.

11. Drake Bell

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Drake Bell was a household name during his time on "Drake and Josh." However, lately, he's had some scandalous photos and videos circulating Twitter. He also released a music video earlier this year for his song "Rewind," and it's quite steamy.

While his personal life hasn't been very interesting, other than the leak, his music career is moving forward and making sure his not-so-young fans know he's here for them as well.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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