10 former Disney stars who went off the rails

Demi Lovato shot to fame opposite the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock and appeared in her own Disney Channel series as well as launched a successful pop career. However, Lovato’s struggles with drug abuse have been documented since her teens and in her own documentary, Simply Complicated, where she spoke candidly of her issues with bulimia and drug dependency. She had been sober for six years but through a recently released track admitted she had relapsed.
In July 2018 she was rushed to hospital after reportedly suffering a heroin overdose but is believed to be in a stable condition.

Shia LaBeouf was once the world’s favourite, annoying little brother in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens but the older he became the more volatile he got. The actor has been arrested on several occasions, been filmed using racist slurs, turned up to Cannes wearing a paper bag on his head and was accused of plagiarism.
Now though he seems to have his life back on track, earning praise for his role in American Honey, and is working on a biopic of his life where he’ll play his own father and Lucas Hedges will play him.

Brad Renfro played Huck Finn in the 1995 Disney comedy Tom and Huck, and provided voices for the cartoon Recess, but was better known for his roles in The Client, Sleepers and Apt Pupil. However, he had substance abuse issues and was arrested and charged for trying to steal a yacht in Florida, for which he received two years probation, and tragically died from an accidental overdose of heroin and morphine in 2008, aged 25.

Lindsay Lohan made her name in Disney’s The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday before succumbing to the dark forces of Hollywood. The actress has been to rehab multiple times and has numerous arrests to her name for driving under the influence, cocaine possession and probation violation, the latter of which she served 14 days in jail for. Lohan moved to London after completing her community service but now lives in Dubai but stars in the Sky One series Sick Note.

Frankie Muniz appeared in the Disney Channel Original movie Miracle in Lane 2 but was best known for his titular roles in Malcolm in the Middle and the film franchise Cody Banks.
However, in 2011 he was accused of punching his girlfriend in her head and holding a gun to his. The Police was called, though the couple appeared to make up and put it down to an overheated exchange.

Zac Efron shot to fame as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical series, but he soon showed signs of breaking away from that clean-cut image. He famously dropped a condom on the red carpet at the premiere of The Lorax and checked himself into rehab in 2013, citing problems with drug abuse.
He’s been back on track for a while now with starring roles in The Greatest Showman and an upcoming biopic about Ted Bundy in which he will play the infamous serial killer.

Nick Stahl once starred in the 1995 Disney movie Tall Tales opposite Patrick Swayze but went on to play John Connors in 2003’s Terminator: Rise of the Machines, but throughout his career, he has also endured some painful moments in his private life.
At one point, in 2012, his girlfriend reported him missing twice before he was found and entered rehab. A year later, he was arrested for lewd conduct after an incident in a sex shop and was subject to an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2013. In 2017, during an interview at the Dallas Comic Show, he revealed he had moved to Texas to focus on his sobriety and family.

Britney Spears started off her career on The Mickey Mouse Club before becoming one of the world’s successful international pop stars. However, from 2006 she was being checked into several drug rehabilitation facilities, shaved off her hair and lost custody of her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline. At one point, her father was in charge of her financial affairs, but nowadays she’s in much better shape and is set to return to Vegas with her popular stage show.

Miley Cyrus technically didn’t go off the rails but she did do her best to ditch her butter-wouldn’t-melt Disney image during her late teens. The Hannah Montana star chopped off her hair, went public with her love of marijuana and made a statement with the video to her song “Wrecking Ball” by swinging around on a wrecking ball naked. Miley has admitted that she regrets that video but is now living her best life with her fiance Liam Hemsworth, more mellow music career and gig on The Voice.

Jonathan Brandis appeared in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as himself and played the young Bill Denbrough in the IT miniseries. Sadly, the actor committed suicide at age 27. Brandis didn’t leave a suicide note but he was believed to be a heavy drinker and upset about the lack of progression in his career.