TV syndication is a wonderful thing. It lets people see their favorite shows from decades past, letting them fulfill their nostalgic needs.
But, it also likely causes them to wonder just what happened to their favorite little adorable TV stars, the famous babies of some of the most famous TV couples. Did the child actors move on to bigger and better things? Did they remain actors in the industry? Or did they simply leave the spotlight for a more normal childhood?
Let’s be real, here. Child actors don’t always go on to live the perfect life we’d imagine them to have or at least hope for them. We become attached to these little beings in our favorite shows, even though we really know nothing about them. But to faithful viewers, it’s as if they grow up with us and we have a little hand in raising them. Naturally, that makes fans want to know more about what happened to them after they stopped filming the show.
These baby actors were some of our absolute favorites from some of the biggest TV shows from the past several decades. We watched some of them being “born,” and we’ve watched them grow right before our eyes. You’ll never believe where some of these adorable babies ended up and what they look like now!
12 Baby Emma From Friends
One of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time, hands down, is Friends, the story of six 20-somethings who completely charmed the world. The series finale itself pulled in over 52 million viewers, making it the 4th most-watched series finale in United States history!
The show constantly kept fans in suspense over Ross and Rachel’s relationship. Would they stay together or break up again? Would they ever get married and start a family? We always rooted for them, but it seemed like one of them would always do something to make the relationship crumble.
Then, in the 7th season, fans were given a teaser – who was pregnant, Monica or Rachel? In the 8th season, we found out it was Rachel, and she was pregnant with Ross’s baby. Little Emma was born and we couldn’t have been any happier to see the product of our favorite couple grow on our TV sets.
Believe it or not, baby Emma is now 14 years old – well, both baby Emmas. Twins Cari and Noelle Sheldon are now in high school and have been doing some acting since the show stopped, but mostly as a hobby rather than full-time career. Cali has plans to become a chemist to cure cancer and Noelle wants to be a barista! Maybe Noelle just has some really fond memories of Central Perk!
11 Nicky & Alex From Full House
Nicky and Alex Katsopolis were the adorable twin blondies of Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky. We watched them grow from babies to ridiculously cute preschoolers, and have been wondering what’s happened to them ever since. The twins, played by Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit, first appeared on Full House in 1992 at just two years old, and continued for three years.
Then came the Full House remake two decades later on Netflix, Fuller House, and we couldn’t believe our eyes. These tiny little humans we couldn’t wait to watch every week were now all grown up and visiting the family like nothing had ever happened! They are now 27 years old, but kind of don’t look a day over 20.
The twins haven’t acted in between the Full House gigs. Blake is a firefighter and Dylan is a foley artist, creating sound effects for some big-name movies and TV shows (Furious 7 and Game of Thrones sound familiar?). We love seeing our favorite babies move on to create awesome lives for themselves!
10 Brady From Sex And The City
Back in 2002, little baby Brady Hobbes was introduced to Sex and the City fans as Miranda Hobbes new son. We watched the adorable redhead grow up on our screens and couldn’t get over those big eyes. The character was played by Joseph Pupo, who started acting on the show at just three months old!
He went on to appear in both of the Sex and the City movies, of which the last one gracing the big screen in 2010, but hasn’t done any big-time acting since. Joseph is now 15 years old and is interested in smaller acting roles, like his high school’s production of Oklahoma.
Joseph sat down for an interview in 2016 so his fans could get caught up on his life. What they found out, though, was that he isn’t quite a fan of the show. He admitted to never watching an episode because he just wasn’t interested in it.
9 Charlie From Good Luck Charlie
Charlie from Good Luck Charlie was the baby of the show for a few seasons, until the show’s parents had the newest member of the family, Toby. Charlie was still, in our hearts, the baby of the family and the heart of the show.
Charlie was played by Mia Talerico, who joined the cast when she was a whopping 10 months old! The show aired from 2010 to 2014, when we sadly watched the last video diary of Teddy to her little sister, Charlie. We know it wasn’t a long time ago, but it seems like it.
So what’s little Mia up to now? She’s now eight years old and as gorgeous as we knew she’d be. Mia is in 2nd grade and does all the normal things most girls her age love to do: dress in pink, spend time outdoors, and play on the beach. But, it doesn’t look like she will be acting again, at least not anytime soon. Her mom currently runs her Instagram account, which shows Mia enjoying life as a normal kid.
8 Michelle From Full House
Few child actors were quite as famous as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, the twins who played Michelle on Full House. The twins played the character for the full eight years the show aired, completely making fans fall in love with Michelle over and over again.
The beauties started acting at just 6 months old, making them 8 when the show stopped. The Olsen twins went on to be extremely successful child actors, creating their own movies and TV series, and even had a book series based on them. They were moguls of the industry before they were even pre-teens!
By the time they were teens, Mary-Kate and Ashley acted in several more films, and even became co-presidents of Dualstar, the firm that produced one of their films. Perhaps the pressure of the industry took its toll on Mary-Kate, who checked into therapy for an eating disorder at 18 years old.
But, since then, the twins have become successful fashion icons, working with some of the most famous designers in the world and creating their own labels. It doesn’t look like they’ll be planning to join the Fuller House cast to reprise the role of Michelle, but we’re so proud of the lives the twins have made for themselves.
7 Sam & David From 7th Heaven
7th Heaven was just one of those feel-good shows you couldn’t help but love, regardless of your religious views. The family dynamics were interesting, but you always felt at home watching the trials and tribulations of the pastor’s family. As if having five kids wasn’t enough for this family to handle, the writers decided to throw in another one – well, make that two – in the 3rd season, giving the couple seven children with quite a gap in ages.
Since many TV babies are played by twins, it’s only natural that Sam and David were played by quadruplets. The Brino quadruplets, Nikolas, Lorenzo, Myrinda, and Zachary were fraternal quadruplets cast to play the babies at just five months old, in 1999. But, when the boys started aging and looking much different than each other, it was Nikolas and Lorenzo that went on to play the twins until the show stopped in 2011.
The quadruplets are now 18 years old but not acting anymore. However, it’s not out of the question. Mom says that, as long as they have an interest in it, she’ll support them.
6 Little Ricky From I Love Lucy
The world fell in love with Lucy Ricardo, a gorgeous, funny, red-headed ball of fire, in 1951, when I Love Lucy first aired. The show was incredibly forward for its time in many ways, and remains a classic, even getting ranked #3 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of all time.
In the 4th season, Lucy became pregnant with Little Ricky, when Lucille Ball was pregnant in real life. Although the show didn’t show much of a “baby” Little Ricky, we did get to meet Little Ricky as an adorable child who could play the drums and bongo with the best of them.
Keith Thibodeux was cast for the part at just 4 years old, posing a striking resemblance to TV dad, Ricky Ricardo, played by Desi Arnaz. Keith remained on the show for the next five years, appearing when his character was needed (which totaled about 35 episodes). He has since made small acting appearances, but decided to leave the industry to focus on his family. He’s now 66 years old.
5 Avery From Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown was a fairly long-running sitcom, airing from 1988 to 1998, and boasts the title of being the only sitcom to ever receive a 100 out of 100 rating from Metacritic. In the 4th season, Murphy decides to have her unborn child and raise him alone, after the baby’s father decides he’s not quite ready to be a parent.
Avery Brown graced the TV screen, but actor Dyllan Christopher was the baby behind Avery #1, who played the early Avery role as a toddler. Dyllan was only on for a few recurring episodes before Haley Joel Osment took over as Avery #2.
As the original Avery, though, Dyllan Christopher was there through the backlash the show received on its portrayal of single mothers. Critics said the show made it seem as though fathers weren’t an important part of raising a child. If anything, Dyllan’s role as Avery helped bring about positive reform in the way people view single mothers.
Dyllan is now 15, and has acted in several commercials, films, TV shows, and has even provided voiceovers to films alongside famous people in the industry, like Stephen King and Michael Bay.
4 Mearth From Mork & Mindy
Okay, okay. He’s not a baby by our standards, but by Mork & Mindy standards, he definitely was. The 4-season sitcom, which began in 1978, was graced with the presence of Mearth, the “baby” of Mork and Mindy. Mearth arrived in the 4th season after the couple got married. Mork laid the egg (which is what Orkan males do!), which hatched into a very large, old baby (because Orkans age backwards, of course).
Mearth was played by actor Jonathan Winters, who was actually an idol of Robin Williams. He was 56 at the time, much different than the usual TV babies we fall in love with, and already a seasoned actor and comedian. Since the end of Mork & Mindy, Winters continued to find success in the industry, voicing Grandpa Smurf in The Smurfs TV series, and Papa Smurf in both of The Smurfs films over two decades later.
Interestingly, everything came full circle when Robin Williams got to present a Pioneer TV Land Award to Winters in 2008. Sadly, the icon passed away from natural causes in 2013, at the age of 87.
3 Bentley From Teen Mom
Sure, there are bunches of babies now from the MTV Series’ Teen Mom, Teen Mom 2, and Teen Mom 3, and we can still catch our favorite babies on Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2. But, few have managed to capture our hearts as much as teen mom Maci and her adorable little man, Bentley (who, by the way, is the oldest child to appear on any of the Teen Mom series).
Bentley was born on October 27th, 2008, making him 8 years old now. Hard to believe, since we literally watched his mom’s pregnancy and labor unfold on our TV screens. And, as a growing boy, he’s just as ridiculously adorable as he was as a baby.
Despite having a rocky relationship with Bentley’s dad, Ryan, Maci has managed to raise Bentley into a loving and compassionate young man. Bentley has a great relationship with his step-dad, Taylor, who has taken on raising Bentley as his own. Maci and Taylor say that Bentley has been a great big brother to his younger siblings from the couple, Jayde and Maverick.
2 Leslie From Friends
Yes, our Friends had more babies that we simply can’t forget about, even though they weren’t a huge part of the show. But for Phoebe, they were a huge part of her character in the early seasons. We met Phoebe’s brother, Frank Jr., in the 2nd season of Friends, and although he doesn’t have a lot of air time on the show (9 episodes!), his character made a big impact on Phoebe.
Frank Jr. and his girlfriend, who is 26 years older than him, asks Phoebe for a big favor – to carry their child for them. Phoebe eventually agrees, and ends up carrying triplets, who were born during the beginning of season 5. Their names? Leslie, Chandler, and Frank Jr. Jr. (I mean, what else would they name them, right?).
The birth episode aired almost 19 years ago, and the little ones who played them – Allisyn Ashley Arm, Dante Pastula, and Sierra Marcoux, are now all grown up. Allisyn, the one who played Leslie, is the only one who has remained somewhat in the spotlight. She’s now 20, and has appeared on a few TV shows, like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
1 Geoffrey & Michael From Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for, and won, a ridiculous number of awards during its 9-season run, and it’s easy to see why. One of the funniest sitcoms to ever grace our TV screens, thanks largely in part to the grumpy and overbearing parents of Ray and Robert, also charmed our hearts with Ray and Debra’s three adorable kids: Ally, Geoffrey, and Michael.
Fun fact: The three kids are real-life siblings, played by Madylin, Sawyer, and Sullivan Sweeten, respectively. And, all three continued on the series for its full length, from 1996 to 2005, which is a rarity in the business. Sawyer and Sullivan began work on the show when they were only a year old.
After the show stopped, the twins, Sawyer and Sullivan, dabbled in small acting parts, but nothing major. They appeared in the Disney show, Even Stevens, in addition to a few other small parts.
Sadly, in 2015, a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday, Sawyer committed suicide, which was confirmed by his sister, Madylin. To this day, no one seems to know exactly what caused Sawyer to take such drastic measures, as he always seemed extremely happy in his life. Shortly after his passing, his former co-stars reached out to the family to offer their condolences.
Sources: Buzzfeed.com, IMDB.com, Independent.co.uk, Glamour.com, MTV.com, People.com