‘Full House’ Star Jodie Sweetin Opens Up About Child Stardom

Jodie Sweetin gained prominence as a child star, achieving widespread acclaim for portraying Stephanie Tanner alongside Cameron Bure on the popular sitcom Full House. Despite her vibrant on-screen persona, Sweetin encountered off-camera difficulties during her teenage years, grappling with substance abuse and personal crises.

In a recent interview, Sweetin, who is now 41 years old, reflected on the trials of being a child star. She shared her experiences and provided valuable insights into the factors that play a pivotal role in determining the success or challenges faced by individuals who attain fame at a young age.

Jodie Sweetin speaks about the factors affecting child stars

During her conversation with TODAY.com, the actress shared that every accomplished child star owed their real-life success to dedicated parental support, emphasizing the importance of parents who weren’t seeking attention for themselves, just like her parents. “When you see the kids that grew up in this business that turned out to be fairly normal, well-rounded people,” Sweetin admitted. “They all have really normal parents who didn’t want to be in the business themselves.”

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Sweetin emphasized that a major problem facing child stars is the fact that most of their parents tend to pressure their children with their own failed ambitions. “They’re like, ‘I tried to be famous,” she added, “‘but it didn’t work out, so now it’s your turn.'”

Jodie Sweetin says she feels pity for child stars of nowadays

Sweetin also emphasized the crucial need for a robust support system for child actors in today’s landscape, citing the heightened challenges posed by social media.

“I can’t imagine being one of those kids on a big network show with their increased pressure and all of the criticism. And people are worrying about who you’re dating, and what you look like,” Sweetin confessed to TODAY.com. “When I was 9, I had teeth coming out of every direction,” she added. “I was very self-conscious of it at the time, and if that had been the thing that was getting made fun of online? That would have destroyed me.”