By Megan Riedlinger
7:30pm PDT, Jun 11, 2023
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Missing the '90s? If you loved pop culture in that fun decade, we bet you'll recognize these stars who stepped away from the spotlight. We've rounded up some of the '90s phenoms who seemingly disappeared and checked in on where they are today…
Shannon Elizabeth became a massive '90s star following her turn in the iconic raunchy teen comedy "American Pie" in 1999. So where is the beauty, who played foreign exchange student Nadia, today?
Keep reading to find out…
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Shannon Elizabeth — who turns 50 in 2023 but looks the same as she did in the '90s — reprised her rose as Nadia for some of the "American Pie" sequels — "American Pie 2" in 2001 and "American Reunion" in 2012. Aside from the franchise, she also scored a recurring role on "That '70s Show" and the UPN sitcom "Cuts" in the 2000s but was never able to match her '90s fame. She competed on two legendary reality series — season 6 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2008, where she came in sixth, and season 1 of "Celebrity Big Brother" in 2018, where she was the third houseguest evicted. She married Simon Borchert in 2022 and is active with her non-profit, Animal Avengers, an animal rescue organization.
MORE: Female singers of the '90s: Where are they now?
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Beautiful and talented actress Leelee Sobieski actress was a fixture on the big screen in the '90s, appearing in hits like "Deep Impact," "Never Been Kissed" and "Eyes Wide Shut." She also starred on the 1999 television series "Joan of Arc," which earned her Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. So where is Leelee today?
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Leelee Sobieski left Hollywood entirely in 2012. The actress married real estate developer Martin Kimmel in 2010 a year after welcoming their daughter, Louisiana. They had son Martin in 2014. Leelee's credited settling down as her reason for leaving acting behind. She reflected on her departure in AnOther magazine in 2018, explaining of her moral qualms with Hollywood, "It's kind of a gross industry… in acting you're selling your appearance so much. I would cry every time I had to kiss somebody; I couldn't stomach it. I would think, 'I like this person, so I don't think they should pay me to kiss them,' or 'I don't like this person, so I don't want to kiss them.' Why is my kiss for sale?' It made me feel really cheap."
She transitioned to a career in the arts, something that had always been close to her heart. She explained to the outlet, "I always acted to be able to afford paints. It might sound really weird, but that's what happened — the cards were just dealt to me that way. But acting was never my passion, unless I was working with someone really interesting and smart." These days, she lives with her family in Brooklyn and works as an artist using her married name, Leelee Kimmel.
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Ryan Phillippe was a '90s heartthrob who fame in teen flicks like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Cruel Intentions." His 1999 marriage to fellow '90s superstar Reese Witherspoon also made him a pop culture staple.
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Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon's marriage didn't last long after the '90s ended — they split in 2006 after welcoming two children together. He went on to have a string of relationships including one with model Alexis Knapp, with whom he shares a daughter, and law student Paulina Slagter, who accused him of harassment following the end of their engagement. Another former girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt, pursued legal action following their relationship, securing a protective order after accusing Ryan of physically assaulting her, which he denied. He's continued to act over the decades though never quite duplicated his '90s fame. He most notably appeared in the film "Crash" in 2004 and the "MacGruber" franchise — a 2010 film and 2021 television series based on the "Saturday Night Live" sketch. More recently, he appeared in the film "Miranda's Victim" opposite Luke Wilson.
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Rick Moranis was a '90s phenom thanks to his turn in family friendly films like the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" franchise, "The Flintstones," "Little Giants" and "Big Bully," to name a few. But he left Hollywood in 1997 for a very sad reason….
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Rick Moranis left a successful movie career behind in 1997. He'd lost his wife of 11 years, costume designer Ann Belsky, to cancer in 1991 and needed to focus on being a single dad to their two children. He occasionally came out of retirement to lend his voice to projects like Disney's "Brother Bear" and "Brother Bear 2" in the '00s and an episode of "The Goldbergs" in 2018.
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Madeleine Stowe found major fame in the '90s thanks to a string of roles in big films like "The Last of the Mohicans" in 1992, "Blink" in 1993, "12 Monkeys" in 1995 and "The General's Daughter" in 1999. She was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1994,and followed that up with a ranking in Empire magazine's 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History in 1995. But by 2003, she'd appeared in her last film…
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Madeleine Stowe continued to act after the '90s came to an end but scored lower-profile roles. Her most notable work after that decade came in 2011 when she starred on ABC's "Revenge" for four seasons. The actress, who temporarily moved to a ranch in Texas before settling back into life in Los Angeles, has been married to actor Brian Benben since 1982. They share a daughter.
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Jonathan Taylor Thomas's name is synonymous with the '90s thanks to his roles on the sitcom "Home Improvement" and films like 1995's "Tom and Huck" and 1998's "I'll Be Home For Christmas." So where is the former heartthrob today?
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In 2013, Jonathan Taylor Thomas opened up to People magazine about his departure from the entertainment world, explaining, "I'd been going nonstop since I was 8 years old… I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break." During his time away, the actor studied at some of the most prestigious universities in the world — Harvard, Columbia and St. Andrew's University in Scotland. But in 2013, he headed back to Hollywood to do a stint on Tim Allen's sitcom "Last Man Standing." He appeared on four episodes between 2013 and 2015, seen here. He's kept his personal life private since leaving acting behind.
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Kids everywhere looked up to Rachael Leigh Cook in the '90s. She made a name for herself in kid-friendly flicks "The Baby-Sitters Club" and "Tom and Huck" in 1995 before growing up before our eyes and starring in the iconic teen film "She's All That" in 1999. Let's check in with Rachael today…
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Rachael Leigh Cook has continued to act since the '90s, but she's enjoyed a more low-key career in recent decades. She most notably appeared in a handful of Hallmark films, played the lead on TV's "Perception" from 2012 to 2015 and lent her voice to animated series like "Batman Beyond" and "Robot Chicken." She appeared in 2021's Netflix film "He's All That," a reboot of her popular '90s film, and more recently popped up in the streaming service's movie "A Tourist's Guide to Love." Off screen, the actress has been dating producer Kevin Mann in recent years. In 2019, she split from actor Daniel Gillies, with whom she shares two children, after 15 years of marriage.
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Edward Furlong found fame at 13 in a blockbuster flick — 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." He followed that with a critically acclaimed performance in 1992's "American Heart" and 1993's "A Home of Our Own." He seemed to be on the path to becoming a Hollywood heavyweight… but sadly got derailed.
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Edward Furlong battled alcohol and drug addiction, which led him to rehab in 2000. He opened up to People magazine about his struggles in 2006, revealing, "I was a heroin and cocaine addict. It was really scary." He also faced a host of legal issues with partners over the years including with the mother of his child, ex-wife Rachael Bella, who sought a restraining order in 2009, and girlfriend and fellow actress Monica Keena, who he was arrested for assaulting in 2012 and 2013. In 2021, Edward appeared on the podcast "American Glutton" alongside his "American History X" co-star Ethan Suplee and shared that he was three years sober.
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Jenna Von Oy starred on "Blossom" from 1990 until 1995, becoming one of the cool girls of the era. She also starred on UPN's "The Parkers" later in the decade. Where is the former sitcom star today?
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Jenna Von Oy continued to act after the decade was over, usually lending her voice to animated roles including on an episode of "Family Guy" and the film "Dr. Dolittle 3." Her most recent role came in 2022 when she played herself in an episode of "Call Me Kat," her former "Blossom" co-star Mayim Bialik's FOX sitcom. The actress now resides in Nashville with her two daughters, whom she shares with ex-husband Brad Bratcher.
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Mara Wilson was one of the biggest child stars of the '90s thanks to roles in 1993's "Mrs. Doubtfire," 1994's "Miracle on 34th Street" and 1996's "Matilda," to name a few. She took a lengthy hiatus from Hollywood after appearing in the 2000 film "Thomas and the Magic Railroad." So where is she today?
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Mara Wilson would opened up to NPR in 2016 about her decision to leave acting behind, pointing to ways the industry treated child actors. She shared, "I wasn't as cute anymore because I looked halfway between a child and an adult — which is what puberty is. People didn't know what to do with me, and I knew it, and I felt it, and it really hurt." She eventually returned to Hollywood as an adult, appearing on an episode of "Broad City" and lending her voice to "BoJack Horseman" in 2016. She more recently appeared on the 2022 web series "Ollie and Scoops." In 2016, she shared with fans that she identifies as bisexual or queer.
