It’s the day after the Video Music Awards and everyone’s talking about Miley Cyrus and I’ll bet she couldn’t be happier. Some say she stole the show, some ask if she’s gone too far. I see yet another child star, this one with daddy issues, trying to break from the mold that their early fame has created for them.

Miley Cyrus has tough transition to adult star
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
loading...

When Michael Jackson came out at the Motown 25th anniversary special in 1983, he first sang a medley of his Jackson 5 songs that he made with his brothers,

then he was able to turn the page in front of the entire world and launch a new career that would be nothing like what we knew him before. (as seen in the video below)

Jackson would go on to become one of the biggest influences in Pop music. Some even call him "King."

Most child stars don’t get that chance. Many never recover from their early careers and spend  their lives trying to shed their early image.

Last week, David Cassidy, a former teen idol who never wanted to be a Partridge, but always wanted to be a legitimate rock star, was pulled over for his second DWI.  His former Partridge Family co-star and step mother Shirley Jones, who performed at the Broadway Theatre in Pittman Sunday, has said recently David is a troubled man who has demons he's been struggling to conquer.

When former child star Brittnany Spears went through her shaved head crisis and everyone was making fun of her, it was The Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson, a former alcoholic who stood up and refused to take part in it.

Unfortunately, there are no transitional classes for child stars who want to become adult stars, It’s mostly hit or miss. It’s worked for Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Ron Howard, not so much for many others.

When you’re a child star, it seems like you have two choices, fade away and spend your life doing memorabilia shows, supermarket openings, and the occasional ‘Where Are They Now? TV talk show, or you can try to reinvent yourself and continue to be relevant.

It worked for Michael Jackson and Ron Howard. Miley Cyrus is hoping it will work for her too. Here’s hoping she succeeds.

It’s very tough to stay on the island when you’re a former child star, it seems like people are trying ever harder to vote you off.  Who was your favorite child star? How did they do fare after they grew up?

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM