Remember crushing on these dreamy stars? Join us as we look back at the male celebrities who dominated teen magazines and bedroom walls but have since faded from the spotlight. From Disney Channel stars to '90s icons, we're revisiting the heartthrobs that made our hearts skip a beat!
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00:00I'll see you, not if I see you first."
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the cutest male celebs that you forgot
00:11you were totally obsessed with.
00:13You know, I just wanted a reason to talk to you.
00:16So why don't you just talk to me?
00:19Number 20, Lee Thompson Young.
00:21I'll meet you after soccer practice.
00:23Yeah, you always say that they never show up.
00:26I promise, I'll be there on time.
00:30This actor was in his early teens when he got cast in the titular role of the famous
00:34Jet Jackson.
00:36Playing a child actor from the South raised by a single mother, the role hit home for
00:40Young, which definitely enhanced his performance.
00:43After the success of his Disney Channel show, Young had significant roles in Johnny Tsunami,
00:49Friday Night Lights, and Akeelah and the Bee, among several other projects.
00:54My name's Sam.
00:56Johnny Cumpahalla.
00:59So you any good on that thing?
01:01Well, I have been known to get a little air.
01:06Tragically, Young's life was cut short when he took his own life in 2013.
01:11The Lee Thompson Young Foundation, started by Young's family, honors his legacy while
01:16fighting against the stigma surrounding mental health.
01:19Come on, how do you think I felt the first time I had to jump out of an airplane?
01:23I mean, my whole body said don't do it.
01:26And sometimes your brain gotta be smarter than your body, you know?
01:29But I don't like my school.
01:31Don't see why I gotta do anything for him.
01:36Then do it for Dad.
01:38I mean, you know how he was about words.
01:41He'd have loved to see you do something like this.
01:46Hey, do you have a pencil I could borrow?
01:49The enduring popularity of Tina Fey's 2004 hit movie Mean Girls
01:55all but ensures Jonathan Bennett will never be forgotten.
01:59Perfectly cast as the crush-worthy and kind Aaron Samuels,
02:03Bennett's performance is truly a highlight of the film.
02:06On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.
02:09It's October 3rd.
02:11Two weeks later, we spoke again.
02:13It's raining.
02:15Yeah.
02:16But how well have you kept up with him since?
02:18Still a working actor, these days Bennett is primarily known for his roles
02:22in made-for-television Christmas movies, the feel-good guilty-pleasure kind.
02:26In 2017, Bennett came out as gay.
02:29And in 2022, he starred in Hallmark's first LGBTQ-plus-led Christmas movie,
02:35The Holiday Sitter.
02:37Do you want to have brunch with my family for Christmas?
02:40Yes, I do.
02:42And then do you want to have Christmas dinner with me?
02:45Sounds perfect.
02:49Merry Christmas.
02:50Merry Christmas.
03:01Number 18, Eric Von Detten.
03:04I think Grove should dump the uniforms and we have casual dress all year round!
03:09Even though he played the ultimate sleazebag Josh in The Princess Diaries,
03:14we couldn't help but swoon for his blue eyes and floppy 90s hair.
03:18Von Detten got his start in acting at about 10 years old,
03:22playing Nicholas Allemane on Days of Our Lives.
03:25Hmm, but I bet it doesn't compare to Zurich.
03:27You've lived there before.
03:29Yes, I go to school there.
03:31I'm in second form.
03:32Second form? What does that mean?
03:34It means I'm nine years old.
03:36Nine? Well, you look much younger than that to me.
03:39You might also be surprised to learn that Von Detten was the voice actor
03:42behind roles like Sid from Toy Story and Irwin from Recess.
03:46It's busted.
03:48Who are you calling busted, sluster?
03:51A few years after his Princess Diaries success,
03:54Von Detten was having a difficult time getting consistent work as an actor.
03:58He decided to change career paths and now works as a sales manager
04:02at a commodities brokerage firm,
04:05though he still dabbles in amateur theater.
04:08Anyway, Saturday night's the big beach party.
04:12Uh-huh.
04:14Well, I think it'd be cool if we went together.
04:17See you on the waves.
04:19Number 17, Bow Wow, a.k.a. Lil Bow Wow.
04:23Like you
04:24Now I done been with different kind of girls
04:26Look like I done seen them all
04:27But ain't none of them at all
04:29Like you
04:30Chad Gregory Moss was discovered by Snoop Dogg at the age of six
04:33when he was rapping under the name Kid Gangsta.
04:36Snoop renamed him Lil Bow Wow and the rest is history.
04:40His first album, released when the rapper was just 13,
04:43went double platinum and launched his music career to new heights.
04:46Young fans found him totally adorable
04:49and he quickly rose to heartthrob status
04:51as he released his next five studio albums.
04:54Basketball is my favorite sport
04:56I like the way they dribble up and down the court
04:58I keep it so fresh on the microphone
05:00In more recent years, the rapper has taken a step back
05:03from his music career to focus on his family.
05:06Since 2016, Bow Wow has teased one last album
05:09before he retires from the music industry.
05:12Though years have now passed and no release date has been set.
05:15Burgundy insides, how rare
05:19This smell good too.
05:20Wives, come in.
05:21You smell that?
05:23For the ladies, man.
05:24Number 16, Corbin Bleu
05:26I wanna play ball now and that's all this is what I do
05:29It ain't no dance that you can show me
05:33Although he proved himself a certified triple threat,
05:36actor, singer and dancer,
05:38when he played Chad in High School Musical,
05:40Corbin Bleu has been shockingly absent from our screen
05:43since the trilogy ended in 2008.
05:46Don't worry, he's still putting his talents to good use,
05:49just primarily on the stage instead of screen.
05:52Performing both off and on Broadway,
05:54Bleu has starred in musicals such as
05:56In the Heights, Godspell, Hairspray, Mamma Mia
05:59and so many more.
06:01You can still see his dazzling smile
06:03in his occasional television appearances,
06:06but it's clear Bleu has an affinity for live performance.
06:09We're just getting started, come and join the party
06:12You deserve it same as me
06:15Number 15, Ginuwine
06:18Hold on and let's take it
06:21Ride it, let's take it
06:24This rapper rose to fame following the release
06:27of his debut solo single, Pony, in 1996.
06:30The hit song brought a lot of new eyes onto Ginuwine
06:33and those eyes decided he was pretty cute.
06:36Like the day you came in
06:38I knew back then
06:40You were my special one
06:43Charming and charismatic to boot,
06:46Ginuwine became an iconic 90s dreamboat,
06:49but lately he's been pretty quiet.
06:51Though he hasn't announced his retirement,
06:53he hasn't released any new solo music
06:55since his 2011 Christmas album.
06:57Though he still performs his music,
06:59it's clear Ginuwine has decided to hold off
07:01on recording new music and instead focuses
07:04on living a quieter, simpler life with his family.
07:07Why do you have Ginuwine's platinum record on your wall?
07:10Why do you have a photo of you with Ginuwine at some place?
07:14Oh, have I never talked about this before?
07:16Ginuwine's my cousin.
07:18Ginuwine?!
07:20The Ginuwine is your cousin?!
07:23Number 14. Andrew Keegan.
07:25This isn't a negotiation.
07:27Take it or leave it, trailer park.
07:2950 bucks and we got a deal, Fabio.
07:32Even though he couldn't have been a bigger jerk
07:35as aspiring model Joey in 10 Things I Hate About You,
07:38Andrew Keegan was just too cute to dislike.
07:41He also stole our hearts as sensitive single dad
07:44Wilson West, a recurring character on 7th Heaven
07:47and Mary's first serious boyfriend.
07:50Right, this is my mom.
07:52Of course.
07:54And who are you, slugger?
07:56This is Billy.
07:57Well, hi, Billy. We're real glad to have you
07:59and your big brother with us.
08:00At the end of the new millennium,
08:02it seemed Keegan was poised to become a huge star,
08:04but it seems his career never fully took off.
08:07For a few years in the 2010s,
08:09Keegan ran a community spiritual center
08:12loosely based around Hinduistic philosophies,
08:15but the center closed in 2017.
08:17Since then, Keegan's taken on a few acting roles,
08:20but we'd love to see him make a bigger comeback soon.
08:23We have a creed.
08:24We do believe that everything is an expression of the creator
08:28and that we coming together create our own destiny,
08:32our own path.
08:33Number 13. Jesse McCartney.
08:35I don't want another pretty face.
08:38I don't want just anyone to hold.
08:41If his beautiful soul wasn't enough,
08:43his beautiful face sure is.
08:45McCartney got his start in entertainment
08:47when he was cast in the national tour of
08:49The King and I at age 10,
08:51proving his talents in singing and acting
08:53from an early age.
08:54After a brief stint as a member of the boy band Dream Street,
08:57McCartney began his successful solo music career
09:00with his debut album Beautiful Soul.
09:02I don't want my love to go to waste.
09:05I want you and your beautiful soul.
09:08Beyond his music,
09:09McCartney also had a successful acting career
09:12that included multiple major voice acting roles.
09:15Simon? Alvin? Is everything okay?
09:20I'm recording the voice of Theodore.
09:22That's what I've been doing for the last couple weeks.
09:24Though recent years have been quiet,
09:26it appears McCartney is poised for a comeback.
09:28He released a new album in 2021
09:30and an EP in 2024
09:32that featured none other than Young Gravy.
09:34We love to see it.
09:44Number 12. Jonathan Brandes.
09:46Please Bill, please.
09:49Go bug somebody else, you little cootie.
09:52I don't feel so hot.
09:53After years of building his resume
09:55with roles on soap operas and television shows,
09:58Jonathan Brandes received his first major role at 13
10:02as Bastion Bucks in The NeverEnding Story 2,
10:05the next chapter.
10:06Everything seems fine in Fantasia.
10:08Oh, fine and dandy.
10:10Why do you ask?
10:12I have to see the Childlike Empress.
10:14How far is it to the Ivory Tower?
10:17Brandes' most enduring performance
10:19would come from his role as young Bill
10:21in the 1990 miniseries It,
10:23but it was his role in the science fiction series
10:26Sequest DSV
10:28that made him a truly crush-worthy 90s heartthrob.
10:31His boy genius character
10:32stole the hearts of young fans across the country.
10:35They showed their love in the 4,000 letters per week
10:38that Brandes received.
10:39Sadly, after struggling with his mental health for years,
10:43Brandes took his own life in 2003.
10:46This is my stop.
10:48Bye.
10:50One hour later at 8 o'clock.
10:54Number 11, Corey Haim.
10:56There's a number on the back.
10:58And pray that you never need to call us.
11:01I'll pray I never need to call you.
11:06Sure.
11:07Corey Haim's famously adorable lopsided smile
11:10helped propel him from ordinary child actor
11:13to bona fide 80s teen heartthrob
11:15with his roles in Lucas, License to Drive, and more.
11:19Be careful.
11:20Ugh.
11:21She's too beautiful.
11:24Ah!
11:25Ah!
11:26Ah!
11:27Ah!
11:28Ah!
11:29Ah!
11:30Baby?
11:31No.
11:32Stop.
11:33Oh.
11:34Okay.
11:37Haim appeared with fellow Corey, Corey Feldman,
11:40in 1987's The Lost Boys.
11:42The duo would go on to become the highest-paid teen actors
11:45of the 80s.
11:46Haim's adoring fans wrote him thousands of letters
11:49every week.
11:50They faithfully purchased the many issues
11:52of Tiger Beat and Bop that featured Haim on the cover.
11:55In 2010, Haim passed away from complications of pneumonia.
11:59Tragically young, Haim's legacy lives on
12:02through his enduring work.
12:04Wait.
12:05Wait.
12:06Wait, wait, wait.
12:07Ah!
12:08Ah!
12:09Ah!
12:10Ah!
12:11Ah!
12:12Ah!
12:13Ah!
12:14Ah!
12:15Ah!
12:16Ah!
12:17Ah!
12:18Ah!
12:19Ah!
12:20Ah!
12:21Ah!
12:22Ah!
12:23Ah!
12:24Ah!
12:25Number 10, Joey Lawrence.
12:27Shut up.
12:28We're just doing homework together.
12:29You know how nice it is to have a friend come over
12:31to help you with your homework, don't you?
12:33I hear this never meant a good kid.
12:39Sometimes the first is the best, as it is with Joey, the oldest Lawrence in the Lawrence
12:45brother trio, at least when it comes to the 90s.
12:48We like Matthew too, but it was Joey who had the biggest impact.
12:52Acting since he was a kid, it was teen Joey who got everyone talking with his role as
12:56the dumb jock brother on Blossom.
12:58Let's seek out the opinion of our newest student, Joey.
13:04I agree.
13:05As well you should.
13:08Welcome to the land of intellectual stimulation.
13:10Thanks.
13:11Following the show's end, Joey continued acting on TV shows like Brotherly Love and
13:17in made-for-TV movie roles like Disney's Horse Sense.
13:20Throughout it all, Joey dabbled in a music career, releasing pop singles like Nothing
13:24My Love Can't Fix and Never Gonna Change My Mind.
13:36Even though that part of his career never really took off, you can't knock the guy
13:39for his continued hustle.
13:53As the unofficial president of the Brat Pack, Emilio was the guy who had it all.
13:58The handsome older brother of Charlie Sheen, Emilio was known for his iconic roles in movies
14:02like St. Elmo's Fire and The Breakfast Club, where he played the ultimate high school jock.
14:15During the 80s and 90s, his love life was also a topic of conversation, given his engagement
14:21to fellow Brat Packer, Demi Moore, and his two-year marriage to Paula Abdul.
14:26His role as Coach Gordon Bombay in the Mighty Ducks franchise served as one of his last
14:30big parts.
14:42Since then, he's seemed to move behind the camera as a TV director.
14:468.
14:47Chad Michael Murray
14:57Chad was definitely one of the biggest names in teen Hollywood back in the early noughties.
15:01With recurring roles on Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls, it was only a matter of time
15:05before he landed a TV role in which he played the lead, as he did with One Tree Hill.
15:10One of the best teen dramas out there, he got to play a not-so-bad boy with a heart
15:15of gold, a role that's perfect for his smoldering good looks.
15:32His roles as the romantic lead in teen movies like A Cinderella Story and Freaky Friday
15:36further helped to cement his status as a heartthrob.
15:437.
15:47Freddie Prinze Jr.
15:51The son of a famous comedian, it became clear by the mid-nineties that Freddie inherited
15:55his dad's knack for entertaining.
15:57Freddie was a powerhouse in movies targeted at teens, such as I Know What You Did Last
16:02Summer, and She's All That.
16:13He was able to play both comedic and dramatic parts, but always worked best as a romantic
16:18lead with movies like Down to You, making him the most sought-after guy.
16:35With his part as Fred in the Scooby-Doo movies as one of his last major big-screen roles,
16:39it seems like Freddie is focused more on raising his family with wife Sarah Michelle Gellar,
16:44as well as working behind the scenes these days.
16:46Much like he did when he was a director-slash-producer for the WWE.
17:016.
17:03Kirk Cameron
17:04Who didn't have a crush on Kirk?
17:22As Mike Seaver, Kirk played the oldest child on the hit sitcom Growing Pains.
17:26Mike was the quintessential cool guy, known for his love of Bruce Springsteen, Devil May
17:31Care attitude, and ability to get out of any jam with his smirk.
17:36Teenage girls loved him, and the guys wanted to be him.
17:39Outside of Growing Pains, Kirk had other TV roles like his guest spot on Full House, made
17:44for TV movies and PSAs.
18:00In his autobiography, he said he was being sent over 10,000 letters of fan mail a week
18:05at the height of his success.
18:07But he walked away from superstardom when he became a born-again Christian at age 17,
18:12and shifted his focus to faith-based projects.
18:185.
18:21Ryder Strong
18:41Known for his floppy brown hair and blue eyes, Ryder was the nicest bad boy to have a crush
18:46on in the 90s.
18:47In Boy Meets World, he played Sean Hunter, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks and
18:52Corey's best friend.
18:54The part made him a well-known name with teenage audiences, and he became a regular feature
18:58in teen magazines like Tiger Beat.
19:01He played the character for seven seasons on the hit ABC show, and has since dabbled
19:05in a few movie roles like 2002's Cabin Fever.
19:19However, he did reprise the role of Sean in the 2010s for the Boy Meets World sequel Girl
19:25Meets World, along with former castmates, such as his fellow teen heartthrob Will Friedle.
19:444.
19:46River Phoenix
19:57At just 16 years old, River Phoenix starred in Stand By Me, delivering a phenomenal performance
20:03that made him a huge name.
20:16Phoenix continued to make waves in Hollywood with his roles in The Mosquito Coast, Indiana
20:20Jones and the Last Crusade, and My Own Private Idaho.
20:39More than just a total dreamboat, Phoenix had an obvious movie star quality to his acting
20:43ability and presence.
20:45It was clear from the start that Phoenix was on track to be a major star before his life
20:49was heartbreakingly cut short in 1993.
20:53Though we'll never know what heights Phoenix's career could have reached, we can continue
20:56to honor his legacy and remember his work.
21:123.
21:14Scott Baio
21:23As one of the decade's ultimate baes, Scott was pretty much a permanent fixture on the
21:27big and small screens from the late 1970s onwards.
21:31He played Chachi on Happy Days, and endeared himself to the audience with his puppy dog
21:36eyes and easy smile.
21:37His character was so popular that it landed him a spinoff with Joanie Loves Chachi.
21:57It only lasted a year, but Scott was able to bounce back with Charles in Charge.
22:02Off screen, he was known to be something of a lady killer with high-profile relationships.
22:07Since his heyday, he's dabbled in reality TV, all while being a very vocal Republican.
22:292.
22:30Devin Sawa
22:39Even though he was only briefly featured in the movie Casper as the friendly ghost's
22:42human form, his dreamy blue eyes and perfectly feathered blonde hair made the scene all too
22:48memorable for millions of viewers.
22:50His short scene in Casper made him an instant heartthrob, attracting so much attention from
22:55swooning fans that Sawa made a deliberate effort to take on edgier roles to distance
23:01himself from his teen dream image.
23:09He appeared in the music video for Eminem's Stan, played a punk in SLC Punk, and starred
23:15in The Gory Final Destination.
23:17Though he's mostly stayed out of the spotlight, his recent appearances in Chucky and Haxx
23:22indicate that Sawa might be poised for a long-awaited comeback.
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23:591.
24:01Jonathan Taylor Thomas
24:17Who was a bigger 90s teen heartthrob than Jonathan Taylor Thomas?
24:21You're right if you answered no one.
24:23Jonathan, who will forever be known as JTT, was arguably the biggest teen idol of the
24:28decade due to his cute and approachable boy-next-door look and easygoing persona.
24:33Acting since he was a kid, we watched him grow up thanks to his part as the coolest
24:37son on Home Improvement.
24:47JTT also capitalized on his fame with roles in films like Tom and Huck and lent his voice
24:53to The Lion King.
25:06But after he grew up, JTT pretty much put his acting days behind him in pursuit of an
25:11Ivy League education.
25:13While he's only had some small roles here or there, along with doing some writing and
25:17directing, we can't help but heart JTT.
25:28Which of these teen heartthrobs do you miss the most?
25:31Let us know in the comments.
25:40Do you agree with our picks?
25:41Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the
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