15+ Then and Now Pics of Stars Who the World Was Crazy About 2 Decades Ago

Idols used to be less available for their fans at the beginning of the 2000s than they are today, in the epoch of the internet and social media. Nevertheless, we somehow managed to stay up-to-date about their plans, public show-ups, and even nuances of their personal life.

After a couple of decades, we at Now I’ve Seen Everything decided to learn how the life of our favorite celebs, who made the ’00s unforgettable for us, is going.

Audrey Tautou

The French actress became popular after playing the protagonist in Amélie. However, despite crowds of fans and impressive nominations, Audrey decided not to conquer Hollywood and stayed in France. It wasn’t until 2006 that she took part in The Da Vinci Code.

Today the actress still participates in movie projects and in 2010, she had her debut on the theater stage as well.

Christina Aguilera

The beautiful blonde singer with a strong voice burst into the top music charts in 1999, when her song What a Girl Wants was playing from almost every corner. Over the course of her long career, she’s shown herself not only as a singer — but she also took part in several movies and is a songwriter as well as a music producer.

Christina has 2 kids but that doesn’t stop her from being creative.

Avril Lavigne

We remember Avril Lavigne for popular songs like Complicated, My Happy Ending, Girlfriend, etc — which all took the number one spot on world charts. Journalists often called the singer “the princess of pop punk” (because of her love for long T-shirts, Converse trainers, and bold makeup) as well as “anti-Britney” (because of her less commercial and more natural image). Now, look at what an elegant lady she’s become.

Lindsay Lohan

Movies like The Parent Trap, Mean Girls, and Freaky Friday brought Lindsay world fame. When her fame subsided, she pursued a musical career, and starred in TV shows and independent films.

Julian McMahon

© julianmcmahonofficial / Instagram

“Ah, what a man he used to be,” sighed all the fans of Charmed. Meanwhile, Julian has not disappeared from the screen completely — he takes part in many projects. Viewers can see him in movies like Fantastic Four in the role of a villain and in the series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.

Nicole Richie

At the beginning of the 00s, Lionel Richie’s adopted daughter got famous thanks to her scandalous life and her participation in The Simple Life reality show together with her close friend Paris Hilton. Ever since then, Richie has founded her own fashion brand, published 2 novels, and is taking part in a series.

Amy Lee — Evanescence

The front woman of the band Evanescence, Amy Lee, made our 00s wonderful thanks to songs like
“Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal.” Her gothic make-up and Victorian clothes were copied by girls all over the world. Today, this bright girl is raising her son Jack and continues to sing. Yes, the band still exists and has very successful tours — we are waiting for the release of their 5th studio album called The Bitter Truth.

Dexter Holland — The Offspring

The frontman of The Offspring, Dexter, is talented not only in music but also in science. 3 years ago, he was awarded a Ph.D. in molecular biology. His punk-rock band still gathers entire stadiums.

Paris Hilton

In the middle of the 00s, Paris was everywhere — her songs were played on the radio, and television was broadcasting The Simple Life reality show where we watched the heiress of a multi-million dollar fortune learn to mop a floor and milk a cow. With time, Paris’ fame faded away a bit but she still pursued a music career, launched her perfume line, and became a successful DJ.

It seems a new epoch of Paris’ fame is soon to come — there is a documentary called This Is Paris that has recently appeared on the internet. And it turned out to be really touching and honest. Viewers will learn about how Paris was “kidnapped” as she struggled as a teenager, and how she tried to escape. They will also learn how her loved ones betrayed her and why she is afraid to have children.

Jessica Simpson

Singer, actress, TV host, and designer — she was on everyone’s lips, but then suddenly disappeared. Jessica decided to dedicate her time to her family — she and her husband Eric have 3 kids: 2 daughters and one son.

Ryan Phillippe

We suspect that Ryan has also found a fountain of youth because the difference between the left and right photos is 21 years. Today the charming actor who played Sebastian in Cruel Intentions, as well as the former husband of Reese Witherspoon, plays roles in different series and raises his kids — a daughter and a son from Reese and another daughter from his second wife Alexis Knapp, who he also broke up with.

Natalie Imbruglia

Natalie is taking part in movies and series, theater plays, and also continues to sing. In 2021, she released an album called Firebird.

Carmen Electra

It seems that the American model and actress has found the source of eternal youth like Ryan Phillippe. Otherwise, how can we explain that her appearance has remained unchanged for decades? The dashing beauty stars in television series and participates in charity activities.

Jason Priestley

The actor who got famous thanks to his role as Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210 acted in a few movies after the end of the project. He also became interested in directing and directed a number of episodes for famous American television shows.

Hilary Duff

Thanks to her main role in the Disney Channel series — Lizzie McGuire, Hilary became an idol for a whole generation. After becoming an adult, Duff continued to make music, took part in independent movies, launched 2 clothing lines, launched her own perfume, writes books, and is actively engaged in charity activities. However, she’s had mishaps too — the movie The Haunting of Sharon Tate where she was an executive producer and where she played the main role was a real fail. Not only did critics dislike this movie but the viewers did as well — the IMDb rating of the flick is only 2.8 out of 10.

Megan Fox

This gorgeous brunette got truly popular thanks to her role as the girlfriend of the main character in the first and second parts of Transformers. Megan is rightfully considered one of the most seductive actresses in Hollywood, and even 2 marriages and 3 children didn’t deprive her of this status.

The actress is still taking parts in movies, is active on social networks, and often graces the red carpet with her presence in memorable outfits.

Holly Marie Combs

Apart from Charmed, Holly also took part in popular series called Pretty Little Liars. She’s also had several small roles in other movies. In 2019, Holly married restaurateur Mike Ryan. This is her 3rd marriage.

It’s nice to know that the idols of our youth have wonderful lives, even though many of them have settled down and some of them have families, and left their images of bold girls and sought-after bachelors behind. Let’s recall our youth together. Tell us in the comments who your idol was in the 2000s and whether you follow their lives now, 20 years later.