Melissa Joan Hart, Joey Lawrence, Candace Cameron Bure, and more, are all celebrating their half-century birthday this year

It seems like just yesterday eight-year-old Soleil Moon Frye was on televisions across the country as the bright and eccentric Punky Brewster. Decades later and the young girl America fell in love with in 1984 is turning 50, and is a mother of four.

But Moon Frye is in good company. Several other young stars have grown up in front of our eyes, sustaining long careers, becoming parents and now officially celebrating a half-century of life.

Below, see nine former child stars who are joining the 50s club this year, from Moon Frye to Melissa Joan Hart to Candace Cameron Bure and more.

01 of 09

Soleil Moon Frye

Soleil Moon Frye won the hearts of America with her cute freckles and adorable pigtails, playing the titular Punky Brewster in the NBC sitcom. Over the years, she has continued to work in the children’s entertainment space, voicing Jade in the Bratz universe, Zoey in The Proud Family and she played Roxie King in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

The actress, who turns 50 on Aug, 6, 2026, is a proud mom of four kids: daughters Poet Sienna Rose, Jagger Joseph Blue and sons Lyric Sonny Roads and Story Indigo Moon.

02 of 09

Melissa Joan Hart

Born on April 18, 1976, Melissa Joan Hart first broke through when she played the lead in Clarissa Explains It All. She was only 14 at the time. After the Nickelodeon show ended in 1994, Joan Hart moved on to her next big role, getting top billing, once again, in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which ran from 1996 to 2003.

The actress also starred in nostalgic favorites such as Drive Me Crazy, Not Another Teen Movie, Melissa & Joey, among other projects.

Joan Hart married husband Mark Wilkerson in 2003 and the pair welcomed three kids together, sons Mason, Braydon and Tucker.

03 of 09

Joey Lawrence

Whoa! Joey Lawrence is also in the 50s club. Born on April 20, 1976, Lawrence charmed viewers as the not-so-bright brother to Mayim Biyalik’s genius in Blossom. His dashing good looks, however, made him a staple on posters and teen magazines, which led to major heartthrob status. He went on to star in Brotherly Love, alongside his siblings Matthew and Andrew, before Melissa & Joey.

In real-life, Lawrence is a father of three. He shares two daughters, Charleston “Charli,” and Liberty “Libby,” with ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson, and he welcomed baby girl Dylan Rose with his current wife, Samantha Cope, in 2023.

04 of 09

Candace Cameron Bure

Candace Cameron Bure was 11 years old when she snagged the role of DJ Tanner on Full House. The actress, who also starred in Make It or Break It, No One Would Tell, and co-hosted The View from 2015 to 2016, turned 50 on April 5.

Cameron Bure has been married to husband Valeri Bure since 1996. The couple share three kids together: Natasha, Lev and Maksim.

05 of 09

JC Chasez

Long before JC Chasez had the crowds going wild as a member of *NSYNC in his teen years, he was honing his skills as a Mousketeer on Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, from 1991 to 1995.

The singer, who turns 50 on Aug. 8, keeps his private life relatively low-key. He went Instagram official with girlfriend Jennifer HuYoung back in 2019 and the pair have attended several public events together since.

06 of 09

Jaleel White

Famous for his high-pitched, “Did I do that?” Jaleel White’s Steve Urkel on Family Matters was as endearing as he could be irksome. The actor, who lent his talents to other projects such as Grown Ups, The Game, Psych, Drunk History and more, will celebrate his half-century birthday on November 27.

White married tech executive Nicoletta Ruh, in 2024 and shares his daughter Samaya, with ex-girlfriend, Bridget Hardy.

07 of 09

Ryan Reynolds

Before he was bringing the laughs as Deadpool, 14-year-old Ryan Reynolds brought the drama as high school bully Billy Simpson in Canada’s Hillside. The teen soap opera was syndicated in the U.S. under the title Fifteen, which gave the young star some early crossover appeal.

Reynolds, who turns 50 on Oct. 23, has been married to wife Blake Lively for 14 years. The couple share four kids — daughters James, Inez, and Betty, plus a son named Olin.

08 of 09

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon made her feature film debut when she starred in 1991’s The Man in the Moon at just 14 years old. She has since launched an impressive career, with films such as Sweet Home Alabama, Legally Blonde, Walk the Line, as well as TV shows Little Fires Everywhere, Big Little Lies and The Morning Show on her expansive resumé.

Witherspoon, who celebrated her 50th on March 22, married Ryan Phillippe in 1999. The two welcomed two children together — daughter Ava and son Deacon —before they went their separate ways in 2007. She would marry second husband Jim Toth, with whom she welcomed son Tennessee. They divorced in 2023 and the actress has been linked to financier Oliver Haarmann since 2024.

09 of 09

Andrea Barber

Andrea Barber’s Kimmy Gibbler in Full House got a lot of pleasure annoying the “Tanneritos” starting at age 11. Barber has also garnered credits in Days of Our Lives, Our House, Minutiae and she was one of the original cast members to return for Full House’s reboot, Fuller House, along with Cameron Bure.

She shares two kids — Tate James and Felicity Ruth — with ex-husband Jeremy Rytky.

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