50 celebrities when they were kids vs now

Many posts reflect positive moments in our life. Throwback photos, for instance, showing funny faces, old clothes, hair, and styles.

We have it in our photo album, in a frame, or we posted and shared it on social media. You may see a huge difference or you may exclaim “nothing has changed!”

Have a look at these 50 photos of celebrities when they were young vs now, where most of the collages are the photo project of artist Ard Gelinck, showing the stars hanging out with their younger selves. Have fun time traveling with your favorites!

1. Katy Perry

Katy Perry is another huge star who has changed significantly over the years. Although most of us know her as an international pop star, fewer people know that she started off singing Gospel music. Even fewer of us probably have a clear picture of what she looked like as a little kid. This picture shows that Perry has looked mostly the same, even if the haircut has changed!

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2. John Travolta

Though John Travolta’s reputation has changed over the years, his younger roles featured him as an incredible dancer and a teen idol. Who can ever forget his performances in major blockbusters like Grease, and in lesser-known cult gems like Blow Out? Though he still acts in various projects even today, fewer people remember exactly what he looked like as a young man—so here’s a blast from the past!

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3. Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe has been on all kinds of TV shows and in all kinds of movies—and his star has only been on the rise throughout the years. After all, has he ever been better than on Parks and Recreation? Still, Lowe has gotten older over the years and popular styles have changed right along with him—just check out these two pictures for proof.

4. Julia Roberts

Often called America’s Sweetheart, Julia Roberts has been acting since she was about 20 years old and has been a mainstay ever since. Despite her long career, she’s never lost any of her star power and still has all the charisma she did when she was younger. Still, we’re not used to seeing pictures of her as a little kid—though this splice shows just adorable she was when she was little.

5. Idris Elba

While some of these collages are notable because of the huge differences they show in a certain celebrity’s appearance, some of them are notable for the exact opposite reason. In the case of Idris Elba, though he’s clearly gotten a little bit grayer over the years, the real shocker here is that he looks almost exactly the same as he did 20 some odd years ago! We should all hope to age as gracefully as this man has.

6. Prince

Much like David Bowie, Prince (or The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, to some) was an iconoclastic musician who was also incredibly talented. He’s been known for his flamboyant appearance and stage show. As this picture shows, that was the case his entire life.

7. Madonna

No matter how old you are, it’s pretty unlikely that you wouldn’t recognize Madonna. Her influence has spread far and wide and she continues to make music and cultural waves even today. Interestingly enough, her sense of fashion and her overall appearance is actually pretty similar despite all the years that have passed. As it turns out, 80s Madonna is actually pretty close to modern-day Madonna. Who knew?

8. Adele

Because Adele is relatively new on the music scene, we probably don’t have much of an image of her in our heads as a youngster. Fortunately, Gelinck was able to find a younger photograph and splice them together perfectly here for anyone who was curious. Needless to say, Adele was such an adorable little kid!

9. Jon Bon Jovi

Although he’s less popular these days than he was in the 80s, Jon Bon Jovi is still one of the most beloved musicians of our time. Beyond his musical career, he’s also been in plenty of movies and has done some philanthropy work through his own organization. Regardless of his many achievements, this picture also shows that he’s aged pretty gracefully over the years. Though he definitely looks different, we can still see the resemblance!

10. Paul McCartney

Without a doubt, The Beatles are one of the most instantly recognizable and influential bands in history. Among The Beatles, Paul McCartney stands out as the boyishly handsome one who writes all the sweetest songs. Interestingly enough, though he definitely still looks quite a bit like he did as a young man, McCartney may actually look better now that he’s older! What do you think?

11. Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was and is the Queen of Soul, and she lived a long and distinguished life. Though anyone who was unfamiliar with her older music might only know her as an older woman, these photos show just how different she looked when she was young. Given the fact that she started performing when she was just 12 years old, it’s appropriate to have such a young photo of her!

12. Ian McKellen

It’s hard to imagine Sir Mckellen as anything other than our beloved, grey-bearded wizard with a pointy hat. But truth is, there was once a time when Ian McKellen wasn’t Gandalf or anything close (can you imagine?). It’s familiar and unfamiliar at the same time!

13. John Stamos

Though John Stamos doesn’t make as many high-profile appearances on television and the silver screen as he once did, he’s still one of the most easily recognizable actors out there. Many of us probably remember him as Blackie on General Hospital or as Uncle Jesse on Full House. Once again, the resemblance is definitely still there between the pictures… but once again, he might actually look better now than he did then.

14. Ariana Grande

Much like Katy Perry, we probably only think of Ariana Grande as the massive superstar that she is today. I, for one, have never seen a baby picture of her before… and this one is absolutely adorable! We can definitely see how she grew into the woman she did, but there’s still a huge difference between then and now.

15. Taylor Swift

Though we all know how much she’s changed musical genres over the years, Taylor Swift has also grown up right in front of our eyes as well! Though we all probably remember the young teenaged Taylor who sang a slew of country hits, it’s rare to see an even younger picture of her! As with all of the photos in this series, the photoshopping is pretty impressive.

16. Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen has always been “The Boss,” but he didn’t always look like it. Although he’s grown into his look and is a lot more rugged these days, there’s something about the young Bruce and the old Bruce side-by-side that makes us reminiscent of the old days!

17. Courteney Cox

It’s hard to think of a more iconic or culturally influential TV sitcom than Friends. Though all the stars on that show have gone on to their own various careers, Courteney Cox has remained particularly active and relevant. Still, Cox’s career definitely didn’t start with Friends—it goes all the way back to the Bruce Springsteen music video for “Dancing in the Dark.” Who remembers the young woman on the left?

18. Clint Eastwood

Of all the photos on this list, the splice of Clint Eastwood has to be one of the most distinctive. Though he’s still acting and directing even today, Eastwood has been on the creative scene since 1955! Throughout that time, he’s fashioned himself into an iconic figure of the Western genre as well as being a very talented American filmmaker in his own right. Needless to say, he’s changed quite a bit over the years!

19. Lisa Bonet

Who remembers little Lisa Bonet from The Cosby Show? Though that show was on TV a long time ago, many of us still remember those little kids from that family. Aside from that show, though, Bonet went on to star in films including Angel Heart and Enemy of the State. She still acts in TV shows as well but enough about her filmography—look at how adorable she is in her younger photo!

20. George Clooney

George Clooney has had a long, storied career. Though he got his start working on E/R, he has gone on to star in all kinds of critically acclaimed films and remains active today. Most recently, he got married to Amal Alamuddin—now Amal Clooney—an internationally recognized civil rights lawyer. Like some of the others on our list, Clooney seems to have aged very well over the years.

21. Mick Jagger

As the frontman for the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger is known as one of the world’s most quintessential rockstars. Since their inception in the 1960s, the Rolling Stones have toured the world and provided us all kinds of bluesy rock anthems to sing along with. Still, before they became who they are today, they were just a bunch of little English schoolboys—and this picture is adorable evidence of that fact.

22. Johnny Depp

There aren’t many actors who are as versatile as Johnny Depp is. In one minute, he’s playing Edward Scissorhands and the next he’s playing salty pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. If you go back even further though before he got so heavy into playing strange character types, he was a doe-eyed teen heartthrob in movies like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? and even Nightmare on Elm Street. For a blast from the past, check out this picture of young Johnny on the left!

23. Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda means a lot of different things to different people, all of which largely depends on how old a person is. For those who are younger and are only familiar with her recent work, they may know Fonda as an elder stateswoman on shows like Grace and Frankie. For anyone who’s older, they may remember Fonda as an activist against the Vietnam War and a heartthrob. As this picture shows, both are true!

24. Tom Selleck

Although Hollywood has produced all kinds of iconic actors throughout the years, Tom Selleck is a particularly recognizable one. In his early roles, he often played hard-boiled characters like Magnum P.I. and was known for his rugged (and hairy) manliness. As it turns out, Selleck has pretty much always looked like a rugged old man—even when he was just a rugged young man.

25. Henry Winkler

If you ever watched Happy Days, you know that Henry Winkler was once considered the coolest of the cool. On that show, he played Fonzie or “The Fonz,” a leather-jacket wearing, catchphrase-slinging greaser. Winkler kept going and got a bunch of other roles as well, including a stint as a hilariously incompetent lawyer on Arrested Development. He’s been a good actor as a young man and an old man—and now we can see the changes all in one picture.

26. Richard Gere

Of all the many masculine actors that have come out of Tinseltown, Richard Gere is another one of the most recognizable. Though he established himself as something of a sex symbol in the 1970s, he’s remained active as an actor and has starred in many movies. As these pictures show nicely, he’s also aged pretty gracefully as well.

27. Haley Joel Osment

Haley Joel Osment was a breakout star after his signature role in The Sixth Sense. On the strength of his performance, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor—the second-youngest performer ever to do so. Although we all remember as a little kid, he has since grown up into a full adult—and we can definitely still see the child that we all knew and loved.

28. Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio first came to prominence after starring in the hit 80’s movie The Karate Kid. The story is now basically legendary and concerns one of the greatest filmic underdogs of all time. Still, Macchio has continued acting and has definitely grown up throughout the years.

29. Jennifer Aniston

Like her co-star Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston starred on Friends in the 1990s and never really left the cultural consciousness. Aniston remains a mainstay of American culture and even had a photoshoot in GQ recently which made its rounds on the internet. As the photo below shows, the younger Aniston still looks remarkably like she does today.

30. Ed Sheeran

With some of the younger movie and music stars on the scene today, we really only have one conception of them—and it’s mostly that they’re still young. It’s fun in some cases, like this one with Ed Sheeran, to look back at an even younger photo that we wouldn’t normally see! As it turns out, Sheeran was a pretty cute kid.

31. Barack Obama

Barack Obama is known to most people as the 44th President of the United States. Most of us found out about him when he was a charismatic senator from Illinois before seeing him on television almost every day. Still, Obama is mostly thought of as a healthy, relatively young man. But how many of us have seen a true baby picture of Obama? Well, now you can say that you have!

32. Pink

In my opinion, the best of these pictures include a very young photo of a very famous star that we probably haven’t seen before. That’s definitely the case with this spliced photo of Pink, which shows an adorable baby photo that we’ve definitely seen before! Though Pink is still a young woman, it’s even cuter to see how adorable she was as a little kid.

33. Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil, is that really you? I barely recognized you without the mustache. I can’t imagine taking a therapy session from him when he was younger. I’d be too stricken by disbelief to focus on anything he tells me.

34. Ellen DeGeneres

She broke onto the comedy scene in the 80s and had one of TV’s most iconic moments in the 90s. Today, most of us know Ellen DeGeneres from her self-titled talk show, Ellen. Though she’s in her 60s now, she’s never been a bigger force in American culture than she is today. Still, it’s fun to look at these pictures side by side and see how far she’s come over the years.

35. Kim Kardashian

Though Kim Kardashian is now an omnipresent cultural force in modern America, there was a time when that wasn’t so. Back in the day, young Kim was just the daughter of one of OJ Simpson’s legal defense team and not the business and fashion mogul that she is today. Though her face is a little softer and rounder in the picture of her as a young girl, she still definitely looks like the Kim we all know.

36. Morgan Freeman

It’s nearly unimaginable to think of Morgan Freeman without his white hair, freckles, and smooth, honey and molasses-sounding voice. But the senior actor once joined the air force, and his young pilot’s mugshot made everyone go crazy.

37. Ron Howard

Like his costar Henry Winkler, Ron Howard has been on TV for a long, long time. Though he played a very different character on Happy Days than Winkler did, he went on to have a very prolific film career as an actor and as a director behind the camera. To see just how long he’s been around, check out these side by side photos!

38. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone burst onto the scene with Rocky, an underdog story that he wrote and starred in. Needless to say, everyone, today has heard of that movie—and it catapulted Stallone to superstardom (with plenty of sequels to match it, as well). Although he’s a lot older today, Stallone still has all the same charm he had as a young man.

39. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is probably best remembered as a boy band star and a teen heartthrob… so much so that we forget that he’s basically fully-grown up now. Still, in the spirit of taking a stroll down memory lane, it’s fun to look at this photo of his younger self spliced together with the present-day version. Who else remembers that iconic haircut?

40. Kevin Bacon

Footloose and Tremors are some of my favorite movies, and that’s mostly thanks to Kevin Bacon’s star performances. Despite his age now, he’s surprisingly still light on his feet as a dancer.

41. Michael Jackson

Though he’s well-known as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson has changed his appearance quite a bit over the years. Although most of these splices only include a then and now photograph, this one has three to get the full range of Michael Jackson all in one. Which one do you remember the best?

42. Oprah Winfrey

Before Oprah was really Oprah, she was Oprah Winfrey, a co-anchor on nightly television news and then a host of a tabloid talk show which became the most popular one of its kind. Today, Oprah is known by her first name only and is one of the biggest media business moguls in the world, For those reasons and others, this photo has a lot of impact!

43. Robert Redford

Older Hollywood leading men have a certain kind of rugged looks that have gone somewhat out of style in recent years. Nobody exemplifies this trend better than Robert Redford, who has continued acting throughout the years and remains immediately recognizable. To see just how long he’s been in the industry, just check out the picture below.

44. Al Pacino

In his younger days, Al Pacino was a huge star in crime moves including The Godfather and Scarface. Though he’s known for his idiosyncratic delivery of his lines, he’s also known for his distinctive look and acting chops. Though his look has gotten more eccentric as the years have passed, deep down he’s the same old Al!

45. Nicolas Cage

A man who needs no introduction, nor is his face one you’d ever fail to recognize. He’s been in movies of every kind, and Nick Cage pretty much looks the same, with or without some facial hair and wrinkles.

46. Michelle Obama

To pair with the Barack Obama picture, just consider this similar splice of Michelle Obama! Though we think of her mostly as the First Lady and an accomplished lawyer, we probably haven’t seen many pictures of her as a young girl. We can definitely still see the resemblance!

47. Kate Moss

In the 90s, Kate Moss was one of the world’s biggest supermodels. She helped usher in a specific kind of “heroin chic” style in 90s fashion which then spread around the world like wildfire. Still, we’re used to only seeing fancy photos of her and not kid’s photos. Though we can see the similarities, there are some striking differences as well!

48. David Bowie

David Bowie is one of the most innovative and experimental popular artists of modern times. Part of his appeal was his constant switching of styles and personas—and few pictures show that as clearly as this one does. If you’re a David Bowie fan, which one of his many personas is your favorite?

49. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

If you grew up watching Full House or any of their many movies, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are basically legends to you. Though they’ve mostly receded from the spotlight, the Olsen Twins remain a mainstay of American culture that we all look back on fondly. Though they’re fully adults now, we’re likely to always remember them as the adorable little girls that they once were.

50. Debbie Harry

Though she may not be as immediately recognizable as some of the other stars on this list, Debbie Harry holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. As the lead singer for Blondie, Harry had a ton of influence in New York’s new wave and punk scene in the 1970s. Beyond that though, she’s another celebrity who looks remarkably like her younger self. Once again, we tip our caps to miss Harry.

Looking at the photos, can you say that you age gracefully too? Now, get your throwback photo and check how you’ve changed!

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