Tara Reid was a child actor who began her career doing kid's shows and ads for companies like Jell-O and McDonald's. Her first mainstream TV appearance was a guest spot on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. Next, she found herself on the soap, Days of Our Lives, before making it onto the big screen. Most notably, her roles as Bunny Lebowski in The Big Lebowski and Vicki in the American Pie movie trilogy gave her the fame and attention she craved.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Reid to gain bad press due to her personal life. She was also panned by critics because of lackluster performances that didn't quite measure up to her strong start. The star found that paycheques like 250K for her role in American Pie started diminishing - her bad reputation overtook her box office draw.

The star ended up taking on her now-iconic role in the Sharknado series for only 50K because she needed the cash, but she stumbled into a series with a cult following. Today, the 44-year-old continues working in the industry and reportedly has a net worth of five million dollars.

Here are 15 unflattering facts about Tara Reid’s past and her journey from rising star to struggling B-list actor.

15 The American Pie Curse

Many of the actors from this film have gone through hard times - some of them had to do numerous stints in rehab to recover from young stardom. Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne, Sean William Scott, and Chris Klein have all struggled to remain sober since their heydeys.

Getting a reputation for being volatile or an addict makes it hard to get both film parts and film insurance. It gives stars another hurdle to jump over within the industry.

14 Her Relationship With Carson Daily

Back when MTV still played music and Reid was a rising star, her relationship with video jockey, Carson Daly, was kind of a big deal. For months, the tabloids speculated about their relationship’s demise.

ABC News posted a comment from Daly’s publicist confirming that their engagement had ended in July 2001. The statement read, "They're definitely split up, and they wish each other the best, and that's it.” When asked about why, she simply said, “It’s private.” We may never know the real cause.

13 Botched 'Enhancements'

In 2004, thanks to some botched work on her chest and stomach, Reid was in the spotlight - people couldn't help but notice the dramatic change in her looks. The press was merciless and it must have done a number on the star’s ego, but just the same, the sun-loving star didn’t stop going out to the beach and rocking bikini after bikini.

12 The Unintentional Slip At Diddy's Birthday

Tara Reid looked stunning when she attended Sean Combs’ birthday party. Unfortunately, people weren’t talking about her gorgeous black satin gown - instead, they were laughing about her unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. One of her gown's shoulder straps fell while photographers had a field day, snapping pics of her exposed chest.

Related: 15 Wardrobe Malfunctions That Will Actually Make You Glad That You Aren't A Celebrity

11 Slinging Dirt With Other Celebs

While on air with Jenny McCarthy, promoting Sharknado, McCarthy kept broaching topics that Reid did not want to talk about. Reid ended up walking out of the interview.

Reid was also publicly snubbed when she was denied entrance to a celeb hotspot, thanks to 'friend' Paris Hilton and a then-unknown Kim Kardashian. They ignored her and waltzed right in. Even her party friends had enough of her behavior and a game of celebrity 'mean girl' started.

Related: 12 Celebs Who’ve Surprisingly Feuded With Selena Gomez (8 Who Absolutely Love Her)

10 How The Press Hurt Her

Reid has spoken out about how the rampant critiques of her body and enhancements were hard on her. She said, “You know, it wasn’t really the pictures that hurt me. The comments hurt me.” Sadly, this type of treatment comes with the big paycheck in the life of a celebrity, even if they are no longer an A-lister.

9 Labeled An Irresponsible Party Girl

Tara Reid entered the celeb party scene at the same time as Lindsay Lohan and the two were lumped together. Reid reportedly said of Lohan, "We don't really like each other that much. If I get drunk, I'm a happy drunk. When she gets drunk, she's just mean." Reid later said she was sorry and wished Lohan well.

Even when Tara has had success, publications poke fun. When she took on a role on the TV show, Scrubs, and did very well, Entertainment Weekly got a dig in, saying, “at last Tara Reid has found something to keep her busy for a while when she's not dancing on tables".

8 Tattoo Regrets?

After getting into her cups on a plane in 2015, with a DJ friend, while returning from the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Reid convinced the young man to head straight to the tattoo parlor with her. While there, she talked the DJ into getting both Reid’s and his name tattooed on his right arm.

The Daily Caller shared that the heavily-tattooed DJ reportedly said about his name tattoo, “Do I look like a guy who regrets things?”

Related: Here's Why Kaley Cuoco From Big Bang Theory Covered Her Tattoo

7 Trying To Clean Up In Rehab

In 2008, Reid attempted to get sober and checked into a rehab center for the stars, Promises. After successfully completing a 60-day program, Reid told In Touch, "I didn't like the person I was. I was sad and conflicted. I went there by myself. I put myself there. It was the greatest decision I ever made. Rehab saved my life." Unfortunately, by 2013, TMZ released a video of an intoxicated Reid exiting an LA party.

6 Remember Taradise?

During a time that Reid was failing to land the roles that she wanted, she decided to dip her toe into the growing waters of reality TV. In 2005, she took her party lifestyle on the road and in front of the cameras, from England to Croatia.

The show was going to be named Wild On. It was supposed to be a travel vlog, but it became more about Reid’s antics, so they changed the name to Taradise. The show was a flop and was canceled after just one season.

5 Embracing Sharknado

While Sharknado never hit theatres, it became an instant cult classic; some have even called it a “mockbuster” hit. So, Reid sort of leaned into it. Reid said, “Sharknado was a fun, silly movie that we made – we knew it was ridiculous. The second one is still ridiculous. But this one has heart.”

4 The Failed Relationships

Many of Reid’s relationships have seemed more like PR stunts than genuine loving connections, and the press has taken note. An example was Reid vacationing with boyfriend, Zack Kehayov, in Greece...and posting on Twitter that they were engaged.

Just three hours later, the impulsive star went back to Twitter to announce that she’d tied the knot. She later admitted that she was never really married to Kehayov legally in the US.

3 The Embarrassing Interviews

After slurring her words while promoting Sharknado, and that was cringeworthy to watch, Reid blamed her strange behavior on pain medication for her back, rather than booze. She told people that she had to shorten her press tour because of this pain, but others were speculating that it was because she needed some space from the spotlight. Perhaps she needed to give people time to forget about the interview in question.

2 The Razzie Award Goes To...

While Tara Reid shockingly didn’t even get nominated for a Razzie for Sharknado, she has had three other nominations. The notorious ‘bad movie’ honor was for her performances in the films, Alone in the Dark (2005), Just Married (2003), and My Boss’s Daughter (2005). She also won the Stinker Award for Alone in the Dark.

1 Reflections On 20 Plus Years In The Spotlight

Perhaps age and being a seasoned veteran in showbiz has given the blonde some perspective. In 2014 she said, “I think people are saying, ‘This girl has lasting power. She’s been in this business since she was 6 years old. I’ve done over 45 movies. Regardless if they’re A movies, B movies, C movies, D movies. I always stay working. I love what I do.”

Next: 15 Less Than Flattering Photos Of The American Pie Cast

Sources: AV Club, Nicki Swift, NZ Herald, US Magazine, TMZ