When it comes to the 2000s and pop culture — most of us immediately think of pop stars such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake as well as Hollywood stars like Reese Witherspoon and Tom Cruise, but today's list is not about those.
Today, we are taking a look at the stars who were certainly having quite promising careers in the 2000s — only to sort of disappear from the spotlight by the time the decade was over. From musicians like Ashlee Simpson and JoJo to actors such as Jesse Metcalfe and Taylor Lautner — keep on scrolling to find out just who made the list!
10 JoJo
When musician JoJo's debut single "Leave (Get Out)" peak the top of the US Billboard Pop Songs chart in 2004, the young musician — who was only 13 at the time — became the youngest solo artist in history to ever achieve that. Back then everyone expected JoJo to have a huge career in pop music, however — that never happened. While the musician did release five studio albums since her breakthrough, her first one titled JoJo still remains her most famous one.
9 Jesse Metcalfe
Next on the list is actor Jesse Metcalfe who rose to fame as John Rowland on the comedy-drama show Desperate Housewives back in 2004. After that, John starred in popular movies such as John Tucker Must Die and Loaded — but ever since then, his career seems to have slowed down. While Jesse Metcalfe is still active in the acting industry — it's safe to say that the peak of his career remains in the 2000s.
8 Ashlee Simpson
Let's move on to musician Ashlee Simpson who rose to fame after her debut single "Pieces of Me" was a huge success in 2004. At the time, Ashlee's sister Jessica was already a famous popstar — so it certainly didn't come as a surprise that her younger sister followed in the same footsteps.
In the 2000s, Ashlee released all three of her albums and she also starred in her very own MTV reality television show The Ashlee Simpson Show.
7 Chad Michael Murray
Another famous actor who was big in the 2000s is Chad Michael Murray. Chad rose to fame as Lucas Scott on the teen drama One Tree Hill in 2003 and after that, he starred in quite a few famous teen movies from the 2000s such as Freaky Friday and A Cinderella Story. However, since then it seems as if the actor's career slowed down and while he did have guest appearances in shows like Agent Carter and Riverdale — his best days are certainly behind him!
6 Michelle Trachtenberg
Next on the list actress Michelle Trachtenberg who rose to fame as Dawn Summers in the supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the year 2000. Since then, Michelle has starred in teen movies such as Ice Princess and 17 Again. Michelle is also known for portraying Georgina Sparks in the teen drama Gossip Girl which premiered in 2007, however — since then the actress hasn't had many notable roles.
5 Julia Stiles
Another actress who was pretty big in the 2000s is Julia Stiles — the star of movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, Save the Last Dance, and Mona Lisa Smile. While Julia did continue acting after the 2000s, it's safe to say that her peak was still in that decade. Most recently the actress could be seen alongside Jennifer Lopez in the 2019 crime drama Hustlers — however, we rarely get to see the actress in a leading role anymore.
4 Jesse McCartney
While musician Jesse McCartney technically entered the industry as an actor in the 90s — it wasn't until 2003 when his music career kicked off that the star reached international fame.
That year, his debut single "Beautiful Soul" was released and everyone was convinced that a new pop heartthrob was born. Unfortunately, it kind of seems as if Jesse's career never properly kicked off — even though the star did end up releasing five studio albums (most of which are from the 2000s).
3 Taylor Lautner
Let's move on to actor Taylor Lautner who rose to international fame for his portrayal of Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga movie series which premiered in 2008. Prior to that, Taylor was known for starring in the 2005 superhero adventure movie The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D. While Taylor certainly starred in quite a few movies since then — it definitely seems as if his career slow down over the years.
2 Jonathan Bennett
Speaking of actors who were famous in the 2000s — next on the list is Jonathan Bennett. Jonathan became known for his portrayal of Aaron Samuels in the 2004 comedy movie Mean Girls as well as Bud McNulty in the 2005 family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen 2. While Jonathan may have been a known name in the 2000s — it safe to say that today plenty of people have forgotten about him.
1 Aly & AJ
Wrapping the list up is the musical duo Aly & AJ whose third album Insomniatic — which was released in 2007 — was by far their most successful one. Anyone who was a teenager at the time surely remembers their hit "Potential Breakup Song" which was recently re-released in its explicit version. While the two sisters are definitely very talented — it certainly seems as if their peak was in the 2000s!