WTF Happened to Haley Joel Osment?

Being a child star isn’t easy. Once the cuteness wears off, the transition to adult star can be nearly impossible and gruelling. Hollywood is full of tragic stories of former child stars who flame out when they reach adulthood, trying to chase that Hollywood dream in what can be a ruthless town. Yet, some of them, like this week’s WTF subject Haley Joel Osment, manage to defy the odds. Osment became the biggest child star since Macaulay Culkin thanks to his turn in The Sixth Sense opposite Bruce Willis, where he memorably claimed, “I see dead people.” It landed him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination in 1999 and paved the way to more starring roles in high profile projects like Pay it Forward and Steven Spielberg’s A.I.:Artificial Intelligence.

The parts started to dry up as he got older, but he eventually re-emerged as an adult in solid roles, such as on Amazon’s The Boys and in Kevin Smith’s Tusk. Always a well-liked figure, Osment’s reinvented himself as a character actor, and while he may not be the household name he once was, his future in the industry seems bright. So join us as we dig into his career in “WTF Happened to Haley Joel Osment?”!

This episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity is written (with Brad Hamerly), narrated and produced by Taylor James Johnson. Watch previous episodes below and let us know what you think of Haley Joel Osment’s career now.

About the Author

Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.