“He has hit bottom”. Those were the words spoken by Shaun Weiss’ rep in 2017 and only days ago after the former child actor was arrested in 2017 for drug charges and in 2018 for drug charges. It would appear that ‘bottom’ is a relative term for celebrities and former celebrities since there doesn’t seem to be any well-defined flooring that they can hit that will really hit back and let them know that such things are not okay. You could say that he’s been given the benefit of the doubt by the law but when it comes to life Shaun Weiss has definitely been smacked around a few times by life.
If you were a fan of the Mighty Ducks movies then this is probably how you remember him:
Or you might remember him like this:
But his current look is definitely a far cry from what people that enjoyed watching him remember. Weiss had a successful career as a child actor before he grew up, and even then he had a few notable appearances in Freaks and Geeks and then the movie Drillbit Taylor. But banking on his former success didn’t always seem to do the trick since as you can see he fell on hard times and turned to the same kind of path that has ruined many a person whether they’re former child stars or not.
In his heyday he was one of the funniest and most endearing stars on the big screen, but it would seem that he let that slide for a while and eventually just let it drop altogether. How he came to be a druggie is hard to fathom but the fact that he’s been in and out of jail a few times in the last year or two is also hard to understand since celebrity or not it would seem that those that do the crime would need to do the time. Unfortunately in the legal system that the US seems to prize so highly overcrowding seems to be a big issue, as it was the reason for one of his releases. The fact that he’s gone back to drugs and alcohol however seems to indicate that he’s not only a habitual user but that he hasn’t learned anything from getting busted, other than that he’ll get out on a technicality or by banking on his former star status. That alone seems to be suspect since it’s been a while since he was seen in anything that’s worthy of note.
Why his celebrity status seems to continue to get him out of trouble is kind of confusing but it seems to perpetuate the stereotype that actors, both former and present, would need to do something absolutely horrible and with obvious intent to even be considered for the usual punishment that the average citizen would receive when it comes to breaking the law. The fact that Shaun Weiss, a former childhood star, is able to get out after committing a repeat offense that would land an average individual in jail for some time, is a bit disconcerting as it means that while the man does need help and no doubt needs to realize, finally, that he’s hit the bottom, he’s still going to be given a cushion thanks to his contributions in years past to the movie industry.
His downfall is one that is actually kind of tragic since in his earlier years he showed a great deal of promise and could have been something and someone quite special had he not started the downward spiral following the death of his father. It would seem that when some people lose loved ones their more negative tendencies towards obsessive and destructive behavior come out and are allowed to roam. This seems to be one of the only ways to describe what has happened to Shaun, as friends have attempted to get him into rehab only to rebuffed and kept at a distance. While it might be that he’s struggling with very real mental issues the problem is not going away obviously and needs to be dealt with. How this might happen is anyone’s guess since he doesn’t seem interested in discussing the issue, but forced intervention might be the last thing that will finally open him up and get him to realize just what he’s done to himself and why things need to change.
The old cliche of “it’s always tragic when a child star falls so low” is definitely applicable, but it’s more of a blanket statement for a situation such as this. Perhaps real jail time at this juncture would be best, where he could possibly find a way to rehab while being kept safely away from others and in a controlled environment. At the very least it would be a chance to show that no one is above the law, not even celebrities.
Follow Us
