Before the coronavirus hit, one of the greatest gatherings of former child stars was held. It was an evening like no other. Not that these Hollywood unicorns need a reason to drink Long Island Ice Teas and compare Fantasy Island stories, BUT this night was all about celebrating 50 years of star-studdedness of one particular former child star.
But this guy is more than just an actor, he’s an old friend of the show’s co-creator, Jeff MacIntyre. They went to junior high together and used to make epic home movies on VHS.
When Jeff heard about Keith Coogan’s 50 birthday party…he initially wasn’t going to go. BUT, after some prodding from his wife, Jeff strapped on his best mullet wig and took off. (It was an 80s-themed party…like that matters…he lives in that thing!)
Little did he know, life would never be the same.
Before saying goodnight, Jeff struck up a conversation with the party host, Ryan Paul James (show co-creator). Ryan had produced a hilarious pilot about former child actors.
Two months later, corona strikes! The industry grinds to a halt. People are on lockdown. Fear and boredom hang thick in the air.
Jeff shoots Ryan a message, “Hey, remember me from the party? Since we’re all out of work, do ya wanna do a web show with former child actors?”
To this day, Ryan regrets replying to Jeff’s message. BUT he did and quickly got to work writing all the episodes. The Quarantine Bunch was born! Was an elaborate backstory necessary? Probably not, but you’re on our site and we’ll type as much as we want. These days, it’s the only exercise we get.
Now, we’re off and running! Hard to believe such an incredible group of former child stars actually agreed to take part in this experiment. BUT, they all signed contracts, so it’s hard to pull out now. And why would they? They helped create one of the first shows shot entirely using Zoom!
Check out this cast!
- Keith Coogan: Adventures in Babysitting, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Toy Soldiers
- Dean McDermott: Due South
- Jeremy Miller: Growing Pains, “Ben Seaver”
- Judy Norton: The Waltons, “Mary Ellen”
- Danny Pintauro: Who’s the Boss, “Jonathan Bower” | Cujo
- Scotty Schwartz: A Christmas Story, The Toy
- Melissa Disney as Debbie from Tarzana
If you haven’t heard, these former child stars used to attend The Former Child Star Support Group. The pandemic forced them to move their meetings online. What was once shared privately is now on full display! There’s no drama like former child start drama…now streaming on The Quarantine Bunch!