This Former Child Star Was Left Penniless, Living on the Street, and Selling His Things – Who Is He?

Hollywood can be a place where child stars easily sink after early fame, and when this former child star hit rock bottom, it took everything he had to rebuild his life.

He went from early Hollywood success to sleeping on the streets while battling heroin addiction. Today, after years of hard work, he has achieved sobriety and is opening up about the difficult path that led him there.

From Disney-Era Stardom to a Familiar Face on Every Screen

The former child actor appeared in two "Mighty Ducks" sequels and featured in director Judd Apatow's debut film, "Heavyweights," where he acted alongside a young Ben Stiller.

His TV appearances were just as wide-ranging, with roles on "Boy Meets World," "Saved by the Bell," "The King of Queens," and "Freaks and Geeks."

His Hollywood journey started early. At just five years old, he attended a casting call in Manhattan with his mother. Not long after, he secured representation, landed several Jell-O commercials, and quickly built momentum with steady acting jobs.

That early run of opportunities eventually led to his role in the 1992 family hockey film "The Mighty Ducks." Playing Greg Goldberg, he became known for his natural comedic delivery and strong screen presence despite his young age.

His character was a goalie who feared getting hurt, often dramatically diving away from incoming pucks even while fully protected. In one memorable scene, his teammates tie him to the goalpost and fire shots at him, helping him realize the puck wouldn't actually cause the pain he feared.

"That's a lot of horses," he noted years later, adding that the scene "hurt like hell." He shared, "There are areas that are not protected … like this area of the crotch, not quite protected by the jockstrap."

A Childhood Uprooted – And Questions That Lingered for Years

As his acting career gained momentum, the former child star said his mother sold all his belongings and moved him and his father to Los Angeles. Despite the upheaval, he has never spoken negatively about that decision or his upbringing.

The only criticism he has mentioned is that his mom might have done more to address his unhealthy eating habits. He has questioned whether his mom let him stay overweight to help him secure certain roles.

Overall, he still spoke about his parents with affection and respect. He has also made it clear that he genuinely enjoyed working in the entertainment industry and never felt pressured into pursuing acting.

The former child star's older half-sister, who is 18 years older than he, has a very different perspective. She described him as kind-hearted and someone who never wanted others to feel bad, but she believes many of the struggles he faced later in life can be traced back to their mother.

When the Money Vanished, and Reality Came Crashing In

As his career advanced, his mom stepped in as his business manager. During that time, she would often travel to Las Vegas while using money he had earned. By the time the former child star was 13, the financial situation had deteriorated significantly.

He once attempted to buy flowers for a girlfriend, only for his credit card to be declined. Today, he says he does not know the total amount he earned during his early acting years. Still, he viewed that income as belonging to both him and his mom, since she had played a role in helping him secure those opportunities.

The former child star was left with very little money aside from occasional residual payments. According to his half-sister, this proved difficult given that he had not been equipped with the life skills or coping tools needed to handle adulthood.

He has since acknowledged that he once believed he understood everything and admits he had been spoiled. He recalled driving an expensive BMW M3 at the time, yet still feeling it was not good enough and wanting something even more high-end.

Grief, Alcohol, and a Career Slipping Away

After his mom died from a heart attack in 2008, he said his life took a downward turn. During that period, he began drinking heavily and felt like he was losing control of his life.

For much of the following decade, the former child star largely took on the responsibility of caring for his father, who was living with diabetes. At the same time, he was trying to find his footing as a former child star growing older in an industry that was moving on.

He managed to pick up occasional guest television roles, along with writing work, production assistant positions, and other short-term jobs. He was doing whatever he could to stay afloat professionally.

While many of his former acting peers transitioned into more mature roles, he found it increasingly difficult to secure steady work. As his alcohol use worsened, he also began damaging important professional relationships he had built in Hollywood.

Selling Pieces of His past Just to Survive

During this period, the former child star also began using various recreational painkillers. More setbacks followed, and grief struck once again. In 2016, his father died from congenital heart disease, and he struggled to cover the cost of the burial.

In an effort to get by, he began selling personal memorabilia, including a Goldberg jersey from one of his films. He also took a telemarketing job, but things did not improve.

Another television project fell through, and he later linked his severe financial struggles to the breakdown of a long-term relationship.

Looking back on that period, he has described feeling mentally overwhelmed and in distress, saying the emotional strain even manifested as physical pain in his chest.

How Shaun Weiss Lost Everything – And Ended up on the Streets

The former child star in this story is Shaun Weiss. His situation worsened after the lease on his apartment expired. He stayed with a friend for a short time, but after the two got into a fight, he left with only a backpack and nowhere to go.

He ended up at a park, where he came across a group of men he believed might be dealing drugs. At the time, he says he had been drinking and was looking for something stronger than the pain pills he had been using.

He had only experimented with cocaine a handful of times before, but was considering it again. Instead, the group offered him crystal meth. After weighing the decision, Weiss tried it, hoping for relief from the emotional and physical distress he was experiencing.

He has since described how, in that moment, the substance seemed to make everything feel like it disappeared. "The drugs were so intense. And I'm 43 now. Your memory does start to go," he recalled.

After a few months, Weiss said the van he had been living in caught fire, leaving him with no shelter and forcing him onto the streets. During that period, he moved between different groups of people.

He hustled alongside them until situations turned bad, which would push him to relocate to another neighborhood. Weiss later recalled specific encampments, hiding spots, and places where he would sleep.

He remembered public bathrooms where he would take cover during storms, as well as stores where some owners showed kindness while others did not. At times, strangers and security guards offered him small acts of help, like giving him hot chocolate on cold nights.

At other times, he experienced violence. Weiss also recalled moments when people tried to befriend and support him but grew frustrated when recovery did not happen quickly.

A Sister's Desperate Search – And a Painful Reunion

From his perspective, he felt completely alone and believed no one from his family came searching for him. However, his half-sister, Loretta, has challenged that memory, saying she worked with police for two years in an effort to find him.

In 2019, Loretta managed to locate her brother and came up with a plan to help him rebuild his life. The idea was for Weiss to move into her home near Sacramento, go through detox, and slowly work toward stability with her support.

She arranged medication through the hospital and allowed him to stay with her. Loretta recalls that he remained there for about six weeks, while Weiss remembers the stay as lasting closer to six days.

During that time, she says she provided him with meals and took care of the home even when he left human waste in different areas. The situation eventually became too overwhelming for her to manage.

In the end, she drove Weiss to a Salvation Army center and says she cried the entire way back home. She has since said that although she considers herself a strong person who has handled many difficult situations, this experience was beyond what she felt prepared to manage.

Life on the Streets, Documented in Heartbreaking Detail

During this period, Weiss's friend and fellow actor Drew Gallagher documented his struggles through photos and videos. He captured moments ranging from simple meals at Denny's to his arrival at a rehabilitation facility.

"He's not just some junkie who loves getting high more than having a lustrous career. It's that he's mentally ill," Gallagher said. According to Gallagher, at one point, Weiss was arrested in Marysville after a family member left him on the streets because they were unable to care for him.

What was meant to be a fresh start quickly spiraled back into hardship and homelessness. Gallagher described Weiss as being alone, dressed in pajamas, and left outside a Salvation Army location at night.

Gallagher has said that Weiss's struggles centered on a combination of drug use, homelessness, and mental health issues that worsened after his father's death. He also noted that Weiss lived with diabetes and struggled to maintain consistent access to medication.

At one stage, Weiss reportedly weighed around 110 pounds, and even basic help or supplies he received were often taken from him on the streets.

Gallagher has described life on the streets as harsh and unforgiving, saying Weiss often had to defend himself and regularly faced violence.

Despite this, Weiss was sometimes seen in cellphone videos making jokes about his situation. While some people saw only tragedy, Gallagher chose to focus on the possibility of recovery.

He acknowledged Weiss was not free from responsibility but believed he genuinely wanted help and deserved continued support. At the time, Weiss was being held in Yuba County jail, but support efforts were already being organized for his release.

Gallagher launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Weiss, and Lindsay Lohan's father reportedly offered to help cover the cost of rehabilitation treatment at no charge.

The Internet Reacts – And a Glimmer of Hope Emerges

Another former child star, Natanya Ross, helped connect Weiss with a clinic outside Los Angeles that agreed to take him in on scholarship. From there, he began making gradual progress in his recovery.

He has since said the Twelve-Step program became an important part of his life. He also began praying regularly, asking God for help in overcoming his addiction, as he struggled to understand how to stop craving drugs on his own.

Beyond faith, he also found unexpected encouragement through social media. In 2020, a TMZ post about his condition gained widespread attention.

Netizens quickly took to social media to react to Weiss's story. One asked, "Man, why he [sic] look like this?" Another blamed the industry, exclaiming, "Hollywood ruined him!" Some were simply heartbroken, writing, "😞 so sad when child stars fall."

Ross has said it took time to convince Weiss to look at the response online because he tended to fixate on negative comments even when most were supportive.

Eventually, he did look, and after spending years feeling like he had ruined the goodwill tied to his Goldberg fame, he was overwhelmed by the level of public support.

He has said that for a long time, he felt as though no one would care whether he lived or died, but the online reaction made him feel surrounded by widespread support.

He has since said he struggled to fully process the experience, noting that he could not think of another moment when the internet rallied around a celebrity in such a positive way.

When he fully realized the scale of support, he said it felt transformative and lifted him out of a deep sense of worthlessness. Seeing thousands of people show support made him question how he could give up when so many were rooting for him.

Sobriety, Stability, and a Chance at Love

Eventually, Weiss lived in a sober living home in the San Fernando Valley while searching for his own apartment. He slowly rebuilt his finances through legal work, mainly by attending fan conventions and signing autographs.

Weiss remains focused on continuing his recovery and building a more stable future. In 2022, he shared that he had been sober for two years, marking an immense milestone in his recovery journey.

In 2024, the future appeared even brighter for Weiss when he shared a mirror selfie with a woman on Instagram, captioning it, "It just gets better and better. 🙏💜📿." The post suggested he had found love.

A follow-up selfie showed them in a cozy pose, accompanied by the caption, "Finally! Somebody gets my jokes! Thanks god for this woman. 💜🙏📿."

A Hard-Won Comeback – And Helping Others Still Lost

In 2025, Weiss began stepping back into the spotlight. He appeared in a collage of Instagram photos from the red carpet at the sold-out London premiere of "Deformelody" at the Raindance Film Festival.

Weiss starred in the film and posed alongside his co-stars, marking a significant return to public appearances.

Later that year, he was also seen helping others in need. Weiss shared that he was actively trying to support former Nickelodeon star Tylor Chase, who was homeless and struggling with addiction in Riverside, California.

Weiss helped secure a spot for Chase at a detox and long-term treatment facility and was working to locate him to ensure he could get the care he needed.

Shaun Weiss has demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout his life. From losing his parents and facing career setbacks to battling addiction and working to rebuild himself, he has persevered. Today, he is finding stability and is also reaching out to help others still struggling with addiction.