Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything: A Memoir

Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything exposes the abuse and exploitation of child stars in Hollywood, contributing to a growing catalog of literature and media on the same subject. The problem is not a new one: As Danny Leigh writes, Judy Garland “has been a cautionary tale for kids who might venture on to the big screen” (Leigh, Danny. “Drugs, Exploitation, 72-Hour Shifts: Can Hollywood Take Care of Its Child Stars?” The Guardian, 30 Aug. 2019). Among other abuses, Garland’s biographers have documented that her mother drugged her with stimulants and sedatives and that Garland was molested during the filming of The Wizard of Oz (Taylor, Tom. “The Uncomfortable Truth of Judy Garland’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Experience.” Far Out, 28 Nov. 2024). Such behavior remains an ongoing issue. In 2019, “BBC aired the mini-series Dark Money, concerning a 13-year-old British actor abused by a Hollywood producer. The message came as a jolt, the suggestion of a film business that feeds on the young” (Leigh). 

This docuseries spurred a string of subsequent exposés on the film industry. Recent projects, including Showbiz Kids (2020), Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024), and Child Star (2024), have offered former child stars the opportunity to speak out about their negative experiences in Hollywood. These personal accounts feature stories of sexual and physical abuse, financial corruption, discrimination, bullying, drug use, and more. Given the chance to speak out, former child actors have used their platforms to push for reform in the industry and more protection for current and future child actors.

Alyson Stoner numbers among these performers. Even prior to their memoir’s publication, Stoner was open about what they call the “toddler-to-trainwreck pipeline,” penning op-eds and filming a YouTube series on the “industrial complex” surrounding child stars and the way it pushes them toward mental illness, addiction, and death while simultaneously denying its responsibility (Stoner, Alyson. “Alyson Stoner Pens Eye-Opening Op-Ed on ‘Harrowing’ Childhood Stardom. ‘Revisit the Script.’” People, 7 Apr. 2021). Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything expands on this prior work, detailing Stoner’s foray into public performance and how the industry exploited their innocence and naivety for financial gain.