Entertainment
See a Young Fergie and the Cast of Kids Incorporated, Then and Now
With years of entertaining us under their belts, it is easy to forget that Fergie, Mario Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt first came on TV when they were just kids.
The three stars got their early start on Disney’s Kids Incorporated, which followed a group of kids in a rock band as they navigated crushes, friendships, peer pressure and at times heavy-hitting topics such as abuse. The show officially ran from 1984 to 1993, though Disney continued to air reruns in the years that followed.
Though the majority of the cast stepped away from the limelight, below, see what those who remained in the business have been up to from their young days as child stars till now.
Stacy ‘Fergie’ Ferguson as Stacy
Long before she was nicknamed “The Duchess” and taught us how to spell glamorous, Fergie was one of the leads on Kids Inc. Not only did she show off her vocal talents at the end of each show, but she also proved to be quite the gifted actor while on the program.
Following her time on Disney, Fergie joined a girl group called Wild Orchid, comprised of her fellow Kids Inc. castmate Renee Sands and their friend, Stefanie Ridel. Wild Orchid released two albums as a trio but would later disband and Fergie joined the Black Eyed Peas. The rest was history.
In January 2009, Fergie, now 49, married actor Josh Duhamel. The pair welcomed son Axl Jack in 2013 before separating in 2017. They officially divorced in 2019.
Mario Lopez as Himself
Mario Lopez’s deep dimples have been gracing our screens for longer than we may even remember.
Before finding wide success as A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell, Lopez was on Kids Inc. from 1984 to 1986. In 2022, the Access Hollywood host even posted the ultimate throwback when he shared a vintage photo of himself and Fergie back in the day, on his Instagram page.
“Me and Fergie, a couple of 10 year olds at a luncheon,” he captioned the sweet pic, which shows the “London Bridge” singer dipping her finger in one of his dimples.
On an episode of Watch What Happens Live, Fergie also confirmed the two had been childhood sweethearts.
Lopez, 50, has three children with wife Courtney: sons Dominic and Santino and daughter Gia.
Marta ‘Martika’ Marrero as Gloria
Marta Marrero starred in Kids Inc. from 1984 until 1986. She changed her stage name from Marta to Martika Marrero while filming the Disney show, before she dropped her last name entirely and began going by Martika.
After Kids Inc., Martika launched a solo music career but found more success internationally than in the U.S. Her eponymous debut album housed the hit “Toy Soldiers,” which charted both in the U.S. and internationally.
The catchy tune would later be sampled by Eminem in 2004 for his song “Like Toy Soldiers” off the album Encore.
Since the early 2010s, Martika, 54, has largely stayed out of the spotlight.
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Robin
Another Hollywood favorite whose career has spanned decades, Jennifer Love Hewitt also cut her teeth playing Robin on the Disney show.
After a brief career in the music industry — she’s actually one of the backing vocalists on Martika’s “Toy Soldier” — she forged an ultra-successful acting career, starring in the TV series Party of Five, 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, as well as Heartbreakers, The Audrey Hepburn Story and many other projects. Hewitt reached the peak of her powers when she played spirit medium Melinda Gordon in CBS’ The Ghost Whisperer from 2005 to 2010.
After taking a step back, she returned to the small screen in 2014, playing special agent Kate Callahan on Criminal Minds.
Hewitt, 45, married fellow actor Brian Hallisay in 2013. The two share three children: Autumn, Atticus and Aidan.
Eric Balfour as Himself
Now known for hit TV shows such as Haven, Valemont, 24 and Charmed, Eric Balfour’s days as a child star are far behind him. However, the now 46-year-old actor was actually on Kids Inc. from 1990 to 1991.
Balfour married his wife Erin Chiamulon in 2015. They went on to welcome sons Oliver Lion in 2018 and Romeo Amadeus in 2022.
Moosie Drier as Riley
By the time Moosie Drier appeared on Kids Inc. in 1984, he already had a steady career as a child star, with acting credits in Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Lassie, Little House on the Prairie, Executive Suite, The Bob Newhart Show and many more.
Drier, 59, has stepped away from the spotlight in recent years. His last acting credit is listed as 2018’s Next Gen, in which he voiced several characters.
Ryan Lambert as Himself
Ryan Lambert was on Kids Incorporated from 1985 to 1988 and though he largely stepped away from acting, he’s appeared in a few projects here and there.
Lambert, 53, appeared on an episode of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show as well as a few short films over the years. His latest credit is as Bishop Lugari in The Demons Within.
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