What happened to The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment? Child star and brother of Hannah Montana alum disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years after he was charged with drink driving and drug possession

What happened to The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment? Child star and brother of Hannah Montana alum disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years after he was charged with drink driving and drug possession

Haley Joel Osment is renowned for starring in the The Sixth Sense alongside Bruce Willis and Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks.

But despite his successful career as a child actor, Haley disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years shortly after he was charged with drink driving and drug possession.  

Haley, 36, is also the older brother of Hannah Montana alum Emily Osment, 32, who has had a glittering career in showbiz.

Instead of perusing a career in acting like his famous sister, Haley decided to step back from Hollywood after often finding it ‘aggressive, predatory and relentless’.

Reflecting on his career in 2023, Haley told E! News that his parents always said to him as a child “If it’s ever not fun, you can quit tomorrow”.

‘And when I got to be college age, I got to go off and study theater and really think hard about whether I wanted to do this as my career in life’, he said.

Haley Joel Osment is renowned for starring in the The Sixth Sense alongside Bruce Willis and Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks (pictured in August 2024)

But despite his successful career as a child actor, Haley disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years shortly after he was charged with drink driving and drug possession (pictured in The Sixth Sense)

But despite his successful career as a child actor, Haley disappeared from Hollywood for 15 years shortly after he was charged with drink driving and drug possession (pictured in The Sixth Sense)

After garnering an Oscar nomination in 2000 at just 11-years-old, Haley was on the path to become a superstar.

In 2006, a then 18-year-old Haley caused shockwaves when he was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana following a car crash.

The star broke a rib and hurt his shoulder in the smash in Los Angeles – which left his vehicle flipped over on its roof.

He pleaded no contest to one count each of misdemeanour DUI and misdemeanour drug possession and was sentenced to three years’ probation, 60 hours in an alcohol rehabilitation and education programme and fined $1500.

Around the same time, while his younger sister Emily also landed her big role on Hannah Montana, he was leaving Hollywood to go to school in New York City. 

After a troublesome few years, Haley returned to the spotlight and starred in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Entourage, Tusk and Blink Twice.

Haley previously said he noticed a change in Hollywood after he returned to the spotlight.

He noted that his hometown of Los Angeles has ‘mellowed out a bit’ as far as the paparazzi culture he previously witnessed as a teenager.

Haley is also the older brother of Hannah Montana alum Emily Osment, 32, who has had a glittering career in showbiz (pictured together last week)

Haley is also the older brother of Hannah Montana alum Emily Osment, 32, who has had a glittering career in showbiz (pictured together last week)

Instead of perusing a career in acting like his famous sister, Haley decided to step back from Hollywood after often finding it 'aggressive, predatory and relentless' (pictured in 2000)

Instead of perusing a career in acting like his famous sister, Haley decided to step back from Hollywood after often finding it ‘aggressive, predatory and relentless’ (pictured in 2000)

After garnering an Oscar nomination in 2000 at just 11-years-old, Haley was on the path to become a superstar (pictured with Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump)

After garnering an Oscar nomination in 2000 at just 11-years-old, Haley was on the path to become a superstar (pictured with Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump)

In 2006, a then 18-year-old Haley caused shockwaves when he was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana following a car crash (pictured in 2011)

In 2006, a then 18-year-old Haley caused shockwaves when he was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana following a car crash (pictured in 2011)

Around the same time, while his younger sister Emily also landed her big role on Hannah Montana, he was leaving Hollywood to go to school in New York City

Around the same time, while his younger sister Emily also landed her big role on Hannah Montana, he was leaving Hollywood to go to school in New York City

After a troublesome few years, Haley returned to the spotlight and starred in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Entourage, Tusk and Blink Twice (pictured with Emily in 2021)

After a troublesome few years, Haley returned to the spotlight and starred in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Entourage, Tusk and Blink Twice (pictured with Emily in 2021)

‘We’re in a different era than we were. It’s an interesting shift in dynamics,’ he said about navigating social media as a public figure who also prioritized his privacy.

After finally making an Instagram to counter the fake accounts claiming to be him, he admitted it took him ‘a long time to figure out how to navigate social media’ and credited content that is ‘willingly posted online.’

‘At this point, I’m comfortable with it,’ Haley said. ‘In this very large media environment, it’s the way to promote your projects and help people keep up to date on what you’re doing within the balance of reasonable privacy. I resisted it for so long and now it’s like, “Hey, it’s fun to do some posts.”

Haley’s latest role is in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut film, Blink Twice in which he starred alongside Channing Tatum.

In the 2024 thriller, he portrays Tom, a morally pliable struggling actor — characters he said he hasn’t had ‘too many interactions’ with in real life — a guy who’s ‘sort of pathetic’ but trying to ‘be a better man and optimize his life.’

Blink Twice follows cocktail actress Frida (Ackie), who meets tech billionaire Slater King (Tatum) at his fundraising gala. 

During their encounter, he invites her to join him and his friends for a hedonistic getaway on his private island. 

According to the logline, wild nights soon blend into sun-soaked days. However, when strange things start to happen, Frida must uncover the truth if she hopes to make it out alive. 

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *