20 Celebrities Who Started Out On Children's Shows (That Weren't the 'Mickey Mouse Club')

demi lovato barney

selena gomez barney

leonardo dicaprio romper room

julia stiles ghostwriter

hayden christensen goosebumps

alan arkin sesame street

alanis morissette you can't do that on television

jennifer love hewitt kids incorporated

joanna garcia swisher are you afraid of the dark

fergie kids incorporated

ben affleck voyage of the mimi

shia laboeuf even stevens

jason dohring 100 deeds for eddie mcdowd

ryan gosling young hercules

jessica alba secret world of alex mack

felicity jones worst witch

penn badgley the brothers garcia

taran killam the amanda show

jewel staite space cases

raul julia sesame street

It's hard to catch a big break, and some stars get theirs performing for little ones. Everyone knows now that Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera all got their start on The Mickey Mouse Club, but did you know there are more children's shows that spawned Disney stars than just ye olde MMC? Long before they were Disney starlets, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were adorable tykes on Barney & Friends? Or that Ben Affleck's first claim to fame wasn't being an actor or a director; he was a passenger on The Voyage of the Mimi.

Sesame Street might be everyone's first foray into television viewing, but for esteemed adult actors like Alan Arkin and Raul Julia, it was their first television paycheck! Jennifer Love Hewitt and Fergie once danced together on Kids Incorporated and Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly fired from his first job on Romper Room. The 20 celebrities on our list all started their careers catering for children.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images, PBS & The Lyons Group]