Tara Reid in the late 1990s and early 2000s was a household name recognized for big screen appearance in 1999’s American Pie, and it’s sequels; 2001 American Pie 2 and 2012’s American Reunion.
Although Tara who began at age 6, had her big break with American Pie, she first experienced fame back in 1995, when she played Ashley in the daytime soap opera “Days of Our Lives”.
Sadly, in the years following her success, Tara’s career went downhill due to several events and she went from being a Hollywood sweetheart to just an ordinary reality star.
In 2008, the actress lamented her days of fame stating to the PEOPLE “In my American Pie days, everyone was kissing my butt. I didn't realize how good I had it, but the second things go down, no one cares. See who visits you in the hospital when you're sick. I've become more or humble.”
After her big hit with American pie, Tara slowly began rising up the ranks in Hollywood, and even hosted her own travel show, Taradise, in 2005. But this ultimately led to her downfall as she was branded as a party girl.
Following the series of backlash from the media, Tara began to undergo reconstructive surgery to look better and regain her fame.
However, after unflattering bikini shots of her surfaced in 2008, Reid faced a lot of Internet attacks aimed at her post-surgery figure.
"I've been a media target for years now," the actress shared. "It does hurt my feelings, but what can I do? I have to move on."
In December 2008, Reid made the decision to enter rehab with the intention of changing her life for the better and mending "strained" relationships with friends and family members.
"Tara has a problem with alcohol. It's been at the root of much discomfort between herself and her family and friends," a source close to the star told PEOPLE at the time. "She finally made the decision to do something positive for herself and her loved ones."
Following her return from Rehab, Tara was reduced to doing straight-to-video movies, an ad for an Australian phone company, and featuring in the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother.
Although she was quickly evicted from Big Brother, she did make two close friends: the identical twins in singing duo Jedward, John andEdward Grimes.
"They stuck up for me in the house and had my back because I got a bit bullied," she told The Mirror. "They protected me and you never forget people who protect you."
In 2013, Reid’s career was revived by the unlikeliest saviour: the flying sharks of sci-fi disaster movie Sharknado. She starred in not just the original, which was an instant cult hit, but the sequels, through to Sharknado 5: Global Swarming and The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.
But even with the release of the movie, Tara Reid’s career only enjoyed a short boost before falling back to the ground leaving fans who originally loved the actress wondering about her well-being, and also her sad decline from fame.