Jodie Sweetin, Mayim Bialek, Danica McKellar on ABC's 20/20 on Friday, Nov. 24 at 10p

[Pavan]

LIFE AFTER…

CELEBRITIES AND THEIR SECOND ACTS, ON ABC NEWS’ “20/20,” FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24

NFL Star Emmitt Smith, Stephen Baldwin, Jodie Sweetin (“Full House”), Jamie Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”), Mayim Bialek (“Blossom”) and Danica McKellar (“The Wonder Years”)

An NFL legend who became a dance star, a partying star who turned his sins into salvation, a former child star who beat a drug addiction, a star on the rise whose weight was falling and two former child stars who shine brightly away from the camera lights… Their stories may be very different, but they all have one thing in common: They have all been transformed, and in some cases redeemed, in their seconds acts of life. A cast of stars and “Life After…” airs on “20/20,” FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Reports include: Life After… Being a Professional Athlete: People are now getting their first glimpse of what Emmitt Smith is thinking in his second life – and of the master plan behind it. Last week Smith, who is 37, and his partner, Cheryl Burke, won “Dancing with the Stars.” When the show began, the question was obvious: Why is a man who made history as the all-time leading rusher in the NFL taking on this challenge that could refashion his image? Smith talks to Bob Brown about his grand plan and how it’s coming to fruition. “I wouldn't classify it as genius, but strategically it was the right move,” Smith tells Brown. “It helped me transition from the game and gain a whole, totally different audience… Now that I'm in business, this is a great branding opportunity for Emmitt Smith the brand. Football was great. Business is even better… Football was one vehicle to take me to one end of the road, but I'm tryin’ to make it to the other end.”

Life After… Sin: Chris Connelly reports on born-again bible boosters like Stephen Bladwin, who found stardom in 1995’s “The Usual Suspects.” Not too long ago he was living the high life, enjoying his celebrity. Today he drives around the country as a new-school evangelist. How did he go from being a party boy to a hard core Christian with his own ministry called “Livin’ It,” and has his fun- loving attitude changed? “Moving out of a Hollywood lifestyle into a born again Christian lifestyle and wanting to have an impact in that regard, I wasn't going to do it, unless I was going to have fun,” Baldwin says. “I want to be Billy Graham with biceps.” Connelly also talks to a former Las Vegas stripper turned evangelist who takes her message to her old stomping grounds to help sex-industry workers find salvation.

Life After… Addiction: At the young age of five, Jodie Sweetin became a child star on the hit television show “Full House.” But at 13, after the show was cancelled, her exciting life as a child star ended too. In an effort to fit in at high school, she casually used drugs and, by the age of 20, was a hard- core crystal meth user. In a candid interview, Sweetin tells Deborah Roberts why she turned to drugs, how she hid her addiction from her family, including her police officer husband, and how she has managed to stay clean and sober for nearly two years. Sweetin says facing the end of the last season of “Full House” was “tough.” “I just remember thinking, okay, now what do I do? I mean it was sort of like a mid-life crisis at age 13.” About her stint in rehab, Sweetin tells Roberts: “For me, I have learned that it’s never too late to make a different choice,” she adds. Sweetin also talks about her life now – and how she has turned to reality TV as a road back to stardom.

Life After… An Eating Disorder: Anorexia can be a deadly form of mental illness, as evidenced by the recent fate of two models who died. And yet, on runways and red carpets, the parade of shockingly thin celebrities continues. Actress Jamie Lynn Sigler, mafia princess Meadow on the HBO hit “The Sopranos,” shares her story of anorexia and the battle to beat it. “I’m in an industry where I’m in constant competition. You’ve gotta be at the top of your game,” she tells “20/20.” “My life was consumed with worrying about burning every single calorie… and I really just said, why can’t I be normal? Why can’t I be happy? I have everything, I just don’t understand.” JuJu Chang reports. Chang also talks to high fashion model Crystal Renn, who almost starved herself to death for her job and now has a thriving career as a size 12 model.

Life After… Being a Child Star: Not every child star ends up in rehab, or washed up, or in jail. As Don Dahler reports, there can be life after acting success, and two of the biggest sitcom stars of the nineties are perfect examples – “Blossom’s” Mayim Bialek, who is completing her PhD in neuroscience, and Danica McKellar, “The Wonder Years’” Winnie Cooper, who became a published mathematician. “I’ve had professors say, how could you give up the money, how could you give up the fame, how could you give up the prestige? I believe strongly in following your path and being creative in your life and listening to what your soul wants to do,” Bialek tells Dahler. McKellar, who helped solve a physics problem that will forever bear her name, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem, says: “I recognized that I had a very privileged place, but I didn’t think that it made me better than other people… it’s a real challenge to be able to reinvent yourself, to find that you’re not just resting on your laurels… but you’re actually still a person who’s alive and growing and doing things that matter.”

“20/20” is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is the executive producer.

[comedyfreak]

Sounds interesting....

[EighteenMinutes]

The Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem?

Interesting.

[PrettyinPink55]

I'm definetly tuning in!!!

[Ireneparalegal]

I saw the show at my sister's house and my niece was shocked because she didn't know who Mayim was. My niece graduated from UCLA this past summer and she had seen Mayim on campus but never knew she was a former actress...she was really shocked because she talked with her once in a classroom!!!!!!!! My niece didn't know Mayim except only for the movie BEACHES and of course, Mayim is waaaay older than she was than in that movie.

[myjoni111]

Danica Mckellar has the same body and face as when she was on the show. laugh

Don't get me wrong- she is very hot but I would feel like I was with a little girl- and I think we are the same age. ???

[JT]

How many times do they feel they have to give people updates on the same fricken people? Almost every "Where are they now?" special focuses on the same group of people.

[Schmoopie]

Originally Posted by JT

How many times do they feel they have to give people updates on the same fricken people? Almost every "Where are they now?" special focuses on the same group of people.

OMG, that is SO true! I am sick of hearing about Jodie Sweetin! Once was interesting, but not anymore! I'm glad she kicked her habit, but it would be nice to hear about child stars who didn't screw up their lives five years after their careers ended!