Movies
Static Media
BySergio Pereira
Fans will remember Dennis Dugan's 2010 comedy "Grown Ups" mostly for all the shenanigans that Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, and Rob Schneider partake in. However, the film boasts a formidable cast from top to bottom, including Madison Riley who portrays Jasmine Hilliard. In the film, the 21-year-old Jasmine plays a pivotal part in the story when her father Rob (Schneider) mistakenly believes his pal Marcus Higgins (Spade) slept with her and demands retribution.
While "Grown Ups" was about as warmly received as most Sandler films are (with only a 10%critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Riley captures the attention along with Jamie Chung, who plays her in-story half-sister Amber. Chung took the experience from the high-profile movie and used it as a way to elevate her career to the next level, going on to appear in noteworthy productions such as "Sucker Punch," "The Gifted," and "Dexter: New Blood." Riley, on the other hand, seemingly disappeared from the public eye, leaving many to wonder what happened to her.
Fortunately, a fair amount of sleuthing uncovered all the important details. From guest-starring in "Two and a Half Men" to trying her hand at stand-up comedy and starting her own YouTube channel, here's what Madison Riley has been up to since she appeared in "Grown Ups."
Madison Riley started a YouTube channel
It's not unusual for celebrities to start their own podcasts or YouTube channels. "Smallville" actor Michael Rosenbaum built up a successful series called "Inside of You" where he invites actors, directors, filmmakers, and other recognizable industry figures onto his show. Similarly, "The Office" stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey created "Office Ladies" where the pair reveal behind-the-scenes details of the episodes and intriguing stories about what happened on set.
Madison Riley also started her own YouTube channel, but it isn't focused on her time as an actor or model. Instead, it's much more personal and presented in a vlog format. While she doesn't appear to upload videos on a regular basis nor does she have an overwhelming amount of content or subscribers on her channel, she uses her time to speak directly to the camera and audience about a variety of topics that are important to her.
Riley explores subjects such as digital minimalism, lust, awakenings, and meaning, sharing her own thoughts and providing insight. In one video, she revealed why she purged her content in X, formerly known as Twitter, stating: "Back when I lived in New York and I acted like I knew a lot about the world and politics, I would post articles. I had to go and take all those down because I shifted and changed my thoughts so much from when I was extremely ignorant that I was, like, I cannot have this on record as me supporting this."
She didn't return for Grown Ups 2
Jim Spellman/Getty Images
Regardless of the scathing reviews for "Grown Ups," the film performed well, raking in $272.2 million at the global box office from a $75 million budget. So, it's no surprise a sequel went into quick development and was unleashed on the world in 2013. Despite "Grown Ups 2" being a continuation of the story from the first film, Madison Riley didn't reprise her role as Jasmine Hilliard. Riley poked fun at the fact she wasn't in the sequel in a 2016 Instagram post where she posed next to the movie poster and held up a middle finger. The caption reads: "That one time I wasn't in the sequel."
In reality, any potential appearance for Riley was jeopardized the moment that Rob Schneider didn't return as Rob Hilliard for "Grown Ups 2." In a radio interview, Schneider revealed he had to drop out of the role because he wasn't sure if his television series "Rob" would be picked up or not at the time. Since Schneider played Jasmine's father in the original film, it's likely that all characters related to Rob were scrapped in favor of devoting more screen time to NickSwardson's Nick, who effectively took Schneider's spot in the cast.
Well, there's always the possibility of "Grown Ups 3," right?
She starred in a few TV shows and movies
CBS
In the same year that Madison Riley starred in "Grown Ups," she appeared in an episode of the sitcom "Pair of Kings" and the high school comedy "The Prankster." The latter sees Riley play cheerleader Tiffany Fowler in a film where teenager Chris Karas (Matt Angel) creates a secret society of pranksters who want to change the status quo of their high school. A year later, Riley had a minor role in another high school film "Prom," where the title gives away the entire premise here — for real.
From there on, the actor secured parts in low-budget productions such as "Super Zeroes" and "Fred 3: Camp Fred." In fact, Riley's most high-profile gigs after "Grown Ups" came in the television series "Two and a Half Men," "White Collar," and "Elementary." And even in these shows, she never had a substantial part or multi-episode arc that gave her serious screen time.
At the time of writing, Riley's last acting credit on IMDb is from 2015's sitcom "Undateable" where she appears in the first two episodes of Season 3 as Karli.
Madison Riley did a stand-up show
Looking at Madison Riley's filmography, it's clear she's perfectly at home in the comedy genre. From side-splitting sitcoms to high school hilarity, this is her sweet spot and where she is truly the most comfortable as a performer. Even so, there's no denying she has lacked the right vehicle to show off her strengths as a comedian, as she normally appears in supporting or minor roles that don't allow her much room (or story development) to showcase her genuinely funny personality.
In 2019, Riley posted a video of her first foray into stand-up comedy on her YouTube channel. The actor delivered a rousing six-minute set of jokes that had the audience in stitches on more than one occasion and showcased what a natural she is in front of a group of people. Her topic of choice centered on relationships, especially the dramas of dating. Riley made fun of her own bad experiences while indicating that her parents' multiple divorces inspired her to never get married.
She stopped acting and modeling
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Appearing on "The Queen Path" podcast, hosted by Sola, Madison Riley discussed how she moved to Los Angeles when she was just 16 years old and didn't feel prepared for the entertainment industry or life in general. She also revealed how she made the decision to stop chasing her modeling and acting career. "I was not happy," she said. "I never say I quit acting. I just ceased pursuing it the way that I had been for years."
Elaborating on what she meant, Riley explained how these industries revolved around constant auditions and competitiveness, leaving someone's future in the hands of people, such as network and studio executives. For her, she wasn't feeling value in that anymore.
Riley also shared a photo of a 2020 royalty check on her Instagram account, showing how she received $1.39 and captioning it: "Love when I get residuals from my past life." Considering how she refers to it as her "past life" and the pitiful amount on the check, it's likely she harbors no plans to jump back into the industry anytime soon.
She found spirituality
After Madison Riley's appearance on "The Queen Path" podcast, she explained how acting and modeling didn't give her life the purpose she thought it would. In another personal video she posted to her followers, she added how she loved thecreative aspect of acting, but she wasn't a fan of everything else that came with the industry and how she never had the intention to become a movie star to begin with. Naturally, this put her on a journey of self-discovery to find out what is truly important to her.
Riley became far more spiritual and aware of herself. Now, she utilizes her platforms, specifically her YouTube channel, to share her thoughts and learnings with her followers, often imparting advice of how she deals with certain issues. Moreover, she is a firm advocate for self-mastery and for people being true to themselves and attracting positive energy to their lives.
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