Liar Liar Child Star Justin Cooper Reveals His Mother Hid Disturbing Fan Mail From Prisoners

For Justin Cooper, becoming famous at just 8 years old brought far more attention than he could have imagined. The former child star, best known for playing Max Reede, Jim Carrey’s son in the 1997 comedy Liar Liar, recently opened up about the unusual and sometimes unsettling side of childhood fame.

Cooper shared the story during the August 13, 2026, episode of The Not So Little Rascals, a podcast hosted by former Little Rascals actors Jordan Warkol and Blake Collins. He recalled that after Liar Liar became a hit, he suddenly found it difficult to go anywhere in public without being recognized.

He remembered going to restaurants with his family and seeing fans line up at his table asking for autographs. While Cooper said he actually enjoyed the attention, the experience became much more difficult for his family, who had to deal with the constant recognition that came with his newfound fame.

But behind the excitement was a side of celebrity that Cooper’s mother deliberately kept away from him. He revealed that she intercepted some letters sent by male prisoners who claimed to be fans of the young actor and commented on how cute he was. Cooper said his mother never showed him those letters when he was a child and only told him about them later.

His mother’s protectiveness extended far beyond his mail. Cooper said she never left him alone with other people while he was working on a set, describing her as extremely careful about protecting him during his years as a child actor. He suggested that her vigilance helped shield him from some of the darker or stranger aspects of growing up in Hollywood.

Cooper’s childhood career was remarkably busy. Before and after Liar Liar, he appeared in projects including Full House, General Hospital, The Boys Are Back and Brother’s Keeper. However, as he grew older, auditions increasingly began to feel like a chore, and he eventually decided that acting was no longer what he wanted to pursue.

Leaving Hollywood did not mean leaving the entertainment business entirely. Cooper eventually reinvented himself behind the scenes, working in sports media production. According to his professional profile, he is now an Executive Producer at Fox Sports Radio.

Decades after audiences first knew him as the young boy opposite Jim Carrey, Cooper’s story offers a different look at child stardom—one that includes the excitement of sudden fame, the challenges of growing up in the public eye, and the importance of having a parent willing to protect a child from the parts of celebrity they are too young to understand.

Source: people.com