Jennifer Love Hewitt Then and Now: Photos of Her Through the Years

Jennifer Love Hewitt was an 90s icon — and her career is still going strong decades later. Hewitt, who was born in February 1979 in Waco, Texas, moved to Los Angeles with her mother, Patricia Mae, when she was only 10 years old to pursue a career in acting. Her first break came in 1989, when she began starring on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated, earning three Young Artist Award nominations in the process. Following her time on Disney Channel, Hewitt rose to stardom when she landed the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five alongside Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell and Lacey Chabert. The actress went on to star in a variety of films, including 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, before appearing on various TV shows such as Ghost Whisperer from 2005 to 2010, The Client List from 2012 to 2013 and Criminal Minds from 2014 to 2015. In 2018, Hewitt landed the role of Maddie Buckley on 9-1-1, which she has continued to appear in ever since. “It’s wild to be 36 years into a career and finally have your longest-running TV show. It’s really cool,” she told the Television Academy in a June 2025 interview. “I always wanted to be a working actor, and I’ve been able to do just that for a very long time. To have a dream to do something and then be able to do it is really just so awesome. I’m very, very grateful for that.” Keep scrolling to learn more about Hewitt’s life and career throughout the years:

Hewitt landed her first TV show on Disney Channel’s variety show Kids Incorporated, which ran until 1991. Her performance earned her three Young Artist Award nominations.

Aside from acting, Hewitt released her debut album, Love Songs, when she was only 12 years old. She continued to release additional albums, such as 1995’s Let’s Go Bang, 1996’s Jennifer Love Hewitt and 2002’s BareNaked.

Hewitt landed the role as Sarah Reeves Merrin on the Fox teen drama Party of Five, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Series in 1996. The show ran for six seasons until its end in 2000.

The actress starred as Julie James in the popular horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer in 1998.

In the early 2000s, Hewitt appeared in films such as 2001’s Heartbreakers, 2002’s The Tuxedo and two live action Garfield movies in 2004 and 2006.

Hewitt returned to TV when she began appearing as Melinda Gordon on the CBS supernatural drama Ghost Whisperer, which ran until 2010.

While on Ghost Whisperer, Hewitt started dating Ross McCall in 2005, who made a brief appearance on the show. The twosome got engaged in 2007, however they eventually called it quits in late 2008.

The teen star starred as Riley Parks on the Lifetime drama series The Client List.

Hewitt married her The Client List costar Brian Hallisay after one year of dating. The twosome welcomed daughter Autumn that same year.

Hewitt starred as Special Agent Kate Callahan on the crime drama Criminal Minds for one season.

After wrapping Criminal Minds, Hewitt and Hallisay welcomed their second child, son Atticus.

Hewitt landed the role of Maddie Buckley on 9-1-1, which she has continued to appear.

Hallisay and Hewitt welcomed their third child, son Aidan.

Hewitt reprised her role of Julie James in the I Know What You Did Last Summer remake, released in theaters on July 18.

“I love doing those movies,” Hewitt told Us Weekly in May 2024. “There is nothing more fun than doing a horror movie. It’s the best. Julie James is awesome.”