He became one of the most beloved child stars in recent decades after starring in 90s blockbusters Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little.

However, it was believed that he had turned his back on Hollywood after growing up and developing his passion for mixed martial arts.

Now actor Jonathan Lipnicki is making a return to screens thanks to a role in The Joe Schmo Show – a faux reality competition series hosted by Cat Deeley.

The 34-year-old will be playing a fictionalized, eccentric version of himself on the new TBS show.

Speaking to E! News about the gaps in his resume, he noted: ‘Really, it was kind of just going to high school. I wasn’t, like, “I’m stepping away.” I still had my agent, I’d audition here and there.’

He then revealed: ‘I auditioned for a lot and I just didn’t get things. I think that’s okay to say, right? 

He became one of the most beloved child stars in recent decades after starring in 90s blockbusters Jerry Maguire 

However, it was believed that he had turned his back on Hollywood after his starring turn in movies alongside the likes of Tom Cruise

‘Acting is this thing that I’ve always loved, and sometimes it just doesn’t love you back. And there was a span where I didn’t work for a while and I was pursuing it.’

Jonathan first won over hearts as Ray Boyd, Renee Zellweger’s son in the Oscar-winning 1996 flick, Jerry Maguire.

He then landed roles in The Single Guy, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and episodes of Dawson’s Creek.

After, he appeared in the sitcom Meego and became a hit all over again when he starred in the popular film Stuart Little in 1999.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jonathan also opened up about his return to acting after child star fame, he explained: ‘I got to find out from a young age what I wanted to spend the rest of my life pursuing, so I can never be mad at it. I’m always grateful for it. 

‘I am living more in the present now and really trying to focus on who I am now and what that’s going to look like in the future. But I’m extremely grateful for my past.’

In fact, the time away helped him realize he still had more to learn in order to master his craft.

‘What I can control is I wasn’t very good at acting and I had to go to acting class,’ he recalled. ‘I think I lost track of who I was. 

Now actor Jonathan Lipnicki is making a return to screens thanks to a role in The Joe Schmo Show – a faux reality competition show airing on TBS

The 34-year-old will be playing a fictionalized, eccentric version of himself on the new show hosted by Cat Deeley

It was previously thought that Jonathan had turned his back on the entertainment industry

‘You have got to be in tune with who you are to act, and there was just a portion where maybe I just wasn’t very good, and I’m okay saying that.’

He added: ‘Maybe it’s a me thing, and I’m more than willing to work on myself all the time and take accountability and control for what I can control.’

Meanwhile, Jonathan got his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in 2020, having begun martial arts training from a young age as his dad owned an MMA production company.

‘My family actually owns an MMA promotion company, so it’s kind of a family deal,’ he told ESPN in 2012.

‘Because of that, I’ve given my mom a lot of the fighters to fight in a show. I’m actually training one of my friends right now — he’s fighting a jiu-jitsu guy.

‘So I’m his sparring guy. If it’s someone way better, I won’t be a good sparring partner.’ 

He admitted that his break from acting was due to the fact ‘I auditioned for a lot and I just didn’t get things…. And there was a span where I didn’t work for a while and I was pursuing it’

Jonathan got his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu in 2020, having begun martial arts training from a young age as his dad owned an MMA production company 

After his acting ‘break,’ Jonathan starred in a string of Independent films. He worked on five films in 2015, and scored roles in two films in 2016.

In early 2017, Lipnicki was in the film Altitude and also had an executive producer credit. 

He was in the movie alongside Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife Denise Richards and Swedish actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren. 

In 2023, he joined Jeffrey Dahmer production company Buffalo 8 as Executive Producer and has also hosted ‘actors gym’ classes.

The Joe Schmo Show is a reality television hoax show that was first broadcast on the cable network Spike in 2003.

The show’s premise is that a target person or people are led to believe that they are contestants on a reality television show.

But in reality, all of the other participants in the purported show – including the host – are actors, and their actions and the outcome of the purported show are all scripted.