Every year, a new wave of talent crashes into the spotlight, and it’s one of the most thrilling things about pop culture.
Some of these famous celebrities seem to come out of nowhere — one day you’ve never heard their name, and the next they’re everywhere. Others have been quietly grinding, stacking up credits and small wins, long before the rest of the world catches on.
That’s what makes looking at where they are now so satisfying. The breakout moment is just the beginning of the story.
Case in point: 2025 gave us fresh faces like Adéla, Odessa A’Zion, Chase Infiniti and the global girl group Katseye, who entered the chat and are all expected to keep building momentum into 2026.
Which famous celebrities did 2016 give us?
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok recently, you already know what’s really dominating the cultural conversation: the “2026 is the new 2016” trend.
And honestly? It hits different when you realize that the stars who defined your college years, your first apartment, your early-twenties chaos — they’ve been on their own wild journeys this whole decade too.
So let’s do what the internet does best and take a long, loving look back at some of the biggest breakout stars of 2016, and trace exactly where life has taken them since.
Grab your emotional support iced coffee. This one’s going to feel like a time capsule.
Millie Bobby Brown
ANGELA WEISS / Getty Images
Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Here’s a fact that might make you feel ancient: Millie Bobby Brown was just 12 years old when she debuted as Eleven in “Stranger Things” in 2016. Twelve. While many of us were stressing about student loans or figuring out how to cook something other than ramen, this kid was becoming one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.
Now, 10 years later, Stranger Things has been put to rest after five seasons, and Brown has built a career that goes far beyond the Upside Down. She’s appeared in multiple films, including The Electric State, Damsel and both Enola Holmes films. She’s a two-time Emmy nominee. And in a move that still feels incredibly impressive, she was announced as UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador on World Children’s Day in 2018.
But the update that really puts the passage of time into perspective? She’s now a mother. In 2025, Brown adopted a baby girl with her husband Jake Bongiovi, whom she married in 2024.
Tom Holland
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Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon
Speaking of 2016 debuts that changed everything — Tom Holland was just 20 years old when he showed up as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War and immediately stole the movie. That wide-eyed, fast-talking energy was exactly what the MCU needed, and it launched Holland into a career trajectory that’s nothing short of staggering.
In the decade since, he has appeared in six MCU superhero films and has become one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time. Beyond the spandex, he’s also appeared in The Devil All the Time, Cherry and Chaos Walking, proving he’s got dramatic range to spare. And he’s not slowing down — he’s set to star in The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in 2026.
Now, let’s talk about the update that broke the internet (and plenty of hearts): Holland announced his engagement to Zendaya in 2024. If you’ve been shipping “Tomdaya” since those early press tours, this was the payoff of a lifetime. Watching two people you’ve followed since your own early twenties hit that kind of milestone? It genuinely feels personal, and that’s the beauty of growing up alongside the celebrities you love.
Glen Powell
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Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter
If there’s one breakout story from 2016 that perfectly encapsulates the “slow burn to superstardom” arc, it’s Glen Powell. This is a guy who made his acting debut all the way back in 2003 but didn’t score his first major breakthrough role until he starred as Chad Radwell on the first season of Scream Queens in late 2015. He followed that up with appearances in Ride Along 2, Misconduct and Everybody Wants Some!! in 2016.
And then? Powell has enjoyed tremendous success in the decade since. He joined the cast of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022 — a movie that felt like its own cultural event — and went on to appear in Hit Man, Anyone but You, The Blue Angels, Twisters and Running Man, per IMDB. He also starred in and created Chad Powers and is set to star in The Great Beyond and How to Make a Killing in 2026.
Powell’s trajectory is honestly the kind of career arc that’s deeply satisfying to watch unfold. Over a decade of work before the world caught up — and now he’s everywhere you look. If that’s not the ultimate “trust the process” story, what is?
Hailey Bieber
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Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Hearst
Hailey Bieber was already making headlines in 2015, but she continued her rise in 2016 with campaigns for Ralph Lauren’s Denim & Supply line, H&M x Coachella, Tommy Jeans and Guess. She also briefly dated Justin Bieber before the two split in early 2016 — a detail that, in retrospect, makes everything that followed even more compelling.
Now 10 years later, Hailey and Justin have been married for eight of those years and welcomed their first child in August 2024. Beyond her personal milestones, Hailey has become a full-on beauty mogul. She’s the founder and chief creative officer (CCO) of skin care brand Rhode, which was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in a $1 billion deal in 2025. A billion dollars. For a brand she built from the ground up. That’s not just a glow-up — that’s a whole empire.
Alessia Cara
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Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for iHeart
If you were alive and awake in 2016, you heard Alessia Cara. She released her debut studio album, “Know-It-All,” in November 2015 and continued her rise with hit singles “Wild Things” and “Scars to Your Beautiful” in 2016 — the kind of songs that soundtracked late-night drives and early mornings with equal effectiveness.
Since then, Cara has released three more studio albums, including The Pains of Growing (2018), In the Meantime (2021) and Love & Hyperbole (2025). She became the first Canadian artist to ever win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2018 and was also nominated for Song of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance that same year. Four Grammy nominations in a single year, just two years after her breakout — that’s a career defined by momentum.
Kelsea Ballerini
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Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sweet Talk PR
Kelsea Ballerini released her debut album The First Time in 2015, but she didn’t truly enjoy the fruits of her labor until 2016, when her single “Peter Pan” hit No. 1 on the country charts. She then won New Female Vocalist of the Year at the ACMAs in 2016, cementing her place as country music’s next big thing.
Now 10 years later, she’s one of country music’s hottest stars — and “hottest” might be an understatement. She’s won two awards at the 2021 CMAs and is now a six-time Grammy nominee. Her fifth studio album, Patterns, was released in 2024, and her third EP, Mount Pleasant, was released in 2025. She also debuted as a coach on the 27th season of The Voice in 2025. From country radio darling to coaching the next generation of talent — that’s a full-circle moment.
Halsey
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Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella
Halsey released her debut studio album, Badlands, in 2015, but 2016 was the year everything went nuclear. Her feature on the Chainsmokers’ single “Closer” became her first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Suddenly, she wasn’t just an up-and-comer — she was inescapable. If you were at any party, in any car, or walking through any store in late 2016, you heard that song. You know it. You can probably still sing every word.
Halsey went on to release four studio albums between 2017 and 2024, all of which peaked no lower than No. 2 in the US. Her song “Without Me” won an AMA for Favorite Pop/Rock Song in 2019. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album in 2022 for If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. And on the personal front, she announced her engagement to actor Avan Jogia in 2024.
Maren Morris
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Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Academy of Country Music
Maren Morris released her debut studio album, Hero, in 2016 and won New Artist of the Year (along with four other nominations) at the 2016 CMAs. If Kelsea Ballerini was country’s princess in 2016, Morris was right there with her, building a career that would prove to be just as lasting.
The numbers tell the story: in the 10 years since, Morris has five wins (and 18 nominations) at the ACM Awards, one win (eight nominations) at the AMAs, five wins (25 nominations) at the CMAs, and one win (17 nominations) at the Grammy Awards. She has released three studio albums since 2019 — Girl, Humble Quest and Dreamsicle. And in 2024, she was included on the Billboard list of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time. Debut album in 2016, all-time great by 2024. That’s the kind of decade most artists only dream about.
Ashley Graham
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Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Ashley Graham became the first plus-size model to pose for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2016. That same year, she appeared in DNCE’s video for the song “Toothbrush.” It was a moment that felt genuinely significant at the time — and everything she’s done since has only reinforced that.
Over the past decade, Graham has become a major voice in the body positivity movement. She authored a book, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, in 2017. She gave an inspiring TED talk, launched clothing lines, made her Broadway debut in 2025, and has welcomed three children (including a set of twins) with her husband Justin Ervin. From trailblazing on the cover of a magazine to owning stages on Broadway, Graham’s decade is a testament to what happens when you refuse to be boxed in.
Kaia Gerber
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Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Lifetime
Kaia Gerber was just 15 years old when she made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2016. She also starred in a campaign for Miu Miu sunglasses, became a face of Marc Jacobs Beauty and posed for Vogue that year. 15 and already working with those names — that’s a level of early-career success that’s hard to wrap your head around.
Gerber went on to win Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2018. But aside from her impressive career as a model, she has also made a name for herself as an actress. She has had a recurring role on Palm Royale since 2024 and appeared in multiple films, including Bottoms, Saturday Night and Shell. She’s set to appear in Outcome and Mother Mary in 2026, per IMDB. The pivot from runway to screen is one of the hardest transitions in entertainment, and Gerber has made it look seamless.
Auli’i Cravalho
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SANTA MONICA, CA – DECEMBER 11: Actress Auli’i Cravalho attends The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on December 11, 2016 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Auli’i Cravalho made her acting debut with Disney’s Moana in 2016, voicing the titular heroine — and instantly giving an entire generation a new anthem with “How Far I’ll Go.” If you didn’t belt that song at least once in 2016, we need to talk.
Cravalho has since had leading roles in Rise, All Together Now, Darby and the Dead, The Power and the 2024 film adaptation of Mean Girls: The Musical. She also reprised her most prominent role of Moana in the film’s 2024 sequel, Moana 2. She had a voice role in Zootopia 2 in 2025 and is now an executive producer of the live-action adaptation of Moana, set for release in 2026. Going from voicing a character to executive producing her live-action story is a power move, plain and simple.
Anya Taylor-Joy
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Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Anya Taylor-Joy became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actresses after she starred in The Witch in 2015. She followed that with roles in Morgan, Barry and Split in 2016, quickly establishing herself as someone who gravitates toward bold, genre-defying projects.
She has since continued to star in major films, including Split’s 2019 sequel Glass, Peaky Blinders, Emma, The Queen’s Gambit, Last Night in Soho, The Northman, The Gorge, The Menu and the apocalyptic film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. She also voiced Princess Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. She’s now set to star in Lucky, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Dune: Part Three in 2026. That range — from psychological horror to animated Nintendo princesses to sweeping sci-fi epics — is genuinely unmatched.
Sofia Boutella
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Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Sofia Boutella scored her major breakthrough in 2016 when she starred as Jaylah in “Star Trek Beyond,” one of the highest-earning films of the year. It was the kind of role that puts you on Hollywood’s radar in a big way.
Boutella has appeared in more than a dozen films since her 2016 breakthrough, including The Mummy, Atomic Blonde, both Rebel Moon films, Argyle, Climax, The Killer’s Game and Hotel Artemis. She’s set to appear in DreamQuil in 2026 and has several other films in post-production.
Grace VanderWaal
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Photo credit should read BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images
Grace VanderWaal took the music industry by storm in 2016 when she auditioned and later won the 11th season of America’s Got Talent. She was Howie Mandel’s “golden buzzer.” She signed a recording deal with Columbia Records shortly after her win and released her debut EP, Perfectly Imperfect, in December of that year.
VanderWaal was just 12 years old when she won AGT. Now 10 years later, she has released two studio albums, including Just the Beginning in 2017 and Childstar in 2025. She was an opening act for Imagine Dragons in 2018 and Florence and the Machine in 2019. Her most recent tour was the “Childstar Tour” in 2025.
Which famous celebrities will break out next?
Looking at this list, what stands out isn’t just individual success stories — it’s the sheer range of what a decade can hold. Marriages and babies. Grammy nods and billion-dollar deals. Career pivots that nobody saw coming and slow-burn rises that feel cosmically earned.
The “2026 is the new 2016” trend isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about reckoning with the fact that a full decade has passed since these people — and, let’s be honest, many of us — were just getting started. Wherever these stars go next, one thing is clear: 2016 was one heck of a launching pad. So, who’s next?