25 favorite ’80s and ’90s teenage heartthrobs and what they’re doing now

Joey Lawrence

What made him a heartthrob: Those arms, and that righteous mullet of thick hair. Joey Lawrence with the idiot middle brother on Blossom, also starring Mayim Bialik as the title character. Joey was far more handsome than he was smart, and girls across America thought he was just the cutest thing in the whole world. I confess, I was among the many who has his poster on my wall. Even that stupid catchphrase, “Whoa” couldn’t deter me, and I sat, every week, fantasizing about this boy I knew would be out of my league.

The show was important to me in a lot of ways, but I certainly believe that Joey Russo was my adolescent sexual identity. His charm and swag helped parlay himself into a show with his two younger brothers, Brotherly Love. He did a lot of B-level stuff after that, but he never stopped being gorgeous, even when all his hair fell out.

What he’s doing now: This probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone but me and my neighbors, but he just finished shooting a Christian film, My Brother’s Keeper, in my hometown. It’s scheduled for release in 2019, so watch it and think of me.

Joey at his best: For me, the best Joey Lawrence is “Christmas movie” Joey Lawrence. Just like any low-level celebrity that knows which side of the bread is buttered on, Lawrence has made his fair share of movies for Hallmark. He also had a fairly good run with Melissa Joan Hart on their show,  Melissa and Joey.