Whatever Happened to ‘Who’s the Boss’ Star Danny Pintauro?

For a certain generation of TV viewers, Danny Pintauro will always be Jonathan Bower, the adorable kid at the center of Who’s the Boss?. Week after week throughout the 1980s, Pintauro grew up on screen, performing alongside Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano and Katherine Helmond and becoming one of the most recognizable child actors of the decade. As he gears up to reunite with fans at the Hollywood Show convention on January 9 and 10, 2026, in Burbank, California, let’s find out what he’s been up to since the ’80s.

How did Danny Pintauro begin his career?

Born January 6, 1976, in Milltown, New Jersey, Pintauro was already working steadily as a child actor before his sitcom fame. One of his earliest roles came on As the World Turns, where he originated the role of Paul Ryan. Shortly after, he made a lasting impression in the 1983 horror film Cujo, playing Tad Trenton, the young boy trapped with his mother as they are menaced by a vicious dog, in one of the most harrowing Stephen King adaptations ever put on screen.

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Everything changed in 1984 when Pintauro was cast as Jonathan Bower on Who’s the Boss?. The show ran for eight seasons and 196 episodes, making Pintauro a permanent fixture of 1980s television. Unlike many sitcom kids, Jonathan was written as thoughtful and emotionally perceptive, and Pintauro handled the role with a maturity well beyond his years. By the time the series wrapped in 1992, he had spent nearly a decade growing up in front of an audience.

Instead of jumping straight into adult roles, Pintauro made a deliberate choice to step away. He focused on his education, eventually studying English and theater at Stanford University, where he graduated in 1998. When he returned to performing, it was largely on his own terms, gravitating toward stage work like The Velocity of Gary and Mommie Queerest, productions that allowed him to explore more challenging and personal material.

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Pintauro’s life after TV fame also included long stretches outside of the entertainment industry entirely. He worked some normal jobs, including time as a Tupperware sales representative and as a restaurant manager in Las Vegas. In 2001, he briefly reappeared on television as a contestant on a child stars edition of The Weakest Link, during a time when he was mostly living a private life.

Unfortunately, his privacy was not always respected. In the late 1990s, Pintauro was outed by a tabloid, an experience he has spoken about openly in later years. Over time, he reclaimed his own narrative, publicly sharing his sexuality, marrying Wil Tabares in 2014, and later speaking candidly about his HIV positive status and recovery from addiction.

Where is Danny Pintauro today?

In 2016, Pintauro and his husband relocated to Austin, Texas, where he found meaningful work outside of acting, including a role as a veterinary technician with Austin Pets Alive. Then, in 2022, Pintauro returned to acting and moved back to California, appearing in the television film A Country Christmas Harmony. Fans will now have the chance to meet him in person when he appears at The Hollywood Show on January 9 and 10 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel.

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