Desperate Housewives child star unrecognisable 17 years after debut hit show

A CHILD star from Desperate Housewives looks totally unrecognisable 17 years after debuting on the hit show.

Mason Vale Cotton starred in the hit ABC soap opera when he was just a child, and in 2024, he looks very different from his iconic role.

The now-22-year-old played the role of M.J. Delfino, the son of Susan Mayer and Mike Delfino, in the ABC soap opera from 2008 until 2012.

And in recent snaps of the actor on social media, the M.J. Delfino star looks so much more grown up and mature, and utterly worlds away from his character on the show.

With more than 10,000 followers on social media, under the handle @masonvcotton, the former child star has shared 16 posts, with his most recent shared in the spring.

In some snaps that were shared back in April, Mason could be seen posing with his girlfriend with his top off.

Smiling beside her with his top off, the child star showed off his toned physique and four tattoos on his torso.

Meanwhile, in January, he shared an anniversary snap with his girlfriend to celebrate one year together.

In the snaps, the pair could be seen kissing, with the former Desperate Housewives star even rocking some facial hair which really left fans taken aback by how much older he had gotten.

“So that’s MJ,” penned one fan in the comments section, with another replying, “Me rewatching Desperate Housewives and needing to know what MJ looks like [in] this day and age”.

Other snaps of Mason see him rocking long hair, curtain bangs, and facial hair back in 2022.

Posing up a storm in an all-black ensemble, Mason held a cigarette and looked into the camera lens in a sultry way.

The actor was compared to Leonardo DiCaprio by fans, with one writing, “DiCaprio-vibes.”

Another said, “Looks like he’s both the face blend of Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp.”

Born on June 25, 2002, in San Diego, Mason’s role in the comedy-mystery-drama wasn’t his only well-known stint as a child star.

PREVIOUS ACTING CREDITS

Mason is also known for starring as Bobby Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men, with him even earning a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2016.

He has also starred in A Dennis the Menace Christmas, Medium, ER, The Spleenectomy, and Radio Free Albemuth.

Mason has lent his voice to characters too, with him providing voiceovers in several shows and movies.

The child star provided additional voices for the 2011 animated film and played Max in the 2015 film Russell Madness and its 2020 series spinoff Russell Maniac.

BROTHERS OR RIVALS?

In 2014, Mason spoke out in an interview about his career, with the then 12-year-old revealing the age he actually started acting.

“I started acting when I was 4 or 5 years old,” he said to Ness’ Word.

He noted how his brother, who was 14 at the time of the interview, was an actor before he was, adding how he was “jealous”.

“I talked to my agent and I became an actor,” he then revealed, adding, “I took a couple of acting lessons when I was younger. I learned with my brother, my agent, and on set.”