Early 2000s heartthrob Ashley Parker Angel has earned the title “King of Thirst Traps,” but he admits he began to feel “objectified” during his O-Town days.
“I think coming out at 18 in the way that I did, the frontman of a boyband and all that, any young performer in that regard can start to become very objectified,” Angel, 44 — frontman of the iconic boyband O-Town, told People in an interview published Monday, November 10. “You do start to really identify with your appearance and your looks — and it can be very unhealthy as people age.”
Now in the health and wellness field with his company, High Level Science, Angel opened up about his decision to transition away from acting and performing.
“What I realized that after 20 years of being in that leading man, heartthrob kind of thing is that I wanted to pivot away from it,” he told the outlet. “Because it was fun and I loved being able to be on stage and maybe change people’s lives for an hour or two, but through health and wellness, I could change people’s lives forever. And that became far more fulfilling and rewarding for me in a space like entertainment where you’re very self-focused, you’re focused on your image, and people are picking you apart and critiquing you.”
He continued, “In America, we love to build these celebrities up and then we love to tear them down. At a certain point, I felt like I wanted something that had more fulfillment and more purpose that was even bigger than those things.”
Angel and O-Town got their start on Making the Band in 2000. After two successful albums, the group disbanded just three years later. Angel spent some time on Broadway in the years following, including touring with Wicked as Fiyero beginning in 2014.
The band ultimately reunited in 2013, but Angel turned down the opportunity.
“When they did the reunion, I was still on Broadway, and so they’ve been now a band doing the reunion thing for quite some time while I’ve been going this direction. And so obviously it’s not the same as it used to be because we were all on the road, living in a house together, all the things,” the told People. “Now it’s a lot different. We’re grown. They’re in the band, I’m not. But I do really appreciate that they’ve kept it going.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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