Tara Reid has had some major ups and downs following her breakthrough success on American Pie 25 years ago, but she’s now healthy, happy and in a great place on the verge of 50 — and a source exclusively tells In Touch she’s ready to embrace new challenges in the years ahead. 

“It’s no secret Tara’s had her party demons,” the insider says. “By her own admission she did go off the rails pretty hard, but she’s finally overcome her bad habits and she’s thriving, you can tell just by looking at her.”

The Big Lebowski actress debuted her glam new look at the Pabrik Gula premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 22, sporting blonde curls and a leather jacket on the red carpet. Fans were stunned at her fresh-faced appearance, with many on X almost unable to recognize the Sharknado star. While it’s true, “her skin is glowing,” the source notes her recent makeover is a much deeper endeavor than prettying up for the cameras. “There’s a light behind her eyes that wasn’t there for a very long time,” the insider adds. 

The Van Wilder actress admitted in 1999, the year she got her big break with American Pie, “When I go out to drink, I really drink. I black out sometimes. I don’t know how I manage my life when I black out, but I still function and just keep going.” The statement, as well as plenty of paparazzi evidence to support it, elevated Tara to the status of the nation’s party girl, an endearment she found impossible to shake even decades afterwards. In 2023, she discussed how the spouse- and child-less lifestyle she’s chosen to pursue hasn’t helped shed her public image and ended up hurting fan perception of her.

“I think in Hollywood if you don’t have kids, and you’re not married, you’re judged,” Tara said to Mr. Warburton Magazine. “So, they still think you’re that party girl from 40 years ago. But, all of a sudden, if you have a kid and you get married, ‘Oh, she grew up, she is great.’”

“She’s always been ambitious, her love of fun and partying just got in the way,” the insider says. “But now that she’s buckled down and focused, the offers are rolling in. For a long time, people counted her out, she was the butt of a lot of jokes, which has been incredibly painful. But, instead of giving up, she pushed through and slowly but surely, she’s proving that she’s still a viable star.” 

For Tara, “The turning point came when she lost her mom,” in 2019. “The grief hit her so hard and she realized how precious life is. Her mom was always her biggest supporter and now that she’s gone, Tara wants to do everything that she can to make her proud.” 

“She’s got a big milestone birthday coming up and she’s actually looking forward to it, because she’s finally feeling like she’s living up to her potential. She’s excited about what’s to come.”