The Transformation Of Tori Spelling's Son, Liam

Born to actors Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, Liam Aaron McDermott has only ever known life in the spotlight.  Not only were the first several years of his life documented on his parents' various reality shows, but the Los Angeles native's mom and dad regularly sing his praises in interviews and on social media. A drummer and fashion designer, Liam truly marches to his own beat, and continues to make those around him smile with his compassionate nature. 

Though Liam Aaron McDermott is pretty quiet on his personal Instagram account, his parents have been sure to share some of the teenager's most memorable moments over on their social media. In March 2024, for example, Tori posted a video to Instagram in celebration of Liam's 17th birthday, where she absolutely gushed about the teen's ability to overcome any obstacle with positivity, kindness, and humor. "You astound me daily," the star captioned the post. "Always be you. You are amazing. In awe of your being." 

As Liam continues to grow up, it's no secret that he continues bring a lot of joy to the family. Once upon a time, he was a little tot tagging along at his parents' events. Now, he's a teen who's paving his own way and making his mom and dad proud.

Born on March 13, 2007, Liam Aaron McDermott is the eldest of Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's five kids. (The two celebs may have more kids than you realized.) "I am ready, ready, ready to meet my little man," Tori told People a month before Liam's arrival. Aside from how special this time in Tori's life was already, baby Liam's birth allowed the star to work through her fraught relationships with her own parents. Tori was not only able to make amends with her own mother, Candy Spelling, but she was also able to pay homage to her late father, Aaron Spelling, with Liam's middle name.

Though Liam was nothing short of a healthy baby at birth, his mother did in fact endure a difficult labor, which was scary to say the least. Not only did labor have to be induced, making Liam's arrival almost two weeks early, but the baby's heart rate began to drop at an alarming rate. Tori then underwent a cesarean section. After a long period of painful contractions and worry, Liam entered the world just as perfect as he could be. A rep for the family was quick to share the good news following the birth as well. "They're all really happy and everybody's resting now," the rep told People. "Tori and the baby are healthy."

Only one day after Liam Aaron McDermott celebrated turning 1, he attended a pretty noteworthy event for such a little guy. On March 14, 2008, Tori Spelling held a signing for her very first book, "sTORI Telling," to which she brought both Dean McDermott and baby Liam along to share in the excitement. Held at the Barnes and Noble bookstore located at the Grove in Los Angeles, the family looked nothing short of excited for this momentous occasion. What's more, Spelling was in fact pregnant with her second child at the time of the event. Suffice to say, the Spelling-McDermott crew had a lot to celebrate.

Donning a gray button down shirt and a dark wash pair of jeans, Liam looked as precious as ever as he posed and smiled for the camera. The spunky toddler seemed to deal with the hustle and bustle of the event like a champ as he hung out with his dad. Though super social, the tiny tyke eventually found himself needing a well-deserved break. So, he took to his private red and black wagon to play with a Bla Bla Mozart Monkey Doll. Taking a closer look at the wagon, one could see that the interior was completely decked out with red and orange flames. Clearly, Liam was a super rad baby.

For a number of children around the world, there is one award show in particular that stands out amongst the rest, one which would be the ultimate dream to attend for those looking to see some slime. At just 8 years old, Liam Aaron McDermott was lucky enough to live out this very dream. On March 12, 2016, Liam went to the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Though parents to four at the time, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott decided to take just their two eldest children to the event. Liam and Stella McDermott sure seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Whether they were brushing elbows with some of their favorite stars, watching musical performances, or witnessing the legendary dumping of green slime in person, both kiddos could be seen with huge smiles on their faces for a majority of the evening.

Wearing a pair of high-top sneakers, dark wash jeans, and a neon paint-splatter tee, Liam absolutely rocked the orange carpet. Pairing his colorful look with a sleek hairdo and an effortlessly cool pose to match, the young boy gave off major star power vibes as he stood alongside his family. Meanwhile, little sister Stella followed in her mother's footsteps, choosing to don a pink and white dress with funky floral details. The 7-year-old perfectly accessorized her look with a salmon-colored bag, as well as a chunky, pearlescent necklace and a cute pair of gold flats. 

When it comes to throwing memorable birthday parties for their children, reality TV veterans Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott never disappoint. Some of their most epic parties, without question, have been for Liam Aaron McDermott. His 9th and 10th birthday celebrations in particular really knocked it out of the park.

When it was time for Liam to celebrate his last year in the single digits, Spelling and Dean made sure to do so with a bang. In 2016, Liam rang in his 9th birthday with a video game-themed extravaganza. The party featured an awesome game bus, a bounce house, and some of Liam's favorite foods. There was a burger food truck, a snow cone cart, and a specially curated dessert table, as well as a three-tiered, super colorful cake that was Donkey Kong themed. Oh, and Liam wore a shirt that read "#LiamLevel9."

For Liam's 10th birthday, Spelling and Dean decided to transform their yard into Camp Liam, giving guests a taste of the great outdoors in the most luxurious way possible. The sleepover party featured a classic tent, sleeping bags, and more, including a massive outdoor movie screen provided by Funflicks of SoCal. Liam and his friends were also treated to a fun array of snacks throughout the night, such as popcorn, s'mores, and, of course, cake.

On June 15, 2019, Liam Aaron McDermott waved goodbye to elementary school, and celebrated his 6th grade graduation as a soon-to-be 7th grader. The bright young boy had many feats to be proud of: Not only did he earn great grades, but he wowed the crowd with a speech at his moving up ceremony. "His speech blew everyone away," Tori Spelling would later share. 

With spirits high, both mom and dad took to Instagram to post a series of photos from the day, showcasing a very delighted Liam alongside his parents and siblings. Wearing a funky, fruit-print button down paired with a cool gray suit, Liam can be seen with a huge smile on his face as he holds up his diploma for the camera. "He started at this school as a tiny little blonde babe and has grown into a kind, clever, smart, resilient, driven, funny, and amazing young man," Spelling captioned her post on the popular social media platform. "I love you so much monkey and you make me proud every day with the unbelievable human that you are!" Dean McDermott then jumped on his own account to give a shout out to the new graduate as well, writing on Instagram, "So proud of this young man. Handsome AND moving on to the 7th grade!!" 

Though graduating from elementary school was an exciting time for Liam Aaron McDermott, the young boy would soon experience the worst part about entering his brand new middle school. Unfortunately, the spirited boy would deal with a form of bullying that his positivity alone could not overcome, and the school was far from interested in assisting the 12-year-old in his time of need. "He was bullied to the point that he developed severe emotional based headaches and stomach aches," Tori Spelling captioned an Instagram post on February 22, 2020. The post, which featured a photo of Liam and Stella from when they were little kids, went on to detail the bullying faced by the star's two eldest children. "This school (who did help with Stella's situation) did not help with Liams," Spelling explained. "He continued to be bullied so bad we had to leave." She shared that Liam had begun to lose interest in his studies.

Spelling also noted that Liam experienced feelings of self-doubt in elementary school. The young boy, who graduated with flying colors, felt that he was not smart due to comments made by the school's principal. According to Spelling, the principal described her son as "unmotivated" and "lazy". "Beyond not the case," Spelling continued. "He is a hilarious, smart, outgoing, and a creative kind guy!" 

In June 2022, Dean McDermott revealed some news about Liam Aaron McDermott. At a screening of 2022's"My Fake Boyfriend" at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco, the actor noted why working on the film was so special for him and his kids. "The thing I love about this movie is I got to share it with my 15-year-old who identifies as trans and my gay son," Dean said in a clip posted to one of Jack McDermott's Instagram Stories. (Jack is his son from his first marriage.) "I love that they get a safe space to come and watch this," Dean continued. This was the first public announcement regarding Liam's gender identity, and no further updates regarding the teen's preferred name or pronouns have been disclosed. As of this writing, Liam's parents still use he/him pronouns when referring to their son.

Just a week before this announcement, Dean attended Los Angeles Pride with both Liam and Jack, and the photos posted to the actor's Instagram showed the trio in all smiles. "WOW!!! What an amazing day celebrating @pride with my boys @thejackmonty and @liammcdermott2007. We had a BLAST," Dean captioned the post. The star then went on to recall some of their favorite events from the day, including a drag brunch at Hamburger Mary's, as well as some quality time spent with the one and only Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd. 

On December 13, 2023, Tori Spelling took to her Instagram Story with some stressful news: Liam Aaron McDermott was set to undergo surgery for his foot. The post showcased 16-year-old Liam prepped and ready for his procedure, though both he and his mother were experiencing feelings of uncertainty. "Not sure who's more nervous him or mama," Spelling wrote. 

Luckily, just a day later, Spelling provided her followers with an update: the surgery went well. In her Instagram Story, fans could see a much more relaxed Liam, smiling alongside his physician at Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital. "My guy did great," the star wrote with the happy picture, "Surgery was a success thx to Dr. Gifford."

In a followup Instagram Story, Spelling revealed the cause of Liam's foot pain. The reality TV star shared that her kid took a tumble down the stairs in their home. After weeks of no improvement, surgery was the only option, as his "navicular accessory fractured bone in [the] right foot needed to be removed and then [the] tendon reattached to his main bone with a metal hook rod." Due to his injury, Liam actually had to miss out on a few family outings, including the 2023 Jingle Ball concert.

Liam Aaron McDermott is growing up right before our eyes; the kid has already beat Tori Spelling in the height department. In late 2023, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum shared a snap on Instagram of her two eldest towering over her. "Now, both taller than me. It happens!" she wrote.

When Liam turned 17 on March 13, 2024, he certainly wasn't too grown up for one of his favorite traditions. As Spelling shared in an Instagram Story that morning, Liam enjoyed a stack of red velvet pancakes in bed. While this choice of breakfast item is on the menu every year, Spelling decided to spice things up for her son's special day: She threw in some mint cookie pancakes, too. 

Spelling posted a sweet video to her Instagram as well, showcasing a series of images of Liam throughout the years. "You have always gone with the flow. ... You were born via emergency yet came out sleeping. On point," she wrote. "All eyes on you yet chill af." Fans in the comment section were sure to send the 17-year-old a slew of happy birthday wishes, as well as send praise to Spelling for encouraging her children to stay true to who they are.