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Updated on: May 7, 2024
Lindsay Lohan, Selena Gomez and more famous faces got their start on the Disney Channel back in the day — and they’ll never forget their roots.
Gomez appeared on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012, and though the kids’ network helped her launch her career, she hasn’t been afraid to speak out about the darker aspects of life as a child star.
“When I was younger, it was all fun to me,” Gomez told Business of Fashion magazine in September 2017. “But when I got older, I started to become exposed to the truth behind some stuff and that’s when it flipped a little bit. I realized that, ‘Oh this is actually really hard, and kind of slimy in certain areas,’ and I didn’t realize that certain people wanted certain things from me.”
As she grew into herself, Gomez admitted that she started to feel “violated” by comments about her changing body and noticed that the focus on her became less and less “about [her] art.” Even after leaving the Disney Channel, she began to question whether or not she really wanted to be in the spotlight.
“‘Do I really love this? Is this worth it anymore?’” she said. “I would look at my crowd on tour and think, ‘Yes, this is worth it, right?’ But then I would look at myself in the mirror and I just felt like, ‘I’ve had enough, I don’t know if I can go on anymore.’ And I stopped it for a second. But it didn’t mean that I didn’t love it, I just had to find what I was going to do with it. As long as I’m healthy and happy in my mind, I’m all about it.”
Scroll down to see more Disney Channel stars through the years — including Lohan, Demi Lovato and Shia LaBeouf:
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
Lindsay Lohan, Selena Gomez and More Disney Stars Through the Years
Lindsay Lohan, Selena Gomez and more famous faces got their start on the Disney Channel back in the day — and they’ll never forget their roots. Gomez appeared on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012, and though the kids’ network helped her launch her career, she hasn’t been afraid to speak out about the darker aspects of life as a child star. “When I was younger, it was all fun to me,” Gomez told Business of Fashion magazine in September 2017. “But when I got older, I started to become exposed to the truth behind some stuff and that’s when it flipped a little bit. I realized that, ‘Oh this is actually really hard, and kind of slimy in certain areas,’ and I didn’t realize that certain people wanted certain things from me.” As she grew into herself, Gomez admitted that she started to feel “violated” by comments about her changing body and noticed that the focus on her became less and less “about [her] art.” Even after leaving the Disney Channel, she began to question whether or not she really wanted to be in the spotlight. [sendtonews type=”float” key=”hutoYCCpaG-3104085-14453″] “‘Do I really love this? Is this worth it anymore?'” she said. “I would look at my crowd on tour and think, ‘Yes, this is worth it, right?’ But then I would look at myself in the mirror and I just felt like, ‘I’ve had enough, I don’t know if I can go on anymore.’ And I stopped it for a second. But it didn’t mean that I didn’t love it, I just had to find what I was going to do with it. As long as I’m healthy and happy in my mind, I’m all about it.” Scroll down to see more Disney Channel stars through the years — including Lohan, Demi Lovato and Shia LaBeouf:
Credit: Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
Lindsay Lohan
The actress got her start by playing twins in 1998’s The Parent Trap. She later starred in more Disney films, including Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Herbie: Fully Loaded. The New York native struggled in the spotlight for a number of years, but made a return to the entertainment world with the British series Sick Note (2018), the MTV reality show Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club (2019) and as a judge on The Masked Singer Australia (2019).
Us confirmed in July 2022 that Lohan married Bader Shammas. The couple announced in March 2023 that they were expecting their first child. Their baby boy, Luai, arrived in July 2023.
Credit: Disney Channel / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Raven-Symone
For four seasons, the actress played a teenage psychic on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. The series helped launch the network’s first spinoff, Cory in the House, which starred Kyle Massey. After leaving the Disney Channel, the Georgia native was a cohost of ABC’s The View from 2015 to 2016. She eventually parted from the daytime talk show to begin production of a spin-off based on her former Disney series, Raven’s Home.
Raven-Symoné tied the knot with Miranda Maday in a surprise ceremony in June 2020.
Credit: Walt Disney Enterprises / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Hilary Duff
The actress played the titular character in Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire from 2001-2004. In 2003, she starred in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which debuted at No. 2 behind X2: X-Men United. She later co-authored a trilogy of books, beginning with Elixir (2010) and followed by sequels Devoted (2011) and True (2013). She starred on Younger from 2015 to 2021 before landing the role of Sophie on How I Met Your Father in 2022.
The Texas native was married to hockey player Mike Comrie from 2010 to 2016. The exes share son Luca, who was born in March 2012. Duff married musician Matthew Koma in 2019. The couple share three daughters: Banks, Mae and Townes, born in October 2018, March 2021 and May 2024, respectively.
Credit: rookwell-McNamara Entertainment / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Shia LaBeouf
Long before he was cast in Transformers, LaBeouf played Christy Carlson Romano‘s devious little brother, Louis, on Even Stevens. The show lasted three seasons and spawned 2003’s Even Stevens Movie. Since departing from the Disney Channel, the California native appeared in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Fury (2014) and The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019). He made his screenwriting debut with the semi-autobiographical Honey Boy (2019), which drew inspiration from LaBeouf’s own experience with PTSD and his strained relationship with his father.
The True Love actor married Mia Goth in 2016 but the pair split two years later. The duo sparked reconciliation rumors in 2020 when they were seen wearing wedding rings. LaBeouf, however, dated other people in the years that followed. In April 2022, news broke that the BAFTA Award winner welcomed his first child with Goth.
Credit: Fred Hayes/The Disney Channel/Kobal/Shutterstock
Zac Efron
While Efron made a splash as Cameron Bale on Summerland in 2004, it wasn’t until he was cast as Troy Bolton in High School Musical that he rose to superstardom. The actor reprised the role in two more HSM films before becoming a box office hit for starring roles in 17 Again (2009), Charlie St. Cloud (2010), Neighbors (2014), Baywatch (2017), The Greatest Showman (2017) and The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022). The California native has also worked behind the camera as an executive producer on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and his TV series Down to Earth With Zac Efron, in which he both starred.
Efron famously dated his HSM love interest Vanessa Hudgens from 2005 to 2010. He then had romances with Lily Collins and Halston Sage before dating Vanessa Valladares from 2020 to 2021.
Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Vanessa Hudgens
Hudgens made a splash on Disney Channel in 2006 when she portrayed Troy Bolton’s love interest, Gabriella Montez, in the DCOM High School Musical. That same year, she had a recurring role on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The California native later played Gabriella in High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year. She went on to star in Beastly (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Grease Live! (2016), Second Act (2018) and Netflix’s The Princess Switch franchise (2018-2021). In addition to film roles, Hudgens has had a successful stage career with appearances in 2015’s Gigi and 2018’s In the Heights.
Hudgens dated Zac Efron from 2005 to 2010. The following year, Hudgens started seeing Austin Butler. The pair called it quits in December 2019 after eight years together. The former child star announced her engagement to MLB player Cole Tucker in February 2023.
Credit: DISNEY CHANNEL/BOB D’AMICO
Jonas Brothers
Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas starred in the 2008 Disney Channel film Camp Rock. They later shot a sequel and even starred on their own short-lived Disney Channel series, Jonas L.A. The pop-rock trio disbanded in 2013, but returned seven years later with their fifth studio album, Happiness Begins.
In 2009, Kevin tied the knot with longtime sweetheart Danielle Jonas (nee Deleasa), with whom he shares two daughters. Nick exchanged vows with Priyanka Chopra Jonas nine years later and Joe wed Sophie Turner in two ceremonies in the summer of 2019.
In February 2020, Us confirmed Joe and the Game of Thrones alum were expecting their first child together. The pair welcomed daughter Willa in July 2020. Us confirmed that Joe and the Barely Lethal actress expanded their brood with a second daughter two years later. Nick, for his part, welcomed his first child with Chopra Jonas, daughter Malti, via surrogate in January 2022.
Credit: Disney
Miley Cyrus
On Hannah Montana, Cyrus played a Tennessee transplant living a double life as a high school student by day, and an international pop star by night. The series lasted four seasons and even made it to the big screen with 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie. She later starred in 2010’s The Last Song, where she met longtime love Liam Hemsworth.
The pair tied the knot in December 2018 after several years of dating on and off, but ended their marriage just eight months later. Their divorce was made final in January 2020. Following her Disney days, Cyrus switched her focus to music, releasing eight albums from 2007 to 2023.
Credit: Disney Channel / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
The duo played troublemaking twins who live in the Tipton Hotel on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. After three seasons, Disney Channel rebranded the series to follow the twins aboard the S.S. Tipton on The Suite Life on Deck. The twins both pursued college degrees at New York University after leaving the Disney show and eventually returned to acting, Cole in the CW’s Riverdale and Dylan in the 2020 rom-com After We Collided.
Cole dated his Riverdale costar Lili Reinhart on and off for three years before their split in March 2020. He began dating Ari Fournier in early 2021. Dylan, for his part, sparked a romance with model Barbara Palvin in June 2018. The couple announced in June 2023 that Dylan had proposed in September 2022. In July 2023, Dylan wed Palvin in Hungary.
Credit: DISNEY CHANNEL/JOHN MEDLAND
Demi Lovato
In 2008, Lovato starred in Disney Channel’s Camp Rock with Meaghan Martin, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Jasmine Richards. The TV movie spawned a sequel, and Lovato eventually scored the series Sonny With a Chance, which aired from 2009 to 2011. After a series of public ups and downs, including a near-fatal overdose in July 2018, Lovato made a triumphant return to the music world with stellar performances at the 2020 Grammys and 2020 Super Bowl.
The New Mexico native began dating actor Max Ehrich in March 2020.The pair split in September of that year — two months after they announced their engagement. The “Skyscarper” singer publicly came out in May 2021 as non-binary and revealed new pronouns, they/them.
Credit: Criag Sjdoin/DISNEY CHANNEL/courtesy everett collection
Selena Gomez
Gomez charmed audiences as wizard-in-training Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place. The actress also teamed up with former BFF Demi Lovato for the 2009 Disney Channel movie Princess Protection Program. The “Rare” songstress dated Justin Bieber on and off for nearly eight years, calling it quits for good in March 2018. Gomez released three albums with her former band, Selena Gomez & The Scene, and three solo records between 2013 and 2020.
Outside of Disney, the Texas native found success at the box office with roles in Hotel Transylvania, Spring Breakers and Dolittle. She began playing Mabel on Only Murders in the Building in 2021 and was an executive producer on 13 Reasons Why from 2017 to 2020. Over the years, Gomez dated The Weeknd, Andrew Taggart and was linked to Zayn Malik in spring 2023.
Credit: Shutterstock
David Henrie
From 2007 to 2012, Henrie stunned as eldest sibling Justin Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place alongside Selena Gomez and Jake T. Austin. He also had a starring role in the 2009 Disney Channel Original Movie Dadnapped. Since his Disney series came to an end, the California native took on roles in Grown Ups 2 (2013) and Little Boy (2015) before directing his first feature film, This Is the Year, in 2018.
Henrie welcomed daughter Pia with wife Maria Cahill in March 2019 and announced in June 2020 that they had another little one on the way. The couple’s second child, son James, arrived on Christmas night in December of that year. The former child star expanded his brood a third time in July 2022 with the birth of daughter Gemma.
Credit: Henry Lamb/BEI/Shutterstock
Debby Ryan
The Alabama native joined the crew of the S.S. Tipton on The Suite Life on Deck, starring as Bailey Pickett from 2008 to 2011. She also appeared in the 2010 Disney Channel Original Movie 16 Wishes. After the Suite Life spinoff ended, Ryan picked up a Disney show of her own and took the titular role in Jessie from 2011 to 2015. Three years later, she appeared in Netflix’s Insatiable, which lasted for two seasons on the streaming service.
In December 2019, Ryan tied the knot with Twenty One Pilots drummer Josh Dun.
Credit: Piers Allardyce/Shutterstock
Zendaya
Before joining the Marvel universe, Zendaya got her start as Rocky Blue on Disney’s Shake It Up. The series, which also starred Bella Thorne, aired for three seasons between 2010 and 2013. The California-born actress went on to appear in The Greatest Showman (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019). She returned to television in June 2019 as the lead character in HBO’s Euphoria, executive produced by rapper Drake. She earned her first Emmy for the drama in 2020.
Zendaya sparked romance speculation with Spider-Man costar Tom Holland shortly after working together in 2016. It wasn’t until July 2021 that the pair confirmed their relationship when photos surfaced of the pair kissing in Los Angeles.
Credit: Courtesy of Disney Channel UK/YouTube
Bella Thorne
Thorne became a Disney staple alongside Zendaya while starring on Shake It Up from 2010 to 2013. The Florida native also appeared alongside her former costar in 2012’s Frenemies. She later moved to the big screen with Blended (2014), The DUFF (2015), Midnight Sun (2018), The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020), Game of Love (2022) and Divinity (2023). In addition to acting, Thorne has become a music video director and writer of short films. She is also the founder of Thorne Dynasty, a jewelry and smoking accessories brand.
Thorne got engaged in May 2023 to Mulberry founder Mark Emms.
Credit: Courtesy of Disney Channel/YouTube
Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter became part of the Boy Meets World universe when Disney Channel created its spinoff, Girl Meets World, in 2014. The actress played Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga’s (Danielle Fishel) daughter Riley’s (Rowan Blanchard) BFF, Maya Hart, for three seasons. Carpenter then starred in the DCOM Adventures in Babysitting before voicing characters on Sofia the First and Milo Murphy’s Law for the network. The Pennsylvania native is also a musician, having released five solo albums between 2015 and 2022. Carpenter was also part of the Mean Girls musical on Broadway in 2020. The “Nonsense” songstress is set to tour with Taylor Swift in summer 2023 as part of Swift’s Eras Tour.
Carpenter came under fire in 2021 when she rumored to be dating Joshua Bassett after his allegedly messy split with Olivia Rodrigo. While Bassett and Rodrigo never confirmed they were an item, While Bassett and Rodrigo never confirmed they were an item, fans theorized that they were singing about one another via their respect song releases about heartbreak and romance in 2021 and 2022. Carpenter, for her part, reflected on being called a “homewrecker” in her July 2022 track “Because I Liked a Boy,” which detailed getting “death threats” after having an “innocent” crush on a boy.
Credit: Courtesy of Disney Channel/YouTube
Olivia Rodrigo
Rodrigo got her start on Disney Channel as one half of the BFF duo of Paige and Frankie on Bizaardvark. The show ran from 2016 to 2019 and also starred Madison Hu as Frankie. The California native didn’t skip a beat after the series wrapped, jumping into another hit show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Rodrigo portrayed Nini on the Disney+ series from 2019 to 2022. Amid her TV fame, the star released her first solo album, Sour, in 2021. The record earned raves reviews and Rodrigo won Album of the Year at the 2021 People’s Choice Awards and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
In 2019, Rodrigo made headlines for her rumored romance with HSMTM costar Joshua Bassett. The duo never confirmed their relationship, but Rodrigo raised eyebrows in August 2020 when she made a TikTok about a “failed relationship” and then dropped her hit 2021 song “Drivers License.” The former castmates caused more controversy when Bassett was rumored to be hooking up with Sabrina Carpenter. At the time, Rodrigo denied Carpenter was the “blonde” in her song and Carpenter later claimed her track “Skin” was not a diss tune targeted at the fellow Disney alum.
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