Raven-Symoné has close friendships with some of her former Disney Channel co-stars, but she’s not afraid to say who she considers the biggest stars of all time.
When asked to name her four most influential Disney stars from the network’s classic era—her personal ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Disney favorites—she revealed a lineup that surprised many of her followers.
Okay, so I was chatting with The Shade Room recently, and we were talking about who really defined the teen star era. I said, ‘You know, it was me, Hilary Duff, and Shia LaBeouf.’ Then someone brought up Miley Cyrus, and honestly? She came a little later on the scene. I adore Miley, but she wasn’t part of that original group, if that makes sense! It’s just my opinion, of course, but those three really kicked things off.
Rather, The Cheetah Girls alum saved her final slot for another iconic Disney star.
She also mentioned The Famous Jett Jackson, adding that while he’s sadly passed away, his show was groundbreaking as the first show on Disney with a Black lead.
Lee Thomspon Young—who played the part of Jett Jackson from 1998 to 2001—died in 2013.
Raven, age 40, thinks the artist absolutely deserves to be recognized as one of the most important figures in Disney history, comparing his impact to the iconic monuments on Mount Rushmore. She believes he’s earned a place among them.
Following her lineup, online users sparked up a debate over who Raven should have included.
One commenter on The Shade Room’s Instagram post said Miley Cyrus deserves a spot, arguing that “legends should be on it” and past or future artists don’t matter. Another user simply wrote, alongside a red heart emoji, that they loved the show Jett Jackson and thought it should be included.
Other fans argued that Kyla Pratt and Christy Carlson Romano should have made the cut.
Also on that day, Disney+ announced a release date – March 24th – and shared a sneak peek of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, giving fans something to look forward to.
Miley, recognizable with her signature blonde wig, was thrilled to be back on set after many years. She wasn’t the only familiar face in Malibu, though! Her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus – who also played her father on the show from 2006 to 2011 – unexpectedly returned for this special event.
In a trailer released on Disney’s social media on March 10th, Miley Cyrus was visibly moved, saying, “Already getting emotional… Wow.”
“This anniversary is for them,” Miley added of her fans. “It’s for us. This feels like home to me.”
For a look at more Disney stars then and now, read on…
Clayton Snyder first became known for playing the popular character Ethan Craft on the Hilary Duff comedy show. After that, he stepped away from acting to finish school and played water polo at Pepperdine University. While he did appear in an episode of NCIS in 2014, he now works in real estate.
He’s still happy to talk about his time as a young actor. He told TopMob News that some clients recognize him while he’s showing them houses, and are surprised to find out who he is. He actually appreciates it when this happens, because it confirms they chose him for his real estate skills, not just his past fame. He enjoys having the best of both worlds – connecting with people over his acting role while still being respected for his current profession.
Adam Lamberg is best known for playing Gordo, Lizzie’s close friend and eventual boyfriend, on the popular show Lizzie McGuire. Following that, he appeared in the films When Do We Eat? and Beautiful Loser. Before pursuing a career outside of acting, he studied Geography at UC Berkeley and later earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Baruch College. While he was scheduled to reprise his role in the Lizzie McGuire reboot, he has largely retired from acting.
Lalaine, who played Miranda Sanchez on Lizzie McGuire, largely faded from view after her character was written off the show and movie due to her commitments to the Disney Channel movie You Wish!. She tried to launch a music career, but it didn’t take off. A planned sequel series, What’s Stevie Thinking?, which would have focused on Miranda’s younger sister, only filmed a pilot episode. In 2007, she also faced legal trouble when she was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, but the charges were later dropped after she completed rehab. While she had a small role in the 2010 film Easy A, she’s now more visible on Instagram than in movies or television. She did appear in the 2020 film Definition Please.
Jake Thomas is best known for playing Matt McGuire on the popular Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire. He continued acting after that, appearing on Cory in the House and guest starring in dramas like ER, House, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and S.W.A.T. He also acted in the web series Storytellers with YouTuber Joey Graceffa from 2013 to 2014.
In 2018, Jake graduated from Cal State University, Northridge, with a degree in Screenwriting and a minor in Japanese. He now shares his photography and old photos from his acting days on Instagram.
Camilla Belle started her career with a leading role in the Disney Channel movie Rip Girls in 2000, but took a break from acting before appearing in the 2006 remake of When a Stranger Calls and the popular 2008 film 10,000 BC.
From late 2008 to mid-2009, she briefly dated Joe Jonas, whom she met while filming the Jonas Brothers’ “Lovebug” music video. This relationship was even mentioned in Taylor Swift’s song “Better Than Revenge.”
Since then, she’s primarily worked on independent films, including Open Road, Diablo, and the 2017 James Franco film The Mad Whale. Recently, she’s also had roles in the TV series Dollface and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
After finishing his role as Max Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place in 2012, Jake T. Austin quickly landed a leading part on The Fosters (originally on ABC Family, now Freeform). He played Jesus Foster for two seasons before leaving the show and being replaced by Noah Centineo. He then competed on Dancing With the Stars, but was the first contestant eliminated in season 23. Austin also contributed voice work to The Emoji Movie (2017) and the thriller Adverse (2020), which starred Mickey Rourke. Although he wasn’t in the first season of the Wizards of Waverly Place sequel, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, many fans are hoping he’ll appear in the upcoming second season.
Since the show ended in 2012, David Henrie, who played Justin Russo, has had a different path than some of his co-stars. He didn’t appear in the follow-up movie, The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex, but he’s been in films like Grown Ups 2 and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.
David married Maria Cahill, a former Miss Delaware, in April 2017, and they welcomed their daughter, Pia, in March 2019. Around the time they announced they were expecting, he was arrested at LAX for allegedly carrying a loaded gun. He apologized for the mistake and received two years of probation and 20 days of community service.
Now a father of three, David is teaming up with Selena Gomez again to executive produce and star in a new Disney+ series, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
Jennifer Stone is known for reprising her role as Harper Finkle, best friend to Alex Russo, in The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex. She also appeared in the Lifetime thriller High School Possession (2014) and played the Babysitter on Nickelodeon’s Deadtime Stories.
In 2013, Stone was diagnosed with LADA, a form of autoimmune diabetes sometimes called Type 1.5. She later starred in the film The In-Between, which sought to raise awareness about the condition.
Jennifer and Wizards costar David DeLuise both host the rewatch podcast Wizards of Waverly Pod.
Feeling nostalgic? Mia Talerico was just 10 months old when she began playing Charlie Duncan on the Disney Channel show Good Luck Charlie, which first aired in April 2010. After the show ended in 2014, she appeared as Paige in 13 episodes of Mani, a series on the YouTube network Brat. She also has her own YouTube channel where she creates videos about unboxing and reviewing toys.
Bridgit Mendler, who played Teddy Duncan on Good Luck Charlie, transitioned to more mature roles, joining the NBC comedy Undateable in 2015 for two seasons. Since then, she’s made appearances in a couple of episodes of Nashville and the Netflix movie Father of the Year, as well as the Netflix series Merry Happy Whatever alongside Dennis Quaid and Ashley Tisdale.
Beyond acting, Mendler, a musician who has released two albums, is also a dedicated student. She studied anthropology at USC and later pursued graduate studies at both MIT and Harvard Law School. More recently, she and her husband, Griffin Cleverly, adopted a four-year-old son and launched Northwood Space, a tech startup focused on building ground stations for satellite data transmission and reception.
Since the last Cheetah Girls movie aired in 2008, Raven-Symone and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton have continued to be well-known through acting and hosting. However, Kiely Williams, who was also in the group 3LW, has lived a quieter life.
After appearing in The House Bunny in 2008, Kiely had roles in a few films – Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale and Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming in 2010, and Holla II in 2013. She married Brandon “BJ” Cox in December 2016, with Sabrina Bryan from Cheetah Girls as a bridesmaid. Kiely, now a mother of two, briefly returned to television in 2017 as a contestant on Celebrity Family Feud, where she teamed up with Sabrina on the Girl Group team.
Following the release of Cheetah Girls: One World in 2008, Sabrina Bryan worked as a reporter for TopMob News during the eighth season of Dancing With the Stars in 2009. She had previously competed on the show, finishing sixth three seasons earlier. She returned to compete as an All-Star in season 15 in 2012, but was eliminated sixth again, exactly five years after her first elimination, despite earning perfect scores.
Beyond Dancing With the Stars, Sabrina did voice work for the Disney Channel animated series Fish Hooks. In 2011, she and Kiely Williams launched a web series called Dinner With Friends. She married Jordan Lundberg, a strategic accounts manager, on October 6, 2018, after dating for nine years. Currently, she’s tapping into the nostalgia for Disney Channel Original Movies with her iHeartPodcast, Magical Rewind, co-hosted with Will Friedle.
Ryan Merriman first gained recognition starring in the popular 1999 Disney Channel movie Smart House. He continued to appear in several Disney Channel films, including The Luck of the Irish (2001) and A Ring of Endless Light (2002). He then moved into more mature roles, appearing in horror films like Halloween: Resurrection, The Ring Two, and Final Destination 3. From 2010 to 2014, he had a recurring role as Ian Thomas on the TV show Pretty Little Liars, appearing in 16 episodes. He also played a supporting role in the 2013 Jackie Robinson biopic 42. While he continues to act, his recent work has been mostly in independent films.
Merriman married Micol Duncan in 2004, but they divorced in 2011. He announced his engagement to Kristen McCullen on January 1, 2012, and they married in 2014.
Kirsten Storms became a popular face on Disney Channel from 1999 to 2004, starring in the Zenon movies, Johnny Tsunami, and providing a voice for Kim Possible. However, she also began a more mature acting career during this time, joining Days of Our Lives on NBC in 2000 for four years and appearing in 410 episodes.
After a brief attempt at a primetime role in the 2004 CBS baseball drama Clubhouse, she returned to soap operas in 2005, playing Maxie Jones on ABC’s General Hospital until 2023 – appearing in over 1,100 episodes!
In 2011, she briefly appeared in the reality TV series Dirty Soap, which followed the lives of soap opera stars. In August 2013, she and her General Hospital co-star Brandon Barash announced they had secretly married in June and were expecting a baby. Their daughter, Harper Rose Barash, was born on January 7, 2014. The couple later divorced, filing for divorce on April 6, 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
Erik von Detten became a teen heartthrob in 1998 with his role in the Disney Channel movie Brink!. He continued to be a familiar face on screen, lending his voice to the animated series Recess, playing John Bryant in The Princess Diaries, and starring in the Disney Channel series So Weird from 1999 to 2001. He also ventured into early reality TV, appearing on the first celebrity season of The Mole, and had roles in shows like Dinotopia and Complete Savages. More recently, he reprised his role as Sid in Toy Story 3, a character he originally played in the first Toy Story movie in 1995. Today, Erik works in sales for a finance company and is raising two children with his wife, Angela.
Raviv Ullman first became known for playing Phil Diffy in the Disney Channel series Phil of the Future from 2004 to 2006. He then began taking on more mature roles, appearing in shows like Big Love and House (where he first used his real name, Raviv, in the credits). From 2008 to 2009, he was a regular on the Lifetime comedy Rita Rocks. More recently, he’s been in an episode of Broad City (2015) and had a recurring role in the web series Strangers (2018). Between 2012 and 2018, he also performed in several stage productions and played drums in Zoe Kravitz’ band, Lolawolf, from 2013 to 2014. In 2022, he told TopMob News that he had just finished directing an opera at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
As someone who keeps a close eye on both entertainment and creative lifestyles, I’ve always been fascinated by the stories behind our favorite stars. Kimberly J. Brown really captured our hearts as Marnie Piper in the original Halloweentown back in 1999, alongside the incredible Debbie Reynolds! The movie was such a success, leading to three sequels, but it’s a bit of a sore spot for fans that she wasn’t brought back for the fourth film, Return to Halloweentown. It just wasn’t the same with a different Marnie, honestly.
Beyond Halloweentown, Kimberly’s acting credits include roles in films like Be Cool and TV shows like Low Winter Sun, plus she had longer runs on General Hospital and Guiding Light. But she’s also a true entrepreneur! After earning a business degree, she opened a fantastic Etsy shop called CraftilyCreative, where you can find all sorts of handmade goodies, including some fun Halloweentowninspired items. She even co-authored a charming children’s book, Poppin’s Pumpkin Patch Parade, back in 2016.
And the sweetest part? Disney fans were thrilled to see her find love with her Halloweentown* co-star, Daniel Kountz! They recently got married in April 2024, which is just a lovely real-life fairytale ending.
Mitchel Musso gained recognition from 2006 to 2011 playing Oliver Oken, best friend to Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. As the show ended, his career was taking off with a leading role in the new series Pair of Kings and a hosting job on PrankStars. However, his momentum was halted in October 2011 when he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence at age 20. This led to him being removed from Pair of Kings and the cancellation of PrankStars. Afterwards, he focused on independent films and voice acting, including work on the Disney XD series Milo Murphy’s Law. In 2023, he was arrested again in Texas for public intoxication and theft.
Jason Earles is well-known for playing Miley Stewart’s older brother, Jackson, on Hannah Montana, even though he was much older than his character – 29 when the show started and 34 when it finished. He then went on to star as Rudy in the Disney XD comedy Kickin’ It for four seasons, which ended in 2015. More recently, since 2018, he’s appeared in the Brat series Hotel Du Loone on YouTube, and joined the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series for its third season. Jason married Katie Drysen in August 2017.
Kyle Massey first became known for playing Cory Baxter on the Disney Channel series That’s So Raven from 2003 to 2007, which led to his own spin-off show, Cory in the House, lasting until 2008. Since then, he’s appeared in various roles, including recurring parts on The Electric Company and voice work on animated series like Fish Hooks and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He also competed on Dancing With the Stars and Celebrity Family Feud.
In 2018, reports circulated that he would be joining the cast of The Hills: New Beginnings, but Massey later confirmed these rumors were false.
In 2021, Massey was charged with a felony related to communication with a minor. His lawyer stated the charges were a resurfacing of previously dismissed allegations, which Massey claims are an attempt at extortion. The lawyer also indicated Massey intends to vigorously defend himself against the accusations and pursue legal action against those spreading false claims.
A.J. Trauth started his career with roles as Twitty on the show Even Stevens (2000-2003) and as Josh Mankey in a few episodes of Kim Possible. He then appeared as a guest star on popular TV shows like 7th Heaven, House, Ghost Whisperer, CSI, and Bones until 2012.
More recently, he’s been in several independent films and has done voice work for the video games Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequel, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017). A.J. got engaged to actress Leah Pipes in February 2014, after dating for nearly three years, and they married that December. The couple later separated by 2019.
Christy Carlson Romano became well-known for her roles as Ren Stevens in Even Stevens and Kim Possible, and she also appeared with Hilary Duff in the Disney Channel movie Cadet Kelly. In 2004, she transitioned to Broadway, playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast for 31 weeks, and later joined the cast of Avenue Q in 2008.
Beyond acting, Christy is a multi-talented artist. She’s written a novel called Grace’s Turn and directed the film Christmas All Over Again. She also earned a degree in Film Studies from Barnard College and married writer-producer Brendan Rooney on New Year’s Eve 2013. They have two daughters, with their youngest born in February 2019.
In 2019, Christy revisited her roots by appearing in the live-action Kim Possible movie, this time as the pop star Poppy Blu. That same year, she bravely shared her personal struggles with depression and drinking in a powerful essay for Teen Vogue, revealing that she hadn’t always felt as put-together as her successful young adult life might suggest.
Oh my gosh, Brandon Baker was Johnny Tsunami! I still remember when Johnny Tsunami came out in 1999 – he was absolutely perfect! It was so cool to see him after that, even if it was just little bits here and there on Even Stevens, and then he even grew up and did some more serious stuff like Boston Public and The Unit while going to college at UC Santa Barbara. But honestly, nothing beat seeing him back as Johnny Kapahala in Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board in 2007! And get this – he’s been in a couple of indie films since then! One called The Formula with Steve Urkel himself, Reginald VelJohnson, and another called Up on the Wooftop where Dennis Haskins from Saved By the Bell played Santa! Seriously, it was meant to be.
Alana Austin became known in 2001 for her role as Andi Carson in the Disney Channel movie Motocrossed. The film follows Andi, a talented teenage motocross enthusiast who disguises herself as her injured twin brother to compete in races.
After Motocrossed, Austin appeared in a few TV shows like 7th Heaven, Boston Public, and Cold Case, but she stopped acting in 2006. She went on to study medicine at USC, and later shared on Twitter in 2016 that she was focusing on writing, though she still felt fondly about her acting career.
As someone who keeps a close eye on rising stars, I remember Kay Panabaker really blossoming on Disney Channel! After gaining recognition in Phil of the Future, she became a familiar face in those classic Disney Channel Original Movies – Life is Ruff and Read It and Weep, which were adorable, especially since she starred alongside her sister, Danielle. She even competed in the very first Disney Channel Games back in 2006! While many child stars stay on that path, Kay surprised everyone by taking a step back from acting around 2012. She pursued her passion for animals, going on to study zoology at UCLA and, get this, ended up working as an animal keeper at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! It’s amazing to see someone follow their heart and find success in a completely different field.
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2026-03-14 22:21