36 Disney Stars Now and Then: See Photos Of Favorite Actors and Actresses

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The Disney Channel child star to adult superstar pipeline is undeniable. Countless Disney stars found their breakthrough roles on Disney Channel — from live action shows like Lizzie McGuire and Shake It Up to original movies like Cheetah Girls and High School Musical. Naturally, these stars have become a fundamental part of childhoods everywhere bringing many of our favorite Disney Channel characters to life, but where are they now?

Disney actors far and wide have gone on to become some of the most successful actors, musicians, and artists in the world. Some have even skyrocketed to superstardom with global recognition following them across social platforms — and, with the rise of TikTok, we couldn’t help but wonder: Where are some of our favorite Disney movie and TV actors from the early aughts and ‘10s now?

1. Zendaya

Superstardom suits Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover star Zendaya. After leaving Disney Channel in 2018, she went on to lead HBO’s Euphoria, which has won her an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.” While she hasn’t released solo music since 2013, Zendaya has starred in The Greatest Showman and has made the big screen her second home with roles in blockbuster films like Marvel’s new Spider-Man trilogy, Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune and 2024’s Dune 2, and most recently Challengers. She’s also become the face of high fashion with campaigns with Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Bulgari, Lancôme and more.

2. Sabrina Carpenter

Best known for her role as Maya Hart on Girl Meets World, Sabrina Carpenter has traded the small screen for the big screen with roles in The Hate U Give, Tall Girl, Work It and the recently announced Netflix musical Alice in Wonderland. She’s also an established musician, releasing her fifth studio album, Emails I Can’t Send, in 2022. She recently went on a nationwide tour and opened up for Taylor Swift during her Australian concerts. She also made her Broadway debut in 2020 with her role in Tina Fey’s Mean Girls.

3. Olivia Holt

Kickin’ It star Olivia Holt hung up her Mickey ears in 2015, but hasn’t left acting behind. She’s starred in several movies and TV shows since, including Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, and she currently portrays Kate Wallis in Freeform's Cruel Summer. She most recently starred in Totally Killer alongside Kiernan Shipka.

4. The Jonas Brothers

Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Joe Jonas have gone through a radical transformation in the ten-plus years since they appeared on Disney Channel. While they might have left their Camp Rock days behind them and convinced us all they’d never make another album, the trio reunited and released their first album in a decade with Happiness Begins in 2019 and another in 2023 titled The Album.

5. Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus has the best of both worlds since graduating from her Disney Channel days. She’s left her alter ego Hannah Montana behind (mostly) and rediscovered herself through a variety of iconic, and sometimes notorious, eras in her music. While she doesn’t do too much acting these days, she did appear in a Black Mirror episode based on a pop star being controlled by her label and having to suppress her true self (sounds familiar, right?). She’s also released five albums post-Hannah Montana with her most recent projects being 2020's glam-rock record Plastic Hearts, 2022's live greatest-hits album Attention: Miley Live, and 2023’s Endless Summer. Oh, and she’s now a Grammy winner.

6. Dylan and Cole Sprouse

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse spent a few years out of the limelight post-Disney days. They graduated from New York University in 2015 and, soon after, Cole landed a lead role in The CW’s teen drama Riverdale (alongside fellow NYU graduate Camila Mendes). He’s since gone on to star in movies like Five Feet Apart, Lisa Frankenstein, and I Wish You All the Best. Meanwhile, Dylan started his own meadery in Brooklyn and has since made a return to the big screen with a role in After We Collided starring Josephine Langford, The Duel and Beautiful Wedding.

7. Zac Efron

From High School Musical heartthrob Troy Bolton to international movie star, Zac Efron has come a long way from his Disney Channel days. In the years since HSM, he’s gone on to star in a number of well-known films like 17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud, Neighbors, Baywatch and The Greatest Showman. He’s also the host of his own Netflix show Down to Earth with Zac Efron that won him a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 for Outstanding Host for a Daytime Program. He recently starred in the critically acclaimed film Iron Claw and has several upcoming roles in pre-production.

8. Rowan Blanchard

Girl Meets World and Wrinkle in Time star Rowan Blanchard left Disney in 2018, but the 20-year-old is only at the beginning of what is sure to be a long and successful career. A fashion icon and activist, Rowan has appeared in a few TV series and most recently portrayed Lily in Peacock’s Poker Face series. She also starred alongside Auli'i Cravalho in the film Crush on Hulu. Many tout Blanchard as the next fashion ‘it’ girl — and we couldn’t agree more.

9. Dove Cameron

Dove Cameron was destined for fame. She amassed millions of followers thanks to her portrayal of Mal in Disney’s Descendent’s trilogy and has since appeared in Apple TV+’s original series Schmigadoon! and is set to portray Bubbles in The CW’s live action remake of The Powerpuff Girls. Dove also released her second EP Alchemical: Volume 1 in 2023 and recently dropped the absolute bop, “Other Boys” with Marshmello.

10. Skai Jackson

Jessie and Bunk’d star Skai Jackson hasn’t gone too far since her days on Disney Channel. She’s lent her voice to a number of characters, including the upcoming Peter Pan live action remake and even appeared in Lil Nas X’s Panini music video. She also competed on a recent season of Dancing With the Stars, where she was a semi-finalist In 2019, she released her first book, Reach for the Skai: How to Inspire, Empower, and Clapback.

11. Selena Gomez

Multi-hyphenate superstar Selena Gomez has made a name for herself as a singer, actor, and entrepreneur (shout out to Rare Beauty!) after leaving Wizards of Waverly Place in 2012. She’s released five studio albums and is currently executive producing and starring in the Hulu mystery series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. Her latest film, Emilia Pérez, will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this year. She is also the co-founder of the mental health start-up Wondermind alongside her mother, Mandy Teefey.

12. Peyton List

While her tenure on Bunk’d only ended in 2021, Peyton List is already making a name for herself across the industry. She currently plays Tory Nichols in Netflix’s Cobra Kai and recently starred in the Paramount+ series School Spirits.

13. Tia and Tamera Mowry

Surprise! Sister Sister and Seventeen Again weren’t DC Originals, but Tia and Tamera Mowry still found their way onto the Disney Channel alumni roster with their film Twitches. Since their DC days, Tia has led the CW series The Game, two of her own reality television shows, appeared on HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show, and is starred in the Netflix sitcom Family Reunion; Tamera served as one of the original co-hosts on daytime talk show The Real (alongside fellow Disney alum Adrienne Bailon) from 2013 to 2020, and appeared on the reality show The Masked Singer as Seashell.

14. Ross Lynch

Austin & Ally star Ross Lynch has graduated from Disney stardom into Netflix’s own fandom. He recently portrayed Harvey Kinkle in the streaming service’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and made music with his pop-punk band R5 until 2018. Now, Ross is one half of the alt-rock band The Driver Era along with his brother Rocky Lynch. He recently starred in Troye Sivan’s music video “One of Your Girls.”

15. Debby Ryan

From Disney star to Netflix darling, Debby Ryan has made major moves since starring on Suite Life on Deck and Jessie. She appeared on a number of TV series over the past few years, including Netflix’s controversial Insatiable as well as the streamer's vampire thriller Night Teeth. Debby appeared in the 2022 comedy Spin Me Round, starring Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza. She recently voiced Krista in the animated series Velma and appeared in the film Howdy, Neighbor! in 2023.

16. Raven-Symoné

Raven-Symoné, of That’s So Raven and Cheetah Girls fame, was one of the biggest DC stars of the early aughts. Since then, she’s had an impressive career across TV and film. She’s even been a talk show host on The View! While she’s currently reprised her role of Raven Baxter in Disney’s award-winning Raven’s Home. The show's sixth season wrapped in late 2023. (And, don’t worry, Raven and her Cheetah Girls costar Kiely Williams have resolved some of that drama after nearly two decades.)

17. China Anne McClain

TikTok star and CW hero China Anne McClain has only seen the beginning of her career post-Disney. Since the wrap of the live action Descendants films, China has appeared on the TV series’ The Paynes and House of Payne and led the Black Lightning series until its end in 2021.

18. Demi Lovato

After success with Camp Rock and Sonny With a Chance, Demi Lovato seemingly put acting on the back burner as they focused primarily on their music career. Demi has several Top 100 hits under their belt with iconic songs like “Heart Attack,” “Cool For the Summer,” “Dancing With the Devil,” and more. Demi surprise dropped the song “Swine” in 2023 to protest the reversal of Roe v. Wade and released her album Revamped in the same year. Demi is set to appear in the film “Tow” alongside Rose Byrne and Dominic Sessa.

19. Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff may not have pursued her music career far beyond her Disney days, but her acting career has since flourished. She is currently producing and starring in the Hulu series How I Met Your Father, a spin-off of the critically acclaimed sitcom How I Met Your Mother. She has appeared in a number of shows and films over the years, including Younger, Gossip Girl, and more. ICYMI: unfortunately, the reboot of Disney’s Lizzie McGuire is no longer set to be released.

20. Raini Rodriguez

Best known for her roles in Austin & Ally and Bunk’d, Raini Rodriguez has mainly focused her career on voice acting. She’s currently the voice of Sammy Gutierrez in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and also voices Gretel in the animated show A Tale Dark & Grimm and Gabi in the Paramount+ revival of Rugrats.

21. Booboo Stewart

Descendant’s star Booboo Stewart has been incredibly busy since the DC movies were officially wrapped. Out of the many roles he's held since Jafar's son Jay, he's notably appeared in Netflix’s 2020 series Julie and the Phantoms, Amazon Prime Video's musical drama series Paradise City, and is currently starring in the show Good Trouble as Luca Ryusaki

22. Thomas Doherty

Thomas Doherty has traded in his pirate-villain alter ego for something a bit more dapper after finishing Disney’s Descendant’s films: an Upper East Side education with a side of juicy gossip. As one of the stars of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, Doherty’s future as a rising star is set. He’s also appeared on popular shows like The CW’s Legacies and Hulu’s High Fidelity. He also starred in the cult-favorite film The Invitation and currently appears in the Netflix show Girls5eva.

23. Adrienne Bailon

Now known as Adrienne Houghton, this former Cheetah Girl embraced a different side of Hollywood, testing her hand at daytime hosting The Real series. Adrienne has been co-hosting The Real since 2013, and became the first Latina daytime talk show host in the United States. She’s also appeared in close to a dozen smaller roles across film, TV, and music videos, and released her first debut solo album in 2017. She’s also appeared on The Masked Singer as Flamingo and reprised her role as Alana Rivera in Raven's Home.

24. Brenda Song

What hasn’t Brenda Song done since her Disney Channel days? In life post-Suite Life and an assortment of other Disney films and shows, Brenda has had recurring roles on popular shows like Scandal, New Girl, and Station 19 and many successful voice roles in television and video games. She recently starred as Madison Maxwell in the Hulu comedy Dollface, voiced a guest role in 2022's Disney+ reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, and appeared in the show Blue Eyed Samurai as the voice of Akemi. She is married to fellow child star Macaulay Culkin; the two share two children together.

25. Vanessa Hudgens

HSM star Vanessa Hudgens hasn’t strayed too far from her musical origins with a number of live televised musicals under her belt, including RENT and Grease. She’s appeared in a number of films and TV series since the early aughts with her most recent projects being Netflix's Tick, Tick... Boom! and perhaps her most popular, Netflix’s The Princess Switch Christmas films. She is currently expecting her first child with husband MLB player Cole Tucker.

26. Bella Thorne

After Shake It Up, Bella Thorne embraced more adult roles. She’s appeared in Scream Queens, Netflix’s Babysitter horror films, and even starred alongside fellow Disney alum Booboo Stewart in the Amazon Prime Video series Paradise City. Bella also had a short-lived makeup line and found herself wrapped up in an OnlyFans controversy after sex workers spoke out against her use of the website. She has several upcoming projects in production.

27. Jennifer Stone

After Wizards of Waverly Place ended, Jennifer Stone continued to take roles across film and television while balancing medical school. She’s now a registered nurse and helped COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic. She currently co-hosts the podcast Wizards of Waverly Pod alongside former castmate David DeLuise.

28. Sofia Carson

From Disney princess to rising superstar, Sofia Carson is taking a page from Disney stars before her and leaning into films as she navigates post-DC life. She’s starred in Netflix’s Feel the Beat and appeared alongside Riverdale’s K.J. Apa in an all-too familiar thriller about a global pandemic titled Songbird, released in 2020. She released a self-titled debut album in March 2022. Most recently, she starred in Netflix’s Purple Hearts romance and has two upcoming projects.

29. Kyla Pratt

The honorary voice of Disney in the early aughts, Kyla Pratt is most well known for voicing Penny Proud in the animated series The Proud Family. While she’s had a number of roles over the years, she recently announced she was reprising her role as Penny Proud in the 2022 Disney+ reboot of The Proud Family. Kyla has also appeared in HBO's Insecure and starred in the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat from 2021-2023.

30. Laura Marano

Austin & Ally star Laura Marano has taken a number of smaller roles in movies like Lady Bird, but had the opportunity to work alongside her sister Vanessa Marano on the 2019 film Saving Zoë. Laura most recently starred in the 2023 Netflix romance film Choose Love. In 2023, she released her album i may be an actress, but i can’t fake how i feel.

31. Lindsay Lohan

Disney essentially launched Lindsay Lohan's career when she was cast as Hallie Parker and Annie James in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. Lohan went on to star in Disney's Life Size and Get a Clue, then cemented herself as queen of teen movies in the early aughts. (Fun fact: Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Herbie: Fully Loaded are all Disney-produced films.) Since, Lohan has appeared in smaller roles on TV and in movies. While she hasn’t released any new music since 2007, the star did prove she’s still into music when she opened Lohan Beach House in Mykonos and showed off her moves on her 2019 reality show Lohan Beach Club. In 2024 she appeared in Means Girls and Irish Wish with several more projects in the works

32. Ashley Tisdale

Y2K Disney starlet Ashley Tisdale is best known for her roles as Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, Maddie Fitzpatrick in Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and The Suite Life on Deck, and as the voice of Candice in Phineas & Ferb. She has several film and TV show credits to her name post-Disney and she started her own community site and brand, Freshne.

33. Corbin Bleu

High School Musical and Jump In! star Corbin Bleu has appeared in tons of films and movies since his Disney days. He most recently made a cameo in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as his OG character Chad. In 2024 he starred in Broadway’s Little Shop of Horrors alongside Constance Wu.

34. Keke Palmer

Star of the 2007 Disney Channel original movie Jump In!, Keke Palmer is the Hollywood multi-hyphenate that can’t be stopped. She has over 18 awards and dozens more nominations to her name and starred in films like Jordan Peele’s sci-fi horror Nope, appeared in Usher’s music video “Boyfriend” and has several upcoming projects in the works, including Sister Act 3.

35. Christy Carlson Romano

One of the OG Disney stars, Christy Carlson Romano was in tons of the early 2000s Disney Channel shows and movies, including Even Stevens, Cadet Kelly and Kim Possible. She also voiced Yuffie Kisaragi in the English version of Kingdom Hearts. While she’s still acting here and there, Romano launched her own podcast company, PodCo, featuring podcasts hosted by her and other former child stars. She’s extremely vocal on TikTok about her experience as a young star and how she lost all her money.

36. Olivia Rodrigo

The biggest pop star in music right now, Olivia Rodrigo has made quite the name for herself post-High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She’s released two solo EPs, Sour (2021) and Guts (2023). She’s won dozens of awards, including her first Grammy in 2022 for Best Pop Solo Performance for her song “Drivers License.”

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue