‘Jessie' Cast: Where Are They Now?

The Jessie cast was a hit when the Disney Channel show premiered in September of 2011. The show was popular for its entire run (it ran until 2015) and that’s in large part due to its star-studded cast, including the likes of Debby Ryan, Cameron Boyce, Skai Jackson, Peyton List, Karan Brar and Kevin Chamberlin.

The show was about a Texas girl named Jessie who leaves the Lone Star state to take on a job as a nanny in New York City. She lives with the Ross family who have four children. Jessie, along with her charges — Emma, Luke, Ravi, Zuri and of course, Bertram — get into a lot of adventures.

Here we look at the Jessie cast and where they are now.

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Debby Ryan as Jessie

Ryan got her big break on the TV series The Suite Life on Deck (from 2008-2011). From there, she had guest appearance in several shows including Girl Meets World, Good Luck Charlie and Austin and Ally. Then she landed the starring role in the Jessie cast. After the series, Ryan went on to play in another series Sing It! In 2016.  She also went on to star in in the Netflix series Insatiable—a story about Patty, a high schooler struggling with bullying and body image. She appeared in that series from 2018-2019. Most recently, Ryan was in 2023’s Howdy, Neighbor! and Fast X.

In her personal life, Ryan has faced many hardships. She was open about being in an abusive relationship. She told People, “There are people in my life that couldn’t believe this story. They were like, ‘I didn’t know it was this bad.’ No one did. It felt like a secret.”

In 2016, Ryan was given a DUI and served three years probation. She posted on Twitter, “Over the last few days I have had the chance to think about my actions, and I wish I had used better judgement. I recognize that I am a role model and have always worked hard to set a good example for my millions of fans. I am so sorry to disappoint everyone.”

Ryan is married to Josh Dun, the drummer for the duo Twenty One Pilots. They got engaged in a treehouse in New Zealand and planned their New Year’s Eve wedding in Austin, Texas in just 28 days. Dun told Vogue that “The ceremony was the perfect balance. I felt like it was game night at our house, and this was the ultimate game, and boy did I win! I remember every detail from how it felt to be walking down the aisle, to the full-body chills I got watching Debby walk down toward me.”

The couple live in a treehouse-fantasy home in Columbus Ohio that the created. Ryan told AD that “People often say, ‘What’s in Ohio?’ But we’re so inspired by this place. Building this home, inviting people into it…the whole process has created a new sense of us.”

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Peyton List as Emma Ross

Peyton List began her career as a child model and then made her screen debut as the younger version of Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses. She then portrayed the bubbly but cynical Emma Ross in the Jessie cast. She then received her own spin-off Bunk’d. She has a lot of fond memories of working on the two series. She told Teen Vogue, “I was best friends with every young actor, and I think it was great that all of us were going through it at the same time and having each other to lean on. A few of us have very authentic, good parents, so to be able to come home to each other and have our sanity and our normalcy outside of the attention of the show really helps.”

In 2018, List landed the role of Tory Nichols, a troubled teen who initially joins antagonist John Kreese’s Cobra Kai dojo before switching allegiances to Miyagi-Do.  List says she really liked working on the Cobra Kai series, saying, “I really love working with stunts and martial artists and doing all the action. There’s just something so fun and freeing about it to me, and I would love to do more of that.”

Most recently List appeared in 2023’s School Spirits. She has also ventured into the business world by creating her own sustainable beauty line called Pley Beauty.

Cameron Boyce as Luke Ross

Cameron Boyce, who was from Los Angeles, made his acting debut in the horror film Mirrors when he was nine years old. Two years later, he appeared in the blockbuster Adam Sandler flick, Grown Ups, as one of Sandler's children.

He then starred as Luke Ross in the Jessie cast. After the series he appeared in the Descendants franchise. He also was involved in philanthropy. He was honored with the Pioneering Spirit Award sponsored by the Thirst Project, a nonprofit for which Boyce raised $30,000 to build wells for clean drinking water in Swaziland.

Tragically, Boyce died in 2019. His family said he passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated. He was 20 years old.

Peyton List, who played Boyce’s sibling on Jessie, mourned his death in an Instagram post. “He was younger than me but taught me how to spread love and kindness more than anyone that has ever been in my life.”

Adam Sandler wrote on Twitter,  "Too Young. Too sweet. Too funny. Just the nicest, most talented, and most decent kid around. Loved that kid. Cared so much about his family. Cared so much about the world. Thank you, Cameron, for all you gave to us. So much more was on the way. All our hearts are broken.”

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Skai Jackson as Zuri Ross

Born in 2002 on Staten Island, Jackson Skai appeared in commercials as a child. She also had bit parts in Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Royal Pains (2009), plus the movie The Smurfs (2011). Then she landed the role as Zuri Ross on the Disney Channel sitcoms Jessie and Bunk'd. 

Jackson has also done quite a bit of voicework. She appeared in Marvel Rising: Initiation as the voice of Glory; and in the Dragons: Rescue Riders franchise as the voice of Summer. Most recently she was a Dancing with the Stars competitor as well as appearing in the 2023 movie Sheroes.

Jackson has won several awards including Hollywood Reporter’s Top 30 Stars Under Age 18, Variety‘s Young Hollywood Impact Report, and Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens of the Year list. She was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award. Jackson is also the author of Reach for the Skai, her memoir about her rise to stardom and learning about self-acceptance and female empowerment.

She’s active on social media, but also talks about the role social media has played in her life. Since Jackson entered showbiz at such a young age, she was on social media at 10 years old — something she said she didn't really want to do, but it came with the territory. She told OK! "You kind of have to use it when you have things to promote. So I did it, and it was something that was hard for me to adjust to because I was never really used to people commenting on things that I made. It was hard. I'm such a private person as well, so you have to remember to post on Instagram. It's a nerve-wracking thing to think about, but I'm definitely used to it now. It's honestly another full-time job!"

Karan Brar as Ravi Ross

Born and raised in Bothell, Washington, Brar signed with an agent at age eight years old and started booking commercials. His big break came in the role of Chirag Gupta in Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise. Then he starred as Ravi on the Jessie cast which lead to the spin-off Bunk'd.

Most recently, he’s been involved in voice work including the voice of Chase in Family Guy, the voice of Prince Veer in Mira, Royal Detective and the voice of Gozi in Cleopatra in Space.

Brar has also had parts in movies including Stargirl, The Argument, and Hubie Halloween.

Brar has been open about being a child star and dealing with depression. He admitted himself to an inpatient treatment center for his depression and anxiety and while in treatment, Brar was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder.

He penned an essay for Teen Vogue, about coming to terms with challenges with his mental health and suicidal thoughts. "What many people may not realize is that suicidal ideations don’t necessarily appear overnight — instead they can take root and grow from one stray thought. Before you know it, you find yourself slipping into suicidal thoughts, making plans 'just in case.' It slowly chips away at your soul, leaving you in a state of helplessness."

He was very close with Boyce and struggled considerably after this death.  Brar is in a better place, but it’s still a journey. "I’m finding my emotions to be much more manageable. I’m no longer drowning in the grief of losing Cameron. Rather, I’m in acceptance of grief being an ever changing experience I just have to see through. Everyone around me can also see these changes, and I can feel their shoulders dropping in relief as we go further into our twenties."

Kevin Chamberlin as Bertram Winkle

Kevin Chamberlin played the role of Bertram Winkle on the Jessie cast. He was the Ross family's sarcastic butler, who seems to care very little for the kids. He is disinclined to work and tends to be quite grumpy and aloof. His character added another level of humor to the show. He was on the Jessie cast from 2011-2015.

Prior to that, Chamberlinappeared in several TV shows including State of Mind, Heroes, CSI and Jake in Progress. He also appeared in several movies including Road to Perdition and Die Hard with a Vengeance.

After Jessie, he appeared in several movies including The Grotto (2022), The Zombie Wedding (2023) and Howdy, Neighbor! (2023). He also continued to perform in TV shows including Modern Family, Grace and Frankie and Outer Range. Most recently, in 2024, he was the voice of Uncle Tony in the Adventures in Wonder Park.

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