‘That’s So Raven’ Star Reveals Bombshell Casting Secret

A long-time Disney Channel star is spilling the tea, and it is piping hot!

That's So Raven and Raven's Home star Anneliese van der Pol visited fellow Disney alum Christy Carlson Romano's The Vulnerable Podcast, where she revealed some shocking background information about the classic early aughts children's show and how it almost wasn't the series we all know and love today.

It turns out, when the actress first auditioned for the show, which follows a psychic high schooler and her best friends, was called Absolutely Psychic, with series star Raven-Symoné initially cast as the sidekick, as she explained in a TikTok preview of the episode that was released yesterday, April 25.

The revelation led Romano to exclaim, "What?!" in shock.

Van der Pol continued, adding that when filming began the creative team "realized that Raven was the funniest one," leading things to get reworked.

Ultimately, the actress attributes their failure to cast her as the lead in the first place to racism. "They couldn't really see a Black girl leading a show," she said.

Fans were equally shocked to learn how things might have gone on the show.

"Raven being the lead was the best decision they could've made. Chelsea being the best friend was perfect. She was hilarious too!" one wrote.

"Raven being a sidekick is nuts. She’s the poster child for main character energy," asserted another.

"Raven made Disney Channel into what it is 👏🏼 always the blueprint," a third declared.

"This blows my mind 🤯 Raven is so naturally entertaining and she WASN'T their first choice to lead???" another pointed out.

In another clip from the podcast, the pair also called out the network for exploiting child actors, requesting they address their role in the matter. "The fact that we give a free pass because there's money and fame involved, it's not fair," Romano said.

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