If you were a kid in the 2000s, there are a few things you probably hold dear in your memory.
Your favorite outfit from Limited Too, your first cell phone (shoutout to the Motorola Razor,) and running home after school to watch the Disney Channel.
The popular kids network wasn’t just a television lineup, it was a lifestyle.
Disney Channel hit its peak popularity with shows like Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody, and Hannah Montana.
These shows not only were fun and entertaining to watch, but they also served as a guide through the tricky ins-and-outs of childhood.
We still remember when Lizzie had to get her first bra, had her first boyfriend, and navigated through the awkwardness of middle school that we were all feeling.
Even today the shows bring up a sense of comfort and nostalgia for many, reminding us of a simpler time, before we fell pray to adulthood. And, most of the stars grew up with us, as well.
Disney Channel ends up being one of the biggest launching pads in Hollywood for young actors.
It’s no secret that a show on the network can easily pave the way for TV movies, a record deal, and an avid fan base that will remain loyal to the end.
So, whatever happened to your favorite stars?
Some of them, like Selena Gomez, certainly need no introduction, but others have not remained as big in the industry.
Whatever path these child starts ended up taking in life, we’re all here for it. Fans for life.
Miley Cyrus
[image_with_caption text=”Hannah Montana” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Miley.jpg”]
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Miley Cyrus quickly became a teen sensation with her hit show Hannah Montana. The show lasted for four seasons and followed Miley Stewart as she balanced life as a pop star and a regular kid.
She also starred on the show with her father Billy Ray Cyrus.
During her time at Disney she also released several albums including Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, where she was first able to make music under hew own name.
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Since her debut at the age of 12, Cyrus has gone on to become a household name and fully transitioned to pop star status with albums like Bangerz, Younger Now, and her most recent EP, She Is Coming.
She also continues to be heavily involved in charity and even started her own called Happy Hippie Foundation which focuses on the homeless youth.
She married Liam Hemsworth in late 2018, and they couple recently announced they have separated.
Hilary Duff
[image_with_caption text=”Lizzie McGuire” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Lizze.jpg”]
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Every girl’s dream best friend in the early 2000s was Lizzie McGuire.
The show only laster two seasons but Hilary Duff became a teen idol for her role as the girl next door navigating middle school with her two best friends.
The show was also one of the first huge hits for Disney Channel and paved the way for the rest of the programming that followed.
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Duff went on to star in several romantic comedies like A Cinderella Story, and Raise Your Voice. After briefly dabbling in music, she recently returned to her television roots.
She is currently starring in the TV Land series Younger.
She was married to hockey player Mike Comrie, with whom she shares one child, and is now engaged to musician Matthew Koma.
The couple recently welcomed their first child together.
Raven-Symoné
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Raven-Symone got her start in Hollywood around the age of five, so by the time she moved to Disney Channel the actress was already a seasoned veteran in her own right.
She starred as the hilarious psychic teenager, who had a knack for getting into trouble.
While at Disney Channel, she also helmed the Disney Channel Original Movie Franchise, The Cheetah Girls, which was the networks first venture into musical TV movies.
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Symone worked for a while as a co-host on the morning talk show, The View, but has since parted ways.
Most recently, she went back to where it all started.
In 2017, she returned to Disney Channel to star in a reboot of the series. Raven’s Home centers around Raven as an adult raising her children, one of which also has supernatural powers.
Ashley Tisdale
[image_with_caption text=”The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TCDSULI_EC056_H.jpeg”]
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Ashley Tisdale burst onto the scene as Maddie Fitzpatrick, the lovable candy counter girl, in The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody. It wasn’t long before she became one of the network’s biggest stars.
She was most known for her portrayal of Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise. Tisdale also voiced Candace on the cartoon show, Phineas and Ferb.
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After leaving Disney Channel, Tisdale went on to record a few albums and is still acting, mostly through voice roles.
She also launched a makeup and beauty line called Illuminate Cosmetics and has gained some popularity through her Youtube channel. She has been married to musician Christopher French since 2014.
Raviv Ullman
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We have to admit that Raviv Ullman might have been our first crush. Ullman played the titular character in Phil Of The Future, in the 2004 comedy about a boy and his family who get stuck in the past. During his time as a Disney star he also starred in the DCOM, Pixel Perfect.
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As an adult Ullman has attempted to make the shift into more adult roles with movies like, How to Make Love to a Woman, which was released in 2010. He also has made guest appearances on several television shows including Cold Case, and Broad City. The actor now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he continues to act and play with his band.
Selena Gomez
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Selena Gomez got her start on the children’s program Barney. By the time she was a teenager she was well on her to way to becoming the icon she is today. Her breakout role was on Wizards of Waverly Place where she played troublemaking witch, Alex Russo. The show went on to become a smash hit for the network and it wasn’t long before Gomez was in DCOM’s, on lunchboxes, and starting her music career.
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Nowadays, the 27-year-old continues to split her time between her music and acting career, topping the charts with hits like Bad Liar, and Fetish.
She recently announced she had finished her next studio album and that it will hopefully be out before the end of the year.
In her personal life Gomez has been linked to The Weekend, and Justin Bieber, and has been open about her struggle with Lupus.
Kimberly J. Brown
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Kimberly J. Brown was one of the early faces of Disney Channel’s push into the television movie sphere. Brown started in the movie Quints, and went onto star in the hit family friendly spooky franchise of Halloweentown, II, and III. Though she never starred in her own series she became of a staple of the early 2000s.
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Since moving on from the Disney Chanel, Brown has shifted her focus onto comedy. According to her website, she is in the Improv Conservatory Program at Second City, the famed improv troupe. She also is performing improv there.
She’s also remained true to her roots and has made frequent appearances at the Halloweentown festival, in which takes place every year in Oregon.
In other adorable news, she is dating her former co-star from the second installment Daniel Kountz, who played Kal. Yes, really!
Shia LaBeouf
[image_with_caption text=”Even Stevens ” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/shia.jpg”]
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Even Stevens was a family centered comedy that focused mainly on the antics of Louis Stevens, played by Shia LaBeouf. The young actor also starred in the DCOM adaptation of the same name. It wasn’t long before he began bursting onto the movie scene in movies like the hit Holes, Disturbia, and Transformers.
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Though he continues to act, LaBeouf has become known more for his odd personal antics and slew of legal troubles. In 2017, the actor was arrested in Savannah, G.A. for drunk and disorderly conduct. He also made headlines for his strange performance art, even appearing on a red carpet wearing a paper bag with “I’m not famous anymore” written on it.
His most recent roles include The Peanut Butter Falcon, and the just announced Robert De Niro project, After Exile.
Demi Lovato
[image_with_caption text=”Camp Rock” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Screen-Shot-2019-08-12-at-12.12.27-PM.png”]
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One of the biggest DCOM franchises was easily Camp Rock. Demi Lovato starred opposite The Jonas Brothers, who were also blowing up at the time. The movie centers around a group of kids attending summer camp and pursuing their love of music. The movie became a global hit and soon Lovato’s face was everywhere.
She also was on her own show, Sonny With A Chance.
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Vanessa Hudgens
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Vanessa Hudgens played Gabriela Montez in the smash hit High School Musical, II, and III. T
he TV movies were a worldwide phenomenon and helped to establish the movie musical trend that would define the network for the next decade. The movie was so big that the third installment was brought to the big screen.
The movie also gained more attention when Hudgens began dating her co-star Zac Efron. The pair would go on to date for the next several years.
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Hudgens is currently in a long term relationship with fellow actor Austin Butler.
She has continued to pursue her acting career and tried to break free from her cookie cutter image with the raunchy movie, Spring Breakers.
Since then she has starred on Broadway, performed in the TV version Rent Live, and recently appeared in the Christmas movie, The Princess Switch.
Debby Ryan
[image_with_caption text=”Suite Life On Deck” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/debbie.jpg”]
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Debby Ryan first got her start for the house of mouse on the spin-off series Suite Life On Deck. She starred as Bailey a brainy student who ends up with Cody.
After filming wrapped she starred in the DCOM 16 Wishes. It wasn’t long before she was given her own show called Jessie, which premiered in 2011.
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Ryan continues to act in both movies and film. In 2018, she starred in the controversial Netflix show, Insatiable, which was renewed for another season.
She also had a supporting role in the Melissa McCarthey movie, Life of the Party.
In 2018, her personal life grew, as well, when she got engaged to long-time boyfriend Josh Dun.
Aly Michalka
[image_with_caption text=”Phil Of The Future” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/alyson-michalka-1338505784.jpg”]
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When Phil Of The Future premiered in 2004, viewers couldn’t help but root for Phil and Keely to get together. This chemistry was due in part to Aly Michalka.
The young actress not only starred in the hit series, but was also the lead in the DCOM and Cow Belles, alongside her sister AJ.
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Aly is one of the few stars who has help up a consistent acting career since growing up. She had a supporting role in the 2010, Emma Stone comedy, Easy A.
She’s also made several television appearances with recurring roles on Hellcats, and iZombie. Along with her acting, she continues to focus on her music with her sister.
The duo released a new album this past year and are currently touring around the country.
Zac Efron
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One Disney actor who rocketed to the upper echelon of Hollywood is Zac Efron.
He got his start as Troy Bolton, the sweet basketball player with a secret love of theater in High School Musical.
It was only a matter of time before Efron graduated to full teen heartthrob status.
During his teen years, Zac starred in several major motion pictures including, 17 Again, and Hairspray.
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It wasn’t long before Efron decided to expand his resume and take on more challenging and adult roles. He appeared opposite Seth Rogan in the R-rated comedy Neighbors.
He also took a surprising turn and went back to his musical roots in the musical The Greatest Showman.
Most recently, he took on the dark role of real-life serial Ted Bundy in the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
Emily Osment
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Emily Osment got her start in the Spy Kids franchise before moving over to Hannah Montana, where she played Lily Truscott. She also went on to star in the DCOM, Dadnapped.
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After finishing the series, Osment went on to star in her own show on Freeform, Young and Hungry. She’s also done voiceover work for various shows including Family Guy.
Cole and Dylan Sprouse
[image_with_caption text=”Suite Life On Deck” image=”https://itsblossom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/suite.jpg”]
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Cole and Dylan Sprouse have been acting since they were babies. Before heading to Disney Channel they most notably appeared in the hit sitcom Friends as Ross’ son Ben.
The twins moved to the network to star in a sitcom of their own with Suite Life Of Zack and Cody which was about two twin boys living with their mom in a fancy hotel.
The show was such a huge hit, it was one of the few shows to get a spin-off called The Suite Life On Deck.
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Once filming ended both boys decided to take a much needed break from Hollywood to go to college at New York University.
The pair fell back into anonymity for a while and Dylan even opened his own Meadery called Allwise.
Cole worked on archeology before landing an audition for CW’s teen drama Riverdale. He’s been back in the public eye ever since and credits his time away for keeping him sane.
Dylan has also moved back into the acting world with the indie film, Dismissed.
