Who are they?
Where are they now?
Aly & AJ
Sisters Aly and AJ Michalka were signed to Hollywood Records and released their debut album in 2005. Aly rose to fame with her starring role in Disney Channel’s “Phil of the Future” from 2004 to 2006 and would star in “Now You See It…” a 2005 DCOM. Meanwhile, AJ worked on a variety of TV shows like “Birds of Prey” and “General Hospital” before the duo starred as sisters in the 2006 DCOM “Cowbelles.” Their most popular song, “Potential Breakup Song,” had a resurgence on TikTok in October of 2020, with the song having over 900k videos. The two are still acting — separately — and singing together today.
Debby Ryan
Debby Ryan made her Disney Channel debut in 2008 on “The Suite Life on Deck,” as one of the main characters, Bailey Pickett. The show went on for three seasons and stopped airing in 2011. Ryan would go on to star as the titular character Jessie in the show, “Jessie,” which ran from 2011 to 2015. She also guest starred on a handful of shows and had her own DCOM, the 2012 “Radio Rebel.” More recently, she starred in the Netflix original series, “Insatiable,” but she has consistently been acting after her time at Disney.
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne had her breakthrough on Disney Channel co-starring on the sitcom “Shake It Up” alongside Zendaya. The show aired from 2010-2013. She and Zendaya also starred in the DCOM “Frenemies” in 2012. Two of Thorne’s songs “Watch Me” and “TTYLXOX” made the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and she was signed to Hollywood Records. She starred in mainstream films and TV shows, including “Blended” with Adam Sandler, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” “The DUFF,” “Scream,” “Famous in Love,” and “Midnight Sun.” She’s appeared in commercials, written young adult novels, and had her directorial debut since her time on Disney concluded.
Zendaya
Zendaya made her television and Disney debut on “Shake it Up.” After that show concluded, she starred as the titular character in another sitcom “K.C. Undercover,” which aired from 2015-2018. She sang the theme song for the show. During her time at Disney, she starred in two DCOMS: the 2012 “Frenemies” and the 2013 “Zapped. She also released many promotional singles, including “Watch Me” and “Something to Dance For” and was signed to Hollywood Records in 2012. She released a self-titled debut album in 2013 with the single “Replay” being her most popular. After Disney, she guest judged on “Project Runway” and made her feature film debut in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” alongside Tom Holland in 2017, and she starred in its sequels “Far From Home” and “No Way Home.” Other major projects include “The Greatest Showman” and “Dune” and she’s currently the narrator of the HBO drama series “Euphoria” that’s been running since 2019.
Olivia Holt
Olivia Holt started at Disney with Disney XD’s “Kickin’ It,” where she played one of the main characters for its first three seasons before leaving to play the lead on Disney Channel’s “I Didn’t Do It,” which ran from 2014 to 2015. She starred in the 2012 DCOM “Girl vs. Monster,” which she sang three songs for. In 2014, she signed with Hollywood Records, releasing the popular song “Phoenix” and a self-titled debut album. After Disney, she starred in “Cloak & Dagger” and “Cruel Summer.” She still acts and sings today.
Laura Marano
Laura Marano played Ally on Disney Channel’s “Austin & Ally” from 2011-2016. She sang multiple songs for the show. She also starred in the 2015 DCOM “Bad Hair Day.” In that same year, she starred in the indie film "A Sort of Homecoming" and signed with Universal’s Big Machine Records. She starred in Netflix’s teen rom-com “The Perfect Date” alongside former “Austin & Ally” guest star Noah Centineo. She recently starred in Netflix’s interactive rom-com “Choose Love.” She’s still acting and putting out music today.
Dove Cameron
Dove Cameron got her breakthrough on Disney playing the dual lead role of teen twins Liv and Maddie on “Liv and Maddie,” which aired from 2013-2017. The theme song for the show, which she sang, became No. 1 on the Billboard Kid Songs chart. She also starred in the 2014 DCOM “Cloud 9” before starring in the highly successful DCOM musical “Descendants” in 2015. Cameron would reprise her role in the sequel films “Descendants 2” in 2017 and “Descendants 3” in 2019. During and after Disney, she was in “Hairspray Live!” and Netflix’s 2018 “Dumplin.’” In 2022, Cameron released the single “Boyfriend,” which went viral on TikTok and has over 400k videos under the sound. She removed her entire previous discography, featuring a variety of singles, off of streaming services after the success of “Boyfriend.” She continues to act and release new music today.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter made her Disney Channel breakthrough in “Girl Meets World,” the spin-off of the iconic 90s sitcom “Boy Meets World.” Carpenter sang the show’s theme song alongside co-star Rowan Blanchard. The show ran from 2014-2017. She starred in the 2016 DCOM “Adventures in Babysitting,” a remake of the 1987 film of the same name, and sang a single for the film called “Wildside” alongside co-star Sofia Carson. After her time on Disney Channel, she acted in the 2018 film “The Hate U Give” and the 2020 Disney+ film “Clouds.” She also starred in the Netflix films, “Tall Girl,” its sequel, “Tall Girl 2,” and “Work It,” which she released a single called “Let Me Move You” for. Under her five-album deal with Hollywood Records, Carpenter put out her debut single “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” in 2014 along with her EP of the same name. Her discography includes the albums: “Eyes Wide Open,” “Evolution,” “Singular Act I,” and “Singular Act II.” She’s had four headlining tours. She released her fifth studio album “Emails I Can’t Send” in 2022. This past year, she opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour in Latin America and recently released a Christmas EP titled “Fruitcake.”