Our generation grew up in a time with really great television, there’s no doubting that. But as the child stars of those TV shows grew up with us, all we heard about was what they did wrong and that trend still continues. What about those child stars who continued on living a good, out of the public eye life, though? There are a surprising amount of child stars, especially those from Disney Channel, who grew up to be amazing role models for our generation and the younger generations.
These former Disney Channel stars are great examples of how to continue doing what you love in life, and living how you want to, no matter what other people say. Of course, the life of a TV and movie star is glamorous, but, a lot of these women show that just living their lives as they want can be glamorous, too.
Hilary Duff
What you know her from: Caspar Meet Wendy (Wendy), Lizzie McGuire (Lizzie), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (Lizzie), Agent Cody Banks (Natalie Connors), A Cinderella Story (Sam), Raise Your Voice (Terri Fletcher), Cheaper By the Dozen (Lorraine Baker), and Cadet Kelly (Kelly)
What she’s doing now: Even though they have just filed for divorce, Duff was married to hockey player Mike Comrie, and the two of them have one child together. She has recently started her music career up again, with a fifth album in the works. Some of the songs that will be on it are “All About You” and “Chasing the Sun.”
Annaliese van der Pol
What you know her from: That’s So Raven (Chelsea Daniels)
What she’s doing now: Before she was Raven Baxter’s best friend, she played many roles in Broadway musicals, including Eva Perón in Evita, a role that, at fifteen years old, helped her win the record for youngest actress to play that lead role in a professional production. After That’s So Raven and the rest of her Disney work finished, she went on to play the final Belle in the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast before it closed to make room for The Little Mermaid.
Kirsten Storms
What you know her from: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (Zenon), Zenon: The Zequel (Zenon), Zenon: Z3 (Zenon), and Kim Possible (Bonnie)
What she’s doing now: She is now known for her roles in soap operas such as General Hospital, as Maxie Joans, and Days of Our Lives, as Isabella Black. She married co-star Brandon Barash, and the couple has a young daughter, Harper.
Raven Symoné
What you know her from; The Cosby Show (Olivia Kendall), The Little Rascals (Stymie’s girlfriend), That’s So Raven (Raven Baxter), The Cheetah Girls (Galleria), The Cheetah Girls 2 (Galleria), Kim Possible (Monique), The Princess Diaries 2 (Asana), Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (Nebula), Zenon: The Zequel (Nebula), and Zenon: Z3 (Nebula)
What she’s doing now: After her long time with Disney Channel, she acted in various movies, including College Road Trip and the new Tinkerbell series of movies. She is very serious about keeping her private life private. She openly supports gay marriage, and has come out as gay, too, but still keeps everything about her private life away from the public. She’s a master at this, and could teach lessons about it to a lot of other celebrities with the paparazzi hounding them.
Kimberly J. Brown
What you know her from: Halloweentown (Marnie), Halloweentown II: Kallabar’s Revenge (Marnie), Halloweentown High (Marnie), and Quints (Jamie)
What she’s doing now: Brown started out her acting career on the stage, where she held a record at the age of nine as the youngest actress to appear in three Broadway shows at once (Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, Les Miserables, and Showboat), and she continues now on the stage with the improv acting group Second City (a.k.a. where Tina Fey got her start, and where a lot of Saturday Night Live stars are discovered).
Demi Lovato
What you know her from: Camp Rock (Mitchie), Camp Rock 2 (Mitchie), and Sonny With a Chance (Sonny)
What she’s doing now: After acting for Disney and doing a few more movies with them, Demi began her music career, which continues to this day. She later revealed her battles with childhood depression, bipolar disorder, bulimia, and self-mutilation, and how she overcame those obstacles. She now hopes to be the role model for young girls that she didn’t have when she was their age.