Top 20 Disney Stars Who Disappeared Once Their Show Ended

Remember Debbie Berwick from “Phil of The Future?” She wasn’t around for long, but Kay Panabaker’s character approaches life with a positive attitude — and then we learn she’s a cyborg. Unfortunately for her, Debbie doesn’t make it past the first season. Panabaker made multiple guest-star appearances in other series, such as “Weeds” and “Medium,” and could be seen in several TV movies afterward. She also had a central part in ABC’s short-lived “No Ordinary Family,” but ultimately retired from acting in 2012. Interestingly, while that chapter of her career ended shortly after leaving the Disney Channel, she remained in the House of Mouse’s world, in a sense. Indeed, in 2016, she reportedly was a zoologist at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

We all know Matt, Lizzie McGuire’s mischievous younger brother. He’s pretty much always bugging his sister or playing pranks, to put it mildly. The actor who brought him to life is Jake Thomas. Still, you may not recognize his name and face from anywhere other than this hit series from the aughts — and perhaps “Cory in the House.” Thomas has had other, more minor roles in the years since he left Disney Channel behind, but none of them have been as recognizable. Still, if you miss seeing him on your screen, he did appear in one episode of “NCIS” in 2024! He flies under the radar, but he’s still in entertainment, also reportedly working as a director.

One of— if not the—most memorable hotel managers in the history of Disney Channel is Mr. Moseby. He’s stern, demanding, and well-spoken; refusing to put up with any of Zack and Cody’s shenanigans. Phill Lewis played the man in the nice suits from “Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and its spin-off, “The Suite Life on Deck.” He performed other important roles prior to this series, but it would be understandable to only associate Lewis’ face with Mr. Moseby. Even after his great run as Mr. Moseby in the “Suite Life” franchise, Lewis has made appearances here and there, but to nowhere near the same extent.

Both Disney and Nickelodeon seemed to have a knack for making kid-friendly versions of popular adult TV shows. Take, for example, “So Weird”, Disney’s version of “The X Files”. Like its adult sibling, the show centered around otherworldly things like aliens and ghosts. And its main character was Fiona Phillips or “Fi” for short, played by Cara DeLizia. After season three though, DeLizia left the show and never quite made it into the spotlight again. She’s had a few guest spots, like on “The West Wing”, and she voiced a character on Nickelodeon’s “All Grown Up”, but nothing quite so big as playing Fi. We like to think she’s happily retired from the acting life.

“Dang it!” You may have heard that from Matthew Timmons’ character Woody in “Suite Life on Deck.” Woody is Cody’s cabin-mate on the SS Tipton. His gullibility, messiness, and overall silliness lead to some comical moments in the series. This includes attempting pick-up lines and testing his luck as a butler. Timmons, however, left the acting spotlight after this role, except for a brief one-episode appearance in the Disney series “Jessie.” It seemed “Suite Life on Deck” could have been a launching pad at the beginning of his young acting career. Unfortunately, based on his social media activity, the main reason Timmons backed out of the industry was facing harmful size stereotypes. Nowadays, you wouldn’t recognize Timmons as Woody.

That adorable, innocent baby from “Good Luck Charlie” provides numerous fuzzy and funny moments. Charlie started the show in 2010 as a baby and grew to be several years old by the show’s conclusion in 2014. The girl who starred in this role is Mia Talerico. But what happened to the little actress since? Well, as of 2024, she’s a high schooler. She may only be Charlie to you, even all these years later. Although, who knows? As young as she still is, maybe she’ll find her way back to the screen at some point. Whatever she ends up doing, we say good luck, Charlie.

Pim is the sister of the title character in “Phil of the Future.” Clever, confident, and sassy at times, Amy Bruckner’s character is known to have a few tricks up her sleeve. Although she also appeared in the Disney animated series “American Dragon” during the mid-2000s, Bruckner is unquestionably most recognized in the television world as Pim. Following that role, you may not have seen her again, due to just her few minor film appearances. Nowadays, the former actress is an attorney. Surely, the resourcefulness and ingenuity that Pim possesses could be beneficial in Bruckner’s legal practice.

Cory Baxter is Raven’s little brother in the hit Disney series “That’s So Raven.” Played by Kyle Massey, Cory is a money-hungry young entrepreneur. Hence, his catchphrase is “cha-ching!” Having a pet rat named Lionel is definitely another thing to remember him by. After “That’s So Raven,” Massey featured as the main character in “Cory in the House.” After his promising Disney years, though, his acting career didn’t really take off. He did make an appearance in “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010, and has also dropped a few tracks as a rapper. In 2021 he was back in headlines, but not in a good way - charged with immoral communication with a minor.

On the short-lived “Sonny with a Chance”, Grady Mitchell was a goofy side character and offered up the comic relief. And who played that lovable part so well? Why, none other than Doug Brochu. But if you don’t recognize his name, you aren’t alone. After “Sonny with a Chance” and its spin-off show were both over - along with a few other Disney shows he appeared in - Brochu has only had one noteworthy acting credit to his name. The 2014 short, “Obituaries” had him acting alongside James Franco and might have been a bump of fame. But Doug has reportedly decided to focus more on his health. And we understand; he looks great!

Jackson Stewart, the older brother of Miley in “Hannah Montana,” has a much different personality than his sister. The quirky, lazy character who earns plenty of laughs from the audience, is portrayed by Jason Earles. As siblings often do, Jackson and Miley bicker plenty, but the love between them is definitely evident. Earles’ performance in this Disney classic is without a doubt his most notable one, even with a few TV roles following “Hannah Montana.” So, to many people, Earles is and always will be Jackson and no one else.

The eldest of the Duncans in “Good Luck Charlie” is PJ, portrayed by Jason Dolley. He adds a special comedic flavor to the show, which helped him win over a fair share of fans. However, those hoping to see more of Dolley after the finale of “Good Luck Charlie” in 2014 may have been disappointed. Since then, he has appeared on screen sparingly. His claim to fame is definitely “Good Luck Charlie.” The LA native did recently say in a podcast that he’s still getting young people’s recognition for his performance as PJ. Given his young age at the time and the positive reception of his character, it’s a bit surprising that Dolley hasn’t since stamped more claims to fame.

She’s Kate Sanders, the frenemy of the title character in “Lizzie McGuire.” There are several memorable clashes between Kate and Lizzie throughout the series. Some fall under the category of dramatic while others may be considered, well, not pleasant. Although her character is depicted as the most popular girl in school, Brillault’s popularity as an actress never extended beyond this early 2000s role. Her acting career started and ended with “Lizzie McGuire.” Since then, she transitioned to a totally new profession: attorney.

It’s sweet that Teddy Duncan produces video diaries of her baby sister in “Good Luck Charlie.” That’s a good big sis. Portrayed by Bridgit Mendler, the series' main character is depicted as caring, responsible, and likable. After shining in the Disney spotlight with this performance, it would’ve been reasonable to expect Mendler to continue shining in the industry for years to come. Even though she has appeared on screen a few more times after the 2014 conclusion of “Good Luck Charlie,” those roles haven’t garnered the same level of recognition. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that, while you may not have seen Mendler since her “Good Luck Charlie” days, you may have heard her great voice in the hit song “Ready or Not.”

Like many on this list, Lalaine acted in a few roles before her big break with Disney. In this case, that was as the titular character’s best friend on “Lizzie McGuire.” As Miranda, Lalaine lit up every young girl’s life with her awesome outfits and general hilarity. But in 2007, the young star was charged with possession of methamphetamines. From 2010 to 2011, she took a swing at playing bass for the band, Vanity Theft, but the all-girl group never hit true fame. Since then, Lalaine has had a few acting credits to her name - even one in “Easy A” - but sadly, nothing as significant as her earlier roles.

Where would the world be without best friends to push us, laugh with us, and be a shoulder to cry on? Most of Disney Channel’s shows answer that with a resounding, ‘nowhere.’ And “Wizards of Waverly Place” is no different. The sweet but sly Harper was that best friend to Alex Russo. And Jennifer Stone played the role well. Almost immediately after the show was over, Nickelodeon scooped up the young star, wanting her to play the babysitter/storyteller on “Deadtime Stories.” After that, she’s had scattered acting gigs. More importantly, she’s done outreach for people living with diabetes after her own diagnosis. You go, girl!

Demi Lovato’s Sonny from “Sonny with a Chance” not only had great friends; she had a queen bee frenemy as well. Tiffany Thornton played this character, Tawni, with an adorable and funny, albeit sometime annoying flair. And for a short while after both the show and its spin-off were over, she was a radio personality for KLAZ 105.9 in Arkansas. But that was the last the world saw of the young blonde star, at least on any world’s stage. Don’t worry though; as evidenced by her Instagram, Tiffany prefers her quiet life, raising her children and working for Champion Christian College as a recruitment advisor.

Oh, Orlando. With his ability to spit an awesome freestyle but still play up the goofy scenes as Eddie on “That’s So Raven,” he could have gone far in Hollywood. Even as his popular Disney show was ending, Brown seemed to have a music career that was picking up. So perhaps, he could have gone on to do wonderful things. In 2015, he even attempted a small comeback with a role in “Straight Outta Compton.” Unfortunately, though, fame took a bad turn for Orlando. In 2018,, he was arrested for drug possession and domestic abuse. We can say this star’s time with Disney has definitely come to an end.

Back in the days when he played Oliver Oken on “Hannah Montana”, Mitchel Musso seemed like he could have become a household name. He was in many Disney Channel films and had a voice that could rock a pop punk stage. Around the same time that his role on “Hannah Montana” was over, Disney offered him two other roles on “Pair of Kings” and “PrankStars.” But after a DUI, his time on both was cut short. And sadly, with only one full-length studio album to his name, his music career hasn’t gone far either. He has since patched things up with Disney though, having taken on the voice of Wally in “Milo Murphy’s Law.”

As the title suggests, “Phil of the Future” was another Disney channel show filled with fun, hilarity, and most of all, an off-the-wall concept. Ricky Ullman played the titular Phil with a carefree attitude but also, a certain sincerity. Since being on the show though, he’s gone back to his given name, Raviv, and has done a few guest spots on TV shows, like “Broad City.” But most importantly, he’s the drummer in a band called Reputante. And though they only have one album out so far, Michelle Williams did star in one of their music videos. Just give them a listen; they have a pretty cool sound.

Well, we mentioned Miranda, so of course Gordo has to be on the list too! And the lovable young Adam Lamberg played the guy in the best friend trio with ease and laughter. Upsettingly though - at least for the public - shortly after “Lizzie McGuire” and its accompanying movie were over, Lamberg said goodbye to Hollywood. And almost as easily as he slid into the role of Gordo, he slid into anonymity as well. According to LinkedIn, he now has his Bachelor’s degree in Geography and his Master’s in Public Communication. He’s also worked his way up to be the Development Officer at the Irish Arts Center in NYC. Bravo, Gordo. Bravo.

Which of these Disney characters did you like the most as a kid? Let us know in the comments below!