Your 28 Favorite Disney Channel Stars Then and Now

Though she had been working in the industry since the mid '90s, Ashley’s big break came when she landed the role of Maddie Fitzpatrick on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2005. About a year later, she was cast as Sharpay the hit movie High School Musical, which went on to have five installments. You might also remember her voice from the animated series Phineas & Ferb, which aired from 2007–2015.

Ashley hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. She has more than 20 years in the entertainment industry, and she’s definitely not slowing down. She recently bought her makeup company Illuminate Cosmetics, has worked as an executive producer, and has a notable music career. Most recently, she released her fourth studio album Symptoms, and she’s set to star in the upcoming fall sitcom Carol’s Second Act. In personal news, she’s been married to musician Christopher French since 2014.

Few can forget Vanessa’s epic on-screen (and off-screen!) romance with Zac Efron as Gabriella Montez in all three High School Musical movies. She quickly became a household name, also taking on partnerships with Neutrogena and Kohl’s.

She’s gone on to play a variety of roles outside of the Disney bubble, including the 2012 thriller Spring Breakers and the 2013 indie film Gimme Shelter. In more recent years, she’s starred in the Netflix royal rom-com The Princess Switch, Jennifer Lopez’s Second Act, and she’s had success in TV movies like Grease Live! and Rent: Live.

If you’re a kid from the ‘00s, you likely had a poster of Troy Bolton, er, Zac Efron, on your wall. The basketball star-turned-singer stole hearts in the High School Musical movies, and soon after, he was on the big screen as a young Mike O’Donnell in the hit rom-com 17 Again in 2009. One year later, he had the titular role in the drama Charlie St. Cloud.

Zac’s career has really evolved over the past few years. He had a significant role on the actor-loaded film New Year’s Eve, led the cast in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s The Lucky One, was in the rom-com That Awkward Moment, and played Seth Rogen’s frat bro nemesis in all three Neighbors movies. He’s shared the screen with Robert De Niro in 2016’s Dirty Grandpa, and co-starred with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in 2017’s Baywatch. More recently, he starred as Ted Bundy in Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and is lending his voice to the animated movie Scoob.

Corbin made it big with High School Musical, which aired on Disney Channel in 2006. One year later, he was the lead on the Disney TV movie Jump In!

Since his Disney years, Corbin has made appearances on the soap One Life to Live, Drop Dead Diva, and The Middle. He has two films in post-production: Witches in the Woods and Ovid and the Art of Love. But he’s also found great success on Broadway, and has been nominated and won awards for his dance performances in Kiss Me, Kate and Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical. In 2019, he was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in Kiss Me, Kate. He married actress Sasha Clements in 2016.

Many know Keke for her starring role in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, for which she won the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. But one year later, she starred opposite Corbin Bleu in the Disney Channel movie Jump In! In 2008, she jumped onto a new station, and was the lead in the Nickelodeon series True Jackson, VP until 2011.

Growing up before our eyes, Keke has appeared in several shows, including Masters of Sex and Scream Queens. In 2014, she became the first African-American actress to portray Cinderella on Broadway. She’s also released two studio albums, and released a Snapchat TV series Keepin’ It Real With Keke Palmer in July 2019. She also stars in the highly anticipated 2019 film Hustlers, alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, among others. You can catch Keke as a (reportedly official) third co-host on ABC’s Strahan and Sara.

We all remember her as Olivia Kendall in The Cosby Show, but Raven went on to become one of the most well-known Disney Channel stars when she was cast as the lead of That’s So Raven. It aired from 2002–2007, and one year later, she went into movies and more TV roles.

Since her days as a psychic on Disney, Raven has appeared in shows like Black-ish and Drunk History. She even returned to Disney in 2017, and has since starred in the That’s So Raven spin-off Raven’s Home. It’s also important to note her hosting career, as she was a co-host on The View from 2012–2018.

He started as an adorable little one on shows like Family Matters and The Jamie Foxx Show, but he was recognized as teen Disney star Eddie Thomas on That's So Raven from 2002–2007.

He's only had a few roles since, and his latest film, Bloody Hands, is in post-production. However, he's had several run-ins with the law, and was arrested in January 2018 after police broke up an argument between his girlfriend and his girlfriend's mother. While checking his record, police found an active arrest warrant from 2016 for alleged battery, resisting a peace officer, and possession of a controlled substance. Later that year, he opened up on Dr. Phil about his drug addiction and path to sobriety.

Best known for her role as Chelsea Daniels in That's So Raven, Anneliese went on to star in the Bratz movie the same year Raven ended. Before landing that role, however, she was arrested for a DUI after she collided with a parked car.

She's only had a handful of other gigs, but she reprised her role as Chelsea Daniels for the reboot Raven's Home in 2017.

We first got to know Raviv "Ricky" Ullman back in 2004, when he starred in the series about a family who traveled from the year 2121. Phil of the Future aired from 2004–2006.

After Phil, he took on roles in TV shows and movies, including the Lifetime series Rita Rocks, and dropped his stage name. He guest starred on Broad City in 2015, and even started the band Lolawolf with Zoë Kravitz. His next gig is a movie called Spring Break '83.

Back in 2004, we knew Aly as Phil's BFF Keely. Around that time, we also started to see her perform songs with her little sister AJ. The sisters even co-starred in the Disney Channel movie Cow Belles in 2006.

Aly went on to star in films like Easy A and Grown Ups 2, as well as TV shows like Hellcats and Two and a Half Men. With AJ, she's released three studio albums. Their latest EP, Sanctuary, was released in 2019. Aly's been married to director Stephen Ringer since 2015.