Famous Disney Stars Who Dated Regular People
Disney stars have become powerhouses in the entertainment industry. Many of young actors had their major breakthroughs on Disney TV shows and movies and have gone on to dominate the big screen as well as radio stations. Popular Disney personalities like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Zac Efron, among many others, have made themselves household names since their humble beginnings as teenage actors on the Disney Channel.
Though having a job with Disney has a pretty bright spotlight that comes along with it, there are quite a few Disney Channel stars that choose to keep their private lives, well, pretty private. After long hours on set and being constantly surrounded by other teen television heartthrobs that many young viewers crush on from their couches, quite a few of these Disney stars have managed to find love in an unexpected place — outside of Hollywood. Here are famous Disney stars who dated regular people.
Jake T. Austin was one Disney star who made a fan's dream come true
The way that Wizards of Waverly Place star Jake T. Austin, who's since left Disney behind, met girlfriend Danielle Ceasar is definitely one that had to have come straight out of a storybook. According to People, Ceasar had been one of his superfans for quite some time and had tweeted at him for five years surrounding their first introduction at one of his meet-and-greets. Of their connection, Austin told People, "It doesn't matter how you meet someone — on set, in a coffee shop, at school or in the business." The Disney star added, "Sometimes you connect with people at the right moment and you just click."
In late 2015, the two became Instagram official. Then, in 2018, they celebrated their three-year anniversary together with a trip to Jamaica, and, in May 2019, Austin posted to Instagram a photo of him kissing the side of Ceasar's head, writing, "You're the only one of you."
This is definitely a story that will give fangirls everywhere major hope with their on-screen crushes.
Disney star Olivia Holt met her boyfriend at a barbecue
Olivia Holt from the series I Didn't Do It met one of her boyfriends in a way that's very normal for the rest of us. In 2015, Holt was introduced to Ray Kearin by a friend at a barbecue. She confirmed their relationship in 2016, after he was spotted in many of the Disney star's high school graduation photos.
"He's a dream boy," Holt told J-14. "We actually met pretty recently, but I'm so crazy about him, it's kind of hard not to talk about him. I'm just really content and happy with my life right now. I'm on cloud nine." Holt notably enjoyed the fact that her boyfriend didn't work in the entertainment industry like she did. "It's so cool because he's so curious about what I do and I'm so curious about what he does, and it's cool to go back and forth and have conversations about the lives that we don't necessarily share together," she explained (via J-14).
In 2017, it was speculated that the couple had called it quits after she was spotted with actor Taylor Lautner, as reported by J-14.
Former Disney star Hayley Duff's beau is an entrepreneur
Even with appearances on Lizzie McGuire and That's So Raven, Hilary Duff's older sister, Haylie Duff, has kept her private life further away from the public than her younger sis.
In April 2014, Haylie Duff became engaged to her boyfriend of two years, entrepreneur Matt Rosenberg, who owns the T-shirt company Subway Tile Shirts, according to Time. "The moment was genuine and sweet (like him!) and I couldn't wait to say yes!" Duff wrote on her food blog, The Real Girl's Kitchen.
However, before any wedding bells began to ring, the former Disney star became pregnant with their first daughter, Ryan. "We talk about it and think, 'Maybe now we're ready to do it' and then life happens and toddler happens," Duff told People in 2018, as the as the couple was awaiting the arrival of their second daughter, LuLu. "Maybe after the craziness of a new baby dies down we'll be ready to talk about it again," Duff said.
As of December 2019, the two have yet to tie the knot. "We feel married already," she noted to People.
Famous Disney star Kevin Jonas met his lady love on vacation
As the Jonas Brothers were just beginning to receive worldwide recognition, Kevin Jonas had his heart set on something out of the spotlight.
In May 2007, during a family vacation to the Bahamas, Jonas, who's starred in the likes of Camp Rock and Jonas, met former hairdresser Danielle Deleasa while walking along the beach. And he admitted that it was love at first sight. "When I met Danielle, I was the one that was pursuing her most of the time and I didn't want her out of my sight," Jonas told PR.com. Funny enough, Deleasa admitted to People that, when she first met the rock star, she "didn't know who the Jonas Brothers were."
Two years later, Jonas flew back from a night on tour and surprised Deleasa with a ring. "It was tough performing last night, knowing that I was going to ask the biggest question in my life to the most amazing girl in the world," the Disney star told People. Deleasa added, "It still feels like a dream."
The two married later that same year and began their life on the road together, touring with the Jonas Brothers all over the world. They now have two daughters, Alena and Valentina (via Hola!).
Disney star Emily Osment dated a mystery man
In July 2016, Disney star Emily Osment, known for her role as BFF Lilly in Hannah Montana and for being one of many child actors who grew up to be stunning, posted a photo of her cozied up to a mysterious man. Turns out, the star was dating a normal guy. Upon further investigation from sources of every corner of the Internet, he was revealed to be Jim Gilbert, who, at the time, was working for the Verdugo Hills Autism Project, according to J-14.
Though it wasn't confirmed if the two were really together since the actress keeps her relationships pretty private, Osment did post quite a few photos that seemed to point to a courtship. In 2017, she even told People, "I've got a wonderful boyfriend, who's not the industry which is really nice." She added, "We have so much to talk about ... We get to come home and say, 'Oh, how was your day?' ... and there's nothing in common, which is cool."
Famous Disney star David Henrie fell for a teacher
Wizards of Waverly Place actor David Henrie, known for his role as Justin in the show, met the love of his life at a speaking event. "I knew Maria was special from the moment I saw her," he told E! News.
Though the two remained connected over the phone, Maria Cahill was living and teaching in Delaware, while Henrie was shooting in California. "The distance was kind of hard," Henrie told Blog de Los Angeles. However, the Disney star, who also notably appeared on How I Met Your Mother, shared, "One day, out of the blue, she gets a call and basically it says, 'Hey! We want to hire you. Would you like to teach in California?' That was a big sign to me that it was totally providential. I thought then, wow, this is really good, this is really working, this was meant to be."
In 2017, the couple tied the knot. Two years later, they welcomed their first child into the world, Pia, whose name means "loving" in Latin, as noted by Entertainment Tonight.
Disney star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle went on a Disneyland date
Camp Rock star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle spent a first date with a regular guy at Disneyland, coincidentally enough. In 2017, her cousin decided to set her up with aerospace engineer Scott Kline, Jr. (via Phil Star). "At the end of the night, he gave me a bouquet of flowers," Perez de Tagle told ABS CBN News.
One year later, Kline asked the Disney star to meet up at his alma mater, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, for a tour. Perez de Tagle had just flown in from wrapping an episode of Charmed when her beau proposed to her on campus. "I just got back from Vancouver, so I had no idea that it was going to happen," she told Balitang America.
Though her now-husband leads a pretty normal life, Perez de Tagle told ABS CBN News that she has no intention on leaving the entertainment business. "He's very supportive of my career," she said. "But if I ever do decide to take a break because of kids, he's supportive of that also. But I still plan to still act, sing. We are still living in LA so we'll be fine with that."
Disney star Alyson Stoner dated a dancer
Alyson Stoner began her career in entertainment at a young age, and she spent her entire childhood in the spotlight. The Camp Rock and Phineas and Ferb Disney star mostly keeps her private life just that — private — but, in 2018, she came out about her love life in a moving essay for Teen Vogue.
In the piece, Stoner described a relationship she had with a dance instructor she met while tagging along with one of her friends to a class. "I left the workshop and texted my mother and best friend saying, 'I met a woman today, I'm not sure who she is or what I'm feeling, but I think she's going to be in my life for a very long time,'" Stoner said.
Though Stoner didn't divulge who exactly this woman was, she said that their relationship "changed everything I knew about myself as a woman, human being, and performer." Stoner added, "She cared about my inner world more than its superficiality. We were an example of true love."
Stoner hopes that, by sharing her story, she will inspire others to feel they are not alone in their journeys to finding love.
Disney star Jason Earles found love through Twitter
Disney seems to bring people together. Jason Earles, who was a part of the cast of Hannah Montana, met the love of his life at Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii.
"I loved the Disney Channel growing up," Katie Drysen told J-14. She was on a family vacation when she recognized Earles nearby. "For some reason I decided to tweet about it," she said, admitting that Twitter was not something she used often. "I went to bed not expecting a response seeing as the tweet wasn't even really directed to him. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to a bunch of notifications. He had tweeted back, followed me on twitter, sent me a dm and added me as a friend on Facebook." It definitely sounds like it was love at first sight!
Earles later popped the question at Disneyland, and they soon married. "I was never sure if two people were destined to be together, like if soulmates really exist," the Disney star shared in his wedding vows. "But I believe thanks to Twitter and Disneyland and a thousand tiny adventures shared between just you and me, there is no denying that soulmates exist." Aw!
Famous Disney star Hilary Duff dated a gym owner
After filing for divorce from hockey player Mike Comrie in 2015, Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff was after a regular guy. "It's hard for me to meet people," she told MTV News that year. "Because normal guys just don't come up to me out of the blue and I kind of want a normal guy."
Later that year, her wish for a regular person to date seemed to come true. She was spotted having dinner with her personal trainer, Jason Walsh, after the opening of his gym Rise Nation. Fans immediately started speculating whether they were together, as reported by Us Weekly. A year passed before Duff made any public comments regarding their relationship. "We've known each other for a long time and he's a great guy and we have a lot of fun together," the Disney star told Fox 5's Good Day New York in 2016 (via Us Weekly). "It's nice to have that excitement in my life."
Shortly after, Duff, who's had a stunning transformation, made their relationship Instagram official. Unfortunately, Duff must have decided that normalcy was not for her, as the two eventually split up. In 2019, Duff married musician Matthew Koma (via People).
Disney star Monique Coleman married a regular guy
Just like her character in High School Musical, Monique Coleman decided to go against the status quo and lead a pretty normal life out of the spotlight. "When High School Musical was over, I left! I left the industry, I traveled, I got married. ... I did all this other stuff for a while," she told Made in Hollywood TV.
Though it's unclear how she met husband Walter Jordan, a photo popped up online of the couple's private wedding ceremony off the coast of Thailand in February 2012. Since then, it seems they like to travel the world together. In 2017, the former Disney star posted an anniversary message to Jordan on Instagram, mentioning they had been to a total of 40 countries together since their relationship began in 2010. It's unclear just what Jordan does for a living, but it seems safe to say he's a regular guy.
Though Coleman, who is one of several Disney Channel stars who are older than we realized, spent a few years out of the spotlight as a newlywed, she has every intention of sticking around the entertainment industry. "I woke up one day, and I felt this void," she said. She added, "There's also this part of me that still just wants to tell stories and still just wants to have those dreams come true."
Disney star Bridgit Mendler married her boyfriend on the beach
Good Luck Charlie actress Bridgit Mendler had a lot of good luck when it came to finding the man of her dreams. The Disney star began posting photos with a mystery man on Instagram in 2017 (via J-14), and fans realized the relationship was pretty serious when the couple announced their engagement in April 2019. Mechanical engineer Griffin Cleverly posted to Instagram, "Our time together has brought many changes — new jobs, long distance, moving across the country, long distance again. But we've grown together..."
As private as Mendler has kept the relationship, she seemed to keep their nuptials even more of a secret. She surprised the world with news that they had gotten married later that same year in October. "It was magical," she told Extra of their beach wedding in November 2019. "It was on the beach, and there was a great sunset."
Disney star Danielle Fishel met a former love at school
Danielle Fishel starred in Boy Meets World and its spin-off Girl Meets World, but her personal life was more like "Girl Meets Regular Guy."
While taking a step out of the spotlight to pursue a degree at Santiago Canyon College, the Disney star met Tim Belusko, another student whom she offered to tutor in math. The two quickly began dating and were together for over three years before tying the knot in 2013, as reported by People. "I was hesitant because he's seven years younger," Fishel told People of her husband, who graduated with dreams to become a craft-beer sales specialist. "But he's so mature." She noted, "I just want to keep calling him 'husband.' It's awesome. We're on the same team forever."
Unfortunately, their relationship ended when she filed for divorce from Belusko in 2015 (via People). But a year later, Fishel entered the dating game once again and began a relationship with someone in the entertainment industry instead. In November 2018, she married Jensen Karp, a former rapper and now writer and producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Tiffany Thornton was one Disney star who got a second chance at love
In October 2017, Sonny with a Chance actress Tiffany Thornton married pastor Josiah Capaci. "Jo came along EXACTLY when God knew I needed him," Thornton wrote on Instagram.
Their marriage came about two years after the Disney star's first husband, musician and MTV star Christopher Carney, passed away in a car accident. The couple had been married for four years and had two sons together, as noted by People.
Sadly, Thornton's news of her happily ever after was met with backlash on social media, and she felt compelled to address it on Instagram. "There is no timeline for grief or for when God moves in your life in undeniable ways," she wrote. She continued, "I was a mess yesterday during our wedding ceremony. So many emotions flooded my heart as I walked down those balcony steps to the arms of my gift from God. I thought of Chris watching us and knowing he would have loved the choice I made, for me and for the boys."
In November 2018, Thornton and her new husband brought their first child into the world, an adorable baby girl named Juliet.