Former Disney Channel Child Stars Who Are Doing Better Than Ever After Leaving Hollywood

Disney Channel churned out many iconic TV shows and movies starring kids who grew up to be high-profile celebrities. But not every Disney child star became a stunning big-name actor. With several kids working on children's programs, it's inevitable that some of them stepped away from acting completely. The ways they moved on to the next thing varied from retiring after their most famous project to drifting away from the industry while earning a degree.

While these child stars felt grateful for their acting careers, they found fulfillment outside the entertainment industry, and their lower profiles gave them and their loved ones a chance at a more normal life. Their current careers, ranging from the health and science fields to law and finance, also prove that the lights and cameras don't matter to everyone. Take a look at a handful of Disney's young talent from the early aughts to the 2010s who decided to thrive outside of Hollywood.

Bridgit Mendler is one of the most famous examples of celebrities who left Hollywood for a normal life. In her teens, Mendler played Teddy Duncan in the sitcom "Good Luck Charlie," Olivia in "Lemonade Mouth," and Juliet Van Heusen in "Wizards of Waverly Place." She also had minor roles on "Jonas," which starred the Jonas Brothers band, and "Jessie." While Mendler worked with Disney, she launched her career as a singer.

Her entertainment career started to slow down as she pursued higher education. The "Good Luck Charlie" star studied anthropology at USC from 2013 to 2016 and had a fellowship at MIT's Media Lab in 2017. She then completed a master's program at MIT in 2020. Before earning her master's, Mendler most notably starred in the NBC comedy series "Undateable" and the 2019 Netflix series "Merry Happy Whatever." She released her last single, "Diving," in 2017.

In 2026, Mendler told The Free Press that she felt like she was supposed to do something different than whatever Hollywood had to offer. "I think that was really around the time where I started exploring MIT," she said. "So, I was filming a movie in Massachusetts and bringing my books to set. You know, awesome crew of people there, but just mentally and emotionally I felt a little bit pulled elsewhere." The former Disney actress launched her $100 million satellite data company, Northwood Space, in 2023 and earned a juris doctorate from Harvard Law the following year.

The name Erik von Detten might not ring a bell, but some of his work with Disney surely does. The San Diego-born actor was the voice behind Sid in "Toy Story," Flynt in "Tarzan," and Erwin Lawson in "Recess." He also had some live-action roles in his teens; people really liked his hair, which was similar to Leonardo DiCaprio's signature '90s style. He played Andy Brinker in the movie "Brink!" and Clu Bell in the show "So Weird." In "The Princess Diaries," von Detten played Mia Thermopolis' popular crush, Josh Bryant.

Von Detten continued to act until 2010, when he reprised his role as Sid in "Toy Story 3," but he started working fewer roles than usual around 2006. The underrated 2000s heartthrob told E! News in 2021 that he transitioned to working in finance when he got less work in Hollywood. "Since I was a kid, I wanted to have a large family. And, in Los Angeles, that requires a consistent, realistic income," he said. "Luckily, simultaneously when things started to slow down in acting in my early 20s, another opportunity presented itself for me with a company that I started working with at age 25."

He met his wife Angela through one of his coworkers, and the two tied the knot in 2018. The von Dettens have three kids born within the first five years of marriage. Erik von Detten returned to acting in the 2024 thriller "My Acting Coach Nightmare," but seems to be primarily focused on a quieter life.

Kay Panabaker worked on a variety of movies and TV episodes in the 2000s and early 2010s. After landing a background voice credit in "Monsters, Inc.," Panabaker got her first live-action Disney role as Debbie Berwick in "Phil of the Future" and appeared in 15 episodes. The actor and her stunning older sister Danielle Panabaker made a huge mark on Gen Z childhoods when they starred as a teen girl and her alter-ego in the 2006 movie "Read It and Weep." In 2007, she was in one episode of "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and worked with the Sprouse twins again in Disney's modern take on "The Prince and the Pauper."

Panabaker graduated from high school at 13 and earned a history degree from UCLA at 17, but she continued to act in many non-Disney productions. Her last role was in 2012 when she played Rosa in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3." The former actor became a zoologist with Disney World after working on a passionless show where a producer told her to lose weight. In a 2016 interview with Naperville Magazine, she expressed that changing careers was worth it. "I work with some of the most incredible people, who inspire me to work harder and make a bigger difference in the world," she said. "That aspect was missing in my previous career and is something that feeds my soul in my current line of work."

After landing minor roles on drama shows, Jennifer Stone starred on "Wizards of Waverly Place" as Harper Finkle, Alex Russo's mortal best friend. The Texas-born actor had minor roles in other Disney productions from the early 2000s and 2010s, such as "Phineas and Ferb," "Dadnapped," and "Pair of Kings." She also played the titular character in Disney's 2010 movie "Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars." 

Sadly, Stone dealt with many fatphobic comments when she was a child star on Disney. She and "Wizards of Waverly Place" castmate David Deluise discussed her experience with online hate on the "Wizards of Waverly Pod." "I remember there was stuff with Twitter because I was going through puberty, and Selena and I just had different shapes," Stone said. "'Cause it was the first time of people being anonymous and being able to basically say anything into the void with no consequence."

She continued acting in fantasy, drama, and thriller productions after the "Wizards of Waverly Place" finale in 2012, but she last appeared in the 2019 movie "Santa Girl" before opting out of Hollywood full time. The actor was in college when she found out she had type 1 diabetes and decided to become an ER nurse. Stone told People, "I wanted to be somebody that was like, 'Look, I've been where you've been, and it gets better.'" She returned to acting in 2025 with a minor role in "Backwoods Blood Feud" and played Harper in two episodes of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" in 2026.

Hilary Duff turned into a household name as the titular character of "Lizzie McGuire," but things turned out differently for the show's other cast members. Ashlie Brillault, who played Lizzie's nemesis Kate Sanders, was pretty recognizable for portraying a sitcom bully in the early aughts. The child star's only project outside of Disney Channel was an episode of "One on One," starring Kyla Pratt, in 2003. Despite the success of "Lizzie McGuire" and the movie, Brillault left Hollywood for good in 2004.

The former actor attended community college from 2005 to 2008 before she obtained a bachelor's in political science from California State University, Long Beach in 2010. She earned a juris doctorate from the University of Denver four years later. Aside from being a criminal defense attorney in California, Brillault is a wife and mother of one. The actor-turned-attorney seems to be very grateful for her brief time in entertainment, though. She posted a cast photo on Instagram in 2016 and wrote, "It's been 15 years and Kate Sanders is still part of my heart," followed by an emoji with two pink hearts. In 2020, Brillault reunited with the "Lizzie McGuire" cast on a video call, so they could read an episode about Lizzie and her best friend Miranda Sanchez going bra shopping.