• [Dailystar Icon]
• TV
• Disney

Disney child stars now from 'haunted past' and MeToo claims to tragic death

Life hasn't always been rosy for the Disney child stars it would seem

Disney Channel has been a launchpad for many child stars, including Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Zac Efron. However, not all of these young talents have had positive experiences with the channel, with some revealing that the pressure and expectation to maintain their on-screen personas in real life was overwhelming.

The children's network is also credited with kick-starting the careers of Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and singing sensation Sabrina Carpenter. Many of these now-adult stars have spoken out about their experiences growing up in the limelight, suggesting that things weren't always as they seemed.

From MeToo allegations to being "being haunted" by their youthful TV pasts, and even the tragic death of a beloved star, we delve into what life was really like for Disney Channel's child stars.

Demi Lovato

[Demi Lovato in a glittery, strapless dress posing for a photo at an event]

Demi bravely stepped forward and joined the MeToo Movement in 2021(Image: Marleen Moise/Getty Images)

Demi, who was the star of Camp Rock, has found herself at the centre of some serious allegations in recent years. The teen star got her first big TV break at age 15, when she was discovered by Disney Channel during an open call audition in her hometown of Dallas, Texas.

She made her debut on the short series As the Bell Rings in 2007, reports the Daily Record. Her on-screen career took off in 2009 when she landed a starring role in Sonny With A Chance. Despite her rise to fame, it wasn't always smooth sailing.

Back in 2021, as the MeToo Movement was kicking into high gear, Demi Lovato shocked fans with a harrowing revelations she had been raped while working on a Disney movie.

While she did not name the culprit, she did claim the person who raped her was a co-star - who faced no consequences and remained in the film. The bombshell details emerged in the explosive four-part YouTube series Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil.

Demi recounted the traumatic experience, saying: "We were hooking up but I said, 'Hey, this is not going any further. I'm a virgin, and I don't want to lose it this way.' And that didn't matter to them, they did it anyways."

She continued to share her internal struggle: "And I internalised it and I told myself it was my fault, because I still went in the room with him. I still hooked up with him. The Christian, Southern girl in me didn't see it [as rape] because sex was not normalised as a child or in the South."

Reliving the pain, she blurted out: "And, you know what, f*** it, I'm just gonna say it: My #MeToo story is me telling somebody that someone did this to me, and they never got in trouble for it."

Bella Thorne

[Bella Thorne]

Bella Thorne was upset that she couldn't wear a bikini on the beach while working for Disney channel(Image: INSTAGRAM/ BELLA THORNE )

Starting out as a child star, Bella Thorne knows all too well the challenges of growing up in the spotlight. She first trod the boards at six and it didn't take long for her to become a household name, scooping up a leading role as CeCe Jones on Shake It Up by the tender age of 13.

Despite riding the wave of stardom, Bella clashed with the commandments required of her while under the channel's wings, even spilling that she was banned from doing something as innocent as donning a bikini for a beach day.

On Emily Ratajkowski's High Low With EmRata podcast, Bella confessed: "I almost got fired off the Disney Channel 'cause I was 14, and I wore a two-piece on the beach. This stylist that I was hanging out with put this chain on me. It's like a body chain? I don't know! I don't care.

"There was a fan, they got a photo of me on the beach, I almost got fired. It was all over the media - it was literally viral in that time. And it was 'How dare this little girl do this?' and 'This is so disgusting'."

She continued: "They were like, 'Hey, we're getting a lot of heat for this. Everyone's getting heat for this because you're in a bikini on a beach, so she needs to make sure she goes out in boy shorts and a loose t-shirt next time she's at the beach'."

Selena Gomez

[Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber]

Selena is still "haunted" by her Disney past(Image: Getty Images for ESPN)

In an explosive tell-all with Vanity Fair in 2023, Selena admitted she's now unfazed by her Disney shadows. The former child star, candidly shared on being silenced during her Disney days during a 2022 Apple documentary, My Mind and Me.

Speaking of her earlier days on the children's network, she confided to the magazine: "I definitely feel free of it. Sometimes I get triggered. It's not that I'm ashamed of my past, it's just that I've worked so hard to find my own way. I don't want to be who I was. I want to be who I am."

In the revealing documentary, she spills the beans on her Disney past, admitting: "I don't want to do that ever again. I feel like a product. It was making me angry. You know what it is? It made me feel like Disney."

She goes on to add, venting her frustration: "I just spent years of my life trying to not be that. And I f***king look like a witch with the outfit, doing it all with the wand again."

Cameron Boyce

[Cameron Boyce at The Descendants premiere]

Cameron sadly lost his life at age 20(Image: GETTY)

Late Cameron Boyce, the heartthrob who stole hearts as Carlos in Descendants: The Rise of Red, was adored for his role as the son of evil icon Cruella de Vil.

Before that, he already had masses of fans from his time on Disney's widely-loved Jessie, charming viewers as Luke Ross, and making memories with stars like Debby Ryan and Peyton List.

Tragically, the world lost Cameron five years back when at just 20. He sadly suffered an epilepsy-induced seizure which took him too soon, leaving a void in hearts worldwide.

After the heartbreaking incident, the family pleaded for understanding with a statement to ABC News: "Cameron's tragic passing was due to a seizure as a result of an ongoing medical condition, and that condition was Epilepsy. We are still trying to navigate our way."

Sabrina Carpenter

[Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2024 Time100 Next at Chelsea Piers]

Sabrina wasn't taken seriously (Image: Getty)

Before she hit the big time with her chart-topping banger 'Espresso', Sabrina was once a Disney darling, starring in Girl Meets World.

Her dream was always to conquer the charts, and despite yearning for music success since her early teens, her young age and Disney background meant she struggled to be taken seriously.

In an interview with Variety, she opened up about the struggle: "People maybe wrote me off, from my past as a Disney kid. It's not like you start doing well and everyone loves it and you're set for life you reach a certain place you've always wanted to be at and then there's a whole new group of people that want to try to bring you down."

But Sabrina has had the last laugh with her album Short n' Sweet, dropping in 2024 and receiving critical acclaim, sending her fame soaring even further.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.