Where Our Favorite Disney Channel Movie Stars Are Now

Hilary Duff was one of the biggest Disney stars of the early 2000s; she was the plucky title character in Lizzy McGuire. During that time, she also starred in the DCOM Cadet Kelly, a comedy a girl who moves to a new town and is forced to enroll in a military school. The film also stars Disney Channel regular Christy Carlson Romano as a cadet captain.

Hilary Duff spent a quiet few years after leaving Disney. She continued making music, though with less success than before. Her acting and businesswoman careers thrived, however, as she landing a lead role in the television show How I Met Your Father and exploring business ventures in clothing and fragrances. On the personal side of things, Duff has four children, three of whom she shares with her husband Matthew Koma.

Erik von Detten was the star of the 1998 DCOM Brink!. The actor played Andy "Brink" Brinker, an in-line skater who competes for fun rather than money, but then must make a decision when his family falls into financial trouble.

Erik von Detten appeared in many kid-friendly vehicles after Brink!, including So Weird, The Wild Thornberrys, As Told by Ginger, Recess, and The Legend of Tarzan. Having originally voiced Sid in Toy Story, he also returned to voice Sid all grown up in Toy Story 3. Von Detten seemed to abandon Hollywood for a number of years, rarely appearing in the public spotlight. However, in 2024 he made his acting comeback in the Lifetime thriller film My Acting Coach Nightmare.

The Luck of the Irish, a St. Patrick's Day favorite, debuted in 2001 on the Disney Channel. The film stars Ryan Merriman as a popular basketball player who realizes he is a leprechaun after his hair turns red, his ears become pointed, and he starts shrinking. To reverse the effects, Kyle must track down the lucky coin that allows he and his family to pose as humans. Ryan Merriman starred in two other DCOMs, Smart House and A Ring of Endless Light. 

In the following years he appeared in several films, such as Robot Riot and Final Destination 3. Merriman also became a TV regular; most notably playing Ian Thomas on Pretty Little Liars for four years. Outside of the professional world, Merriman married Kristen McMullen in 2014 and the two welcomed their first child in 2018.

Sabrina Bryan was one of the protagonists and girl group members of the hit Disney Channel film series, The Cheetah Girls. Bryan starred as Dorinda Thomas, an aspiring dancer who grapples with financial difficulties and the stigmas of living in a group home.

Years later Bryan appeared on the fifth season of Dancing With the Stars in 2007, and returned for the show's All-Stars season in 2012. She appeared in a handful of shows and movies over the years in small roles, but has mostly kept a lower profile. In 2018 she married Jordan Lundberg with her Cheetah Girls co-star Kiely Williams serving as her matron of honor. In recent years she's been focusing on her family and her two children.

Kirsten Storms starred in the smash hits Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its sequels, Zenon: The Zequel and Zenon: Z3. The actress portrayed the titular character, a girl living on an orbiting space station who gets "grounded" to Earth. The sequels center on Zenon saving a group of homeless aliens and competing to win a teen contest.

Despite the success of Zenon as a Disney Channel franchise, Kirsten Storms did not go on to star in any feature films. She instead focused on television, voicing Bonnie Rockwaller in Kim Possible for five years. She joined the soap opera General Hospital in 2005 as Maxie Jones, a role that became her most notable, and has continued to last almost two decades later. Throughout the years she's faced health issues, such as bipolar disorder and a brain cyst that resulted in a surgery, but hasn't let that stop her from continuing her acting career or being an attentive mother to her daughter, Harper.

Brandon Baker played Johnny Kapahala in the Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami, released in 1999. It follows the Hawaiian-born, surfing-loving Johnny as he moves to Vermont, where he must adapt to his new surroundings. The film also stars DCOM favorite Kirsten Storms. Baker reprised his role in the film's 2007 sequel, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board.

Brandon Baker also starred in the NBC comedy One World when Johnny Tsunami was first released, and he appeared in other Disney properties like Even Stevens and The Proud Family, but Baker kept pretty quiet after that. In 2015 he officially retired from acting. He became a wedding officiant in 2019 and is a member of the band The Cheeks.