Disney Star Fired From Children’s Show After Coming Out

In the early 2000s, some of the most popular Disney Channel Original Movies were musicals. It really started in 2006 with the hit film High School Musical. Then, in 2008, a movie came out called Camp Rock. The movie starred relatively unknown actress Demi Lovato. But it gained a lot of attention because it also starred the Jonas Brothers, who were becoming one of the top boy bands in the world. Camp Rock told the story of a young girl who embraced her desire to perform when she was able to go to a music camp, that a famous group of brothers was hosting.

Students who went to the music camp didn’t just sing and play instruments. There were also some who were incredible dancers. One of those dancers was played by actress and Disney star Alyson Stoner, perhaps most well known for their dancing in Missy Elliott’s music video, “Work It”. In their long career, they have also starred in films like Cheaper by the Dozen and Step Up, and shows like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Alice Upside Down.

In 2018, Stoner wrote a Teen Vogue essay, in which they came out as queer. They also started identifying as they/them. In a recent “Past Your Bedtime” podcast interview, Stoner said that they were fired from a children’s show not long after they came out. The people who fired Stoner told them that it was “unsafe” for them to be around children.

“I did end up getting fired from a children’s show because they felt that I was unsafe — now that they knew I was queer — to be around kids.”

Thankfully, the entertainment industry has become much more welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community. Since coming out, Stoner has portrayed a queer character on a Nickelodeon show. In 2017, Disney even made a show that featured a gay character as one of its main characters — Andi Mack. Many Disney and Nickelodeon shows now feature characters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Disney Channel star never said which show it was that fired them after they came out. Even though there were some repercussions from their decision — and they even received death threats — Stoner said that being true to who they were was the most important thing.