Top 10 Disney Channel Controversies & Scandals
#10: “Shake It Up” Making Light of a Serious Issue
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Given that its target demographic is impressionable kids and tweens, the Disney Channel strives to produce content with a positive message. And generally speaking, it succeeds. But every now and then, an episode will drop the ball when navigating a sensitive subject. Starring Zendaya and Bella Thorne, “Shake It Up” ran for 3 season from 2010 to 2013 and was generally well-received. In 2011, however, the re-airing of season 1 episode "Party It Up" drew criticism for an eating disorder joke. Adding to the embarrassment, it was actually an ex-Disney star, Demi Lovato, who called Disney out. The channel pulled the episode, and subsequent airings have had the offending joke removed. The “Colbie Caillat” episode of “So Random!” also got pulled for similarly distasteful lines.
#9: Miley Cyrus on the Cover of Vanity Fair
We’re not sure who on Miley’s team okayed this photo shoot, but you can bet that Disney was not happy about it. Like many young Disney actresses and singers, the “Hannah Montana” star created a division in her career by becoming more overtly sexual after parting ways with the House of Mouse. Unlike her peers, however, Cyrus pushed the envelope with a provocative photo shoot while she was still part of the Disney Channel. The picture in question was taken in 2008 by photography icon Annie Leibowitz and showed a seemingly topless Miley covering herself with a bedsheet. She was only 15 at the time. Miley quickly issued an apology to her fans when it became a scandal, only to retract it 10 years later.
#8: Jake Paul's Social Media Stunts & “Bizaardvark”
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This one falls squarely into the category of speculation. To date, Disney has never made any official statements as to why they chose to part ways with YouTuber Jake Paul. But when a core cast member leaves a show mid-season, it’s never a good sign. Both parties described it as a mutual decision, though Paul, for his part, claimed that he had “outgrown the channel”. Maybe… but it’s hard to ignore the fact that his departure from the show coincided with his increasingly controversial pranks and stunts on his YouTube Channel. Disney is extremely protective of its image and brand - even by the standards of an entertainment conglomerate- and it's fair to say that their association with Jake Paul was simply too risky.
#7: Adrienne Bailon’s Private Photos “Leak”
There’s nothing like a nude pic of a Disney Channel star to get people talking. At the time that these bottomless photos started circulating online in 2008, Adrienne Bailon was still starring in the “Cheetah Girls” film series. Over the course of her time with Disney, she also made guest appearances in a number of popular shows, including “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and “That’s So Raven”. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but the photos reportedly cost Bailon her contract with Disney and a Cheetah Girls appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But the worst part of it all? In 2013, her ex-publicist, who had represented her during the scandal, claimed it was actually Bailon who leaked the images.
#6: Geek NOT So Charming: Matt Prokop
Fans love it when Disney Channel stars begin dating one another. It adds a whole new way to fawn over these teen icons! Unfortunately, when the “Geek Charming” leads took their onscreen courtship into the real world, it was anything but the fairytale fans imagined. After becoming romantically involved around the time of the film, co-stars Sarah Hyland and Matt Prokop went on to date for five years. According to Hyland, however, Prokop was both verbally and physically abusive for much of their time together, and when they broke up, he threatened both her safety and that of her dog. In 2014, Hyland filed a restraining order against Prokop, who hasn’t appeared in film or on television since.
#5: Mitchel Musso’s DUI
The Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana” made Miley Cyrus into a superstar. But its success was such that even the supporting cast quickly became teen icons in their own right. Unfortunately, not all stars can handle the fame. Mitchel Musso is best known for playing Oliver, one of Miley’s two best friends on “Hannah Montana”. A true Disney Channel heavyweight however, he also voiced a character on “Phineas and Ferb”, starred in “Pair of Kings”and served as the host of “PrankStars”. After getting a DUI in 2011, however, Musso’s many opportunities with Disney all disappeared. “PrankStars” was cancelled and his character, Brady, was written off of “Pair of Kings”. He hasn’t done much in the years since.
#4: Miley Cyrus' Smoking Video
That’s right! Miley makes not one, but two appearances on our list today. Usually we try to keep it to one entry per celeb. But when it comes to Disney Channel alumni, there’s arguably never been a bigger star than Miley- or one that’s generated more controversy. In 2010, two years after the Vanity Fair drama, a video surfaced of the young star taking a hit from a bong. It was allegedly shot during Cyrus’ 18th birthday, and (according to Miley) wasn’t marijuana like most people assumed, but rather salvia, which was technically legal in California at the time. Regardless, Cyrus was still playing the role of Hannah Montana then and soon publicly admitted it was a mistake. The video allegedly cost her a Walmart deal.
#3: The Arrest of Andi Mack’s On-Screen Grandfather
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The Disney Channel is known for keeping close tabs on its young stars. The company reportedly provides them with strict guidelines, dictating everything from their behavior and style of dress, to what they post on social media. It turns out, however, that it’s the grownups that Disney really needs to worry about. Actor Stoney Westmoreland played the recurring role of Ham, Andi’s grandfather, on the critically acclaimed series “Andi Mack.” In 2018, however, Westmoreland was arrested during the filming of the third season when he was caught trying to arrange a sexual encounter between himself and an underage boy of 13 years old. Disney fired the actor and, wherever possible, he was edited out of subsequent episodes.
#2: The Vanessa Hudgens Leak
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This ex-Disney star is no stranger to scandal. Long before her coronavirus comments landed her in hot water, Hudgens weathered a media firestorm when nude photos of her leaked online. Unlike with Adrienne Bailon, there’s nothing to suggest that the leak was intentional. As Hudgens has stated in subsequent interviews, the theft of these private pictures was “traumatizing” and has had a long-lasting impact on her career. The actress made a public apology at the time of the leak and, unlike so many of her peers, was able to continue working with Disney, who stated that they hoped Hudgens “learned a valuable lesson”. Thankfully, the dialogue around such leaks has since changed, and she’s retroactively seen as the victim rather than the one who should apologize.
#1: Demi Lovato Hits a Dancer & Goes to Rehab
Few Disney Channel stars have had a more difficult journey than Demi Lovato. In 2010, when she was part of the Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert tour, it was reported that Lovato attacked back up dancer Alex Welch. The reason? She believed the latter had told on her for partying and substance use the previous night. After the incident, Lovato left the tour to enter rehab. At the time, it was reported as being for “physical and emotional issues” but, though few people knew it at the time, she was actually struggling with depression, substance abuse and an eating disorder. Thankfully, Lovato has been very open about her struggles, making her one of the most inspiring figures that the House of Mouse has ever helped to put on the map.
