From teen sitcoms to variety shows, Disney Channel has been a launching pad for some of entertainment's biggest names. Join us as we look back at the series that gave us today's Hollywood elite, chart-topping musicians, and award-winning performers. Who knew these shows would produce such legendary stars?
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00:00This is the big break and it's calling my name, yeah
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:10iconic Disney shows that launched the careers of some of the biggest stars today.
00:14Has been, never was, bottle blonde, lip syncer, raw stuffer.
00:21Number 10. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
00:24Here I am in your life, here you are in mine.
00:31The Tipton Hotel's cheekiest twins were a huge part of our childhood.
00:35Most of the show's viewers grew up with their puckish antics,
00:38alongside the endearingly clueless London and ever so sassy Maddie.
00:42Oh there you are, where have you been? Never mind, lost my candy girl, off the clock.
00:49While Dylan and Cole Sprouse, who played the titular characters,
00:52obviously shot to fame, Brenda Song and Ashley Tisdale's careers also took off in a big way.
00:57Song bagged the starring role in Wendy Wu Homecoming Warrior,
01:01and Tisdale stole the show with Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise.
01:05It's good to be home.
01:07Shortly after the spin-off series The Suite Life on Deck came to an end,
01:11the Sprouse brothers briefly stepped away from acting.
01:14They have since returned to the industry but also have other interests.
01:18Dylan runs a meadery and Cole is a photographer.
01:21Number 9. Good luck Charlie.
01:23And look how cute I am. It's your big sister Teddy here,
01:27and I'm making this video diary to help you survive our special family.
01:33Teddy, played by Bridget Mendler in this series, is basically a Barbie now.
01:37She parlayed her Disney success into a music career,
01:40while simultaneously attending the University of Southern California to study anthropology.
01:44USC was the only school I applied to. I was a little late in the game,
01:48um, and my friends had all been in college for a little bit. I was, you know, late to it.
01:55If that wasn't impressive enough, she went on to get her master's at MIT.
01:59Mendler continued studying at the prestigious institution to pursue her PhD,
02:04until recently when she went on a break.
02:06Meanwhile, like the genius she is,
02:08the Ready or Not singer completed her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
02:12Now she's the CEO and co-founder of Northwood, a literal space company.
02:17Can she get any cooler?
02:18We're excited to really change the expectations for space companies, where you have this
02:23always on, reliable, and frankly dynamic satellite connectivity, um, that you would expect
02:29of your power grid or of your cell phones. Um, and so we think that this is a huge opportunity
02:34space and our first contribution to it is through shared infrastructure through phased ray antennas.
02:39Number eight, Bizaardvark.
02:41Hey guys, I'm Frankie.
02:42I'm Paige.
02:43And we have a favor to ask.
02:45See the subscri- I'm sorry.
02:46Hey guys, I'm Frankie.
02:47No, Paige.
02:48Sorry.
02:50This Disney series spoke to a whole new generation of fans,
02:53but neither would have guessed where Paige Olvera and Dirk Mann are today.
02:56Olivia Rodrigo, who played Paige, is a pop princess with several Grammys to her name.
03:02She's also acting and took the main role of NeNe in High School Musical the Musical the Series.
03:07On the other hand, Jake Paul, who portrayed Dirk, has had a tumultuous career.
03:13From controversial YouTube fame to music, and finally professional boxing and beating Mike Tyson,
03:18he always manages to stay in the spotlight.
03:20Listen, hate him or love him, you gotta respect what he has contributed.
03:26Number seven, Girl Meets World.
03:28Why do we have to sneak out of the house if we're not doing anything wrong?
03:31Do you think you're ready to just walk by your parents?
03:33I think I'm ready.
03:34Let me see your face as you walk by your parents.
03:36This beloved spinoff of Boy Meets World had a charm of its own.
03:39Rowan Blanchard played Riley Matthews, our central heroine,
03:43and espresso singer Sabrina Carpenter was her bestie, Maya Hart.
03:47Today, Sabrina needs no introduction.
03:49She's a Grammy-winning songstress and a Gen Z icon.
03:53However, former teen idol Rowan is also making an impressive mark on the entertainment industry.
03:58You might spot her in the prestige television series Snowpiercer,
04:01or in sweet rom-coms like 2022's Crush.
04:04Hey. Are you coming out today?
04:07I've actually, I've been out for a really long time. I'm a really good singer.
04:10I'm a really good singer.
04:11I'm a really good singer.
04:12I'm a really good singer.
04:14I'm a really good singer.
04:16I'm a really good singer.
04:18I'm a really good singer.
04:19I'm a really good singer.
04:21I've actually, I've been out for a really long time. I'm extremely gay.
04:23Not only that, she's also making a difference in the world with her activism.
04:27The girls sure have grown up well.
04:30Riley, don't save me.
04:31What?
04:32Let me be me.
04:35Number six, Sonny with a chance.
04:38So what do you want?
04:39Some answers.
04:40To what?
04:41To how it all ends.
04:42To how long it's gonna be before you ask the girl you're destined to be with.
04:46I'm not sure I can answer that.
04:47Aren't you in charge of your own destiny?
04:49When Demi Lovato appeared as the resilient and prodigious Mitchie Torres in Camp Rock,
04:54they inspired young people all over the world.
04:57Her X Factor was instantly recognizable,
04:59and was only amplified with their Disney show Sonny with a Chance.
05:02So it came as no surprise that she's now regarded as one of the most
05:06enduring pop stars to come out of the channel.
05:08They've built an incredibly successful and acclaimed music career,
05:12with mega hits like Heart Attack and Sorry Not Sorry in her discography.
05:16At the same time, their candor about their health started important conversations,
05:21and offered support to those who might be going through difficulties in their own lives.
05:25My mom was like, yeah, it's out there.
05:26Everyone knows a lot of people are worried,
05:29a lot of people are concerned, and a lot of people love you.
05:31And I was like, yeah, it's out there.
05:33And I'm like, yeah, it's out there.
05:34And I'm like, yeah, it's out there.
05:35And I'm like, yeah, it's out there.
05:36Now seeing her happy makes fans doubly glad.
05:56Talk about boasting a stacked cast.
05:58Fergie, who was in a musical trio with her Kids Incorporated co-star Renee Sands
06:03and Great Pretenders host Stephanie Rydell,
06:05later joined the Black Eyed Peas.
06:07Her music career continued to soar after she went out on her own, too.
06:11Martika popped off with her hit single Toy Soldiers.
06:14It's true, I did extend the invitation.
06:19Similarly, Mario Lopez, who was a supporting performer on the show,
06:22went on to have a prolific career as an actor and TV presenter.
06:26Fun fact, he once revealed that Fergie was his first kiss.
06:30Of course, we also can't forget Jennifer Love Hewitt,
06:33who made a name for herself in projects like I Know What You Did Last Summer.
06:36So you've been doing your homework, too.
06:53This Disney show was a critical and commercial success.
06:57Most prominently, it launched Selena Gomez,
06:59who played central protagonist Alex Russo, to superstardom.
07:03She stepped into the music scene with a solid fan base, which remains loyal to this day.
07:08Over the years, she has continued acting,
07:10expanding her filmography with award-winning titles like
07:13Only Murders in the Building and Emilia Perez.
07:24She's also building an empire with her Rare Beauty brand,
07:27and is dedicated to philanthropy and raising lupus awareness.
07:31That's a role model.
07:32No wonder she's the most followed woman on Instagram.
07:35Her Waverly Place co-stars David Henry and Jake T. Austin are successful in their own right, too,
07:40with the former even starring in a main role in the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place reboot.
07:45It is my birthday today?
07:46Yeah, 34.
07:49Oh, really?
07:51Oh, you think the J-Man's still got it?
08:03One of the best young actresses in Hollywood right now was once a Disney star.
08:07We're talking about none other than Zendaya, of Dune, Euphoria, and Challengers fame.
08:12While she also had a music career,
08:14she's better known for her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning acting.
08:17You think I came here for you?
08:20You think I came here to throw it all away for you?
08:24Her roots are in Shake It Up, which she led alongside talented actor,
08:29singer, and author Bella Thorne.
08:30The latter has maintained her popularity as well, but with a fair share of scandals.
08:35She once opened up about feeling restricted by the shadow of her Disney days.
08:39Thorne also branched out into adult entertainment,
08:42joining OnlyFans in 2020 and directing Her and Him the year prior.
08:46I think we just put so much pressure on knowing the answers,
08:49know how you feel, know how you feel.
08:51And it's like, I don't really know how I feel about a lot of things.
08:54I'm still kind of like, hmm, I don't know, could go either way.
08:58She writes young adult novels and has been praised for her acting too.
09:02Number two, Hannah Montana.
09:06Come on, you get the limo out front.
09:11Ooh, hottest styles, every shoe, every color.
09:15If anyone's the poster child of the Disney kid to rebellious renegade pipeline,
09:19it's Miley Cyrus.
09:21The multi-Grammy winning songstress had her breakout in Hannah Montana,
09:25which became so successful that it might as well be called a cultural reset.
09:29Well, it's true. I am amazing. And it's just a movie, right?
09:33The series remained relevant years after it ended,
09:36and is heavily referenced in pop culture to this day.
09:39Cyrus's music as Hannah Montana is just as beloved now as it was in the aughts,
09:44regardless of the controversies the star courted along the way.
09:47In her own words, she, quote, used to be young,
09:50and her work now is even more celebrated.
09:59Emily Osmond, who played Miley's BFF Lily,
10:02also made music and continued acting,
10:04catching her second wind with Young Sheldon and its universe.
10:08But I'm not really 21. I'm 17.
10:17What the-
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10:34Number 1. The all-new Mickey Mouse Club
10:45Deep in the Disney archives from the 80s is a gem that starred superstars before they became so.
10:50Mickey Mouse Club featured the likes of Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears,
10:54Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, JC Chazelle, and more.
10:58These young and bright-eyed mousketeers soon became the faces of La La Land.
11:03Gosling is an Oscar-nominated actor,
11:05who made waves playing Ken in Greta Gerwig's history-making Barbie.
11:09There you are.
11:09Oh no.
11:10That went terrible. I need to find somewhere where I can start patriarchy fresh.
11:16NSYNC fueled the boy band craze before Timberlake successfully went solo.
11:20Similarly, Britney and Christina became unbeatable pop queens.
11:24The folks at Disney were really onto something when they brought such a powerful cast together.
11:33Which new Disney kid do you think will be legendary in the future? Tell us in the comments.
11:50Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
11:54And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
12:03you