From Mouse Ears to Mugshots

What happens when childhood fame meets real world consequences?

In this episode, we discuss the Disney shows that shaped our childhood and the troubling pattern of former Disney Channel stars who faced legal trouble after their rise to fame. Featuring cases involving Orlando Brown, Adam Hicks, and Jake T. Austin, we examine how early fame, public pressure, and the loss of identity can contribute to life-altering decisions.

References:

“Disney Star Orlando Brown- Cops Say Audio Proves Actor Made Death Threats”. TMZ (2014).

“Disney Star Orlando Brown Busted For Hitting Girlfriend In Police Parking Lot”. TMZ (2016)

“‘That’s So Raven’s’ Orlando Brown Gets Help from Dr. Phil After Concerns from his Friends and Manager”. People (2018)

“Orland Brown Locked Up: Details Emerge of Disney Star’s Domestic Violence Arrest”. New York Post (2022)

“Disney Star Adam Hicks arrested on suspicion of armed robberies in Los Angeles”. Metro (2018)

“Disney Channel star Adam Hicks released on parole after serving time for robbery”. Metro (2022)

“Former Disney Star Adam Hicks Talks About the Pressure to Hide his ‘Secret’ Addiction: I was Struggling”. People (2024)

“The Fosters star Jake T. Austin charged with hit and run… seven months after his car was involved in four-way crash” Daily Mail (2014)

“17 Disney Stars Who’ve Been Arrested”. Seventeen (2019)

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

We're getting nostalgic today. Imagine it's the early 2000s. You rush home from school, throw your backpack on the floor, and turn on the TV to Disney Channel. Your favorite stars are there every afternoon playing your favorite characters. They're cracking jokes and living perfect teenage lives. But what if the story didn't end when the camera stopped rolling? Because years later, some of those Disney stars would be arrested for armed robbery, drug possession, domestic violence. Today we're looking at the cases of the Disney Child stars whose lives took a much darker turn after the spotlight faded. Because sometimes the biggest plot twist happens after the show is over. I'm McKenna. And you're listening to True Crime Teacher Time. Hello, everyone. Happy Friday again.

SPEAKER_05 1:08

Almost spring break.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

We're almost there. One week left.

SPEAKER_05 1:14

The next podcast you'll hear after this one, we will be on spring break. Yes. Thank God.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

I can't wait. I'm so bad. Okay. Alright, so your icebreaker today.

SPEAKER_05 1:27

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Is what Disney Channel show era are you from? And what was your favorite Disney show? So it's a two two-parter.

SPEAKER_05 1:37

Two parter. So the first one I was like, I guess 20 2007 to 2010. Like that was my, I guess that's the era I would be in. Like Wizards of Waverly Place. Okay. To life of Zack and Cody.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Oh. Yeah.

unknown 1:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 2:01

And Hannah Montana. Like Hannah Montana obsessed to the point my mom took me to the Hannah Montana concert.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Okay. Can I? Okay, so I'm also, I started at like the end of the like Lizzie Maguire. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 2:18

Because I was probably But I would wake up in the middle of the night, like 3 a.m. and start watching them.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Yeah. Well, you were probably there were probably more like reruns, like they were playing overnight. So I was like the back end of that because I was like probably first grade the last year that that. And then that really kept me um on the Disney path. Yes. So it was the end of that, and then like Sweet Life of Zack and Cody into Hannah Montana. And those were really like the last, I think the Hannah Montana finale was like the last time that I watched Disney Channel for entertainment.

SPEAKER_05 2:54

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

So which was, I mean, that was like 2011. That was through middle school, but I didn't watch it really. I mean, I I I stayed for that.

SPEAKER_05 3:02

No, I did end up watching. I did end up watching Up Until Jesse. And that probably shows how sheltered I was.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

But the show Jesse. That was like right. That was pretty soon after that. And I mean, you're like four years younger than me.

SPEAKER_04 3:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Yeah. Hannah Montana ended when I was in like eighth or ninth grade. So that was how long. I wasn't only watching Disney Channel at that point, but I was still turning on turning it on to Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_05 3:34

No, I can't stand Disney Channel nowadays.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

But can I can I just say I'm jealous that you went to see Hannah Montana because I wanted to go so bad. Yeah. Right. And the concert was going to be when we were in New York. Uh-huh. Nassau Coliseum.

SPEAKER_04 3:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

And my dad was gonna try and get me tickets. And he called to try and get tickets, and he couldn't because they were sold out in 10 minutes, they said.

SPEAKER_05 4:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

And that was before people really bought tickets online.

SPEAKER_05 4:10

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Like you had to go get them or call.

SPEAKER_05 4:14

So I don't know how my mom did it. Um Jennifer. Yes. But it was after I know it was after the Hannah Montana movie came out because she sang butterflies fly away. And I cried in in Little Girl.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Okay. So that was later. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:33

This was it was not prime Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

I was in like fifth or sixth grade. And that was that came out after that. Yeah. But I was devastated.

SPEAKER_05 4:45

I know. I cried for weeks. I cried from excitement. That's valid. My mom still has the Hannah Montana. It's a pink shirt and it has Hannah Montana logo on it. And I think I wore it to holes, but she still has it.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:01

I was die hard. Now I will say to your second question, loved Hannah Montana. Great. Amazing. But I really think Wizards of Wavely place took my heart.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

See, I would say outside of Hannah Montana, because that was probably my top one. Yeah. Was The Sweet Life of Zach and Cody. I was obsessed with like Cole Sprouse and um Jake T. Austin, though, I was also a huge fan of, but not until later. Like on the Fosters. Yeah. So I loved him, but and he was cute on Wizards of Waverly Place, but I was really into him when he was on the Fosters.

SPEAKER_05 5:47

Yeah. I just remembered um you said JT Austin. This is court, not not the same. But Austin and Alley was good for a little bit too. Did you watch Austin and Alley?

SPEAKER_01 5:59

That was kind of the point when I kind of stopped watching. Yeah. But I would at that point keep Disney playing in the background sometimes. I still actually to the like I put it on when I'm going to sleep and I turn the volume all the way down. I just like to have the TV on when I go to sleep. So I do still because they have live channels on Disney Plus. Yeah. And right now they have the Hannah Montana one going with the reunion.

SPEAKER_05 6:22

Yeah. I need to watch that. I have not.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

I ran home on whatever day it was that it came out. Tuesday. Was it Tuesday? I ran home.

SPEAKER_05 6:31

It had to have been Tuesday because you tutor on Wednesday.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Yes. Yep. It was Tuesday. I ran home to watch it. It was really good. And she wrote a new song for it. And it was very it'll make you cry. You'll cry. I cried. Oh. And it's on Apple Music now. It's called Younger You. Oh. It was it came on Apple Music today. Oh. I need to.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

But it it yeah, it's really good. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

So all right, so we're going to talk about Disney stars that struggled after fame. So we're kind of going to talk about first why they might struggle.

SPEAKER_05 7:41

Please tell me Demi Lovato's on this list.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

She's not because I only did ones that really struggled with the law. Oh and hers was a more of a mental health.

SPEAKER_05 7:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Yes. Okay. Was a mental health thing. I did ones that were in trouble with the law.

SPEAKER_04 7:59

Gotcha. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

So they became famous very young, a lot of them. Some, I mean, toddlers, if you think about like Dylan and Cole Sprouse. Yes. Or specifically Cole Sprouse, because I remember him being on a lot. He was on Friends as a toddler.

SPEAKER_05 8:15

Baby.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah. And then he was in like that Adam Adam Sandler movie. And then you have some that were like a little bit older. Like Miley Saras was like a preteen, which is still young. Yes. But not, you know, a baby. So, and then Raven Simone was also really young when she got her first starring role. Mm-hmm. So it's interesting to see the vast difference in how a lot of them lived after fame.

SPEAKER_05 8:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Some seemingly turned out okay as far as we can see. And some went down darker paths.

SPEAKER_05 8:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Some have went down that dark path and recovered, and others have not. But today we're going to talk about some that went down darker paths. And some have come out of it. But some say that this could be attributed to such fame as a Disney Channel star star and then losing a lot of it after their shows weren't really popular anymore. And they didn't really know what to do with themselves. Yeah. And I mean they worked.

SPEAKER_05 9:27

Identity crisis.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Yep. They were working and a lot of them didn't go to school. They just had a tutor on set. I remember if you watch interviews from like Hannah Montana and stuff, their castmates were their classmates. They would sit in a classroom between shoots with a tutor.

SPEAKER_05 9:51

Oh, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Yeah. I don't know about all of them. I just specifically remember it from that. Yeah. And I've heard it mentioned in other places. I can't think of any specific instances. But a lot of them were just tutored on set and didn't go to school.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Dang.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Yeah. So it could be a combination of things. And today we're going to talk about some of the ones that struggled. The first one person, star we're going to talk about is Orlando Brown. Do you know who that is?

SPEAKER_05 10:23

Is he from he's from Raven. That's O Raven.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

He was Eddie in That's O Raven.

SPEAKER_05 10:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

That was his big role on Disney Channel, That's So Raven, from 2003 to 2007. He was a teenager during this time. He was also in other things, um, like Two of a Kind with the Olsen Twins, Family Matters, and some other Disney projects like The Proud Family and Max Kebler's Big Move. Okay. Did you ever watch that? Max Keebler's Big Move? Yeah. Yeah, that was a good one. So after that So Raven ended in 2007, he decided that he didn't really want to act anymore and he wanted to focus on a music career because he was rapping at the time. However, after it ended, not long actually in 2007, he was pulled over in Texas at 1 a.m. for driving without headlights.

SPEAKER_05 11:22

Okay. Not, you know, scary, but not super serious.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

But the police searched the car for whatever reason. They had probable cause to search it.

SPEAKER_05 11:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

And they found marijuana in the driver's side door.

SPEAKER_05 11:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

He said it wasn't his car and he borrowed it from a friend, but he was um arrested and charged with possession. He was later released on bond, and it seemed as though that case ended up being dropped later. In 2011 and 2013, though, he was arrested for two DUIs, and because of those, he had to take an alcohol education class.

SPEAKER_05 12:04

Oh dang.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Yeah. Oh. So that's two of them that I was able to find. Fast forward to 2014. A woman who was living in North Hollywood called the police and said that Brown was outside her home yelling. Her neighbors overheard it and they also called the police. And one of them said he had a weapon.

SPEAKER_05 12:30

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

The woman he was yelling at had audio of the incident. Like she recorded it. And Orlando could be heard making death threats towards her and her daughter.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

Yeah. I don't know if he was still at the scene when the police arrived. But he was taken in for questioning or arrested. And he said it wasn't him on the audio. Yeah. Um, they said it was it was clearly him.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

But he said that she had been excessively texting and stalking him. So he said that he only went over there to tell her boyfriend that there was nothing going on between him and her.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Yeah. I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

I don't follow that story.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

That's what that's what he he said.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

He took a plea deal, so yeah. He had to pay a fine with the plea deal. Okay. So he wasn't completely let off the hook. He wasn't completely let off the hook, but he didn't serve time. Jail time or probation time or anything like that. In 2016, he was arrested for domestic battery obstruction and possession of illegal substances. Nah um methamphetamines. Oh. Yeah. We've escalated. Which is, yeah, interesting how it came about. So he and his then girlfriend were arguing in a car in the parking lot of a police station. He had pulled in there during the argument, I guess, but that's probably not where you should have the argument. Where I would choose to argue with somebody, but that's just me.

SPEAKER_05 14:31

Maybe he was trying to have a good conscience and, like, oh, if I'm here, I will tone myself down.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

He didn't. Oh, okay. Um it didn't work. So someone was nearby using an ATM and they saw it and called the police, who were conveniently nearby. And they arrested Brown for domestic battery, but they found methamphetamine on him. For this, he was sentenced to 23 days in prison and did his time after that. And then in 2018, so two years later, he went to rehab for a short time. Good choice. I don't know if he completed his full term. But then he went on Dr. Phil. Which I have to watch this. I didn't watch this, but I'm curious because I'm gonna tell you about his appearance on Dr. Phil now.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

So on Dr. Phil, he discussed his struggle with mental health and addiction. Some people say he didn't really seem okay.

SPEAKER_05 15:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

He claimed at the time that he was sober.

SPEAKER_05 15:45

I mean Did people disagree?

SPEAKER_01 15:49

He was wearing, which this isn't that, but he was wearing snake eye contact lenses. Okay. Which, you know, you know. Then he showed everyone a chest tattoo he had of Raven Simone. No. Oh I did see some where he has one on his chest and on his back, and then other places I saw that it's j just on his chest. So did he get two? I don't know. But I did see some places where he has two. And yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:28

Wait, we're gonna have to give this a second. Okay. Because what? He has tattoo of Raven Simone on his chest. His former coworker, co-star was backtracking. Was he the obsessed one? Okay. Process time, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

You have more to process.

SPEAKER_05 16:53

Oh, okay, great.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

He also said that his father was Michael Jackson and that his name was Orlando Brown Prince Michael Jackson.

SPEAKER_05 17:06

See, now it's sad. Now this is very sad. It makes me feel bad for him.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah. And later his manager says that sometimes he says he's the son of Will Smith, too.

SPEAKER_05 17:22

Like recent, like during the last couple of years, or like since Well, at that time.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

Okay. So like after the interview, he his manager said that. Okay. So like not during the interview, but when people were like concerned, his manager was like, that's reason, reason to be. He said he had four children, two, but couldn't remember two of their names. And from what I could find, at that time he had either two or three. Now he has four.

SPEAKER_05 17:53

He was speaking one and two.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

And he well, and then there was, but the first one that he said he had, he would have been really, really young when they were born. I don't know. But I did see, did see that. Okay. So I'm not I'm not sure. But Dr. Phil suggested that he enter a treatment center.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Good.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

For mental health. Yeah. Because I think it was possible that maybe during this time he was sober. I I mean I can't say for sure, as he did struggle with addiction at some point too. He said he was sober at this point. But he's not a reality. Well, and it does sound like this might be more of a mental health thing. Yeah. So yeah. But he wasn't interested at first and said he would rather spend time with his kids. But Dr. Phil did eventually convince him to enter a treatment facility in Malibu.

SPEAKER_05 18:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

After this, he seemed to be doing better and he got married in 2020.

SPEAKER_05 19:02

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

But in 2022, police in Ohio received a call from Matthew Sanders saying that Orlando Brown was trying to assault him with a hammer and a knife. Police responded to the scene and arrested him, and he was held on a$25,000 bond. When talking to Sanders, he said it was Brown's brother and that he allowed him to stay with him so he wouldn't be homeless.

SPEAKER_05 19:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

I don't know where his wife was or where she is because as far as I could tell, they're still married.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

So I don't know if they were having issues in her fine now or if they just never officially got a divorce. I don't know what the situation is. But Sandra said that they he was his brother. Yeah. And he was letting him stay with him. But come to find out they weren't biological brothers. Yeah. I guess they were just close friends.

SPEAKER_05 20:13

You'd have to be really close to consider someone. Like to call the police and say that my brother is trying to.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Yeah. Yeah. Because I feel like very, very if I let someone stay with me and they were trying to, I would not think I would refer to them as my brother anymore.

SPEAKER_03 20:35

Mm-mm.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

But that's wild.

unknown 20:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

So he was released the following year from jail in 2023. And Brown became sober again in 2025. Okay. Please tell me it sticks. As far as I know, it has. Okay, good. He opened up a restaurant in 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, and it's called Orlando Brown's Million Dollar Fried Chicken.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

And that's the latest update on him. So it seems that after that he he was doing better. And he is doing better. That's such a spiral, though. Yes. I definitely think a huge part of what happened after that, I think, was mental health. Yes. Probably combined with habits. Such a strong um, but also a strong sense of responsibility, maybe, when he was like a teenager.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

And then not having that anymore.

SPEAKER_04 21:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Because it was quick after that so raven ended that everything started. Right. So I just wonder if he Just after it all happened, he didn't really know what to do what to do with himself anymore. Um, but I am glad he's doing better, and I wish him the best. Yeah. The next person we're talking about is Adam Hicks. He was when in Lemonade Mouth. Yes. With red hair. Yes. And he was also on Zeke and Luther. Yes. I didn't watch that, but I know what show it is. So he is best known for Lemonade Mouth. For Lemonade Mouth, which was released in 2011. One of my personal fave. And the soundtrack is still on my phone. As it should be. It's really one of the best in my opinion. It is so good. And I vividly remember watching this the night that it came out. It was like a Thursday. I don't remember. I guess it probably was a Friday. It would have to be a Friday. But so we were going on a school trip the next day, and I was so excited that we would definitely be home for to watch it. Yeah. And I was really excited because we were going overnight. Oh. No, it was a Thursday night. Was it a Sunday night? No, it was Thursday because that Saturday morning it we went to Charlotte to see our um the man the warehouse that made our yearbooks because I was in journalism. And then we were going to Carowin's Saturday. So it was Friday that we were doing that, staying overnight and going to Carowyn's Saturday. But early Saturday morning, we got up really early because it was the day that um Prince William and Princess Kate were getting married. So it had to have been, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:51

Oh my gosh, I remember that.

unknown 23:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:54

My mom and I camped out in the living room to watch the wedding.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

We woke up really early in our hotel to watch it until we had to go to Rowlands. Yeah. Wow. But yeah. So that was a great one. And he was on Zeke and Luther from 2009 to 2012. Outside of Disney, he's known for his roles in How to Eat Fried Worms, Freakish, which is somewhat fairly recent. It was a show. I didn't watch it, but that was I've heard of it, and it's an it's not an older one. Okay. And Shifting Gear is a movie.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

But in 2018, he got into some trouble with the law.

SPEAKER_05 24:37

As they do.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Hold on, hold on. Sit down for this one.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Okay. Sitting.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

In January, he and his then girlfriend, actress Danny Tamborough, went on a short crime spree in San Fernando Valley, California. Just a short one. A short one.

SPEAKER_00 24:58

For kicks and giggles.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

I guess. I guess. Okay. The police reports from the incidents state that they targeted women and robbed them at gunpoint. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:14

Not the crime spree I was expecting.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

No. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. There were five women and two of the women were in their 70s. Oh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:26

Oh, pieces of trash.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

I think from the charges, I think only two of them were actually robbed successfully. Mm-hmm. Because they he was charged for three of them as attempted robbery. And he was held on a$350,000 bond.

SPEAKER_05 25:52

As he should.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Yeah. So he had five charges, two attempted robberies and one. Sorry. He was charged with three robberies and two attempted robberies. Of the five charges, two of the attempted robberies and one of the robberies ended up being dropped. I don't I couldn't find why.

SPEAKER_05 26:19

A robbery's a robbery.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know how that ended up happening. But he pleaded not guilty to one of the robbery charges and one of the attempted robbery charges. Both of those ended up also being dismissed. But on the last count of robbery, he pleaded no contest and was convicted on that one charge. I don't know if maybe it was I don't know. I also think maybe he probably had a decent lawyer.

SPEAKER_04 27:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

So I don't know. I couldn't find why, how it all worked. I just was able to find like those details. But I was also, I don't know, he was only convicted of one of them, and he that was the one that he was pleading no contest to.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

That makes no sense.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

Yeah. Um button. Now did he serve time? Yes. He was sentenced to five years in a California state prison.

SPEAKER_05 27:32

With with uh he had to pay, right? Was he still having to pay the$350,000?

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Well, that was bond. Oh. And I don't think he was ever bonded out. Okay. And I'll we'll get to that. But he was sentenced to five years in a California state prison. And I don't know why, but his sentencing took a while. So the trial happened.

SPEAKER_04 28:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

And he was convicted.

SPEAKER_04 28:02

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

But the sentencing took years because he wasn't actually sentenced to the five years in 2021. So this is three years.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

Yeah. So he ended up being released on probation in March of 2022 because he had served most of his sentence just while waiting for sentencing. So the it was time served. The judge determined it was time served, and he in total spent 1,460 days in prison.

SPEAKER_05 28:36

Okay, see, I get it. I get trying, but I was really hoping that you were gonna say that he still had to add on the five years to what he was already sitting in there since he had done the other robberies. Right. But I guess not.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Because he wasn't, they were dropped.

SPEAKER_05 28:53

I'm rolling my eyes.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Mm-hmm. She is. And I'm annoyed. Her teeth are clenched. He does seem to be doing a lot better now. And there was a 2024 interview with People magazine, and he said he's been sober for six years. I didn't find anything in the articles about um him being under the influence, but that it was ultimately determined that he was using at this time.

SPEAKER_05 29:22

But you know what? I'm glad that it worked out. I'm glad that being where he was was more rehabilitation than just and it does seem that all of this started while he was on the Disney Channel. Oh.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

Yes, that was when everything, and I think it's started while drinking.

SPEAKER_05 29:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

With it started with drinking, and then I think it escalated into others, but the drinking started while he was a teenager acting on the Disney Channel.

SPEAKER_05 29:58

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

He said he was struggling mentally back then and started experimenting with substances. And he said he never drank or anything like that on set, but he was very different outside of work and his personal life. And he said he felt like he was living a double life.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Dang.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

He has apologized for the mistakes that he made, and he now advocates for men's mental health and recovery from substance abuse by telling his story.

SPEAKER_05 30:24

Oh. So it did it he really did turn it around.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Yeah. Good for him. He said later that he was struggling because of the pressure that his career was putting on him at a young age.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

So I am glad that he turned it around.

SPEAKER_05 30:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

And I also know that he didn't serve a lot of time in prison.

SPEAKER_05 30:47

But maybe it was the wake-up call he needed.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Yeah, but I also feel like a lot of actors and actresses get off kind of easy. Easy.

SPEAKER_05 30:58

Yeah. I agree. Yeah. That's why I was upset whenever they said that it was just counted, and I was like, you're letting him off.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

Like I think um his girlfriend only got th three years of probation. She didn't even do time. Yeah. I do think. Well, he served, I think, a little over four years. And I think he was probably released on probation. Which a lot of the time you only have to serve a certain percentage of your sentence before you're up for probation. So I'm thinking they weren't just like, oh, let's let him out now. I think it was that time, and he was able to probably prove that he had been rehabilitated. Okay. I'm thinking that that's it.

unknown 31:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:55

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

But the fact that he was only charged with one or convicted of one is um, I guess kind of kind of it's kind of annoying the annoying part.

SPEAKER_05 32:04

Yeah. But I'm glad that he got it, he got it back.

SPEAKER_01 32:08

And our next person that we're going to talk about is is it the one and only?

SPEAKER_05 32:15

No. Who? No, go ahead. Jake T. Austin.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

What okay. You're making faces at me.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

I'm not making faces.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Okay. So I really adored him as a teenager. And I hate that he's in one of my cases. But I just want to say I've met him. I met him at a festival in Myrtle Leech. They had a festival every year. Uh-huh. And they would bring Disney stars. Yes. And Nickelodeon stars. Yes. And he was one of them. And we kept going back to his table when he wouldn't, when he didn't have a line.

SPEAKER_05 33:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Just to talk to him. Oh my gosh. I loved him. Fair girl. Great. And this was only a few years. That was only a few years before it happened, like two years.

SPEAKER_05 33:11

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:15

Well, get me into the nitty-gritty.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Okay. So he's best known on Disney Channel for starring as Max Russo in Wizards Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012. And he was also on in the movie Johnny Capahalla back on board in 2007. We've seen that movie like six times at least. Outside of Disney, he has starred in New Year's Eve, Hotel for Dogs, The Fosters, and he was actually the voice of Diego from Door the Explorer and Go Diego Go.

SPEAKER_05 33:49

Oh my gosh. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

I didn't know that. It was a fun fact when I learned it too. I've known it, but when I learned that it was him. Yeah. So in 2013, he hit three parked cars in Sherman Oaks, California, while he was under the influence. People say that from the scene, he and his passengers called to be picked up from the scene. And after the incident, one of the passengers threw a vodka bottle at a passing car. Oh no. And passengers are not passengers. Witnesses identified who was driving and he he fit the description. And it was rumored for for a while that it was him while they investigated. But it wasn't until after investigating that he was finally arrested for the incident seven months later in 2014. Jeez. He was charged with a misdemeanor. I cannot find if anything ever came from it.

SPEAKER_04 35:01

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

Some people say it was swept under the rug, but I don't know in what sense that means because I couldn't find anything. I remember when this happened because he was released from the fosters because of it.

SPEAKER_04 35:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:14

After season two, Noah Centenio played his character. Mm-hmm. So I don't think he did jail time, but I'm not sure if he had any fines or if he was on probation or anything like that for it. Or if it really was swept under the rug with no repercussions. And he was 19 at the time, so he wasn't even legally allowed to drink.

SPEAKER_05 35:44

Which makes it worse.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 35:48

He later talked about the incident, and he says he was getting involved with the wrong crowd and not taking his career seriously at the time. Okay. He has not had any other incident since then and seems to be doing well. So I guess he probably learned. So that was only incident for him. But yeah. Dang. Now I have a quick lightning round of just other Disney stars who have had an incident. Yes. The first is Mitchell Musso.

SPEAKER_05 36:26

I love Mitchell.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

Who starred as Oliver on Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_05 36:31

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

He was charged with a DUI in 2011. Police reports state that he went through an intersection and didn't pull over for police. Oh.

SPEAKER_05 36:42

That makes it worse.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

Yep. But he paid a fine for it. Okay. And that was. La Lane was Miranda and Lizzie McGuire. She was convicted of methamphetamine possession in 2007. And she was enrolled in a drug abuse program. I'm thinking that was probably her. It seems like that was her. She had to do it. Yeah. To get rid of the charges. Yeah. Because it was completely dropped off her record after. Yeah. So I think that was what happened in that situation was if she went to treatment and recovered. Okay. They would. Because I think it was only one incident. I think that's great. But yeah. And then Debbie Ryan from The Sweet Life on Deck and Jesse was also arrested for a DUI in 2016 after crashing her car. I also believe the car was parked. And she served three years of probation instead of jail time. So those are three of three that I couldn't find a whole lot on, but wanted to note.

SPEAKER_05 38:03

Yeah.

unknown 38:04

Mitch.

SPEAKER_01 38:05

There's a lot more, too, but.

SPEAKER_05 38:07

Oh yeah. Another time.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Yeah. But it's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 38:14

Was Lindsay Lohan? I feel like you could do just like a a mental one. Yeah. Because Lindsay Lohan was Disney. Yeah. Because she was Freaky Friday. She was all set those.

SPEAKER_01 38:31

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

SPEAKER_05 38:33

I ate that up. From the time. I never loved that. I never really loved that one. 13 until I was like 19. It was bad. It was real bad. That's so funny. Like that's what I think. That was me with the Lizzie Maguire movie, though. I still sing The Confessions of a Teenage Dragon.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

I love that though. I love that. Oh yeah. Get a girl. Yes, Queen. Yeah. I love. I love that though. Love it. It surprises me that we are somewhat the same era of Disney. Yeah. With you being like four years. Yeah. Younger than me.

SPEAKER_05 39:15

Well, because those were the good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Like that was the meaty good stuff that they had to write. After that, there was some decent stuff. Ant Farm was good. I watched Okay, Ant Farm I didn't watch. Um, I watched Shake It Up.

SPEAKER_05 39:31

Shake It Up was I forgot that one existed.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

Shake It Up was good. And the theme song is a banger. Banger. I have that one downloaded too. I low-key love Phineas and Ferb. Oh, I loved Phineas and Ferb too. Um, my cousin's kids, when I went to their house, I slept in their room. Uh-huh. And they were watching Phineas and Ferb, and I said, you know, this is from when I was a kid. They didn't believe me. I said, back up, look at the year. Yeah. Yeah, it was.

SPEAKER_05 40:01

She was like, oh, and they put it on before they go to bed. There's um, I saw there's a channel that will pop up occasionally, and it's all just Phineas and Ferb. And I'm like, that's the one right there.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

But it felt like a like a moment with like the Flintstones, where it feels so old, and they're like, it was on when your parents were young. Yeah. And then I'm like, Phineas and Ferb was on when I was little. But that was that was a great one. I I watched a little bit of Good Luck Charlie.

SPEAKER_05 40:36

I did watch Good Luck Charlie. I forgot about Good Luck Charlie.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

Because I did, I really liked the younger like but that was kind of when I was phasing out and into the I went into the MTV and ABC Family era. And ABC Family is in like Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make It or Break It. Um I wasn't either, but I would have to turn the volume down really low. Anytime my mom walked past the room because I wasn't, I wasn't supposed to watch it either. Yeah. And then we'd come to sch we'd come to school the next day and we'd all talk about it. And the ones that didn't, you know, couldn't couldn't get a good way to watch it, we all update everyone else on what happened.

SPEAKER_05 41:22

Because we weren't, yeah, we weren't supposed to watch that either. Y'all were real ones.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

We were. But there were times where you know I couldn't either.

SPEAKER_05 41:30

Yeah. And you needed that support.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

Yeah, and I needed to know what happened.

SPEAKER_05 41:36

I've never watched it.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Yeah. Now, I mean, I think I watched an episode within the past few years. It's awful. It's awful.

SPEAKER_05 41:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:50

Make it or break it is still great, though. That was my favorite. Um The Gymnasts show. It was about the gymnasts training for the Olympics. Oh. On the US team. Yeah. It was really, really good. And I re-watched it in college. I would watch it on my phone at work when I worked at the Snow Cone stand. Yeah. And it was slow. I couldn't watch it.

SPEAKER_05 42:15

No, I never, I don't think I watched that. I did watch, I don't remember the name of that Disney movie. You'll know it as soon as I start describing it. She was a gymnast, left, and then she came back and won everything. Tall girl, um tan skin, dark hair. She had the strips in her hair.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

It's an older one, right?

SPEAKER_05 42:43

Yes. And I cannot remember the name of it. And unfortunately, Tori's room has poor Wi-Fi, poor cell service. So we can't even mark it up. We we conquered the poor Wi-Fi.

SPEAKER_01 43:00

Stick It. It's called Stick It. And it was from 2006. I also loved the movie Quince.

SPEAKER_05 43:08

I feel like I know what you're talking about. Pull it up. Marnie from Marnie from Okay, yes, I know what you're talking about, but I don't think I ever actually I may have watched it like once.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

I would look at the schedule for what was playing every night.

SPEAKER_05 43:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:26

All week or on on the weekends, especially.

SPEAKER_05 43:28

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 43:29

So that I and so that I knew what I what I wanted to watch.

SPEAKER_02 43:34

Right.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

And when to be at the TV because you know, Netflix and all that wasn't a thing.

SPEAKER_02 43:39

We had to sit there and wait and watch the time trick down.

SPEAKER_01 43:42

Yes. And you had to sit through commercials. Yes. It's um Yes. I Kimberly J. Brown. I also Halloween Town. I still every October I watch Halloween Town. The first Sacrilegious.

SPEAKER_05 43:57

Which is is another banger. It was a good one. Mm hmm. Another banger that doesn't get enough pipe.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

That one was good. Oh, there's so many.

SPEAKER_05 44:06

There are. We could literally go on forever.

SPEAKER_01 44:09

I really could. I really, really could.

SPEAKER_05 44:11

Look up.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Look up umce is on Disney Plus. Yeah. Oh, all right. That's what I'm doing later. Xenon. Xenon. Oh my gosh, Xenon was my favorite. Xenon, so so good. I did love that one. I loved Xenon.

SPEAKER_05 44:27

I was Xenon one year. Were you? In high school. We had like Space Day. And I sure enough was I was Xenon. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

Where that was one every time it came up. And I would be so mad if we weren't gonna be home. I was Xenon. Oh, that's so cute. Yeah. I love that. Zetas Lapides.

unknown 44:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

But so I have I have takeaways. Yes. Now you should be able to recognize how nostalgia can influence how we view these cases.

SPEAKER_05 45:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:05

For an opinion on whether fame helps or harms young actors long long term.

SPEAKER_03 45:10

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 45:11

And analyze how fame at a young age can impact mental health and decision making.

SPEAKER_05 45:18

I do feel like society's doing a better job of realizing that. Like with the Nickelodeon cases that came out, I feel like maybe we're realizing.

SPEAKER_01 45:31

Nickelodeon's a rough one. Nickelodeon is a rough one. With Nickelodeon and all that. I for future reference I will be talking about that at some point. Because Amanda Bynes could probably be a whole episode.

SPEAKER_05 45:51

My heart just goes out to her.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 45:53

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

But my exit ticket is do you think Disney fame helps or hurts actors long term?

SPEAKER_05 46:07

I would probably say hurts more than like I very rarely see a lot of actresses and actors that continue in the same career. And and like with most of them, with most of them, they and I was trying to say it earlier about like an identity crisis. They're they're who their character is, and that's who they are for for such a long time, and then they come out of it, and they're like, I can't have night.

SPEAKER_01 46:46

That's their identity.

SPEAKER_05 46:49

Because, like you said, they're kids.

SPEAKER_01 46:51

And I think that was a big Miley Cyrus thing.

SPEAKER_05 46:57

When I mean Well, I think that was what with Orlando Brown. Yeah. Like he I we joke about the whole tattoo, but I think genuinely he he didn't know who he was outside of that so Raven.

SPEAKER_01 47:10

Right. Yeah, that's actually very valid. But Miley Cyrus is doing great in things now, but for a while she I mean, struggled with a lot of things, and not I'm not necessarily not with the law, no, but just with things that she did and things like that. I think she didn't really have an identity outside of being Hannah Montana. Yeah. And I think that was I I want to say she has said that.

SPEAKER_05 47:44

And that's the crazy thing, is she was living Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, but is that the Miley Cyrus that she was outside of the TV show?

SPEAKER_01 47:53

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_05 47:55

Because there's a Miley Cyrus in the TV show. What's the Miley Cyrus outside of the show?

SPEAKER_01 48:02

For me, I think I'm somewhere in between.

SPEAKER_04 48:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:09

As far as I don't know that I would get my toddler into.

SPEAKER_04 48:15

Right.

SPEAKER_01 48:16

Like I think as a toddler, it's a bit excessive. And I get, you know.

SPEAKER_05 48:22

Sometimes you need toddler kids. Like to me. Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 48:26

I agree. But I think as like a teenager, if that's what they they want, because if you look at some, it's more of the parents push them into it.

SPEAKER_04 48:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 48:40

But I think it really depends on the level of like involvement. Because I don't think kids that young should just be working like an adult. I think a parent needs to be super involved in really not just acting, but like the music industry. Yes. If you have an uh an underage child, and even like after 18, like until they're able to like really decision make.

SPEAKER_04 49:05

Oh, your brain's not fully developed when you're 24.

SPEAKER_01 49:09

Because if you look at the ones that really were successful and didn't had very, very involved parents on set every day. They're not the kids aren't making the decisions, maybe have a part in it, but the parents think of Hilary Duff.

SPEAKER_04 49:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:30

Her mom was to the point where the people said she was overbearing, but But she wanted to make sure that it's okay. Yeah. And if you look, Taylor Swift is another one that has, and she wasn't super young, but she was a teenager.

SPEAKER_04 49:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:46

And if you look at how she turned out, her parents are the same way.

SPEAKER_04 49:50

Right.

SPEAKER_01 49:51

Both of them, at least one of them, if not both, were there for everything. Yeah. So I think if that's the case and that's what a kid wants, then that's the well, and if you're gonna support them to do it, actually support them, be there for them. Yeah. Because I don't remember. I watched the Nickelodeon documentary that came out not that long ago, and a lot of the actors and actresses that were talking on there, their parents weren't there. Like some people from set were driving them. Yeah. Which is crazy.

SPEAKER_05 50:28

Yeah. Because that was one thing that I saw was like they weren't even allowed to be there.

SPEAKER_01 50:33

And that's an issue.

SPEAKER_05 50:35

Uh that's a red flag.

SPEAKER_01 50:36

Yeah. If there's ever been a red flag.

SPEAKER_05 50:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:39

If a kid is underage and can't have a parent there. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 50:43

Or like can't be in in the room. Like that was that was one of the things. He's like, you can wait in this place, but not where their kid was. That's right. So it's not okay.

SPEAKER_01 50:56

I think if I think it needs to be very cautious.

SPEAKER_05 51:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 51:04

That's not something that you walk a little fits on.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

Right.

SPEAKER_05 51:08

You were there for your kid, or your kid doesn't need to be an actor. Like.

SPEAKER_01 51:15

And they also need to have opportunities to be a kid.

SPEAKER_05 51:18

Yeah. 100% agree.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

But let us know if you think that childhood fame helps or hurts long time on our Instagram post. Thanks for listening to True Crime Teacher Time. We'll see you bright and early next Monday morning.