While not every young star who appeared on the Disney Channel was able to parlay their initial success into a major career, some of the biggest former Disney stars were out there positively thriving in 2025.
Alex Russo (Selena Gomez)
–In February, Selena Gomez and the cast of her Hulu series Only Murders in the Building won the Screen Actors Guild trophy for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series. The show was renewed for a sixth season in 2025.
–In March, she and her fiancé, Benny Blanco, released a joint album, I Said I Love You First, which debuted at #2.
–The two got married on Sept. 27, in front of guests including Taylor Swift. Benny wrote on Instagram, “I married a real-life Disney princess.”
–Selena also returned to her Disney roots in September, reprising her role as Alex Russo in the second season of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
–In November, she and Benny received a Grammy nomination for best dance pop recording for “Bluest Flame,” a song from I Said I Love You First.
–In December, Selena was nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance by a female actor in a television series — musical or comedy for Only Murders.
Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus)
—Miley Cyrus also missed out on a Golden Globe in January for the song she wrote for the movie The Last Showgirl, but in February she shared the best country duo/group performance Grammy with her friend Beyoncé for their Cowboy Carter duet, “II Most Wanted.”
–In March, Miley announced her “visual album” project, Something Beautiful, and a short film of the same name, which she co-wrote and co-directed. The album was released in May, followed by the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June. The album received a Grammy nod.
–In November, Miley released “Dream As One,” a song she co-wrote for James Cameron‘s film Avatar: Fire and Ash. In December, the song earned Miley a Golden Globe nod for best original song.
–Also in December, she confirmed to ABC’s Chris Connelly that she and her longtime boyfriend, Maxx Morando, were engaged. She also told reporters that she’s planning to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana in 2026.
Connect Three (Jonas Brothers)
—Jonas Brothers were everywhere in 2025. They hosted their very own fan convention, JONASCON, in March, during which they announced that Joe Jonas‘ solo album Music for People Who Believe in Love would be out May 23, followed by a live album on June 13 and the group’s new album, Greetings From Your Hometown, on Aug. 8.
–Their JONAS20 tour launched Aug. 10. The brothers brought out a slew of guest stars to join them onstage, including Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Jordin Sparks, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz and Alex Warren.
–In November, they released the holiday film A Very Jonas Christmas Movie and announced they’d be returning for a third installment of the Camp Rock franchise. Also in November, Kevin Jonas released his first-ever solo single.
–In December, Nick Jonas announced his new solo album, Sunday Best, coming in February 2026.
–In 2025, JoBros were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and got their hand and footprints immortalized in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Sonny Munroe/Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato)
–In May 2025, Demi Lovato married her longtime boyfriend, Jordan “Jutes” Lutes.
–In August, she joined the Jonas Brothers onstage in New Jersey to perform favorites from Camp Rock. She later announced she’d be executive producing a third Camp Rock movie.
–In October, she released the dance pop album It’s Not That Deep and announced a tour for 2026.
Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff)
—Hilary Duff announced her return to music in 2025, releasing a new single, “Mature,” and announcing her first album in more than 10 years, Luck … or something, would arrive Feb. 20, 2026.
–She also announced her Small Rooms, Big Nerves tour, starting Jan. 18, 2026, in London, as well as a limited Las Vegas engagement at Voltaire in February 2026.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
