Remember the good old days? The ones spent jamming out to boy bands on a Walkman, munching on Cookie Crisp cereal, talking to friends on a landline, and enjoying hour after blissful hour lounging in front of the television watching cheesy Disney Channel Original movies and shows? The days of slap-on bracelets and Dunk-a-Roos are undeniably in the past, but the stars of the best television programs of the '90s live on.
They may be frozen in our memories as fresh-faced actors and actresses that made us laugh, cry, and stand up and cheer, but they have grown up right along with us, and many of them are now parents. That’s right. More than a few of the famous faces that graced the small screen as '90s kiddos did homework in their Trapper Keepers, paged their friends, and sipped on Squeeze-Its are now moms and dads.
The carefree days of childhood have dwindled into oblivion, but the memories of the best shows of days-gone-by have not been forgotten. Get ready to take a trip down memory lane and feel all the feels. Read on for 20 former Disney Channel stars it may be surprising to learn are now the proud parents of adorable children of their own.
20 Kirsten Storms
Kirsten Storms is perhaps best known for her role as Zenon Kar in the Disney Channel Original Zenon trilogy. Today, she spends her days enjoying modern technology with her mini-me Harper.
Storms and her ex-husband Brandon Barash split in 2016, but have made a concerted effort to co-parent their daughter. The actress, who is also known for her role as Maxie on General Hospital, revealed to Soaps in Depth, “It’s important to us that Harper get the best possible experience growing up—and that means seeing her mom and dad in the same room with each other, frequently...She couldn’t be happier than when we’re all together.”
19 Ashley Leggat
Actress Ashley Leggat is best known for her role as Casey MacDonald on the hit Disney Channel show Life With Derek. She played book-smart step-sister to scheming dreamer Derek on the series from 2005-2009.
Leggat and her pro hockey player husband Jeremy Williams welcomed baby girl Olivia Patricia Anne Williams to the world in February of 2017. The proud new mama captioned a shot of her beautiful baby girl that she posted on social media, “That’s it, I’m bustin' out of here’...surprised us all by arriving 2.5 weeks early...We are so in love with our little 7lb princess.”
18 Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron will forever be a ‘90s heartthrob best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, but he also melted tween hearts when he played Jack Morgan in the Disney Channel Original movie You Lucky Dog. The whole premise of the film is more than a bit bizarre. (Cameron plays a “dog whisperer” who inherits millions from a man he barely knows — all because he can communicate with the guy’s dog.)
Today, the former television star and his Growing Pains co-star and wife Chelsea Noble are the proud parents of six children — three boys and three girls.
17 Patrick Levis
Patrick Levis is best known for his role as Jack Phillips on the Disney Channel series So Weird. He also appeared in the 1998 Disney Channel Original movies Brink! alongside Erik von Detten and Miracle In Lane 2 with Frankie Muniz. He played Donnie Osmond in the 2001 TV movie Inside the Osmonds and most recently appeared on The Fresh Band Beat from 2010-2013.
The talented actor and musician has been married to his sweetheart Natalie Levis since 2009. They have three beautiful daughters: Evan, Brennan, and Finley. When his third baby girl arrived in 2015, he wrote on social media, “My friends, the birth of a baby just never gets old...Thankful for a healthy and happy new daughter.”
16 Jamie-Lynn Spears
Jamie-Lynn Spears gained major fame with her role as Zoey Brooks on the series Zoey 101, which ran for four seasons. Spears became pregnant at the age of 16, and many speculated that the show was canceled due to her impending arrival. She recently took to social media to squash these rumors and claimed she moved on from the show to finish high school and do movies, not because she had a bun in the oven.
Today, Spears is the proud mother of her firstborn Maddie and her newest addition Ivey, who arrived in the spring of 2017. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her second husband and is currently pursuing a passion in country music.
15 Erin Chambers
Erin Chambers is best known for her role as Siobhan McKenna on the popular daytime soap General Hospital, but she got her start in the biz with the role of Frances McCausland in the thrilling Disney Channel Original movie Don’t Look Under The Bed.
Today, Chambers is the proud mama of two adorable babies, son Roan and daughter Lilian, whom she shares with her hubby Carson. When her newest arrival was born in July of 2018, the actress shared a sweet shot of her new daughter on social media and captioned the pic, “Carson and I welcomed this cute bundle of joy recently. Meet Lilian Mae! We are in heaven with sweet Lily!”
14 Erika Christensen
Before Erika Christensen played Madison Bell in the thriller flick Swimfan or Julia Braverman-Graham on NBC’s hit family drama Parenthood, she starred as the object of actor Michael Shulman’s affection in the Disney Channel Original extra-terrestrial film Can of Worms.
Today, she shares daughters Shane and Polly with her husband Cole Maness and is constantly sharing adorable shots of her sweet fam with her fans. The star recently captioned a selfie of herself and her baby girl, “Last night I got too little sleep to be worth much of anything so instead of attempting anything productive today we went and walked among the flowers.” Sounds like she’s got this whole mom thing all figured out!
13 Kevin Jonas
Kevin Jonas is best known for being a member of one of the greatest brother bands of all time: the Jonas Brothers. He starred alongside his siblings Joe and Nick as Jason Gray in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock, and had tween girls everywhere begging to go to summer camp.
Kevin is now the proud papa of daughters: Alena Rose and Valentina Angelina, whom he shares with his lovely wife Danielle. The first time he was away from his firstborn, the devoted dad told reporters, “It is my first time away from being a father. You know, it’s amazing having a daughter that every minute you want to be with her. And of course, she does something awesome. Like, she found her thumb yesterday...and I wasn’t there.”
12 Hayden Panettiere
Before Hayden Panettiere became a huge star with roles in major motion pictures and epic television dramas like I Love You Beth Cooper, Heroes, and Nashville, she starred as Maddie Dolan in the Disney Channel Original movie Tiger Cruise.
The pint-sized powerhouse is now the proud mother of one daughter, Kaya Evdokia, whom she shares with her ex Wladimir Klitschko. A source close to the actress recently revealed to E! News, “Kaya is primarily with her dad and his family in Europe and Florida. Hayden and Wladimir are on great terms and friendly. They are a big part of each other’s lives and will continue to be.”
11 Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence, known for his role on the hit sitcoms Blossom and Melissa and Joey also starred as Michael Woods in the Disney Channel Original movies Horse Sense and its sequel Jumping Ship.
Today, he is the proud father of two children: Liberty Grace and Charleston “Charli” Lawrence. Speaking about fatherhood, the actor told OK! magazine, “You wake up every day and you see this little person running around. You know you’re totally responsible for them, and every move they make… The way they turn out, their lives, and their livelihood. It’s a tremendous, incredible thing. It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility. It’s what life is all about.”
10 Stacie Hess
Stacie Hess graced the small screen as Gia in the Disney Channel Original movie Rip Girls. Her character was the one who taught the film’s protagonist Sydney how to surf. Hess was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the 2001 film.
The actress is now the proud mother of one daughter, Amelia. Speaking about being a mother, she has shared, “Being from Hawaii, where it is so family oriented, I am so family oriented. I’m extremely close with both of my parents, as is Amelia. She’s my life. Having that Hawaiian upbringing on family has really shaped motherhood, my [job], my life, and my relationships.”
9 Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff gained major fame with the role of Lizzie in the hit Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. She went on to have a successful music and film lifestyle that is still going strong today.
Duff welcomed her first child, son Luca, to the world in March of 2012, and gave birth to daughter Banks Violet earlier this year. Speaking about her firstborn, the actress told PopSugar.com, “He's taught me so much. I feel like I was never this patient, but it's just made me a nicer person, and I apply it to other aspects of my life...And all of those things that used to stress me out or I used to worry about or be insecure about, that doesn't matter.”
8 Glenndon Chatman
Actor Glenndon Chatman will forever be remembered for his role in the hit film Love and Basketball, but, like many other successful stars, he got his start on the Disney Channel. He played Ryan Merriman’s best friend Russell Holloway in the network’s original movie The Luck of the Irish.
Since his days on the Disney Channel, he’s added the role of parent to his impressive resume. He is the proud father of one adorable daughter named Vayla. It has been speculated that Chatman is a solo dad looking for love. Any lady would be lucky to date this dapper daddy.
7 Tia Mowry-Hardrict
Tia and Tamera Mowry are twin celebs best known for their ABC sitcom Sister, Sister. After the show ended, they went on to star together in the Disney Channel Original Movie Twitches and its sequel as Camryn and Alex: identical twins join forces and use their magical powers to save their kingdom from impending doom.
Tia is now the proud mother of son Cree and daughter Cairo, whom she shares with her hubby Cory Hardrict. Following the birth of Cree in 2011, the actress told Momtastic, “It's a lot more emotional than I expected...People always say you never know love until you have your own child and all of that is true.”
6 Tamera Mowry-Housley
Forbes.com describes Tia’s sister Tamera Mowry-Housley as “an award-winning actor, producer, talk show host, and author.” The site continues, “Her '90s sitcom Sister, Sister made Mowry-Housley a pop culture icon among Millennials.” Along with her sister, Mowry-Housley’s Disney Channel appearance only added to her fame and fortune.
Today, the celeb mom is the proud mother of two children, Aden and Ariah. Speaking about the challenges of being a working mom, she told Forbes, “Moms shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are. Some people will agree with them and others may not, and that’s okay. Not everyone is going to be giving them the same opinion. When they are authentically their true selves, that’s when they will find success.”
5 Beverley Mitchell
Beverly Mitchell is best known for her role as Lucy on the hit WB drama 7th Heaven. She also starred as Erica Enders in the Disney Channel Original film Right on Track alongside A-list actress Brie Larson.
Mitchell and her husband Michael Cameron have two children together: a son, Hutton and a daughter, Kenzie. Speaking about the joys of motherhood, the mom-of-two recently told People, “Seeing them embrace life with their fresh eyes and excitement really grounds you.” Last November, the actress revealed she had miscarried twins in a heart-wrenching blog post. According to People, she wrote, “I never really considered that I would miscarry being that I had already had two healthy pregnancies.”
4 Jared Padalecki
Jared Padalecki has helped make the show Supernatural a television phenomenon, but before his days wooing the world with his come-hither stare, he starred alongside Mischa Barton as rich, brooding Zachary Gray in the Disney Channel Original movie A Ring of Endless Light.
Padalecki is the proud father of three children: daughter Odette Elliott, and sons Thomas Colton and Austin Shepherd. He has been married to his wife and baby mama Genevieve Cortese for over 10 years. On how he views his daughter in comparison to his two sons, Padalecki admitted to People, “With boys, you’re like, ‘Go skin your knees and go break your arms like I did.’ But with a girl, you’re like, ‘If somebody ever touches her, I’ll go off the handle!’”
3 Christy Carlson Romano
Christy Carlson Romano made a name for herself when she played Shia Labeouf's know-it-all older sister Ren in the sitcom Even Stevens, but is quite possibly best known for being the voice behind the strong and beloved protagonist in the wildly popular Disney Channel cartoon Kim Possible.
She and her husband Brendan Rooney share a daughter, Isabella “Izzy” Victoria, and recently revealed to People that they are expecting their second child together. The actress told the mag, “I always wanted two kids and I feel so blessed to have this experience again...My husband and I are overjoyed that our little girl is going to have a sibling.”
2 Tiffany Thornton
Tiffany Thornton won the hearts of Disney Channel viewers everywhere with her role as Tawni Hart in the hit Disney Channel series Sonny With A Chance and its spinoff So Random!
Thornton is now the busy-yet-proud mother of a beautiful brood of little ones. She has two sons, Kenneth James and Bentley Cash, from a previous relationship. This past November, she and her husband Josiah Capaci welcomed baby girl Juliet “Jules” Joy to the world. When she announced the news she was expecting a daughter, she quoted 1 Samuel 1:27, writing, “For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart.”
1 KayCee Stroh
KayCee Stroh was a part of the cast of one of the most profitable and popular Disney Channel Original movies to date: High School Musical. She played “Hip Hop Girl” Martha Cox in the first film and its sequels and will forever be remembered for her amazing moves on the dance floor.
Since cutting a rug on television, Stroh has had two beautiful baby girls, Zetta and Lettie, with her husband Ben Higginson. In 2013, the actress told Modern Mom, “I have a very packed schedule full of singing, dancing, reading, and napping...Whenever [the baby] goes down, I always make a mad dash to do the laundry, clean, put an audition on tape...or throw something in the Crock-Pot."
Sources: MTV.com, ABC.SoapsInDepth.com, IMDB.com, M.EOnline.com, PopSugar.com, Romper.com, Forbes.com, People.com