13 Disney Stars That Graduated to Queer Roles

It's back to school season and the Disney Channel has become synonymous with sitcoms chronicling school days. For decades, the channel has given attention to up and coming actors in teen comedy roles. After making a splash with wholesome content, many have sought to shed their Disney image by taking on more adult roles. This week's listicle puts the spotlight on 13 Disney Channel actors that went on to play queer characters. Leave a comment below if we missed any of your favorites. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

 

Pierson Fodé  
While he made his television debut over on Nickelodeon, Pierson Fodé gained his first notoriety with a five-episode guest appearance on the hit Disney sitcom Jessie, playing the titular character's fiancé Brooks. Fodé immediately followed that up with his lead role in the 2015 feature film Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List. Based on the YA novel of the same name, Fodé played Ely, one-half of the titular best friends who find conflict when the female Naomi (Victoria Justice) and the gay Ely both start falling for the same guy, threatening their long-standing friendship. Fodé played gay again years later, with a two-episode guest stint on the drama series Animal Kingdom. 

 

Gary LeRoi Gray 
Gary LeRoi Gray got his start as a child actor, appearing in sitcoms and voicing cartoons throughout the '90s. Gray popped up on the Disney Channel in 2001, taking on the recurring role of Nelson Minkler, the best friend of lead character Ren (Christy Carlson Romano), on the hit sitcom Even Stevens. Seven years later, he would find himself embroiled in the romantic dramas of the characters from the gay series Noah's Arc. During the series' wrap-up movie, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, husbands Chance (Doug Spearman) and Eddie (Jonathan Julian) work through their marriage problems and end up in a threesome with the younger Brandon (Gray).

 

Ryan McCartan 
Ryan McCartan's first big television role came on the Disney Channel series Liv and Maddie in 2013. McCartan played the recurring role of Digbert "Diggie" Smalls, the high school love interest of lead character Maddie (Dove Cameron) in 27 episodes of the popular sitcom, before leaving Disney behind in 2017. Although the openly bisexual actor is more known for his straight roles on the screen and stage, he did take on a queer role in the 2024 short film Out to Run: A Tale of Blood Velvet. As leading man Cole, McCartan got to make out with his co-star Miles Tagtmeyer for the horror short, before the gay couple gets attacked by dangerous vampires. 

 

Brandon Mychal Smith 
For a time, Brandon Mychal Smith was a Disney staple, appearing in 10 episodes of the sitcom Phil of the Future, 46 episodes of Sonny with a Chance, and 26 episodes of So Random!, in addition to a role in the Disney Channel original movie StarStruck. After graduating to more mature roles, he joined the adult comedy You're the Worst in 2014, appearing in 21 episodes. Over the course of five seasons, Smith played Sam Dresden, a rapper who juggles his "street" image with his more metrosexual personal life. In Episode 3, his PR manager, leading lady Gretchen (Aya Cash), discovers him in his underwear at home with another man (Trey Gerrald). 

 

Matthew Scott Montgomery 
Matthew Scott Montgomery's biggest television role came on Disney Channel's So Random!, a musical sketch comedy series. Montgomery starred on the series from 2011 until its cancellation in 2012 after 26 episodes. Montgomery would later come out as gay, detailing his horrible experience with conversion therapy. In 2013, Montgomery starred in the queer drama Southern Baptist Sissies, playing one of a quartet of secretly-gay boys struggling with the conflict between the teachings of their church and their sexuality. Montgomery's character Andrew finds himself drawn to a male stripper (Johna Myers), heightening his struggle with his homosexuality.

 

Leo Howard 
After hosting the Disney Channel promotional series Leo Little's Big Show, Leo Howard was cast as leading man Jack Brewer for the martial arts themed sitcom Kickin' It, where he starred in 84 episodes over the course of four years. He would also pop up in guest appearances on other Disney shows like Shake It Up, Lab Rats, and Zeke and Luther. It would be 2019's television movie A Lover Scorned that would cast Howard in a queer role. The Lifetime drama centered on Brooke (Emilie de Ravin), a woman in a loveless marriage who begins an affair with insurance agent Jake (Howard), unaware that he's also having an affair with her plotting husband (Jeffrey Vincent Parise).

 

Raphael Alejandro 
Canadian actor Raphael Alejandro made his biggest splash on the Disney Channel with the Jessie spin-off series Bunk'd, where he appeared in 68 episodes during his three-season run as Matteo Silva. He returned to appear in the Season 7 finale of the series in 2024, which would be the same year that he took on a gay role in a completely different spin-off series. For the That '70s Show spin-off That '90s Show, Alejandro played the role of Isaac, who would become a love interest for awkward gay teen Ozzie (Reyn Doi), after the two cross paths at a wrestling convention. Alejandro appeared in three episodes of the third season of the Netflix comedy.

 

Jason Dolley 
Jason Dolley starred on two major Disney Channel series, beginning in 2007 with the That's So Raven spin-off Cory in the House, where he appeared as Cory's best friend Newt. Dolley followed that up with a starring role on Good Luck Charlie, where he played PJ Duncan for sitcom's four-season run, spanning 98 episodes. That series came to an end in 2014, the same year that Dolley took on the starring role in the comedy Helicopter Mom. Unlike his Disney roles, Dolley took on more mature material, playing Lloyd, a "sexually undecided" teen who is pressured by his overbearing mother (Nia Vardalos) to be gay, interrupting his journey of self-discovery.  

 

Cameron Boyce 
The bulk of the late Cameron Boyce's career came on the Disney Channel. In addition to his starring roles on the hit series Jessie and the Descendants film franchise, Boyce popped up in guest roles on a handful of other Disney live-action and animated series. Prior to his unexpected death in 2019, Boyce took on a more adult role for the HBO miniseries Mrs. Fletcher, where he played Zach, the college roommate of Brendan Fletcher (Jackson White), the son of leading lady Eve (Kathryn Hahn). The problematic Brendan is surprised to discover Zach is gay when he spies him dancing in his underwear at a party with his love interest Harrison (Brett Temple). 

 

Corey Fogelmanis 
Out actor Corey Fogelmanis' first regular series role came on the Disney sequel series Girl Meets World. The actor played Farkle Minkus, the friend of lead middle school characters Riley & Maya. Since leaving the Disney Channel behind in 2017, Fogelmanis has fully embraced queer roles with the Netflix family drama My Life with the Walter Boys, where he appears as gay teen Nathan Walter, and the feature drama I Wish You All the Best which cast Fogelmanis as Ben, a teen coming of age and struggling emotionally after being abandoned by their parents after coming out. He also romanced musician Conan Gray in the artist's trio of 2025 music videos. 

 

Dylan Sprouse 
Dylan Sprouse's years-long career as Zack Martin spanned multiple Disney Channel properties. Paired with his twin brother Cole Sprouse as Cody Martin, the duo starred in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and its spin-off series The Suite Life on Deck, in addition to multiple crossover episodes with Disney series like Hannah Montana, That's So Raven, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. Years later, Sprouse would shed his Disney image for more adult roles. For the 2019 short film Daddy, Sprouse starred as Paul, a young sex worker who is hired by 80-year-old widower Mr. Smith (Ron Rifkin), to indulge his repressed sexuality by pretending to be his wife. 

 

Nick Jonas  
In addition to his music career alongside his brothers, Nick Jonas has worked as an actor, appearing with his brothers in the popular Disney Channel movie Camp Rock, and its sequels. The Jonas Brothers also starred in their own Disney sitcom, appropriately titled Jonas, which ran for 34 episodes across two seasons. During a break from his familial music career, Nick took on a very different role for the drama series Kingdom, which followed a family of mixed martial artists. Nick played Nate, a young MMA fighter taking part in the family business while struggling with his sexuality and its conflict with his idea of masculinity, eventually leading to his coming out. 

 

Ross Lynch 
Ross Lynch first rose to prominence in his career by starring on the Disney Channel musical sitcom Austin & Ally. As one-half of the titular duo, Lynch's Austin looked to make his music dreams come true alongside his songwriting best friend Ally. The series came to an end in 2016 after four seasons and 87 episodes. The very next year Lynch shed his Disney image with a much different role, portraying queer future serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the biographical drama My Friend Dahmer, based on the book of the same name. The film chronicled the teen Dahmer's high school years, his familial conflicts, and his rising obsessions, leading to violent behavior.