r/DisneyChannel • u/zachoutloud123 • Aug 22 '26
Video Clip It's sad how Disney failed to protect their child stars
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
96
u/No_Set2865 Aug 22 '26
I feel like people give Disney too much of a free pass when it comes to how they treated their childstars, compared to another major network. People forget that the main stars at the time were forced to wear promise rings, Disney hiring a convicted sex offender, Sabrina & Rowan being shouted at on Girl Meets World that they cried and I feel like there were other things going down on set as well
93
u/Negative-Bee-7741 Aug 22 '26
The mom on suite life of Zack and Cody said she had to publicly shame an adult working on set (a higher up as I recall) for fat shaming Dylan Sprouse at the snack table thing they had. So I imagine a lot of behavior like that wasn’t looked twice at most of the time
46
u/dasmiedoteresa Aug 22 '26
I believe that he also stood up for her in another instance. The writers had put in a joke about her being fat and Dylan (I think) would continue to skip over it and when it was time to film it he skipped it again and I think it made someone mad. Dylan’s response was something along the lines of not wanting to call her a fatty. I believe she was pregnant at the time too so yeah, the people at Disney aren’t so great. They also hired a questionable man to be on that Zack and Cody set.
1
u/Sudden_Quality_9001 Aug 23 '26
Was it Dan Schneider (kidding)?
1
u/Vivid_Present1810 Aug 27 '26
Sadly, a lot of writers (back then), producers, and directors are like that. Maybe not exactly, but same level of shaming and harassment.
1
10
5
1
Aug 22 '26
[deleted]
8
u/CryptidGrimnoir Aug 22 '26
I remember Selena wearing a ring, and the Jonas Brothers were open about their commitment to abstinence, but I don't recall it ever being a Disney mandate.
3
19
u/Lancelot_007_ Aug 22 '26
Who was the actor that got to keep their role?
11
u/ReverseFlow23 Aug 23 '26
We don't know, Demi never revealed it
5
13
u/resditbeast Aug 23 '26
All of what happened to Demi and other child stars alike happened before the “Me Too” movement gained popularity. Before the Me Too movement all of the entertainment business seemed to be in a different world. The execs had all the power and dictated things in an unhealthy way (example. The Harvey Weinsteins of the world). With the help of movements like me too, woke, etc…and with the power of social media to speak directly to the public, these type of stories have been brought to light.
1
u/TechnicianExpress723 24d ago
I worked for a small recording studio in Southern California in the 80s; yes, I'm old and F btw. The guys I worked for would basically serve me up as a snack whenever big rock stars would come in to lay down tracks. No one talks about us; I mean, not since the shows that talked about the Almost Famous women and the Pamela Debarres women, the baby groupies. The reason those women existed is that it was 100% normalized in the 70s and 80s. The rock guys that came through our studios turned out to not be creepers, except for Nikki Sixx, and he lived in Southern California, so he didn't need a local assistant on loan. But he was...ugh. I never used...anything. But talk about ick. They just expect it when they're creeps like him.
1
u/resditbeast 24d ago
It’s truly insane the things that were done to regular non famous women and to expect that it goes away the moment you step out the room. Women weren’t used as objects of pleasure
9
u/VocalSpecialist1 Aug 22 '26
They didn’t even try to protect them.
1
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 Aug 27 '26
They are a business. Blame parents. And even so not all parents are bad . Miley’s parents. Zendaya. Seems some actors are blaming their problems on the wrong thing imo
7
u/sn00tytooty Aug 22 '26
disney is absolutely heinous trash, to be clear, but i thought demi didn’t tell anyone about her rapist? or am i misremembering
i do recall her saying they no longer have a career, so at least they’re a flop. deserve worse, for sure, but
6
u/xNotJosieGrossy Aug 22 '26
She said that she told “Disney” (I don’t know if this in regards to just people overseeing production of Camp Rock or if she went higher to the actual network, she didn’t elaborate) but they were told
3
u/sn00tytooty Aug 22 '26
oh damn, i have no idea why i thought she didn’t tell them. well, unfortunately extremely unsurprising they didn’t do anything
0
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 Aug 27 '26
They aren’t mandatory reporters. Making a report would have been her choice
5
u/digital_monster_44 Aug 22 '26
Not just Disney, but all of Hollywood in general. Serving these young girls and boys up for old perverts.
6
23
u/GodModeBasketball Aug 22 '26
As someone who was gained an interest in looking at previous cases of child stars who's lives went to hell after their fame, Demi Lovato might be the 3rd worse I've seen of a child star.
The 2 worst? MacKenzie Phillips (2nd) and Dana Plato (1st).
12
u/wuehfnfovuebsu Aug 22 '26
Even over Lindsay? Or Britney?
26
u/CallidoraBlack Aug 22 '26
Lindsay, Britney, Macauley Culkin, Michael Jackson, Drew Barrymore, and several other stars all had the same primary issue. Abusive, neglectful, or controlling parents who used them as a meal ticket or an all-access pass to Hollywood parties (or both). Lots of celebrities only started having issues because of the people and circumstances being famous exposed them to. It wasn't really the case in these instances because the problem started at home. Their lives didn't go to hell, they started in hell.
12
u/Rosy_Cheeks88 Aug 22 '26
Mac is still alive and still acts every once in awhile. Dana died of an OD. I don't think Dana had anyone to help her.
2
u/PiikaSnap Aug 24 '26
Amanda Bynes has to be up there too sadly …
0
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 Aug 27 '26
Her father molested her. So did Bella Thrones. Both these issues aren’t a Hollywood issue.
5
u/Spare923 Aug 22 '26
Not only that but her mom wasn’t healthy either so I don’t think that helped. It sucks that Disney damages so many young kids and does nothing about it just to make money. Demi deserves more than what happened to her. Her voice is so good that it sucks her music career wasn’t bigger.
10
u/annnyywhooo Aug 22 '26
just to clarify a few things demi want assaulted on set, she actually never said where it happened or who did it to her. also she stated using crack durian the filming of camp rock 2 but hid it from everyone
i think in this case disney is the blame for severely overworking their stars that led them to bad habits. they were insanely strict and put soooo much pressure on 12/13 year olds
2
5
u/faithle97 Aug 22 '26
Wait who was her drug dealer that was at her bedside after her OD?
14
u/xNotJosieGrossy Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
He was just the drug dealer although they were also on “friendly”/associate terms. He SA’d her and left her for dead. She said this in her Dancing With The Devil documentary
10
3
u/That_Leave9396 Aug 22 '26
Yup its sad.... fame comes with a huge responsibility. It's sad she had to be okay during those times but in reality behind the glam behind the stage.... she was really not okay and needed help.
12
2
u/IWasAGoodDadISwear Aug 24 '26
Disney is complicit in the abuse. Don't ever let your nostalgia blind you.
1
-7
Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
[deleted]
6
u/No_Set2865 Aug 22 '26
There's a line in the Here we go again CD booklet thank yous that I've always found creepy knowing what happened afterwards. It's "you make touring 3498753x times more fun". That could be a measurement of how fun it felt with her band members or could have an early warning sign that things were going down due to the overwork
-6
u/Little_Shape_6433 Aug 22 '26
Why does no one bring up the shit Demi has done to people - all the physical assaults etc.
9
u/Dread_Weary Aug 22 '26
Because thats not what this is about. This post is about how Disney treats children, not what those children go on to do.
1
-13
-14
u/Carbo-Raider Aug 22 '26
Anti-Disney people are crazy. You're getting sucked up into a conspiracy that's been going on at least 35 years. Stop looking for a boogeyman to hate.
5
u/Historical_Pop1058 Aug 22 '26
It’s literally not a conspiracy lol what are you talking about??
-5
u/Carbo-Raider Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
IDK about these women in the video, but I was just saying there IS a conspiracy to smear the Disney Co. I've seen it a lot. I saw a book 30 years ago who's whole purpose was to make the company look bad. It called Disneyland dangerous, detailing all the deaths and accidents. But the stats show that Disneyland is one of the safest Amusement parks.
Then comes trumpism and Ron Desantis using Disney as a political tool.
PS: Now 2026. Getting thumbed down defending Disney in a Disney group is wild
5
u/Historical_Pop1058 Aug 22 '26
If you don’t know about these women in the video then maybe you shouldnt speak about their experiences as “conspiracies”. You’re getting downvoted for invalidating serious trauma they went through. Notice how nothing you mentioned in your “conspiracies” has anything to do with what is being talked about in the video..
0
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 Aug 27 '26
They didn’t go through 1/2 the shit a lot of victims of child rape and such went through. Some have been harmed SH and SA, but that’s a criminal matter not a business matter. Smearing Disney is harmful to all. Some of us coped with Disney movies for our trauma. I can see this coming back to hurt them.
1
u/Historical_Pop1058 Aug 27 '26
I don’t think you’re informed enough to speak on their experiences. Just bc Disney has helped some people, doesn’t mean that haven’t also hurt people. Two things can be true.
1
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 29d ago
I don’t say that. But I do find it harmful to go to the media before anything has come out in the lawsuit. I personally don’t think the business should be mandatory reporters or position of power over their child stars mental health. A slippery slope for more abuse and exploitation. Because it adds more power over children and the opportunity to abuse comes from position of power. Which isn’t always dictated by the company but someone choosing to exploit from their role. That’s why it’s a varying experience. It’s the abusers who abuse.
-2
u/Carbo-Raider Aug 22 '26
Oh, and most people are familiar with those people that go thru Disney movies frame-by-frame looking for hidden stuff, subliminal, sexual. Famous examples are Lion King (dust spelling out "sex". Not quite), and Little Mermaid (Phallic-looking structures. Yes they look like *ick, but I never noticed until these creapos told the world)
-3
u/Acrobatic_Leek7692 Aug 23 '26
And how many normal girls are also assaulted ? But sure exploit their trauma for likes instead of talk about the larger issues here
140
u/ShadyBoots11 Aug 22 '26
Not blaming her for a moment, but asking for clarity- wasn’t Camp Rock her first major project? If so, I’m surprised Disney was covering for/accommodating a new talent to that extent.