If you weren’t obsessed with the Disney Channel as a kid, were you even a kid in the early 2000s?
Nothing beat being a kid when Disney Channel was at its peak. Hannah Montana, Suite Life, Wizards, Raven – the list is endless and could make up this article entirely by itself. Growing out of that stage was bittersweet, especially when we hit the early 2010s and watched our childhood icons go through some questionable stages. There was a period where we would listen to the High School Musical soundtracks in our cars without admitting it to others and mourned the day most of us lost the chance to study on a cruise like Suite Life on Deck. But ever since Disney+, there’s been a renewed interest in these classic shows. So get ready for the revivals and sentiments.
In case you missed it, this past Wednesday, March 24th, was the 15th anniversary since the first episode of Hannah Montana aired. As someone who saw Hannah
Montana and the Jo Bros for one of their first concerts ever back in 2008, Hannah/Miley will always hold a special place in my heart. It doesn’t matter that my interest in her post-Disney fluctuates; she’ll always define my childhood in some way. So when Miley Cyrus posted this letter to Hannah Montana signed “Forever, Miley,” I just about lost it. If you’re in desperate need of a healthy dose of nostalgia, I recommend reading the letter followed by binging some Hannah Montana. Just be sure your tissue box is nearby.
When I was texting my editor about writing this article, we both saw the exciting news about another Disney vet. On March 24th, it
was announced that Ashley Tisdale (AKA the fabulous Sharpay Evans) is a mom!
As if March 24th wasn’t already exciting enough. Tisdale and husband Christopher French welcomed their baby girl, Jupiter Iris, on March 23rd after seven years of
marriage. Maybe it’s just me, but with a name like Jupiter and a mom as fabulous as Ashley Tisdale, I just know this child is going to be a fashion icon. Maybe little Jupiter can take a pass on the feather boas her mom used to rock on the red carpets though.
On a more somber note, the first two episodes of Demi Lovato’s heartbreakingly honest documentary, Dancing with the Devil, premiered on Youtube. A tell-all series that reveals the truth behind Lovato’s overdoses, sexual assaults and near death experience, it is an incredibly brave and admirable inside look into Lovato’s personal life. It really makes you
pause and think about how being a Disney star at age fourteen isn’t the glamorous lifestyle the media portrays it as. Tune in to watch the third episode, reclaiming power, on Demi Lovato’s Youtube channel this Tuesday, March 30th at 3pm ET.
When all is said and done, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words how glad I am I grew up with the Disney Channel in its prime. I can’t begin to imagine a childhood without the Sprouse twins or Camp Rock. Looking back all these years later, the fondness I feel continues to grow and just like Miley, I’m extremely thankful for all of the memories.