DISNEY show Lizzie McGuire made huge stars out of its young cast – not least Hilary Duff, who recently made a huge pop comeback.
But 22 years after the smash series ended, not all of the kids’ series cast are household names.
The comedy series followed Lizzie, a clumsy middle schooler, as she learnt to navigate personal and social issue through some very awkward teenage years.
Beginning in January 2001, it was a smash hit out of the gate but its run was cut short in February 2004 when Disney and Hilary failed to reach a contract agreement.
Since then, Hilary has starred in a string of movies, from Cheaper By The Dozen to A Cinderella Story, as well as the popular TV series, Younger.
She has also taken on the charts with memorable tracks including Come Clean, So Yesterday and With Love, the latter of which had a dance routine which has become a popular TikTok meme in recent years.
In between all this, Hilary has been busy raising four kids: Luca, 13, Banks, seven, Mae, four and Townes, one.
But while Hilary is now ready to take on the music world yet again, this time with a more grown-up sound, what happened to those co-stars who aren’t still in the same spotlight?
Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft)
Clayton, 38, starred as bad boy Ethan Craft, who picked on David “Gordo” Gordon before they later became friends.
Ethan was quite the Disney hunk and all the girl’s had a huge crush on him during their years at Hillridge Junior High School.
He was Lizzie’s long-term crush but she was largely over him by the end of the show.
Clayton married stunning actress Allegra Edwards back in October 2020 and they welcomed their first son into the world in 2022.
The actor now owns LA Athletic Water Polo club after playing for his school during his teenage years.
He is also the host of Water Polo Wednesday, a podcast which deep dives into the elite level of the sport.
Clayton last acted in Alien Warfare back in 2019 but still dabbles in acting and producing.
LaLaine (Miranda Sanchez)
LaLaine starred as Lizzie’s best pal Miranda – they had similar fashion sense and helped each other out of awkward social situations.
Miranda even took the blame for Lizzie spreading a rumour about Kate Sanders, that get’s her relentlessly picked on throughout the early part of the series.
The girl’s sweet friendship was one of the catalysts behind the show being such a hit with young fans.
LaLaine abruptly left Lizzie McGuire during the final season.
According to the book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire, author Ashley Spencer detailed how two young actors became close in real life.
Ashley Spencer wrote: “They lived near each other and shared milestones like shaving their legs together for the first time.
“The two girls were literally best friends for three-quarters of the series, maybe more. And then they had a blow up that never got healed.”
Insiders told Ashley tensions began when LaLaine was given the opportunity to sing a solo. This allegedly upset Hilary and her mum as it was their long-term plan for her to sing.
LaLaine is now 38-years-old and has kept firmly out of the spotlight with her last credit appearing on Ashley’s audiobook.
Ashlie Brillaut (Kate Sanders)
Ashlie starred as Lizzie’s frenemy Kate; she was originally Lizzie and Miranda’s best pal but then she became popular.
Kate found middle school fame when she got her first bra after summer camp and she quickly became Lizzie’s enemy.
Ashlie, 38, exiled the acting world shortly after filming Lizzie McGuire.
She made a brief one-episode appearance in One on One before making a surprising career change.
Ashlie put her all into becoming a lawyer as she earnt her law degree and now works as a criminal defence attorney in Southern California.
Adam Lamberg ( David ‘Gordo’ Gordon)
Adam played David Gordon, who was affectionately known as Gordo. He was in the trio with Lizzie and Miranda, the three best of friends.
The actor, 43, seemed to disappear from the spotlight after Lizzie McGuire and very few details are publicly known about the star.
Adam starred in the independent movies “When Do We Eat?” and “Beautiful Loser” before leaving the glamorous life of fame behind.
While working on the show, Adam was studying for his geography degree at the University of California.
He later did a U-turn and graduated from Baruch College, in New York with a Master’s degree in public administration.
In 2012, the same year he began studying for his Master’s degree he started working at the Irish Arts Center.
The former child star worked as an assistant events coordinator, development associate and then the development officer before he left the organisation in 2019.
Robert Carradine (Sam McGuire)
Robert played Lizzie’s dad Sam in the show, but tragically passed away earlier this year.
The actor took his own life in February after battling bipolar disorder for two decades, his family said.
His older brother, actor Keith Carradine told Deadline: “It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away.”
“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him.
“We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder.
“We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness.”
Hilary paid tribute to her TV dad in a statement, saying: “This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend.
“There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents.
“I’ll be forever grateful for that. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering.
“My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him.”
