Former child star Alyson Stoner has recalled being “fired from a children’s show” after coming out as queer.
Alyson, who is 29 and uses they/them pronouns, rose to fame after appearing in several Disney Channel movies and TV shows throughout the 2000s.
Perhaps most notably, Alyson portrayed Caitlyn Geller in the Camp Rock film franchise alongside Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers. A few years earlier, they played Max in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody alongside Dylan and Cole Sprouse.
In 2018, Alyson penned a personal essay for Teen Vogue, in which they opened up about experiencing internalized homophobia when they fell in love with a woman.
“I fell in love with a woman,” they wrote. “I spent years — not months or weeks or days, but years — trying to identify the source of my attraction to her. Like many, I had internalized some of the harmful beliefs and misconceptions about LGBTQ people and identities.”
They added, “My faith at that time played a large role in every aspect of my life, and my worldview neither supported nor accepted same-sex relationships. I prayed in turmoil nightly, begging to be healed from these desires.”
Alyson later came to accept their sexuality, proudly declaring in the essay, “I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways. I can love people of every gender identity and expression. It is the soul that captivates me.”
Elsewhere in the piece, Alyson notes that they were “warned” by people in the entertainment industry that they’d “ruin” their career and potentially put their own “life in danger” by coming out as queer.
“Some people in the industry warned me that I’d ruin my career, miss out on possible jobs, and potentially put my life in danger if I ever came out. My dream and all I’d worked tirelessly for since the age of 6 was suddenly at risk by my being... true to myself,” they wrote.
Now, five years later, Alyson is opening up further about the way that coming out as queer impacted their career.
Sitting down on Spencer Hunt's I'm Literally Screaming With Spencewuah podcast this week, Alyson revealed that they were not only warned about “hirability” by people in the industry but also actually fired from a children’s TV show after coming out.
“There were other pressures and considerations for me to be public,” they said. “I felt like, ‘OK, I wanna do this.’ But I spoke to my managers about it, who happened to be Christians, and so I was like, ‘OK, I know that there's a potential risk here.’”
Alyson said that their manager was “very loving and supportive” and helped them understand the “risks” of coming out as queer. “It's totally my choice, but it could affect not only people's perceptions but also hirability for jobs,” they said.
“I did end up getting fired from a children’s show. Because they felt that I was unsafe, now that they knew I was queer, to be around kids,” they revealed. “So there was definitely discrimination there. But the beauty far outweighs the hate comments and death threats.”
Alyson’s comments come two years after they opened up about their incredibly “difficult” and “dangerous” experience with LGBTQ conversion therapy.
Speaking with Insider in June 2021, Alyson recalled seeking therapy after feeling “stuck” and “wretched” as someone who had “only desired to be a devoted follower of God.”
“To hear from people you trust, from people you respect, from people you might even aspire to become, that you at your core are 'rotten,' 'abominable,' that the devil has a target on your back...it just sends you into a spiral,” they said.
“I know firsthand how dangerous it is for me, as someone who had access to therapy and other forms of support,” Alyson continued. “And I still was considering whether my life was worth living or, if everything was wrong with me, then what good was it for me to be around?”
