I remember not being able to sleep and seeping through the night carelessly because I was entertained with endless re-runs of Disney shows and movies, or rushing back from school to watch the new episodes airing that day. As you grow out of your teen years, you start experiencing change and shows like Disney channels start fading into a memory bank.
What I find mostly interesting is as we’re growing older so are they and these “once teenage stars” begin catering to an older audience, trying to find a different voice and freedom. I’m guessing the big question of the day might be; what are these young iconic figures doing with their money after accomplishing so much?
Welcome to Hollywood, and I am not talking about the over-rated Brittany Spears, Lindsey Lohan or our very own Miley Cyrus formally known as Hanna Montana who all started there career on Disney channel. I am shedding light on those teenage stars who kind of fell of the face of the earth leaving you wondering about their whereabouts.

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Yes, Lalaine Vergada the girl better known as Miranda from Lizzie McGuire was caught with meth. Later that year, she failed to show up at her first court date where she was then issued with a warrant for her arrest. The warrant was withdrawn after showing up to her next hearing.

After pleading guilty to the charge, Lalaine was required to finish drug treatment with the Asian-American Drug Abuse Program, after which her record would be wiped clean.

Since then, she hasn’t done much acting.

Another Disney former star is Cheetah’s Girl very own, Adriana Bailon who got caught in a naked photo scandal and initially claiming that the pictures were taken from her stolen laptop. Bailon and her “legal spokesperson” Jonathan Jaxson even stated publicly that they’d pursue legal action against the perpetrator.

While we were already willing to believe it was another hacker’s foolery, Jaxson, actually Bailon’s publicist, confirmed that the photo leak was actually a scheme devised to sex up her image. And yes, Bailon was in on it, too.

Or what about “That’s so Raven’s” Annelise Van Der Pol, regardless of her low profile as Raven’s sidekick, Chelsea, on That’s So Raven, Van der Pol found herself under arrest for a drunk driving accident in 2007.

The actress pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving with a blood alcohol level above the norm, well over the legal limit of .08. The L.A. Superior Court gave her 36 months probation and required her to pay the requisite fines and attend an alcohol education program.

Hit movie High school Musical, Dutch Elijah Whitlock a Utah teenager known for acting roles in Disney’s and as a quirky medieval warrior in anti-tobacco television commercials was sentenced to a year in jail for robbing a Holladay pizza shop at gunpoint in May. Talk about Disney gone wrong!

Mitchel Musso, another Disney actor, was arrested last Sunday for drunk driving and has been charged with two counts of drunk driving. The actor, who co-starred alongside Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana, could find himself in jail over the incident.

The Burbank City Attorney has charged Musso, 20, with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher, both of which are misdemeanors.

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What has really gone wrong? A teen needs to satisfy their need for love, acceptance, and success in order to experience high self-esteem. They gain self-esteem by pleasing their parents, peers, and society. This is a time in an adolescent’s life where they feel the most need for acceptance.

This need for acceptance drives teens to be more experimental, innovative, and sometimes controversial. They are at a time in their life where they keep reinventing themselves. They may start out as a jock, then become a punk, then preppy, and so on and so forth. Young adults emphasize freedom yet do not want to take on the responsibilities and obligations of adults. Success at a young age links them to experimentation with illegal or illicit substances. Their ideas on life are more in the clouds than in reality. Hence screwing up their careers and not being able to break out of that taunting shadow.