A robust online discussion around Disney Channel stars has dragged in the two Even Stevens leads, with Christy Romano taking aim at Shia LaBeouf.
LaBeouf Not Fit Disney Channel Mount Rushmore, Co-Star Claims
Actress Christy Carlson Romano – who played Ren Stevens, the middle child of the Stevens family from the hit early 2000s show Even Stevens – publicly criticized her former co-star Shia LaBeouf after his name came up in the ongoing “Disney Channel Mount Rushmore” discourse.
Debates have been flaring on social media following an interview with Disney star Raven-Symoné earlier this month. In that conversation, Raven was prompted to share her thoughts on who she would consider worthy of recognition on a hypothetical “Mount Rushmore” of Disney Channel celebrities, i.e., what Disney Channel stars achieved a peak level of popularity and impact worth of recognition above all others.
At the time, Raven answered her picks for the “Disney Channel Mount Rushmore” would include herself, Shia LaBeouf, Hilary Duff, and Lee Thompson Young of The Famous Jett Jackson and Johnny Tsunami fame.
Discussions online have run rampant following this interview, with many Disney Channel fans contesting Raven’s comments and/or suggesting their own selection of Mount Rushmore-worthy celebrities.
In response to Raven’s inclusion of Shia LaBeouf, one of Shia’s former co-stars chimed in with a somewhat surprising rebuke. In a since-deleted X post from her official account, Christy Carlson Romano, actress behind co-lead Ren Stevens on Even Stevens, posted:
“Shia doesn’t deserve to be on the Rushmore. I’ll be writing a substack on this so you can understand why,”
According to the reporting from Variety, Romano’s post drew particular attention because she had previously discussed tension or distance in her relationship with LaBeouf, dating back to their time on Even Stevens.
Back in 2021, Romano had shared a hint at the rift between her and her former co-star: “I’m honored that people would think I’d still be in touch with him, because it means that we did a really good job of making you think we were real life brother and sister. But in reality, it just wasn’t like that.”
She also said she felt “jilted” when Shia “thanked everybody at the table, but he didn’t thank me” when he won a 2003 Daytime Emmy for outstanding performer in a children’s series.
For his part, Shia’s public image in recent years has been somewhat mired in controversies and legal troubles, which have continued to redefine public reaction to his legacy as a former Disney Channel star.
At the time of writing, Romano has not yet published a substrack piece as she suggested in the original X post. It’s unclear if her deletion of the post suggests she no longer intends to write further details on the matter.
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