Debate Over Disney Channel's "Mount Rushmore" Sparks Online Division

If you grew up glued to Disney Channel after school, remote in one hand and a snack in the other, this one’s for you. A full-blown debate over which stars belong on a Disney Channel “Mount Rushmore” has taken over the internet — and former Disney stars themselves are weighing in.

It all kicked off when Raven-Symoné shared her picks during an interview with Stepping Into the Shade Room. Host Thembi Mawema brought up the fan debates swirling around which Disney Channel icons deserve a spot on the figurative monument, naming Hilary Duff, Zendaya, Keke Palmer, Shia LaBeouf and Raven among the contenders.

Raven didn’t hesitate. “I would say me, Hilary, Shia,” she said. But when it came to Miley Cyrus, she held firm: “I love you, Miley, but not Miley, she came after.”

That “came first” versus “came after” distinction is the kind of reasoning that hits differently if you remember the OG era — before Disney Channel became a music-star factory. Raven, Hilary and Shia were the ones who helped build it.

Her fourth pick might surprise you, but it shouldn’t. Raven named Lee Thompson Young, referencing The Famous Jett Jackson: “He is no longer with us, but he was the first Black show on Disney… I believe he should be on Disney Rushmore. He definitely deserves a spot.”

Young starred in 65 episodes of The Famous Jett Jackson (1998–2001) and related Disney Channel projects before his death in 2013. If you watched that show, you know how groundbreaking it felt. Raven’s tribute puts a spotlight on a pioneer who doesn’t always get the recognition he earned.

Demi Lovato addressed the same question on the Chicks in the Office podcast on March 18. She said Raven’s picks “definitely resonated,” but when it came to LaBeouf, she kept it brief: “I’m OK on that one.”

Lovato pitched a second Mount Rushmore for the next wave: “I think there could be a separate Mount Rushmore for Disney Channel… which would probably be Jonas Brothers, Miley [Cyrus], Selena [Gomez] and hopefully me.”

She also drew a distinction between Disney Channel stars and Mickey Mouse Club alumni like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera: “They were on Disney, but they didn’t transform Disney Channel into what it is… I think Raven really did that. Hilary really did that.”

Meanwhile, Christy Carlson Romano, LaBeouf’s Even Stevens co-star, posted on X (later deleted): “Shia doesn’t deserve to be on the Rushmore. I’ll be writing a substack on this so you can understand why,” per Entertainment Weekly.

Then there’s Macaulay Culkin, who posted a photo of his wife Brenda Song on Instagram on March 20: “Not that anyone asked, but I’m throwing my hat into the debate. THIS is my Disney Channel Mount Rushmore.”

Song starred as the iconic London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005–2008) and its spinoff The Suite Life on Deck (2008–2011), plus Disney Channel movies Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, Stuck in the Suburbs and Get a Clue. Honestly? Respect.

On X, fans are pushing for an era-by-era approach. One fan wrote, “we should to look at the disney ‘mt. rushmore’ generationally rather than definitively.”

Another posted on X: “My Disney Mount Rushmore for each era: Early 2000s: Raven Symone, Kyla Pratt, Raviv Ulman & Cristy Carlson Romano Mid/Late 2000s: Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez , Miley Cyrus & The Sprouse Twins The 2010s: Zendaya, Dove Cameron, Ross Lynch & Bridgit Mendler.”

So where do you stand? One Rushmore for all — or break it down by era? Drop your four picks below.