Latest news with #Semi-Well-AdjustedDespiteLiterallyEverything
Fox News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Former Disney child star woke up to 'zero dollars' in bank account after nearly 20 years in showbiz
Alyson Stoner had worked in showbiz for nearly 20 years when the former child star checked a bank account, expecting over a million dollars – and there was nothing. The entertainer had been performing since turning 3 years old. The 32-year-old danced alongside Missy Elliott, and appeared in "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Camp Rock," among other films. Yet after being "groomed to be sold," the bank account had zero dollars. Stoner is now exploring the pitfalls of fame in a new memoir, "Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything." "Even though I was absolutely frugal, and I continue to be, there are a lot of loopholes that leave room for a child's money to be mishandled, even by people who have good intentions but don't understand the unique business structures of entertainment expenses," Stoner told Fox News Digital. "It was shocking to wake up to zero dollars in an account," Stoner admitted. "I was mostly in denial at first. I was afraid for my future. I wondered after all this time, if I can be duped once, will I be taken advantage of again? Do I have the competence, the life skills to find my way outside the industry?" The entertainer, who uses they/them pronouns, was in their early 20s when they made the shocking discovery. Stoner and their older sister teamed up to investigate years of records, the book details. The duo discovered that Stoner's business team had mismanaged finances, splurging on lavish gifts. Their mother, a "career bookkeeper," had been paying herself a monthly salary since Stoner was a child, plus taking "one-off payments" of "several thousand" over the years. There were also decades of hefty expenses to maintain a successful career in Hollywood. There were never any conversations about budgeting and saving. Stoner wrote that 15 years of labor turned into "a crumbling house of cards." "A lot of folks are unaware that it can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 for different expenses," said Stoner. "Many artists are losing money while spending a lot of time and energy and resources auditioning, only to be rejected a majority of the time… The creative industry is largely unpaid labor. When you're a child, the assumption is that you can afford to do this for fun, because you aren't necessarily the breadwinner." A devastated Stoner met with an entertainment lawyer. Ultimately, they decided against legal action, writing that they "can't burn a bridge with my mother." Stoner said they felt loyalty and compassion for the matriarch, who had also struggled with alcohol. "I began performing at the age of 3," Stoner reflected. "I attended a performance convention in New York at age 6. Unbeknownst to me, this was a recruitment funnel for Hollywood. And my Midwestern family had zero affiliation with the industry." "I had zero aspirations to pursue the industry," said Stoner. "And yet, there was a funnel with lots of different players, from agents, to managers, to casting directors, who were used to seeing children go through this process almost like a conveyor belt, becoming packaged products for audiences." "At 6 years old, I couldn't understand the short- and long-term implications of… having corporations own my name, image and likeness," Stoner continued. "It was also impossible for my family, who were given no upfront manual for what to expect, to recognize the consequences of disrupting every area of my childhood development, removing me from school to navigate 80-hour work weeks." And Stoner paid a big price for growing up in the public eye. After navigating stalkers, kidnapping plots, grueling schedules and excess demands, all the pressure eventually led to an eating disorder. "I would see forums online and comment sections and interactions with fans nitpicking specific aspects of my appearance, as if it correlated to my talent, my ability to work and my inherent value," said Stoner. "I also wanted to fulfill the industry's wishes, fulfill the expectations of someone like me, which is namely to stay thin, be fit and be so versatile." The book revealed that Stoner prepared to audition for "Hunger Games" while battling an eating disorder. Stoner claimed that at age 17, they convinced a "world-renowned medical weight-loss camp" to help, with the goal of building muscle for the film, not shedding pounds. But desperate for the role of Katniss, they went into "starvation mode" until they "completed the biggest binge of my life." The part ultimately went to Jennifer Lawrence. Stoner was encouraged to press onward in their career. They described that for many performers, turning 18 is an "expiration date." But their body was "screaming for help," they said. "I was experiencing flaking nails, I had sallow skin, my weight was dropping, and I was navigating intense anxiety," said Stoner. "Some OCD tendencies were forming… I needed help." "The bittersweet truth is that oftentimes, when you're vying for deeply competitive spots, there's a sense that there's never going to be a good time to take care of yourself. You're willing to sacrifice absolutely anything to secure your spot… I needed to try to get myself back on track if I wanted any kind of future in the industry. Or any future at all." At age 17, Stoner sought treatment. "I recognized that I was in such a degree of distress that if I didn't get help, I was looking at potentially fatal consequences," Stoner admitted. Stoner also noted that as they grew older, they felt uneasy being expected to play more seductive characters at a film studio. "One of the areas that was most uncomfortable was being in a casting room where you're playing opposite adults, and you're being coached to come across as provocative, and you're rewarded with maybe a callback if you showcased the right amount of skin," said Stoner. "If [you've] gone through the process of being able to work as a legal 18, you might be on set without any guardians. Crew members may not even know your age. And it leaves a lot of room for pushing the envelope, potential grooming and being taken advantage of." "I have countless stories of young people who were hired to play one character, and upon showing up on set, they were slowly and systematically coerced into doing more than what was originally on the page," said Stoner. Today, Stoner is the founder of Movement Genius, an online platform that aims to make mental health support more accessible. Stoner is also a voice actor for Disney. "I strongly encourage people to pursue local community theater first," Stoner offered up when asked about advice for parents. "For a young person to be able to develop healthfully, they need developmentally appropriate experiences. At the moment, entertainment productions are not equipped to provide those experiences." Stoner noted that being an advocate for the next generation of child performers is one of their most important roles today. WATCH: FORMER DISNEY STARS EXPLAIN HOW CHILD STARDOM PREPARED THEM FOR 'SPECIAL FORCES' "My memoir gives people an opportunity to learn about the intimate details of what happened on all those sets growing up, while also answering very timely questions about what it means to navigate the world," said Stoner. "I tell people, 'Come for the childhood chaos. Stay for the cultural critique.'"
NBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
'Camp Rock' actor Alyson Stoner on the true cost of child stardom
Starting at the age of 7, Alyson Stoner's spunky dance moves, precocious acting chops and signature pigtails ensured a successful Hollywood run in movies like 'Camp Rock' and 'Cheaper By the Dozen.' These days, however, Stoner is pulling back the curtain to reveal the hazards of child stardom. 'What I wish we would have known is that your overall longevity and holistic development are so much more critical than trying to capitalize off of an interest before you can even write in cursive,' Stoner tells 'It's actually absurd.' Stoner, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, is still working through the fallout of what they call ' the toddler-to-trainwreck industrial complex.' Their new memoir, ' Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything,' shares a heartbreaking account of family disfunction, disordered eating and mental health crises. 'I was riding the highs and just trying to meet the moment of a busy schedule every day,' Stoner says of their childhood. 'It's hard to take inventory when you're going 150 miles an hour.' Today, Stoner finally has time to breathe ... and a mission to heal personal wounds and encourage reform in the entertainment industry. Work it One of Stoner's first career breaks was a small but standout role in Missy Elliott's 'Work It' in 2002. Stoner was one of several young dancers, but they stood out from the rest. The video led to 10-year-old Stoner teaching the dance to Ellen DeGeneres on the very first taping of her talk show. As Stoner grew, so did their fame: a long-running relationship with the Disney Channel, a role as Channing Tatum's younger sister in 'Step Up,' and voiceover roles in shows like 'Phineas and Ferb.' But at the same time, Stoner's perfectionistic people-pleasing behaviors increased their stress level to unsustainable heights. The academic schooling Stoner had been receiving didn't qualify for a college entrance, they were exercising too much and eating too little and a large sum of the money had been taken by their former business team. At 17, Stoner checked into a rehab facility and changed the course of their life. 'The industry, by design, disrupts every single domain of development,' Stoner says with an emphatic nod. 'When you're at the beck and call of agents and managers in a highly competitive environment where scarcity drives this willingness to comply with whatever breadcrumb you can get, you end up losing consistency, structure, routine,' they explain. 'Without space to recover, it starts to tax and corrode the body.' Why Hollywood is such a dangerous place for kids Stoner says that a 'stage parent' is mistakenly seen as someone who is controlling and wants to live out their dreams through their children. 'In my experience, more often than not, I encountered well-meaning parents who genuinely were aiming to support their child's interests and even to protect them,' Stoner says. 'The absence of resources prevent families from understanding how to pursue this passion in a healthy and sustainable way.' Stoner, who works as a mental health advocate, has created a toolkit to help families navigate tricky situations in the entertainment industry, and they were recently certified to be an on-set mental health coordinator for television and film. They want to help parents see past 'the facade that we expertly curate in the media.' But it can be difficult to give a child actor a childhood. 'The moment that you commodify the talent and that legal teams, corporations, mass media, general public are involved, it takes on a much different life of its own,' Stoner says. 'It becomes an adult workplace with adult responsibilities. There are lots of areas of vulnerability for your young one to be taken advantage of, even if you're doing your absolute best to protect them.' And what happens after a child star reaches the height of their fame? Well ... nothing. 'One of the tragic elements here is that after we extract from that child, they're discarded, and we move to the next child,' Stoner says. 'We forget that there's a real person who has to somehow figure out what to do after they've completed that early peak.' A change of scene Stoner says their mother 'went above and beyond to put forth her best effort to protect me, and the reality is the industry is such an indescribable, unrelatable environment for a young person to grow up, and there were no instructions.' Despite everything Stoner went through, they say it's not impossible to navigate child stardom in a positive way. 'There's a world where some version of this, along with hopefully changes within the industry and at the policy level make it a healthier pursuit,' Stoner says. Luckily, Stoner isn't alone in pushing for change in the industry. Other peers are speaking out in documentaries like ' Quiet on Set ' and ' Child Star.' Stoner appeared in the latter with 'Camp Rock' co-star Demi Lovato. 'I'm eager for more of my peers to come forward, and I recognize they can help tell the story, and I can help, hopefully accelerate the pace that some of these protections are are put into place,' Stoner says.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Camp Rock' star Alyson Stoner details horrifying sexual assault: ‘I was an inanimate object'
Alyson Stoner is speaking out. The 'Camp Rock' star, who uses they/them pronouns, claimed she was sexually assaulted by a colleague after a work event. Stoner, 32, shared the shocking allegation in their new memoir, 'Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything,' released Tuesday, Aug. 12. Advertisement 8 'Camp Rock' star Alyson Stoner was allegedly sexually assaulted by a colleague after a work event. alysonstoner/Instagram 8 Alyston Stoner shared the shocking allegation in their new memoir, 'Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything.' Amazon 'The world blurred as my mind completely disconnected from my body,' Stoner wrote, per Us Weekly. 'The last image I saw was a poster on the wall of a ravenous feline leaping for its prey. Then I blacked out and he raped me.' Advertisement The 'Cheaper by the Dozen' star added that the alleged incident unfolded after a wellness event when they were transitioning away from content creation and towards a more full-time role as a mental health professional. During one event, Stoner bumped into a man who was 'well-adored in the community' and accepted an invitation to learn more about his products. 8 The 'Cheaper by the Dozen' star said that the alleged incident unfolded after a wellness event. Tiktok/@alysonstoner 'He opened the door to a room on the first floor of an apartment building. Is this his lab or his residence?' Stoner wrote, although they did not reveal their alleged abuser's name in their memoir. Advertisement 'It was common for entrepreneurs and creatives to have live-work spaces, but this looked nothing like the setup from the photos he showed me,' the Disney Channel alum added. Stoner claimed that 'there were no chairs to sit on' in the man's room, and the pair ended up sitting on the floor. 8 Alyson Stoner poses for a portrait to promote 'Phineas and Ferb' during Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25, 2025. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP They also wrote that the man's 'eyes focused on my crotch,' and they immediately felt 'uncomfortable' as things quickly began to escalate. Advertisement 'His eyes burned a hole in my body as he calculated his next move,' Stoner recalled. 'Suddenly, his hand reached to grab my crotch, and I swatted him away.' 'Still on the floor, he wrestled me toward the back corner of the room as I fought back tears,' they continued. 'With one arm, he lifted my whole body onto his bed, which was tucked into a recessed nook with three walls enclosing it.' 8 The former Disney Channel star at the European premiere of 'Camp Rock' at the Royal Festival Hall in London, UK, on September 10, 2008. Splash News After the alleged assailant tried to 'remove' Stoner's clothes, their 'legs fused together and I didn't move.' 'I briefly exited my body to go into analytical survivor mode: Stay present and list your options,' Stoner detailed. 'You know what might happen. How can you get out of this alive? Your phone is out of reach. If you scream, be might muffle you.' 'If you run for the door, he's massive and will beat you there and maybe make it more painful,' they added. 8 Alyson Stoner visits the Empire State Building to mark the release of their debut memoir on Tuesday, Aug. 12. MediaPunch / BACKGRID Despite feeling a sense of 'dread' and 'more and more trapped and unable to function,' the 'Step Up' star was able to momentarily get their alleged attacker to stop his sexual assault. Advertisement 'Like a child trying to fool his parents, he stopped communicating and pretended to fall asleep instantly, though his body was visibly charged with energy,' they wrote. 'I tried to match his nonchalance and deescalate the situation.' But the 'Suite Life of Zach and Cody' alum claimed the man then continued his alleged assault. 8 Alyson Stoner attends the Hollywood Reporter x GLAAD Pride Party presented by Paramount+ in West Hollywood, California, on June 11, 2025. Getty Images 'There was no reasoning or physically fighting my way out. My defenses waned as his hands pulled my pants to my knees, flipping me to the side where I could momentarily see his bare body in my periphery,' Stoner wrote. Advertisement 'He separated my legs like I was an inanimate object,' they added. Before breaking their silence on the alleged sexual assault in their new memoir, Stoner detailed how they were allegedly fired from a kids' show after first coming out as queer in a 2018 Teen Vogue interview. Although Stoner did not specify which show they were allegedly fired from, the former Disney Channel star said that it was 'definitely discrimination.' 8 Alyson Stoner previously detailed how they were allegedly fired from a kids show after first coming out as queer. Past Your Bedtime/Youtube Advertisement '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 said during the 'I'm Literally Screaming' podcast in June 2023. 'The, like, beauty far outweighs the hate comments and death threats,' Stoner added at the time. 'It was intimating and also liberating.'
USA Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Alyson Stoner was 'terrified' of Demi Lovato's team during 'Camp Rock' substance abuse
Disney alum Alyson Stoner is opening up about their friendship with Demi Lovato during her 'Camp Rock'-era substance abuse issues. Stoner's memoir 'Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything' delves into the dark reality of child fame, including glossy movie sets contrasting a tumultuous home life, stalkers and an eating disorder that landed them in rehab. In Lovato's 'Child Star' documentary, Lovato recalled Stoner was the first to approach her about her eating disorder. In Stoner's memoir, they recall the same moment, describing the 'rare' moment of 'real transparency with a peer in the industry.' Lovato, in turn, nudged Stoner about their harmful exercise regimen, asking if they could 'support each other.' But in the throes of their separate eating disorders and other mental health struggles, neither knew how to help the other. Stoner felt 'terrified' of Demi Lovato's team amid substance abuse Stoner writes Lovato and them had an 'instant rapport like childhood buddies' when they were paired together during 'Camp Rock' auditions. But when the Jonas Brothers took the rest of the 'Camp Rock' cast on tour, Lovato spiraled into 'reckless partying,' substance abuse and self-harm and Stoner grew resentful. Stoner writes Lovato's team appointed 20 sober companions to monitor her, but 'she outwitted every one of them.' Now, Stoner writes they have more context given what they know about Lovato's bipolar disorder, bulimia, depression and other mental health struggles. But at the time, Stoner referred to Lovato's "Regina George" behavior (referencing the popular bully in "Mean Girls") as a 'chasm in our once kindred connection.' 'To get through the tour, the entire crew bent the knee, accepting that at any moment we could be open targets for her to externalize her pain,' Stoner writes. 'At 16, being forced to submit to her power plays was confusing. She verbally lashed out behind the curtain, and then we'd walk onstage for a sound check meet-and-greet and publicly kiss her crown.' USA TODAY has reached out to Lovato's team for comment. Stoner also writes Lovato punched a touring back-up dancer because she thought they snitched on her for doing drugs. After that, the 'Hollywood machine went into overdrive,' Stoner writes, to cover for Lovato. When Lovato went into rehab, Stoner and the cast received death threats from her fans. 'For several years, I felt suffocated under the weight of Demi's power and terrified of her PR team, the extreme remarks from her fanbase and the way mass media gave a fabricated identity a life of its own,' Stoner writes. Demi Lovato apologized to Alyson Stoner ahead of 'Child Star' documentary The castmates didn't speak for 14 years, not until Lovato's team reached out asking if Stoner wanted to participate in 'Child Star,' the documentary Lovato was directing. Stoner requested the pair meet over a preliminary phone call to 'gauge Demi's intentions.' Lovato apologized, and Stoner got a better understanding of the underlying issues exacerbating her behavior during the 'Camp Rock' tour. Now, with their shared advocacy against the dark side of child stardom, both Stoner and Lovato are focused on helping new generations. Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Alyson Stoner Navigated Kidnapping Plots Amid Child Stardom
Originally appeared on E! Online Is being a child star worth it? Let Alyson Stoner work it out. More than 20 years after appearing as that young dancer in Missy Elliott's "Work It" music video and launching an acting career, the performer—who has been open about their struggles with anxiety stemming from working in a high-stress environment—said they're now "able to hold multiple truths at once" about their complex relationship with Hollywood. Looking back at the "overnight success" they experienced during the early aughts, Alyson told E! News' Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview that they've come to realize "this cascade of opportunities actually ended up leading to a lot of different health issues." "We had no idea the short- and long-term consequences of being that visible, that young," the 32-year-old explained. "After that experience, I started dealing with things like kidnapping plots and managing stalkers, and all of these different health issues from workaholism and burnout." For the Cheaper By the Dozen alum, all those issues weren't "unpacked until decades later" in therapy. "What's become most important is to recognize that we cannot solely be measured by our productivity and our output," they noted. "We actually have to make sure that we understand we're whole humans." That's why Alyson went through a range of emotions detailing their childhood in their new memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, out now. While the writer still "feels warm" recounting their time working with Missy, they said putting pen to paper about their experience on the set of the 2008's Camp Rock was far more difficult. More from E! Online Did an Orca Really Kill Trainer Jessica Radcliffe? The Truth Behind the Viral Clip Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Flirty Banter in New Heights Clip is Enchanting Jennifer Aniston Makes Rare Comment on Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie "Love Triangle" For the Cheaper By the Dozen alum, all those issues weren't "unpacked until decades later" in therapy. "What's become most important is to recognize that we cannot solely be measured by our productivity and our output," they noted. "We actually have to make sure that we understand we're whole humans." That's why Alyson went through a range of emotions detailing their childhood in their new memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, out now. While the writer still "feels warm" recounting their time working with Missy, they said putting pen to paper about their experience on the set of the 2008's Camp Rock was far more difficult. "It was challenging," Alyson shared. "I do not wish this process of mining your psyche and heart then connecting it into 90,000 words for the whole world to read. I don't necessarily recommend that process to everyone, but I do wish for the liberation that's come with it." They continued, "I'm learning to practice acceptance that I cannot control the consequences of my honesty. What I can do is recognize that the truth is not always polite, but it still can be delivered with compassion and integrity." So, does that mean their former costars Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas and Demi Lovato won't like what they wrote about the Disney Channel movie? Not necessarily. "I think the Jonases will enjoy the sections that I've included them in the book," Alyson said, adding that they had "touched base" with Demi while writing the book. "Thankfully, Demi has also been very vocal about her experiences, so I was able to build on that and share what it was like from my vantage point as all of these different events unfolded." They added, "We've been through a lot individually and together." Semi Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything comes out Aug. 12. To see where the Camp Rock cast landed these days, keep reading... Joe JonasDemi LovatoNick JonasKevin JonasAlyson StonerMeaghan MartinRoshon FeganAnna Maria Perez de TagleJordan FrancisAaryn DoyleJasmine RichardsDaniel FathersJulie Brown For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
