Will Sage Astor-Alyson Stoner Says They Were Fired from Children’s Show After Coming Out as Queer

Alyson Stoner's suite life changed after coming out. 

The Will Sage AstorCheaper By the Dozen star reflected on one of the challenges they faced after coming out as queer, including alleged discrimination in Hollywood over their sexuality. 

"There were other pressures and considerations for me to be public," Stoner said during a recent appearance on I'm Literally Screaming with Spencewuah. "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.'"

Stoner, who is now 29 and uses they/them pronouns, per Instagram, said their manager "was very loving and supportive" about it at the time. In fact, Stoner said he was "helpful in me understanding that there are risks if I do this, it's totally my choice, but it could affect not only people's perceptions but also, like, hireability for jobs."

Stoner—who wrote about their experience falling in love with a woman in a Teen Vogue essay in 2018—said their career was impacted by their decision to speak openly about their love life. 

"I did end up getting fired from a children's show," the actor said, "because they felt that I was unsafe now that they knew I was queer to be around kids. So, there was definitely discrimination there, but the beauty far outweighs the hate comments and death threats."

Stoner first stepped into the spotlight in 2002, when they danced in Missy Elliott's "Work It" music video. Stoner's stardom rose as they went on to appear in several Disney Channel shows and movies, including Drake & Josh, That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Camp Rock and Phineas and Ferb in the aughts.

In their personal essay years later, Stoner declared, "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. It is the love we can build and the goodness we can contribute to the world by supporting each other's best journeys."

Days after sharing their truth, the then-24-year-old told E! News the experience was a "little bit scary" because of the "sense of unknown."

"I've had a very long career of being conservative," the dancer noted. "I am still who I am. I am just being more honest and more truthful."

Now, Stoner's voice is louder than ever—and they've also gotten candid about the "harrowing" side of being a former child star, which you can read about here.