THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (2024)

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Entertainment

Olivia Singh

Updated

2021-01-06T13:45:42Z

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (1)

"Wizards of Waverly Place" premiered on Disney Channel in October 2007 and ended in January 2012.
The show starred Selena Gomez, David Henrie, and Jake T. Austin as siblings with magical powers.
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On October 12, 2007, "Wizards of Waverly Place" premiered on Disney Channel. The show centered on the Russo family living in New York's Greenwich Village. On the sitcom, siblings Alex (played by Selena Gomez), Justin (David Henrie), and Max (Jake T. Austin) inherited magical powers from their father (David DeLuise).

The kids trained to become the superior wizard throughout the sitcom's four seasons, while learning lessons from their parents (who owned the Waverly Sub Station). The show came to an end in January 2012.

Here's what the cast has been up to since the Disney Channel series ended nine years ago.

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Selena Gomez starred as middle child Alex Russo.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (5)

She was sassy and often responded to people with sarcastic remarks. Alex's careless use of magic landed her in messy situations, but yet, she ended up earning the title of the Family Wizard.

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Gomez's role propelled her to fame, and she's now a singer, actress, and collaborator with fashion brands.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (6)

Since "WOWP," Gomez has become one of the most popular people on social media and had highly-publicized relationships with Nick Jonas, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd.

Gomez has also been honored for her musical achievements and humanitarian work. She voiced the animated character Mavis in the "Hotel Transylvania" films and previously released two albums that peaked at No. 1.

The "Bad Liar" singer has released her own perfume, collaborated with companies like Puma and Coach, and is a UNICEF ambassador.

Her fashion and hairstyles have evolved over the years, and she has been open about her struggles with depression and anxiety. In September 2017, Gomez revealed that she underwent a kidney transplant, which she needed as a result of her lupus.

In 2018, the actress said that she would be taking a break from social media. In October, People reported that Gomez was seeking treatment after an "emotional breakdown."

The 28-year-old star has since returned to the spotlight with a role in a zombie comedy movie called "The Dead Don't Die," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.

In January 2020, she released her new studio album, titled "Rare."

A few months later, she released a makeup line called Rare Beauty.

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The oldest Russo child, Justin, was played by David Henrie.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (7)

He was quite book smart and eventually became the headmaster of Wiz Tech.

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Henrie continues to act, but he's also writing and directing films.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (8)

The 31-year-old actor made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age film titled "This Is the Year," which starred his brother Lorenzo Henrie and his "WOWP" costar Gregg Sulkin. The movie was also executive produced by Gomez.

In April 2017, Henrie reunited with his Disney Channel family when he married former Miss DelawareMaria Cahill.

They welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Pia Henrie, in March 2019. Their second child, a son named James Thomas Augustine Henrie, was born on Christmas Day in 2020.

On September 2018, Henrie was arrested for possession of a loaded handgun at Los Angeles International Airport. He later shared an apology online and the LA City Attorney's Office has reportedly filed charges against Henrie forcarrying a loaded firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, and possessing a weapon in a sterile area of the airport.

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Jake T. Austin portrayed Max Russo.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (9)

Max loved eating sandwiches, so it wasn't surprising that his father passed down the family'sSub Station business to himat the end of the series.

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Austin went on to star on Freeform's "The Fosters" and voice characters in animated movies.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (10)

He left the show after season two and was replaced by Noah Centineo. In a series of tweets in January 2017, the 26-year-old actor said that he parted ways with the drama series because he "just wanted to do roles with more substantive content."

He also voiced the character Alex in 2017's "The Emoji Movie" and Fernando in 2014's "Rio 2."

In February 2019, he told Flaunt magazine that he's filming a drama with material that's "a little bit heavier, a little bit darker, it's about addiction, it's about the choices that we all make and what happens when we make the wrong ones."

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Jennifer Stone played Alex's quirky best friend Harper Finkle.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (11)

Harper and Alex met in kindergarten and created the "crazy funky hat" song.

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After the show ended, Stone stepped away from acting to study psychology and nursing.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (12)

"I'd been acting since I was six, so I took a break to go to school to just make sure that this is what I wanted to do and to just explore other options," the 27-year-old told International Business Times.

Now, Stone is back to acting and starred in a 2019 holiday movie called "Santa Girl."

In April 2020, the actress said that she became a registered nurse and was preparing to join healthcare workers on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic.

She also had a "WOWP" reunion with Henrie and Sulkin in summer 2020.

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Theresa Russo was played by Maria Canals-Barrera.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (13)

She wasn't fond of her children using magic around the house.

Canals-Barrera has guest-starred on shows like "Fuller House," "The Last Man Standing," and "The Big Bang Theory."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (14)

She also starred as Daniela on the short-lived show "Cristela." When the 54-year old star isn't acting, she's attending concerts with her daughters or showing support for her "WOWP" co-stars on social media.

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David DeLuise starred as patriarch Jerry Russo.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (15)

He was once a wizard, but gave up his powers so he could marry Theresa (a mortal).

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DeLuise has directed Nickelodeon shows and continues appearing on series and movies.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (16)

DeLuise guest-starred on "Grey's Anatomy, "Hawaii Five-0," and "Baby Daddy." More recently, he starred in the drama film "Unbroken: Path to Redemption," plus appearances on "Shameless" and "NCIS."

The 49-year-old actor also never passes up an opportunity to post a Disney Channel throwback.

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Gregg Sulkin played Mason Greyback, Alex's werewolf boyfriend.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (17)

He was mentioned on season two, but physically appeared and met Alex on season three. They had an on-again, off-again relationship.

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Gregg Sulkin starred as Chase Stein on Marvel's Hulu series "Runaways."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Wizards of Waverly Place' 9 years later (18)

The third and final season of "Runaways" hit Hulu in December 2019.

He also had a recurring role as Ezra Fitzgerald's brother, Wesley Fitzgerald, on "Pretty Little Liars" and starred on MTV's "Faking It."

In addition, Sulkin revealed that he's writing an autobiography.