Many millennials grew up watching Raven-Symoné on TV with a front row seat witnessing her impact as a child star in Black Hollywood unfold. After all of her success as an actress and singer, she once quietly faded into the shadows. Now, during a candid podcast interview, the star revealed why and her reason is both disappointing and disheartening.
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On a recent episode of the “Sorry We’re Cyrus” podcast, hosted by Miley Cyrus’s mom Tish and sister Brandi, Raven-Symoné shared that her decision to step away from the spotlight had less to do with talent and more to do with what she was expected to wear. “The mandatory outfit was a bathing suit, and I’m not going to get in one,” she said.
The Atlanta native explained, “I just felt there was a time in music where it was like, the more naked you are on stage the better it is, and I’m not going to do that. So, I said no.”
She also recalled disagreements with her record label, including an insulting comment about her appearance. “Somebody literally said to my mother, ‘She’s so fat. How can she do so long on stage?’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, cool beans.’ So, we’re just gonna leave this and go on tour somewhere else.”
Raven reflected on how her singing career “never took off” like some of her Disney Channel peers, saying she “didn’t have a machine behind me to push through.” Still, she described it as both a “gift and a curse.”
The famed child star was signed to Hollywood Records, the same label that represented many Disney Channel stars, including Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers. Despite being part of a stellar roster, she described the experience as negative.
“Honey, I go to therapy for that,” she told Tish, who admitted that both she and Miley also sought therapy after their time with the label. “Oh, it was a mess,” Raven added.
The interview moved viewers, who showered the star with love and support online.
“Raven’s emotional maturity is so impressive,” one viewer posted.
“I feel bad Raven compared herself to the other girls,” another added. “She was and still is so gorgeous! One of the greatest ever on Disney Channel. The best personality. Funny by her delivery and also her performance, the theatrics, and expressions.”
A third person commented how they “cannot WAIT for her book! She’s given so much to us culturally and within all our childhoods. So glad to see her living authentically and comfortably.”
Raven also revealed she’s currently working on a memoir that will expand on her experiences as a child star and her time at Disney— though no release date has been announced yet.
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