It’s no secret that Disney fame often leads to mainstream success, and over the course of the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s history, we’ve seen actors and musicians from Disney Channel movies and shows turn into some of today’s biggest stars.
Most recently, Sabrina Carpenter scored her first Hot 100 chart topping song with “Please Please Please,” which made its way to the top of the tally on the chart dated June 29, 2024. With the achievement, Carpenter joins a number of fellow Disney musicians to earn a No. 1 hit, including Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake and more.
Besides the chart toppers, there are a number of former Disney darlings that have Hot 100 hits under their belts, even though they didn’t reach the summit. For example, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and Drew Seeley‘s “Breaking Free” from High School Musical reached No. 4 on the chart dated February 11, 2006. Fellow HSM alums, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, got a No. 35 hit with “What I’ve Been Looking For” during the same week. Raven Symoné entered the chart way back in 1993 with “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of” (No. 68) and reappeared in 2006 with “Strut” (No. 53), alongside fellow Cheetah Girls stars Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams. Hilary Duff‘s 2007 hit, “With Love,” meanwhile, peaked at No. 24 in 2007.
In the 2010s, Ross Lynch entered the chart alongside Grace Phipps and Jason Evigan with “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’,” which peaked at No. 82 in 2013. Meanwhile, Demi Lovato notched their biggest chart hit with “Sorry Not Sorry,” which reached No. 6 on the tally dated Nov. 11, 2017.
Ryan Gosling — who was in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the 1990s, scored his first appearance on the Hot 100 when “I’m Just Ken,” from 2023 Barbie movie, debuted at No. 87.
In celebration of former Disney stars’ success on the charts, see below for a list of nine former Disney stars who have topped the Billboard Hot 100.
