Featured Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
Topics: TV And Film, Disney, Disney Plus, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson
Topics: TV And Film, Disney, Disney Plus, Celebrity
Fans of Disney Channel between the years 2009-2012 will be more than familiar with the work of child actor Sterling Knight.
As well as starring as Demi Lovato's love interest Chad Dylan Cooper in teen sitcom Sonny With A Chance, he also landed the lead role in the kids' channel's original movie Starstruck.
In the years that followed his initial success, however, Knight suddenly seemed to somewhat fade from the spotlight.
And though former fans may have once believed they simply stopped watching the children's shows in which Knight starred - and had possibly outgrown Disney in general - it turns out, that his disappearance from Hollywood was actually a very real thing. But why?
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For those in need of reminder, Knight first sky-rocketed into stardom after being cast as a guest star in an episode of Hannah Montana, where he worked alongside Miley Cyrus.
After impressing producers, the following year, he bagged himself a role on Sonny With A Chance, where he and Demi Lovato enjoyed an 'enemies to lovers' storyline, with their characters starring in competing kids TV shows.
Whilst making a name for himself at Disney Channel, Knight also took on a series of other projects on the side.
In 2008, he featured in two episodes of hit medical-drama Grey's Anatomy, and starred alongside Zac Efron, Leslie Mann and Matthew Perry in comedy blockbuster, 17 Again.
By 2010, having secured his position at Disney, Knight was given the lead in his own original movie, Starstuck, where he acted alongside Danielle Campbell and Chelsea Staub.
Under the impression that Knight performed a number of songs in the musical movie, some fans of the California-born actor believed he - like many other Disney alums, including Lovato, Selena Gomez and Zendaya - would soon release his own music.
It turns out, however, that he only performed one song himself throughout the entire feature-length film, titled 'Hero'.
The following year, Knight was cast in the Sonny With A Chance spin-off So Random!, believed to be a children's equivalent of Saturday Night Live.
Despite the series seeing the actor perform sketches in a number of much-loved characters - including 'Possibly Sarcastic Skip', 'Dwayne Platowski', and 'Jimmy Sparrow' - the show was axed after just one season.
The following year, he left Disney Channel for good.
In the years following So Random!'s failure, work seemed to dry up for Knight.
And whilst he's never spoken out about what caused this, fans have speculated whether the actor is simply the victim of the Disney curse - where former child stars struggle to make the transition to adult actors.
Knight has appeared on screen on several, somewhat bizarre occasions since leaving Disney.
From 2013 onwards, he starred in 31 episodes of family-comedy Melissa & Joey as her daughter Lennox's boyfriend and later, fiancé, Zander.
Around this time, Knight also appeared in several episodes of sitcom The Hotwives of Orlando as 'Billy', and as 'Nate' in ABC comedy series Crowded.
He's also continued to act in smaller projects over the years, including in drama movies, Different Flowers and It Snows All The Time.
More recently, he has been seen on the app Cameo, giving shout-outs to fans.
Who knows, maybe he'll make the comeback of the century?