Shocking allegations about Disney’s alleged manipulation of Raven-Symoné on ‘That’s So Raven’ spark backlash among fans

Raven-Symoné’s experience working on “That’s So Raven” may not have been as magical as fans initially thought.

A brand new book has been released about the inner workings of the Disney Channel, which claims that Disney paid special attention to Raven’s body when she played Raven Baxter on “That’s So Raven.”

“Disney Channel has gone crazy over this,” co-producer and author Dava Savel said on “Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise” and “Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire,” obtained by AND! News. “And they handled it in a extremely bad way. But it was never geared toward her face.

One alleged incident occurred throughout the show’s second season in an episode titled “That’s Not Raven”. Ashley Spencer, an writer and longtime cultural journalist covering Hollywood, claimed from multiple sources that the model was chosen for the runway scene slightly than Raven because of her slimmer figure.

The plot of the last episode featured Raven attempting to drop extra pounds through weight-reduction plan and becoming body positive, deciding that she was worthy of appearing in a fashion show.

“There were a lot of people involved in the episode,” Ashley allegedly said that a network executive ordered the visual effects team to change the footage to make Raven look thinner than she actually is.

“It was disgraceful,” series producer Michael Feldman wrote within the book. “I don’t know how they could look at each other like that and do that. What she wanted to write a story about was literally done to her. It still shocks me that they were so deaf.”

In one other excerpt, former Disney Channel head of original programming Adam Bonnett stated that it was “not a decision I would have asked for.” He also suggested that this will likely not have been a one-off event.

“Some things were done to make Raven’s (outfit) look more flattering in certain scenes,” he stated, describing a separate episode of school dances.

Shortly after hearing about the allegations, many Disney Channel fans spoke out on social media.

“Unfortunately, it’s not shocking,” one fan wrote via X. “She talked briefly about how she tried so hard to lose weight and be smaller thanks to Disney…”

Another viewer he noticed“Although it’s sad, it’s really impressive technology for this age.” “That’s So Raven” aired from 2003 to 2007.

Raven herself has been open about her weight. After being ashamed of her body as a minor actress, she decided to undergo cosmetic surgery.

“I had two breast reduction surgeries and liposuction before I was 18,” she says common on the August 2023 episode of iHeartRadio’s “Best Podcast Ever”. podcast together with his wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday.

Symone said: “It was just a large number, being so young and the pain of it. …I still get ridiculed on social media because I’m not skinny like everyone else, and yet they still call me fat. It’s such as you already did it and yet not everyone desired to see it.

The actress – who was also a member of the film and music group The Cheetah Girls together with Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan – expressed her belief that body positivity has increased over time and the pressure to look a certain way has decreased. within the industry.

At the identical time, she still remembers the critical comments from her Disney days.

“I would like to live as a younger person now. I probably wouldn’t have had so many mental problems,” she said People in 2017. “(They said) I’m too big to do an hour and a half concert. – I don’t know how she can dance when she’s so big. And I said, “I still did it!” I’ve been on the road without end ’cause it isn’t about your size. It’s about what you may have to say, whether you possibly can sing, dance and act. It’s not about your size.

Atlanta Black Star has reached out to the Disney and Raven team for comment. Neither side has commented publicly on the book.