In October 2007, and after enjoying great success with productions such asHannah MontanaandThe Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Disney Channel premieredWizards of Waverly Place, a fantasy sitcom that aired for four seasons. This show, created by Todd J. Greenwald, centers on the lives of Alex, Justin, and Max Russo, three wizard siblings who live with their parents in New York City. They live a double life: they train to battle for custody over the family powers, while keeping their identity hidden from the rest of the world, who are not supposed to know that magic exists. However, all three are prone to accidents and mischief, so they get themselves into trouble on several occasions.
Wizards of Waverly Placestars Selena Gomez alongside David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, David DeLuise, Maria Canals-Barrera, and Jennifer Stone. Throughout its seasons, the show was highly acclaimed for the cast’s performances, the humor, and creativity displayed in each episode, and the way it tackled important issues for teenagers such as relationships with family and friends or self acceptance.
While the show was airing, Disney Channel also premieredWizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a made-for-TV production recounting more adventures of this magical family. In 2013, a year after the end of the series, the cast returned to reprise their roles for the TV specialThe Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex.Wizards of Waverly Placeboosted the show’s main actors' careers, especially Gomez’s, as after she played Alex she managed to establish herself as a hit singer and also followed a path in the film and television industry, performingincreasingly challenging roles.
Throughout each season,Wizards of Waverly Placefeatured different figures from the entertainment world who portrayed different characters, from actors to models, singers and even magicians. Here are 15 stars who made cameos in the show.
15Daryl Sabara
In 2001,Daryl Sabararose to fame portraying Juni Cortez in the movieSpy Kids, a role he reprised several times throughout different productions. In 2007, some years after his involvement in this film series, Sabara landed a small role inWizards of Waverly Placeas T. J. Taylor, a character with a number of appearances in the show’s first two seasons. T. J. is a young wizard who attends the same school as Alex and her brothers, but uses his abilities carelessly and, many times, to harm other people. His final part in the show was in the second season’s episode “Art Teacher.”
Related:Best Disney Channel Animated Series From the 2000s, Ranked
14Bailee Madison
Bailee Madisonis a very familiar face in the industry, as she has been involved in a large number ofmovies and TV seriessince she was a little girl. Among these productions is this Disney Channel show, in which she starred for six episodes of the fourth season as Maxine, Max Russo’s alter-ego after his older siblings cast a spell and turned him into a girl. Maxine proves to be smarter and far skilled than Max, gifted in singing and karate.
13Lucy Hale
Just a few years before she became world-famous for playing Aria Montgomery in the teen dramaPretty Little Liars,Lucy Halelanded a small part in the first season ofWizards of Waverly Place. For two episodes, she plays Miranda Hampson, Justin Russo’s goth girlfriend. She is a Tribeca Prep student one year older than the wizard, and quickly emerges as Harper’s nemesis, as Alex’s friend is completely in love with Justin. Miranda and Justin share their first kiss, though their relationship is only explored in the episodes “First Kiss” and “Pop Me and We Both Go Down.”
12Kate Flannery
To this day,Kate Flanneryis known worldwide for her role as Meredith Palmer in the popular seriesThe Office, an extremely bizarre character with highly inappropriate behaviors towards her boss and co-workers. While playing this part in the comedy masterpiece, the actress also made a cameo in Selena Gomez’s show. In the episode, “Wizards vs. Finkles,” from the third season of the series, Kate plays Elaine Finkle, Harper’s mother who, together with her father, comes to town to audition for a gig at a train vaudeville act in Romania. Harper is utterly embarrassed by the situation, but Alex falls head over heels for her friend’s amusing parents. The role of Harper’s father in this episode is played by Scot Robinson.
11Wendi McLendon-Covey
Wendy McLendon-Coveyis an actress and comedian who excels when it comes to improv roles. She rose to fame in 2011 with her part in Paul Feig’s acclaimed comedyBridesmaids, and from 2013 to 2023 she thrived playing Beverly Goldberg in the showThe Goldbergs, co-starring alongside Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia, George Segal, and Jeff Garlin. A few years before joining these two projects, the actress made a small cameo in the third season of this Disney Channel show playing the character of Dr. Ice.
10Debby Ryan
ActressDebby Ryanbecame well-known thanks to the Disney Channel showThe Suite Life on Deck, where she portrayed a smart teenager from Kansas named Bailey Pickett that quickly awakens feelings in both Zack and Cody. However, this show was not the only one in which Ryan starred as her popular character, as in 2009 Disney released atrilogy of crossover episodesfeaturingThe Suite Life on Deck,Hannah MontanaandWizards of Waverly PlacetitledWizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.
The first episode of this trilogy was released on the second season of Gomez’s show, and in it, the Russo brothers attend a teen cruise on the S.S. Tipton. Once there, Alex meets Bailey, and ends up saving her life after she chokes on some pizza.
9Wilmer Valderrama
In 1998,Wilmer Valderramabecame hugely popular for his role as Fez in the teen sitcomThat ’70s Show, which he reprised this same year in the sequel seriesThat ’90s Show. During the third season ofWizards of Waverly Place, the actor plays Uncle Ernesto, Alex, Justin, and Max’s maternal uncle, for just one episode. As the brother of Theresa Russo, who is not a wizard, Ernesto has no idea that magic exists, and he is unaware of their secrets.
8Christopher Douglas Reed
Sons of AnarchyactorChristopher Douglas Reedmade a small cameo on the Disney Channel television series during a four-part special titledWizards of Apartment 12B. In it, the Russo siblings have to use their magical powers to fight the Dark Side and defeat Gorog, leader of the Angels of Darkness. Reed, meanwhile, plays Ogre Malone, a young ogre who lives in Apartment 13B and develops romantic feelings for Alex.
Related:The Best Disney Channel Original Movies, Ranked
7Austin Butler
The actor who rose to fame portraying Elvis Presley in the 2022 filmElvisis a well-known face in teen series: he has made cameos inHannah Montana,iCarlyandJonas, among many others. In the episode “Positive Alex” fromWizards of Waverly Place’s third season,Austin Butlerplays George, a Tribeca Prep student who sweeps Alex off her feet. As he dislikes her for being so negative, Alex casts a spell to become a positive person, which works for a while until George stops liking her for being overly optimistic.
6Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratchis a comedy star who rose to fame through her appearances onSaturday Night Live, and over the course of her career she has starred in a number of film and TV productions, such asClick,30 RockandWine Country. In the second season of this Disney Channel teen series, she plays a future version of Harper Finkle, who devotes herself to chronicling the magical adventures of Alex and her siblings under the pen name H.J. Darling. Initially, Alex gets mad at Future Harper for stealing her adventures to share with the world, although they end up patching things up by the end of the episode.
