Raven-Symoné Recalls Being Asked If She 'Wanted to Stop Being Straight' During That's So Raven Fame

Raven-Symoné recalls feeling burdened by fame as she struggled with her childhood fame.

Speaking with Demi Lovato (who uses the pronouns she/they) for their new documentary, Child starSymoné recalled some of the problems she faced later with the Disney Channel.

“There was a point in my life when I was asked if I wanted to stop being straight. But that was like the second season That’s so Raven. It was like the third album,” the 38-year-old recalled.

“I thought, ‘Why would you ask me that question now? Just to make me feel bad for saying yes, when you know I really don’t want to be here right now?’ ”

Symoné went public in 2013 and married Miranda Pearman-Maday in 2020.

Both Lovato and Symoné touched on the images they felt they had to maintain as Disney stars during the documentary. Not only did they feel they had to hide parts of themselves, but they also endured grueling schedules.

Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The cast of “That’s So Raven” 2003 Everett from JoJo Siwa’s Coming Out to Kenan Thompson Getting Conned: Biggest Revelations from Demi Lovato Child star documentary

“I didn’t know you could take time off because no one told me,” Lovato told Symoné. “At one point I played 70 concerts in 90 days. I was going to have two nights off, and then when it got crowded, they said, ‘We need those two days of rehearsals for the movie.’ ”

Symoné remarked, “People will squeeze all that light out of you because, ‘You’re young and still have energy,’ but you don’t. You are still human.”

Elsewhere in the documentary, Symoné talked about acting from an early age and managing the financial side of it with her family.

“I knew right away that it was a job. My parents made sure I understood that it was work. I got paid for it. You show yourself professionally,” she said of her early career. “I knew at 3 how much I was making and I realized it was a job. If you lose it, you don’t make that money.”

Kiely Williams, Sabrina Bryan, Raven Symoné, Lynn Whitfield and Adrienne Bailon in “The Cheetah Girls” from 2005.

Matthew Peyton/Getty

When Lovato asked how the financial dynamic intertwines with her family dynamic, Symoné replied, “We call it a family business. Everyone has a job within the family business, so no one likes to say that one person is the breadwinner or not … read to the end of that line.”

Despite the complex nature of her young stardom, Symoné is aware of how significant her role is in TV history, particularly her beginnings as a The Cosby Show honor.

“The Cosby Show was the number one television show in America, especially with an African-American cast and so influential within the social fabric. A young girl from Atlanta, Georgia … that’s the dream of a lot of black people at the time,” she admitted.

Phylicia Rashad and Raven Symoné on “The Cosby Show” in 1990.

“I knew at 16 months that my job was to entertain other people. That in itself is a matter of the mind.”

Symoné said many families in the business lose sight of the fact that “kids, little kids, are playing for their parents. They’re performing for their parents’ love and affection and their, ‘Good job!’ And yes, it’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of money, and money makes crazy shit.”

Child star now streaming on Hulu.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education