Raven-Symoné’s experience working on “That’s So Raven” may not have been as magical as fans first thought.
A new book centered on the inner workings of Disney Channel has been released with claims that Disney paid close attention to Raven’s body as she played Raven Baxter on “That’s So Raven.”
“Disney Channel was going crazy about it,” “That’s So Raven,” co-producer and writer Dava Savel said in the book “Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise” and “Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire,” obtained by E! News. “And they handled it in really bad ways. But it was never to her face.”
One alleged occurrence happened during season 2 of the show in an episode titled “That’s So Not Raven.” Ashley Spencer, author and longtime culture journalist covering Hollywood, alleged via multiple sources that a model was chosen over Raven for a runway scene due to her thinner frame.
The final episode plotline featured Raven trying to lose weight with diets and displaying body positivity by deciding she is worthy to walk in a fashion show.
“Multiple people involved in the episode” allegedly told Ashley a network executive ordered the show’s visual effects team to alter the footage to make Raven appear thinner than what she is.
“It was shameful,” show producer Michael Feldman wrote in the book. “I don’t know how they could look at themselves and do that. The very thing that she wanted to do a story about was literally done to her. It’s still a shocking thing to me that they were that tone-deaf.”
Why were they tryna play Raven like she was some type of Rolie Polie Olie??? Her body was great. The 90s/2000s really couldn’t handle the slightest bump/curve 🤦🏿♀️ pic.twitter.com/k2FSQwM6oi
— betty not white 🦄 (@itsbettyboob) February 27, 2021
In another excerpt, former head of Disney Channel original programming Adam Bonnett claimed the decision was “not something I would have asked for.” He also suggested that it may not have been a one-time occurrence.
“There was some stuff done to make Raven[‘s attire] look more flattering in certain scenes,” he alleged when describing a separate school dance episode.
Soon after hearing the allegations, many Disney Channel fans spoke out on social media.
“Sadly, this is not shocking,” one fan wrote via X. “She did speak briefly on how hard she tried to drop weight and be smaller because of Disney…”
Another viewer pointed out, “As sad as this is, that’s actually impressive tech for that age.” “That’s So Raven” aired between 2003 to 2007.
Raven herself has been outspoken about her weight. After being body-shamed as a minor, the actress chose to have plastic surgery.
“I had two breast reductions and lipo before I turned 18,” she shared on an August 2023 episode of iHeartRadio’s “The Best Podcast Ever” podcast with her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday.
Symone said, “It was just a mess, just being that young and the pain of it all. … I still got reamed through social media because I wasn’t skinny as everybody else, and they still called me fat. It’s like, you get that done, and it’s still not what everybody wanted to see.”
Raven Symone sat down & spoke with her wife about getting a breast reduction & Lipo as a minor while she was staring on That’s so Raven.
— The Cosmetic Lane (@TheCosmeticLane) August 8, 2023
"My dad suggested strongly that I should get my breasts reduced. He was like, 'So you don't feel bad, is there anything that you want?' I was… pic.twitter.com/Af0jz6UmFy
The actress — who also was a contributing member of The Cheetah Girls movies and music group with Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Bryan — expressed her belief that body positivity has grown over time and the pressures of looking a certain way have eased in the industry.
At the same time, she still remembers the critical comments made during her Disney era.
“I wish I was living now as a younger person. I probably wouldn’t have so many mental issues,” she told People in 2017. “[They said] I was too big to be doing an hour and a half concert. ‘I don’t know how she can dance being that big.’ And I was like, ‘I still did it!’ I was on tour forever because it’s not about your size. It’s about what you have to say, if you can sing or dance and performing. It’s not about your size.”
Atlanta Black Star has reached out to Disney and Raven’s team for comment. Neither party has publicly spoken out about the book.
