This Is What Happened To The Cast Of Wizards Of Waverly Place

The Disney Channel sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place" aired its pilot episode in 2007. Set in Manhattan, the show followed Alex Russo and her brothers, Justin and Max, who aren't like most kids — they're wizards! The trio must learn how to master their wizarding powers, or risk losing them forever. Their wizarding lessons are taught by their dad, Jerry, who gave up his powers when he married their non-magical mother, Theresa. The Russos gets into some tricky situations, all while navigating normal teen challenges like going to high school, making friends, and helping run the family sub shop, Waverly Sub Station.

"Wizards of Waverly Place" aired its final episode in 2012. Since then, most of the core cast has moved on to new endeavors — whether it's starting a new acting project, nursing school, a music career, or a beauty empire. Here's what the cast of "Wizards of Waverly Place" is up to now.

Central wizard Alex Russo was portrayed by Selena Gomez, and she's gone on to do great things. By the time "Wizards of Waverly Place" ended, Gomez had solidified herself as Disney Channel royalty, with a few guest-starring roles and Disney Channel Original Movies under her belt.

Her acting career didn't stop there, as she went on to star in films like "Spring Breakers" and "Monte Carlo" in an effort to shed that Disney Channel image (via IMDb). Now, Gomez is known for voicing the character of Mavis in the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise. She also has a show with HBO Max called "Selena + Chef," in which she cooks with renowned chefs and fellow celebrities. Gomez also stars in the Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building" alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin.

During her time with Disney, Gomez also took an interest in a music career, becoming the front-woman of Selena Gomez & the Scene. Their first album, "Kiss & Tell," was released in 2009. Gomez then went on to have a solo career, releasing multiple albums. Her EP, "Revelación," was even nominated for a Grammy (via ET). While Gomez keeps herself busy with her acting and music careers, she's also running a beauty empire, like a true girl boss. Gomez boasts a cosmetic line, Rare Beauty, which is vegan, cruelty-free, and all-inclusive, as its foundation is available in over 40 shades.

Alex Russo's older and uptight brother, Justin Russo, was portrayed by actor David Henrie. While best known for his role as Justin, Henrie also portrayed Luke Mosby, son of Ted Mosby, in the popular CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," which aired from 2005 to 2014.

Henrie has enjoyed various television and film roles throughout the years. Notably, he portrayed Rudy Ising, one of Walt Disney's colleagues, in the film "Walt Before Mickey." Henrie has also signed on to star in the upcoming biopic "Reagan" with actor Dennis Quaid. The two will share the role of President Ronald Reagan, playing the president in his younger and older days. Since "Wizards of Waverly Place," Henrie's also branched out into writing and directing films. He made his directorial debut with the 2020 film, "This Is the Year," which was executively produced by none other than his on-screen sister Selena Gomez (via EW). 

Off set, Henrie's become a family man, marrying wife Maria Cahill in 2017. The couple has two children together, and in December 2021, they announced they were expecting their third baby, as reported by Just Jared Jr.

Jake T. Austin portrayed the youngest Russo sibling, Max, who was constantly getting into trouble. After "Wizards of Waverly Place," Austin joined another TV family, starring as Jesus Foster in the ABC Family series "The Fosters" (via IMDb). Austin would only portray Jesus for the first two seasons, being replaced by heartthrob Noah Centineo after he announced his departure in a series of tweets back in 2015.

There was some speculation as to why Austin stepped down from the role, but in a 2019 interview with Flaunt Magazine, he said he fell into "the trap of being in Hollywood, running with the wrong crowd, making some bad choices and also not taking the work seriously." Still, he's continued to act, and he starred in the 2020 film "Adverse."

Besides acting, Austin pursues philanthropic endeavors with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club. He also had a short stint as a contestant on Season 23 of "Dancing with the Stars," but was the first star to be eliminated, leaving America to wonder just how sick his dance moves are.

Jennifer Stone played Alex Russo's best friend, Harper Finkle. Harper was known for her outlandish fashion sense and would've fit right in with the 2019 Met Gala camp theme. Who can forget her iconic rubber ducky dress?

When Stone turned 20, she took an acting hiatus to go to college, initially majoring in psychology (via Deadline). Stone would change her major to nursing after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes so she could better understand her disease. On April 7, 2020, Stone took to Instagram to announce her residency as an RN, becoming a frontline worker against COVID-19. "A very good friend of mine ... pointed out to me that today is #worldhealthday. It is also the day I went from a volunteer, then a student nurse, and now an RN resident," she wrote in the caption.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Stone said, "It's very different and it's an odd time to start working, but I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to actually be able to help." While Stone is killing the nursing game, she also continued to act after "Wizards," having starred in the likes of "The In-Between" and "Santa Girl."

Maria Canals-Barrera played Theresa Russo, and was the only non-wizard in the family. She was often seen running the family restaurant, Waverly Sub Station. Canals-Barrera also played Demi Lovato's mom, Connie, in the DCOM "Camp Rock" and its sequel. And while she's been an on-screen mom to several teenagers, she's also a mother off-screen, as she has two teenage daughters, whom she shows off on her Instagram page.

Canals-Barrera has guest starred in shows like "The Big Bang Theory" and the Netflix reboot "Fuller House." She has also lent her voice to a few different animated shows. She voices the character Hawkgirl in "Static Shock" and "Justice League," and also did voice work for "The Proud Family" as Sunset Boulevardez. She reprised her role as Sunset in the Disney+ reboot, "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder."

Along with acting, you can find Canals-Barrera making funny videos on TikTok. 

David DeLuise constantly stole the show as Jerry Russo. Once a wizard, Jerry gave up his powers so he could marry Theresa; talk about true love. They always say "those who can't do, teach," and just like that, Jerry finds himself teaching the Russo kids new spells in preparation for the wizard tournament. In the show, he often found himself getting caught up in his children's shenanigans. When he wasn't teaching, he was running the family's iconic restaurant, the Waverly Sub Station.  

After playing one of Disney's favorite dads, DeLuise went on to play Lou's dad, Steven, in the "Pup Star" franchise on Netflix (via IMDb). DeLuise also founded AGB Studios in 2010. AGB Studios is a private celebrity-based talent and acting school. They focus on actors age 7-22, with an impressive lineup of celebrity instructors, including Jennifer Stone (via Instagram).

If you're looking for some adorable content, you should definitely check out his Instagram. He's constantly posting pictures with his puppy, Tony DeLuise, and you might just die from cuteness overload. 

Alex Russo had a few love interests, but Mason Greyback was definitely a fan favorite. Portrayed by Gregg Sulkin, Mason was a werewolf who was just head over heels for Alex. Though they had their ups and downs, like that time Mason dated Justin's girlfriend Juliet, you couldn't help but love Alex and Mason together. 

Sulkin hasn't shied away from other acting roles, playing a series lead on MTV's "Faking It," and teaming up with Disney alum Emily Osment for the Netflix original series "Pretty Smart" (via Decider).

Hoping on the actor-to-YouTuber pipeline, Sulkin also created a YouTube channel with friend and fellow actor Cameron Fuller, aptly titled Gregg and Cameron. The duo post new videos every week often, with celebrity guests like Ashley Greene of "Twilight" fame and fellow YouTube sensation Cody Ko. They've even had some "Wizards of Waverly Place" reunions with David Henrie and Jennifer Stone. 

If you loved Alex and Mason, then you definitely loved Justin and Juliet. Played by Bridgit Mendler, Juliet van Heusen was Justin's sweet vampire girlfriend. In classic Romeo and Juliet style, the pair come from rival households (well, rival restaurants), but they end up falling in love, becoming the cutest wizard-vampire couple you've ever seen. 

Mendler's got a few Disney titles under her belt, starring as the lead Teddy in "Good Luck Charlie," and showing off her music chops as front-woman in "Lemonade Mouth." Her music endeavors didn't stop with "Lemonade Mouth," either (via Discogs). Mendler went on to release her debut album, "Hello My Name Is ..." in 2012, featuring the cultural reset that is "Hurricane." 

While in the midst of an acting and music career, Mendler also took time to be a student. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2016 with a bachelors degree in anthropology. In 2018, she announced via Twitter that she was starting a Master's program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which she completed in 2020. As of this writing, she is currently pursuing a PhD at MIT (via Yahoo!).