'Hannah Montana' Star Jason Earles Lied About Age
by Leyla MohammedBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffAs a Celebrity Reporter, I cover everything from fashion and award shows to TV, film, and cultural conversations.
Last week, Hannah Montana actor Jason Earles recalled lying about his age to get cast in the show.
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As you might recall, Jason played Jackson Stewart — brother of protagonist Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus) — on the hit Disney Channel original series between 2006 and 2011.
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But while his onscreen character was 16, Jason was actually 29 in real life when the show first aired.
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Speaking candidly about his decision to lie about his age, Jason — who turns 49 next month — recalled on Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast, “I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret… When I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old.”
Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast / Via youtube.com
“It was another reason why I almost didn’t audition for the show because I was like, ‘I’m too old.’ The character’s 16. Nobody’s gonna buy it,” he recounted.
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“I went into the audition, and everybody thought I was 18,” he shared, adding that “it wasn’t until halfway through the first season” that executives realized he wasn’t actually 18.
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“I remember one of the higher-up network executives showed up on show night, and he was like, ‘Hey, so, you’re 28.’ And I was like, ‘I am,’” he shared.
Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast / Via youtube.com
Jason also noted that the execs had discovered he was married to Jennifer Earles at the time. (He went on to wed Katie Drysen in 2017.)
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“He’s like, ‘So, you’re married?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that girl that I keep making out with, yeah. That’s my wife.’ And he was like, ‘Uh, any more secrets? Anything we should know? Do you have any kids?’” Jason recalled. “I was like, ‘No kids.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s go ahead and keep it that way for a few years.’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely, of course.’”
Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast / Via youtube.com
Jason later recalled having to lean into fans’ assumptions that Jennifer was his mom. “I remember going to dinner with my wife at the time and people coming up and saying, ‘You must be so proud of your son.’ And I was like, ‘Well, all right. Sex is off the table tonight. Thank you. I appreciate that,’” he quipped.
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Elsewhere in the episode, Jason noted that Steve Peterman, who was one of the show’s executive producers, ended up thanking him for lying about his age. “‘Thank you so much for lying to us,’” Jason recalled Steve saying, “‘Because we would have gotten nervous if we found out during the pilot, and we would have recast you.’”
As you might imagine, some fans were left baffled that Jason was able to get away with lying about his age in the first place.
@pagesix / Via tiktok.com
@pagesix / Via tiktok.com
Amid all the talk, Jason joined his former Hannah Montana peers at the show’s 20th anniversary reunion this week.
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Check out the full podcast episode for yourself here!
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