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Disney Star Almost Left Hit Show After Her Church Said “It’s Witchcraft”

wizards of waverly place
Credit: Disney

There are many reasons why a Disney Channel star might choose to end their contract with the company. Many young stars leave the channel because they want to move on to bigger opportunities. For one Wizards of Waverly Place actor, they considered leaving the TV show for a much more outlandish reason. The actor just revealed that she was urged to leave the TV series by her church, which claimed that the show was witchcraft.

Wizards of Waverly Place

Credit: Disney

“Wizards of Waverly Place” Angered Church

When she was shooting Wizards of Waverly Place, actress Jennifer Stone was on top of the world. On the show, Stone played the lovable and quirky Harper Finkle. Harper was the best friend of Selena Gomez’s character, Alex Russo. Stone’s role started out as a small side character, but Harper eventually became one of the main characters of the franchise.

Wizards of Waverly Place

Credit: Disney

Jennifer Stone recalls her years on the show on her Wizards of Waverly Podcast that she hosts with David DeLuise, who played Jerry Russo on the show. In a recent episode, Stone and DeLuise sat down with the show’s star, Selena Gomez to talk about her experience on the show. Gomez brought up that she remembered there being a lot of controversy around the show coming from religious groups. She remembers a lot of children who “weren’t allowed to watch us because it was wizardry.”

Wizards of Waverly Podcast

Credit: Wizards of Waverly Podcast on Spotify

Jennifer Stone Shares Her Story

Stone recalled a similar experience happening to her and her Church. She explained, “Literally, my sweet southern Baptists church told me that I had to quit the show because it was witchcraft.” After sharing this, it was clear that both Gomez and DeLuise were shocked to hear this story for the lift time.

It seems Stone has a sense of humor about the situation. She says that when her church presented her with this option, she responded by saying, “I won’t be doing that, thank you though.”

It is hard to imagine what Wizards of Wavery Place would have been like without Jennifer Stone as Harper. The is an iconic member of the show, and the series wouldn’t have been the same without her.

About Eva Miller

Eva was born and raised in the beautiful state of Oregon but has since relocated and lives in New York City. Since she was young, Eva has loved to perform in musicals, especially Disney ones! Through performing, Disney’s music became the soundtrack of her childhood. Today, Eva loves to write about all the exciting happenings for the Walt Disney Company. In her free time, Eva loves to travel, spend time in nature, and go to Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is 'Lilo and Stitch,' and her favorite Park is Disney's Animal Kingdom.