Raven-Symoné’s Disney Channel Mount Rushmore Puts Lee Thompson Young Above Miley — A Quiet Reappraisal
In a recent interview Raven-Symoné said she would include lee thompson young on her Disney Channel Mount Rushmore, placing him alongside Hilary Duff and Shia LaBeouf while explicitly excluding Miley Cyrus. The choice reframes which legacies from that era are being elevated and which are being pushed to the margins.
What Raven-Symoné said about her Disney Channel Mount Rushmore
Verified facts: Raven-Symoné publicly identified the four figures she would enshrine on a Disney Channel Mount Rushmore. She immediately named Hilary Duff and Shia LaBeouf as picks. When asked about Miley Cyrus, Raven-Symoné replied, “No, not Miley. I love you, Miley, but not Miley, she came after. ” She then gave a direct shoutout to lee thompson young, noting his role and arguing he deserves recognition. Raven-Symoné described The Famous Jett Jackson as the first Black show on Disney and said Lee Thompson Young played the title character.
Verified facts: The Famous Jett Jackson ran for 65 episodes from 1998 until 2001. Lee Thompson Young died by suicide in 2013. Shia LaBeouf, named by Raven-Symoné as part of her Mount Rushmore, has been described in public accounts as the subject of controversy after an arrest tied to a bar brawl in New Orleans, where he was booked on counts of misdemeanor battery and allegations include the use of homophobic slurs and assault.
Lee Thompson Young’s place on Raven-Symoné’s list
Verified facts: Raven-Symoné argued that Lee Thompson Young and The Famous Jett Jackson deserve a spot on a Disney Channel Mount Rushmore. She emphasized the program’s significance as the first Black show on the network and framed Young’s contribution as meriting enduring recognition.
Analysis: Elevating Lee Thompson Young alongside performers still active in the industry reframes what merit means in a network’s cultural memory. The choice foregrounds representation and historical firsts rather than current visibility or commercial longevity. By placing a late actor on this informal monument, Raven-Symoné signals that impact and pioneering status can outweigh continued prominence when an industry retrospectively selects its icons.
What the selections expose — and what remains unsaid
Verified facts: Raven-Symoné explicitly excluded Miley Cyrus from her list, saying Cyrus “came after, ” while including both Hilary Duff and Shia LaBeouf. She also named lee thompson young and argued he “definitely deserves a spot. “
Analysis: The lineup chosen by Raven-Symoné exposes competing criteria for cultural canonization: tenure on the channel, representational milestones, personal affinity, and controversy. Naming Shia LaBeouf despite recent public controversies indicates a willingness to separate a performer’s cultural footprint on the network from their later personal or legal troubles. Conversely, excluding Miley Cyrus while celebrating other high-profile alumni demonstrates an intentional curatorial stance that privileges certain forms of legacy over others.
What remains unsaid in this public statement is how viewers, creators, and the network itself weigh these criteria. Raven-Symoné’s selection elevates a Black-led program’s historical importance and draws attention back to a performer whose career was cut short by personal tragedy. It is a public nudge to reassess which contributions are remembered and why.
Accountability and next steps: The public conversation Raven-Symoné has prompted is evidence-based in its citations of shows and performers. It calls for a fuller reckoning inside the industry about representation, how pioneers are memorialized, and the signals sent when living alumni with complex public records are included while other mainstream stars are omitted. To meet that call, stakeholders should document program histories, acknowledge trailblazing milestones, and make explicit the criteria by which cultural honors are assigned. Raven-Symoné’s intervention, anchored on lee thompson young, demands that paperwork and oral histories of the network’s programming be examined so that who is honored reflects both impact and context.
