Former Disney child star Alyson Stoner says online dating makes them feel like they’re ‘not a human’ when potential suitors focus on their fame: ‘It’s a mind game’

Former Disney star Alyson Stoner opens up about how fame can complicate their love life.

The 30-year-old actor, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” said online dating can often feel “dehumanizing” because potential partners often focus on their childhood star status.

Stoner has appeared in films such as Cheaper by the Dozen and Step Up, and in the TV series Drake & Josh, That’s So Raven and Camp Rock, after beginning her acting career at the age of three.

“I just realized, ‘Oh, this is why I’ve never been on a date,'” Stoner said in the interview Tuesday Vulnerable podcast. ‘Because as soon as you ask me about my background, if you happen to be someone who’s seen a show, oh my god. I have to relive this all over again.’

They added: ‘It shapes their perception of me. I’m like, damn it, I’m not human anymore.’

The 30-year-old actor, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” said online dating can feel “dehumanizing” as potential partners focus on their childhood fame in Tuesday’s Vulnerable podcast; seen in 2001

Stoner recounted a recent experience with someone they met on a dating app, noting, “The person I was dating had that moment of, ‘Oh my god. Really?’ And then they were skeptical. They thought they were being catfished or something.”

“Because it’s probably random to think, oh, that person I used to see is now talking to me on a dating app,” Stoner continued.

“I understand that it can be awkward and weird, but I chose to push past that discomfort and give them the opportunity to see if they still wanted to get to know me in an authentic way.”

They described the dating experience as a “mind game.”

“You’re like, ‘Oh, I wonder what their house looks like. Are they a rich celebrity?’ I’m like, ‘Surprise! I still drive my Kia.’

The former acting pro wrote about falling in love with a woman in a Teen Vogue essay from 2018.

‘I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways. I can love people of any gender identity and expression.

“It’s the soul that captivates me. It’s the love we can build and the goodness we can contribute to the world by supporting each other’s best journeys,” Alyson wrote.

Shortly after coming out, the former dancer (shown in 2011) went to “gay conversion therapy” because she “felt like everything was wrong”

Earlier: Alyson, pictured here in 2005, began working professionally in Hollywood at age seven

Just days after they revealed the truth about their sexuality, Alyson said they were scared, but also happy to be free.

“I’ve had a long career as a conservative. I’m still who I am. I’m just more honest and sincere,” they told the outlet.

Shortly after coming out, the former dancer went to “gay therapy” because she “felt like nothing was wrong.”

In a 2021 interview with InsiderAlyson opened up about participating in an “outpatient version” of conversion therapy.

The experience was so painful that they found it “really difficult” to relive it.

“I felt stuck. I felt miserable. I felt like there was something wrong with me, even though in my heart all I wanted to be was a devoted follower of God,” they told the outlet.

The Cheaper by the Dozen star added: “When you’re told by people you trust, people you respect, people you might even aspire to be, that at your core you’re ‘rotten and horrible,’ that the devil has a target on you because of your position in Hollywood…”

“It puts you in a downward spiral, at least for me, because I just wanted to do the right thing.”

Alyson (shown in 2011) first came into the spotlight in 2002, when she worked as a background dancer for Missy Elliot and later starred in a number of Disney Channel shows

Now Alyson (pictured in 2019) spends her time criticizing the discrimination homosexuals face.

The 29-year-old eventually discovered that these preachers had developed their views on gay people because of their own religious influences from a specific “environment and time period.”

Alyson first came into the spotlight in 2002, when they teamed up as backup dancers for Missy Elliot.

They later became Disney Channel stars for their roles in Drake & Josh, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody and most notably, Camp Rock.

Today, Alyson spends her time speaking out against the discrimination that homosexuals face. She has even written a book called Mind Body Pride to help people develop a deeper connection with their sexuality.