Twenty years ago, Disney Channel handed Aly Michalka one of the biggest roles in the network's history. She said no.
As Phil of the Future wrapped its second and final season, the head of Disney Channel came to Michalka with a new project. In a February 2026 appearance on the Just Trish podcast, she confirmed what few fans knew: she was offered the lead role in Hannah Montana.
'I know it was very soon after Phil wrapped and they were looking for the next shows,' Michalka said. 'I think at that point I was almost 16 and a half, maybe 17. Definitely older, I think, than Miley was probably at that time.'
Michalka had been building a music career as Aly and the show's premise created an identity problem she couldn't get past. 'I'm like three, four different people,' she said. She noted the layers: herself as Aly Michalka, the band Aly & AJ, the show's lead character, and Hannah Montana on top of that. 'I don't know if I want to do this,' she remembers thinking.
Her sister AJ put it plainly on the same episode: 'I think also Aly was like, 'How am I going to get away with being Aly and AJ and Hannah Montana and Aly Michalka in the show?'
When Aly showed reluctance, Disney didn't back off. AJ recalled that the network sweetened the offer. AJ would be added to the cast as Lilly Truscott, the best friend role that ultimately went to Emily Osment. 'After Aly kind of showed that it wasn't necessarily the route she wanted to take, that was how they kind of sweetened the deal,' AJ said. AJ confirmed the the offer. 'The head of Disney Channel definitely wanted Aly to do it. I would say they pushed for that.'
Related: Miley Cyrus Spotted in Full 'Hannah Montana' Costume—and Fans Are Losing It
The sisters passed. Michalka's reasoning, in the end, was simple. 'I just felt like it didn't make sense,' she said. 'I think it was all meant to be the way it is. You look at people that were originally supposed to be cast in something and then it goes to someone else and you're like, 'Wow, that's so weird.' But that was supposed to be that way.'
She has no regrets. At the time, she felt she had gotten what she came for at the network. 'I just didn't feel like I needed to spend more time at the channel at that point,' she said.
Miley Cyrus ultimately got the part and the rest is Disney history. The show's 20th anniversary special premieres on Disney+ on March 24.
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