00s child star who left Hollywood behind to become a zookeeper

From Miley Cyrus to Selena Gomez and Zendaya, Disney Channel has spawned an impressive number of today’s mega stars. But some who were thrust into the spotlight at such a young age ultimately decided to turn their back on fame in pursuit of a more normal life. 

Among them is Kay Panabaker, who shot to stardom playing Debbie Berwick in Disney’s sci-fi comedy Phil of the Future. The former actress, now 36, spent ten years in the industry before taking a step back from the spotlight, turning her talents to a very different career. 

Keep reading to find out more about Kay’s life away from the limelight. 

Kay Panabaker’s acting career

Kay began working in the acting industry in the early 2000s, with minor roles in shows like ER and 7th Heaven, and film roles in Monsters Inc. and Dead Heat.

Her big break came in 2004, when she landed a leading role in Phil of the Future. This led to roles in two Disney Channel original films, Life is Ruff (2005) and Read It and Weep (2006), and an appearance on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

At thirteen, she began starring in the hit drama Summerland, sharing the screen with teen idols Zac Efron, who played her love interest, and Jesse McCartney, who played her brother.

What followed was a string of one-episode appearances in TV hits such as Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal and Two and a Half Men, before she was cast in the sci-fi drama series, No Ordinary Family, playing telepathic teenager Daphne. 

Her final acting role came in 2012, when she voiced a Chihuahua in the comedy film Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!.

Why Kay Panabaker left acting

In a 2016 interview with Naperville Magazine, Kay explained that she fell out of love with acting, specifically after a TV producer told her she needed to lose weight before a love interest was introduced for her character.

© Alamy Stock Photo

“I was barely a hundred pounds,” she said. “I didn’t think this was a good reason for a character to lose weight. It’s not like my character was going to catch a life-threatening disease or anything. I was 21 at the time the show ended. I spent a couple years after that in LA, still auditioning, but the passion wasn’t there.”

Kay Panabaker’s career in zookeeping 

Having already graduated from UCLA with a degree in history, Kay went back to school, enrolling on an eighteen-month animal program at Santa Fe College in Florida.

© Instagram

She then secured an internship at Disney World and was hired as an Associate Animal Keeper in 2014. 

Sharing some of the responsibilities of her role, she told Naperville Magazine: “I maintain the care, well-being, management, behavior conditioning, and enrichment of our animals and birds. I work with goats, sheep, elephants, porcupines, skunks, donkeys, cows, parrots, birds of prey, and opossums to name a few.”

The actress added that she also conducts animal presentations and maintains the petting zoo.