Jason Earles says he lied about his age to get 'Hannah Montana' role
Jason Earles says he lied about his age to get 'Hannah Montana' role
Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY Wed, March 18, 2026 at 10:31 PM UTC
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"Hannah Montana" star Jason Earles is finally coming clean.
Earles, who played older brother Jackson Stewart on the Disney Channel show, revealed in a March 17 podcast episode that he had a "big secret," one he worried would cost him his job.
"I was desperately afraid that I was going to be fired and recast because I had a big secret. So, when I auditioned for the show, I lied to them and told them I was 18 years old," Earles said on the inaugural episode of "Best of Both Our Worlds: The Official, Unofficial Hannah Montana Podcast."
Jason Earles, Miley Cyrus and Mitchel Musso pose at the afterparty for the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 17, 2008.
"It was another reason why I didn't almost audition for the show because I was like 'I'm too old.' The character's 16. Nobody's going to buy it," Earles added.
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A 28-year-old Earles went through a number of auditions and ultimately booked the role. According to Earles, no one found out about his lie until halfway through the first season.
"I remember one of the higherup network executives showed up on show night and he was like, 'Hey, so, you're 28.' And I was like, 'I am,'" Earles said.
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How old is Jason Earles now?
Jason Earles is 48.
Jason Earles kept his 'entire life' secret while filming
In addition to lying about his age, Earles said he also kept his marriage secret. The higherup network executive who busted Earles also knew he had a wife, another detail he was forced to admit in the conversation.
"And he's like, 'So, you're married? And I was like, 'Yeah, that girl that I keep making out with, yeah. that's my wife,'" Earles said. "And he was like, 'Uh, any more any more secrets? Anything we should know?'"
Jason Earles attends the Season 3 premiere of Disney+ "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" on July 27, 2022.
When Earles confirmed he didn't have any kids, the executive told him: "Let's go ahead and keep it that way for a few years." "And I was like, 'Absolutely. Of course,'" Earles said.
Earles said he was then forced to keep his "entire life" [secret] "from the world" for the next six years, which meant he couldn't correct fans the times they thought his first wife Jennifer Earles was actually his mother while they were out in public together.
"I remember going to dinner with my wife at the time and people coming up and saying, 'You must be so proud of your son,'" Earles said. "And I was like, 'Well, all right. Sex is off the table tonight. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah. Yeah.'"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jason Earles says he lied about being 18 to be on 'Hannah Montana'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
