Wizards Of Waverly Place Star Blames Adult Entertainment Career For Missing Out On Revival

The path of a child star can go a lot of different ways. While some stay in show business, others opt to leave the limelight behind for other opportunities. Dan Benson of "Wizards of Waverly Place" is in the second category, and he says that's likely why he was left out of the revival series.

The actor joined the adult entertainment website OnlyFans in 2022, and he told TMZ that he understands why he was left out of the "Wizards of Waverly Place" reboot, though he is still upset about it. "The other side of me is very sad because I know for a fact that I will not be a part of it," he said. "That's all on me; I totally get it."

The adult content creator admitted that despite being disappointed that he won't be a part of the Disney Channel revival of "Wizards of Waverly Place," he doesn't see how the famously family-friendly corporation could have made a different choice. "Do I think that by me doing porn made it so they can't bring back my character?" he mused. "Yes. The short answer is yes. I put them in a situation where they don't have a choice."

Dan Benson explained to TMZ what drove him to try out OnlyFans, the subscription-based adult website that currently allows for his livelihood. "So I spent seven years after 'Wizards of Waverly Place' grinding, fighting for every opportunity," the performer recalled. "Doing really bad projects and, just, my career died."

Benson played Zeke Beakman, a recurring character on "Wizards of Waverly Place" who appeared in 32 of the series' 109 episodes. His character was often the butt of the joke, and he was regularly used as the goofy comic relief in episodes where he appeared.

Despite his disappointment, however, the performer said that he wouldn't go back anyway if they called him for the "Wizards of Waverly Place" reboot. "Even if they called me tomorrow and said: 'Dan, we want you, we don't care about what's been going on, we want you to reprise your character," Benson said. "I would tell them 'no."

Although he has mixed feelings about "Wizards of Waverly Place" returning without him, Benson seemed to be overall pretty content with his life choices. "I'm my own boss now," he explained. "I don't rely on anyone else to give me an opportunity. I make those opportunities for myself now." 

There is no date on when the series will be returning, but production has officially begun as of January 2024.