Credit: DisneyDisney Channel shows have kickstarted numerous celebrities’ careers, including Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Olivia Rodrigo. But it’s not always magic and Mickey ears as the series that skyrocketed Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and Barbie (2023) actress Arianna Greenblatt to fame, Stuck in the Middle, recently came under scrutiny for allegedly being plagiarized.
Stuck in the Middle aired on Disney Channel from 2016 to 2018. Now, it streams on Disney+ alongside other 2000s-2010s Disney Channel Original Movies and television favorites like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Lizzie McGuire. Disney+ writes:
“Harley Diaz comes from a family with seven kids and is stuck right in the middle! She must learn to navigate the challenges of her not-so-average-sized family.”
But internet content creator Steph (@stephstruggles on TikTok) claims that the timing of Stuck in the Middle’s premiere wasn’t a coincidence. She recently alleged that Walt Disney Studios stole her concept for the television series:
@stephstruggles tell me that’s not WAY too similar, it still baffles me 😭 my videos are still up too lol… at least i got to be played by THE Jenna Ortega 😜 (jokes jokes) #stuckinthemiddle #funnyinthemiddle #disney
“Sometimes I still get so peeved off that Disney stole my brand as a child,” Steph began. “…Whenever I was a kid, I had a show called ‘Funny in the Middle’ on YouTube. I started it in 2014.”
“I was talking about how I was the middle child of seven girls,” she continued. “We were a Hispanic family. I was just making cheesy videos and just talking about my life.”
Two years later, in 2016, Stuck in the Middle premiered. It ran for three seasons and starred Jenna Ortega as the middle child of seven in the Diaz family. Steph alleges that the Disney Channel show’s popularity forced her to rebrand her YouTube channel.
“They stole my entire brand,” she said. “I basically had to rebrand into ‘StephStruggles.’ I did that after a couple of years.”
She even reviewed and discussed the TV show on her YouTube channel.
“Our names are seriously really close and similar,” Steph said in 2018.
In her recent TikTok, Steph remembered positively reviewing the show when it came out.
“I made a video about it, too, reviewing Stuck in the Middle,” she recalled. “Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing show. It felt like my life. It felt like I was literally watching my life, just without the brothers. I have all sisters.”
Even though she liked Stuck in the Middle, Steph is still upset with Disney Channel for allegedly stealing her story.
“I still get peeved off because give me my money,” she concluded. “Give me my money. I had to rebrand because of y’all.”
Commenters were disappointed that the Disney Branded Television show might not have been entirely original.
“Not just stole your brand,” said @grippys0cksbarbie. “[They] stole your life story.”
“That’s foul of Disney,” @basicbookie replied.
Walt Disney Studios has never stated that Steph’s YouTube channel was affiliated with the development of Stuck in the Middle. Inside the Magic couldn’t confirm the TikToker’s claim.
What do you think of the similarities between Steph’s YouTube channel and the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle? Share your take with Inside the Magic in the comments.