Here's What Former Disney Star Bridgit Mendler Is Doing Today
No one could have ever predicted that Bridgit Mendler would have a rollercoaster of a career trajectory. As a former Disney darling, fans expected her to take Hollywood and the music world by storm, much like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez before her, but she ended up thriving elsewhere. She is currently girlboss-ing her way through life, with the former actor eventually founding a company that would give Elon Musk a run for his money.
Before leaving show business, Mendler used to be one of Disney's biggest stars. Many recognize her for her role as Teddy Duncan in "Good Luck Charlie" and Olivia White in "Lemonade Mouth," as well as projects outside of Disney, like "Undateable" and "Nashville." She also had a relatively successful music career, releasing chart-topping albums and EPs — and even embarking on concert tours. But by the late 2010s, Mendler's spotlight dimmed, and interestingly, it's not because of the lack of opportunities. Choosing to focus on her studies, Mendler enrolled at the University of Southern California to study anthropology, and went on to join a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned her Ph.D. She simultaneously attended Harvard Law School and got her J.D. in 2024. Say it with us: WHAT?!
In 2018, Mendler assured fans she wouldn't stop making and releasing music, but she has yet to drop new material. It's no surprise, though, considering her hands are full, not just with building her own company, but also with tending to her adopted son. Say it with us again: WHAT?!
Bridgit Mendler co-founded a satellite data startup
In February 2024, Bridgit Mendler surprised fans with an announcement that was out of this world — literally. The former actor took to X, formerly Twitter, to reveal the launch of her space startup called Northwood Space, which she co-founded with her husband, Griffin Cleverly, and colleague, Shaurya Luthra. "At @NorthwoodSpace we have our sights on building a data highway between earth and space. We are designing shared ground infrastructure from first principles to expand access to space," she wrote, adding that the company has secured $6.3 million in funding and that they are looking to expand their team.
Mendler told CNBC that the company has been a long time coming, having started during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "While everybody else was making their sourdough starters, we were building antennas out of random crap we could find at Home Depot... and receiving data from [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] satellites," she recalled. "For me, why the ground-side matters is because it actually is about bringing the impacts of space home to people." Their eventual goal is to emulate the likes of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, both of which offer server space to other companies, but in this case, they are looking to build satellite ground stations.
Does this mean Mendler's ditching her music career entirely? Not quite! In response to a fan asking when she'll release new music, the former Disney star hinted at what's next: "ever heard of satellite radio?" she tweeted.
Bridgit Mendler also revealed she adopted a child
Bridgit Mendler's space startup news is hardly her only update for fans, though. In another revelation that caught everyone off-guard, the "Wizards of Waverly Place" alum shared that she is now a mother, confirming in a tweet that she had adopted a kid she began fostering back in 2021.
"The other news I wanted to share is I'm a mama to a sweet 4yo boy," Mendler said. "Started fostering in 2021 adopted near Christmas of 2022. I'm so lucky — being a parent is the biggest gift and most defining experience there is. that's my news for now folks." This may not be a surprise to some fans, though, seeing as Mendler has always had a soft spot for children. "I chose to work with Save the Children because I really care about kids, obviously," she told Newsday's Kidsday in 2015. "I also care about education."
Seriously, what can't Mendler do? She's a space entrepreneur, an esteemed member of the academe, a talented artist, and now a devoted mother. We'll just have to sit tight and wait around for another jaw-dropping announcement from the multihyphenate, but our fingers are crossed that she'll come back with new bops the next time she decides to give fans an update!