Lizzie McGuire child star looks very different 20 years after Disney series ended

Jake Thomas played Lizzie McGuire's mischievous younger brother Matt in the hit Disney show, which ended in 2004, and he’s gone on to have cameo roles in ER, Cold Case, and Rules of Engagement

Lizzie McGuire child star Jake Thomas looks very different 20 years after the Disney series came to an end.

The comedy series, created by Terri Minsky, debuted in 2001, and was on TV screens until 2004, and even spawned a hit film, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, in 2003.

Leading lady Hilary Duff, who played the titular teenager, has enjoyed a hugely successful career since the show ended, fronting big screen movies including A Cinderella Story and Cheaper by the Dozen.

But it was her on-screen mischievous little brother Matt, played by Jake, who stole the show as he went to extreme lengths to try and irritate his older sister with his silly pranks.

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The youngster had a reputation for getting into trouble at school, but he was a loyal sibling to Lizzie, as he also targeted his big sister's enemy Kate Sanders, making her the target of his hijinks.

While Hilary has stayed in the limelight since the show ended, some of her fellow cast members have shunned Hollywood and embraced a ‘normal’ life away from the cameras.

Jake was only 11 years old when the show began in 2001, and 20 years later, he’s become almost unrecognisable.

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The child star enjoyed a series of brief roles in other hit US shows once Lizzie McGuire came to an end, appearing in ER, CSI: Miami, Rules of Engagement and Cold Case.

His since landed small parts on TV movies in recent years, and was announced as one of the cast members to reprise his role on the reboot of the Lizzie McGuire series, but that was sadly cancelled earlier this year.

Jake regularly updates his followers on his low-key lifestyle on Instagram, and the former TV star now rocks a moustache, and sometimes pokes fun at his time on the hugely successful show.

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In 2019, he dug out a piece of clothing he had kept from hit time on Lizzie McGuire, and wore it in an impromptu photoshoot on social media.

The bomber jacket, which was far too small for the 31-year-old actor and appeared cropped on his tall frame, was from one of the episodes of the hit series.

The red and blue jacket was emblazoned with ‘Team McGuire’ on the back, and he also featured screenshots from the episode he first wore the vintage jacket in the slideshow on Instagram.

“Still got it,” he cheekily captioned the post.

Jake, who lists his job titles as ‘actor, director and photographer’ on his Instagram bio, recently revealed a snap from a shoot he was working on, telling his followers he had just directed a toy commercial.