The Skai Jackson And Debby Ryan Feud Rumors Explained
When "Jessie" first premiered on Disney Channel back in 2011, the cast seemed like something of a dream team. However, a few years in, rumors of a feud between stars Debby Ryan and Skai Jackson erupted. So, just what happened between the co-stars?
As "Jessie" fans will likely remember, while Ryan was the show's titular character, Jackson played a pretty pivotal role, too. Then 9 years old, Jackson told Clevver TV ahead of the premiere, "I find her on the street, because I live in a penthouse ... and I went outside and found her and she'd been thrown out of a cab. So, I picked her up and said, 'I want you to be our nanny.'" Sure enough, in the very first scene, Jackson's character Zuri refused to take no for an answer, despite Jessie's protests (via Disney Channel) — and just like that, a Disney Channel original was born.
It's worth noting that, at least when the show started, Jackson had nothing but a glowing character reference for her older co-star, who, per IMDb, also happened to be one of the show's producers. In the same Clevver TV interview, she beamed, "Debby Ryan is fantastic ... She's a great person." The feeling was clearly mutual. In a Clevver TV interview of her own, Ryan raved about all her castmates. "I love all four of them," she smiled. It's pretty clear, then, that at one point, they got along great. So, what changed?
Skai Jackson was accused of spreading rumors — and Debby Ryan addressed them
Make no mistake — countless Disney Channel stars have been accused of not getting along. However, what sets the situation between Skai Jackson and Debby Ryan apart is that Ryan addressed the rumors head-on.
Three and a half years into the show's four-year run, "Jessie" fans began to think something was amiss. Per J-14, Jackson was no longer following Ryan on Twitter. On its own, that wouldn't necessarily be a big deal ... but then, a concerned fan messaged Ryan via Tumblr, disturbing accusation in tow. "Skai's been telling me and others you 'push' and bully her," they wrote. That was just the beginning, though. The fan also claimed that the younger "Jessie" star had reached out to people on Instagram and "said you do drugs and are on crack." Given the severity of that suggestion, it's unsurprising that Ryan felt compelled to respond.
Granted, Ryan's response was pretty compassionate. "If I was 12, I probably would be insecure about the lead of the show I'm supporting on," she began. Ryan also added that when the show began, she knew tensions would arise as the younger cast members got older. "That's a rough age ... Especially in this industry. I would know," she wrote. However, she also made a point of dispelling the drug rumors, with a sassy-yet-firm endnote: "I do not have time to do drugs I work three jobs." A classy clapback, if ever we saw one!
Skai Jackson and Debby Ryan seem like they're okay now
Perhaps Debby Ryan's diplomatic Tumblr response played a role in the two former co-stars patching things up — or maybe, this is a case of time healing wounds. Either way, at the time of writing, both ladies follow one another on Instagram. And, if that wasn't enough of an indicator that they'd buried the hatchet, Jackson herself has decried rumors of any further tension between them.
Case in point: back in 2020, a fan reached out to Jackson via TikTok to ask if there was any animosity between her and Ryan (via Elite Daily). Jackson denied it outright, responding, "Girl no ... love her." However, per Elite Daily, one follower took things to a different level by screenshotting her comment, then adding an unkind spin to the original copy. The fabricated tweet now suggested Jackson had referred to her former co-star as a "musty white b***h." Jackson wasted no time lambasting the person responsible on Twitter, though. "Y'all are nuts for making a fake reply," she complained. Jackson also added a warning to the account behind the edit. "Don't do that again," she wrote. Meanwhile, Ryan has also stuck up for Jackson. In wake of Jackson's feud with Bhad Bhabie, Pop Base shared screenshots of a tweet liked by Ryan, calling Danielle Bregoli out for "starting beef with Skai Jackson nice unproblematic a**."
Maybe Jackson just needed to grow past her "rough age," after all. Regardless, today, these "Jessie" alums are A-okay.