The Untold Truth Of Kira Kosarin
Chances are if you watched Nickelodeon in the past decade, then you've heard of Kira Kosarin, the actor who played Phoebe Thunderman on the network's hit show, "The Thundermans." The comedy had been one of Nickelodeon's longest-running TV series, lasting four seasons between 2013 and 2018. While Kosarin had appeared in a few TV shows and movie shorts before, it's safe to say it was "The Thundermans" that launched her into fame. When it came to her breakthrough role, the New Jersey native dished to the Mirror, "It was fun to play her as she changed over the years, as I grew up and she grew up, it was a dream come true."
Although Kosarin is probably best known from her Nickelodeon days, she continued to act over the years, and in 2019 landed a role in the Hulu horror series "Light As a Feather." However, these days Kosarin is mainly focusing on making music, which is something she had been doing on the side. As of 2022, she's even released several songs she had written herself and has already put out an album.
With regard to this next chapter in her life, Kosarin told Composure, "It's a relief to be able to share myself in a more authentic way," adding, "People are very used to a preconceived notion of who I am or rather who I was as a young teen on television." So who is the real woman behind the TV superhero? Let's break down the untold truth of Kira Kosarin.
Kira Kosarin always wanted to perform
You could say that Kira Kosarin was destined to be a star. "I always knew I wanted to perform; I danced all the time, sang every day, and acted whenever I possibly could," she told Celebrity Teen Scoop. It probably helped that Kosarin grew up in a show business family, with her mother performing on Broadway and her father working in the music industry. "I grew up, basically backstage, watching my mom perform and my dad produce music and my uncle conduct," she explained to Locale.
Kosarin wasn't just backstage though, since she often acted in school plays, as well as community and regional theater. Yet it was one particular on-camera acting class that changed the course of her life. She recalled, "I took it and totally fell in love with on-camera acting!" She added, "The teacher of the class said he had a summer camp workshop out here in California, so we decided to come out and try it for a couple weeks."
Those couple weeks turned into Kosarin and her family moving to LA after she met an agent. Then in 2011, after three years of learning about the industry through Camp Hollywood, Kosarin booked "The Thundermans" when she was 14-years-old. That was apparently the perfect age for Kosarin, considering she told Teen Vogue, "I'm grateful my parents made me wait as long as they did to get me into this business, because I got to be a human before learning how to be an actor."
Kira Kosarin was on Disney before Nickelodeon
Fans may not know that Kira Kosarin actually made her official TV debut on the Disney Channel when she appeared in one episode of their TV series "Shake It Up," in 2012. That show had starred Zendaya and Bella Thorne, so you could say all three girls went on to become stars. Yet for Kosarin, that happened because of Nickelodeon considering that she went on to star in "The Thundermans" a year later.
It appears Kosarin knew playing Phoebe Thunderman would be a life-changing role since she auditioned for it multiple times. She later recalled when she got the gig to Celebrity Teen Scoop, saying "I was at lunch with my parents when I found out and started crying in the middle of the restaurant." It probably made it more special that Kosarin had really connected with her character. "I'm totally like her ... I'll do something and the cast will say, 'You are exactly Phoebe!'" she dished to Sweety High.
"The Thundermans" went on to last for four seasons, which Kosarin seemingly didn't see coming after Season One. She told Teen Vogue, "We got the message we'd be coming back and we all broke into tears." Her time on the show was apparently full of happy surprises which she gushed about in an Instagram post. She wrote, "What I didn't know was that this show called 'The Thundermans' would give me a second family in my cast, a third family in the fans ... and years of incredible experiences."
Music is Kira Kosarin's passion
While Kira Kosarin is probably best known for her acting, her true passion is actually music, which is something she had been working on while on "The Thundermans." "I've been writing since I was 15 and I actually wrote a full album while I was on the show but I was so busy being Phoebe that I couldn't put it out," Kosarin revealed to Mirror. Yet once the show ended, she decided to put her music first and in 2019, released several singles. She then independently put out her debut album, "Off Brand," after going on tour. She recalled to Hollywood Life, "I went into the audience ... and talked to everybody about what they thought of the show and what songs wanted to hear the most."
Yet Kosarin made it clear that she makes music for herself. She explained to Locale, "When I started writing music ... it was my diary. It was a way of articulating things that I couldn't figure out." Of course, being so raw has its drawbacks. "I realized, 'Oh, wait — other people also hear these lyrics and are now hearing my deepest, darkest secrets while listening to the radio," she said.
It appears even more people will hear Kosarin's music in the future, too, since she signed to Republic Records in 2022. When it came to this big step in her career, she gushed to Billboard, "Having this group of heavy-hitters on board trusting my creative vision and helping bring it to life is just magical."
The Nickelodeon star is popular on social media
You could say that Kira Kosarin is a major star on social media considering she has large followings on multiple platforms. As of 2022, Kosarin boasted 319K followers on Twitter and an even more impressive 6.2 million followers on Instagram, as well as a whopping 29.2 million on TikTok. When it comes to the latter, the "School of Rock" actor usually posts videos of her lip syncing to some of her own original music and has even used the platform to share new songs before they're released. In July 2022, for example, she did so with her song "Sugarcoating."
From the looks of Kosarin's Instagram, she also seems to be somewhat of an influencer and even admitted to YSBnow, "I am obsessed with Instagram." Like her TikTok, Kosarin often posts about her music, whether it's her performing, recording music, or her tour dates. However, her content has varied in that she's shared behind-the-scenes photoshoots, vacation photos, and of course the occasional mirror selfie as well.
If that's not enough, Kosarin has her own YouTube channel, mainly for her music and TikTok videos. While having a large social media presence is probably good for Kosarin's career and allows her to connect with fans, she understands that it can also be dangerous. She explained, "People only put the things on social media that they want other people to see. It's very easy to compare somebody's 'best of' reel on their Instagram page to you as a full person."
She's dating musician Max Chester
If you follow Kira Kosarin on social media, then you probably know she's taken from the photos she's posted of her "int'l" boyfriend," Max Chester. Kosarin has been dating the British musician since at least 2020, considering that's when Chester apparently made their relationship Instagram official. He had not only shared a photo of them canoodling in a hot tub but captioned the photo, "step 1: fall in love w your best friend." Kosarin seemingly then confirmed their romance, by posting a video of them singing a duet.
These days, the couple is still making music together, but doing so professionally. In May 2022, for example, Chester co-wrote and produced Kosarin's single "Parachute." Chester shared a touching moment of them hugging as that song played on Instagram, writing, "we made it with an awful lot of love." It's clear Chester has no problem gushing about Kosarin and in another post for their anniversary, he wrote, "To love, support, and grow with you is a privilege."
Kosarin appears to be just as smitten, and has posted her own romantic photos. She even shared a love letter to Chester in another post, where she wrote, "Never in this lifetime did I think I'd get to encounter a human like you, let alone be so lucky as to make him my partner in this world." Kosarin also gave him a shoutout for taking care of her when she had COVID-19, posting, "The hardest days are infinitely better with you by my side."
Kira Kosarin's net worth
Kira Kosarin may have more money in the bank than you think since, per Celebrity Net Worth, the "In Da Arcade" star is worth $4 million. It can be assumed a lot of that income has come from acting because she has steadily been working from age 14 on, with over 30 credits on her IMDb. Kosarin probably made a pretty penny off her 2022 record deal with Republic Records, too. When it came to the partnership, she told Billboard, "Being part of the Republic family truly feels like I've got the dream team around me."
As far as how Kosarin spends her money, not much is known other than she might have purchased some real estate. That's because in 2022, she revealed that she moved out of her first apartment where she lived on her own. She even told Stage Right Secrets, "I found that outgrowing and saying goodbye to an apartment could feel as bittersweet, intense, poignant, and heartbreaking as any other breakup."
And unlike a lot of other celebrities, it doesn't seem like Kosarin is into spending on luxury fashion brands. In terms of what she wears, she told Composure, "Day-to-day I like LF, I Am Gia, Urban Outfitters, Topshop — anything Adidas or Fila. I'm big on the athleisure." But Kosarin does apparently use her fortune to give back, considering that she's been involved with several charities over the years, like the onePULSE Foundation, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, and Camp Del Corazon.
The Thundermans star keeps a healthy lifestyle
It appears that keeping a healthy lifestyle has always been important to Kira Kosarin, especially because she grew up dancing. In 2014, she explained to Naturally Savvy TV, "That's been really, really awesome in staying healthy and fit." She continued, "I also like to watch what I eat, but it's nice to have a bag of potato chips every now and then when you know that you're still going to be working out."
These days though, Kosarin hits the gym to work out, telling Health Yogi in 2020 that she focuses on cardio and boxing, as well as core and bodyweight exercises. "I get really, really bored if I do the same thing over and over. So I'm always trying to find new ways to work out," she told YSBnow. From the looks of Kosarin's social media, one of those ways is also yoga, since she's tweeted photos of herself doing poses and a video of her practice. She even shared on Instagram in 2021 that it's part of her daily routine, writing "When I'm not making music, I'm doing yoga."
As for her diet, Kosarin revealed to Health Yogi she now also stays away from processed foods (like potato chips!) and mostly eats clean with fruits, vegetables and low carb foods. Yet she did dish to YSBnow, "Enjoy the journey of discovering new ways to be fit and healthy and new recipes and foods, instead of focusing on that goal weight on the scale."
The Mood Ring singer has been bullied
Not everyone is happy that Kira Kosarin has grown up since her Nickelodeon days, considering that she's been basically trolled on social media for it. It apparently even got so bad that the "Good Trouble" actor eventually took to her Instagram to respond to those who were shaming her and who felt her content wasn't suitable for her younger fans. While Kosarin made it clear that she understood their concerns, she pointed out, "I've spent the last five years trying to be a good role model for little kids and, as amazing as that's been, I have to let myself grow up, and I have to let myself grow in my career."
It seems that Kosarin isn't going to let backlash from fans stop her from evolving her image. She explained to Composure, "I feel a sort of responsibility to address their fears, but I do so with firm confirmation that I am determined to live my adult life as I see fit and without fear of judgment from people."
That wasn't the first time Kosarin had been bullied though. In 2016, when attending a "Say No to Bullying Festival," she revealed to Arambulo Live that she was bullied in school before it continued on a larger scale after she got famous. She dished, "It is hard, and it does hurt ... it's not always easy to just kind of ignore it." However, she added, "Anybody who is bullying you ... they're doing it because there's something that they're going through."
Kira Kosarin balanced acting with school and dancing
As a teen, Kira Kosarin had to balance a hot TV career with being in high school. It was something that apparently wasn't as glamorous as it sounds, since she told Teen Vogue, "Keeping up with my academics while working was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Yet Kosarin didn't just keep up with school, she thrived, graduating two years early as valedictorian. "It was a lot of having to kind of learn how to motivate myself. There was nobody there to really say, 'Kira it's time to do your homework' ... so it was a lot of me having to be proactive," she explained to Celeb Secrets.
You could say that education is something that Kosarin had always excelled at though, having skipped a few grades as a child. She credits her parents for helping her achieve that, telling YSBnow, "My whole life, academics have been placed at a very, very high ranking of importance in a great way."
Outside of school, Kosarin also somehow managed to keep up with dancing, which had been another passion of hers growing up. She not only studied at the Boca Ballet Theater, but kept training even while starring on "The Thundermans." At the time, she told Celebrity Teen Scoop, "I dance every day on hiatus weeks, and at least four days a week during work weeks." She continued, "My favorite style of dance is ballet, but I also love jazz, contemporary, lyrical, modern, and even hip-hop."
The Light As a Feather star has goals outside of acting
Although Kira Kosarin found major success on TV, the "Light As a Feather" star seemingly has other goals she wants to pursue outside of acting. One of those was attending college, which Kosarin had always planned on doing even after she got famous. She explained Celebs Secrets, "I want the experience. It's college, it's terrifying and awesome." While Kosarin got into the prestigious Stanford University, she decided to attend UCLA so she could stay closer to Hollywood. She also wanted to study psychology, telling Teen Vogue, "I'm an actor, so part of my job is to understand the ways peoples' minds work."
Kosarin went on to defer her acceptance to 2017 because of work, but it's unclear if she attended then. However, that fall, she did branch out into musical theater by starring in "Aladdin and his Winter Wish" at the Laguna Playhouse. That was also around the time that Kosarin shifted her focus to music when "The Thundermans" ended. She told the Mirror, "I'm really excited to get to share me with people in a more real, kind of honest, intimate way."
Yet Kosarin did tell QP that she does want to continue acting but with more adult roles that challenge her. She also has interest in working behind-the-scenes as a director. She revealed, "I've also been working to direct sitcoms, especially kids' shows ... I really want to help teach and raise the next generation of children's TV actors."
Kira Kosarin is friends with her Thundermans co-stars
It's safe to say that Kira Kosarin has always been close with her castmates from "The Thundermans," having bonded with them from the beginning. In fact, back in 2013 when the show had just debuted, Kosarin told Celebrity Teen Scoop, "There's such a great energy on set ... The rest of the cast and I have completely become a family since we started working on the show." For only child Kosarin, she even got to experience what it was like to have siblings. When it came to Jack Griffo, in particular, she told Newsday, "Sometimes we get along and sometimes we fight like brother and sister. But we love each other and we take care of each other."
Despite the TV series ending in 2018, Kosarin has managed to keep in touch with several of her co-stars. She even told J-14 in 2020, "I had a FaceTime catchup session with Audrey [Whitby] ... I had a FaceTime — an Instagram Live catchup session with Diego [Velazquez], which was really fun." That next year, she grabbed lunch with Griffo and her on-screen sister Addison Riecke, as well as their TV mom, Rosa Blasi. Kosarin posted a photo of their outing on Instagram, captioning it, "got the gang back together."
While Kosarin has come a long way from "The Thundermans," it's clear it'll always be special to her. She gushed to the Mirror, "It's definitely a different teenagehood than I would have had off the show, but I wouldn't change it for the world."