Keri Russell Explains Why she Thinks Some Girls Left Mickey Mouse Club.
Keri Russell recalls the moment she became ineligible to continue as a Mouseketeer.
The Felicity star joined the Disney Channel revival of The Mickey Mouse Club in 1991. After two years, alongside other notable names like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling, she departed the show at 17.
She speculates on the reason for her exit.
“It seemed girls who appeared sexually active were typically let go,” the 48-year-old shared with Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the July 9 episode of his podcast Dinner’s On Me when discussing who was dismissed from the show. “I may have been one of the first.”
She followed up humorously, saying, “Expecting Mouseketeers don’t make the cut.”
The Diplomat actress also noted the contrast in treatment between male and female performers on the revived Mickey Mouse Club.
“The boys could stay until they were around 19,” she remarked. “Meanwhile, I was like, ‘I know for a fact that person has had intimate relations.'”