Christy Carlson Romano Says Shia LaBeouf Trash-Talked ‘Lizzie McGuire’

Christy Carlson Romano says Shia LaBeouf viewed fellow Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire” as competition while they were making “Even Stevens,” recalling that her co-star would disparage the show. According to Variety’s report, Romano described him as “definitely beefing” with its star, Hilary Duff, although she said Duff was unaware of it.

“Hilary had no clue about that,” Romano said. Her recollection frames the supposed rivalry as something happening on the “Even Stevens” side rather than a public disagreement or an exchange between the two shows’ stars. She suggested Duff was occupied with her own work.

The distinction is important to the account: Romano was describing what she remembered hearing from a colleague, not reporting a confrontation she witnessed between LaBeouf and Duff. Nothing in the supplied excerpt establishes that Duff responded to the remarks or regarded “Even Stevens” in the same competitive terms.

The headline accompanying Variety’s report quotes Romano explaining LaBeouf’s ambition: “He wanted to be the number one show.” That description places the comments in the context of his desire for the sitcom’s success, rather than establishing a separate personal dispute with Duff. It remains Romano’s characterization of his attitude during their time working together.

Romano broke out on “Even Stevens,” giving her recollections a firsthand connection to the production at the center of the story. Both that sitcom and “Lizzie McGuire” were Disney Channel shows, making the competition she described an internal one involving programs associated with the same network.

Her remarks also draw a distinction between the shows’ shared television home and the relationships among their performers. Working for the same channel did not necessarily mean the young actors experienced their careers as a collective enterprise. In Romano’s telling, LaBeouf was particularly concerned with where his own series stood.

The account adds a behind-the-scenes perspective to programs audiences knew primarily through their onscreen characters. But it does not provide ratings figures, a documented contest between the productions or evidence that the reported comments affected either show. Wanting the top position and actually holding it are separate questions.

The wording of the recollection likewise calls for caution about labeling the episode a feud. Romano’s statement that Duff did not know about it points instead to a competitive attitude she attributed to LaBeouf. It should not be read as evidence of mutual hostility between the actors.

For now, the central account is Romano’s retrospective description of her former co-star’s behavior. Any fuller assessment would depend on additional context or accounts from those involved; the supplied material does not establish their perspectives on her recollection.