A major change took place on Disney Channel in 2011 when it was announced that the show formerly known as Sonny With a Chance would be getting a total revamp, including a new name. Months after its parent show came to an end, So Random! premiered on the network in June 2011.
Sonny With a Chance starred Demi Lovato, Tiffany Thornton, Brandon Mychal Smith, Sterling Knight, Doug Brochu and Allisyn Ashley Arm as the cast of a sketch comedy series. After two seasons, Demi departed from the show after entering a treatment center in October 2010. “It made sense for me to go ahead and leave the show to focus on my music,” the actress told People in April 2011 about her decision to leave the network. “It’s kind of sad for me that a chapter of my life has ended but there couldn’t be a better time for me to move on.”
She added, “I don’t think going back to Sonny would be healthy for my recovery.” At the time, Disney Channel said they supported the actress’ decision in a statement to the magazine.
Without its title character, Sonny With a Chance was overhauled into So Random! Just like it was portrayed on Sonny With a Chance, the new Disney Channel series acted as a sketch comedy show with musical guests. Most of the original actors stayed on the new show, and stars like Shayne Topp, Audrey Whitby, Damien Haas and Matthew Scott Montgomery were added to the cast.
More than nine years after Sonny With a Chance came to an end, Demi and the cast reunited in April 2020 to chat about their experiences on the show. When revealing what they’ve been up to since their Disney Channel days, the “Skyscraper” songstress said, “I went to rehab. Several times!”
On a more serious note, she admitted to feeling “overworked” and “miserable” while filming the fan-favorite series. Demi also called her former costar Tiffany her “biggest inspiration” when coming out of treatment because she “dealt with all of those pressures of being a woman on TV.”
“I looked at that as, ‘I wish I had that so bad.’ Yes, I probably was happier in my head with whatever I looked like at the time,” she explained. “But I’m so much happier now with the mentality that you have. I look back now and I’m like, man, it’s a shame that we wasted any energy on what we wore on set.”
Scroll through our gallery to uncover the real reason Sonny With a Chance changed its name in 2011.
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