Iconic 'Lizzie McGuire' Child Star Goes Through Drastic Transformation, Now Looks Unrecognizable

Clayton Snyder, who stole hearts as Ethan Craft on "Lizzie McGuire," looks nothing like the teenage dreamboat fans remember from the early 2000s.

Now 37, the former Disney Channel star has undergone a total transformation since his days playing Hilary Duff’s long-haired, laid-back crush. Snyder, who was just 13 when he shot to fame in 2001, now rocks a much more rugged look, complete with short hair and a scruffy salt-and-pepper beard. And yes, he’s embracing the gray!

The "Lizzie McGuire" actor has been sharing glimpses of his new life on Instagram, where he’s gained a loyal following of nearly 60,000 fans. And while he may look different, there’s no denying he still has that same charm.

Back in the day, Snyder was the ultimate tween heartthrob, appearing on "Lizzie McGuire" from 2001 to 2004 and reprising his role in "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." But when the Disney hit came to an end, Snyder decided to take a major step back from Hollywood.

“Frankly, when the show wrapped up, I was kind of thankful,” he told E! in a 2002 interview. “‘I was like, ‘OK, phew, going into high school, new chapter, that's done. We’re going to see what this is going to be like.’”

Just as he was gearing up for a new chapter and had landed a spot on his high school’s varsity water polo team, Disney came knocking again with "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." Snyder said he made the tough decision to quit the sport to shoot the film, something that ultimately led him to walk away from acting altogether.

“It was that decision, actually, that got me to stop acting completely. I was pretty down at that time,” he admitted. “I really felt like I desired to be a team player in the things that I do… But for some reason, not being there for my water polo team weighed very heavily on my part. And so after the movie, it was like, ‘OK, this is it, this is what I am doing.’”

After nearly a decade out of the spotlight, Snyder eventually made his return to the screen in 2014.

Since then, he’s appeared in a handful of indie films and guest-starred on shows like "NCIS." His credits include "My Friend Violet," "Alien Warfare," "Her Side of the Bed," "Hide in the Light," and "Ham on Rye," among others.

While Snyder took a long break from Hollywood, his co-stars, especially Hilary Duff, stayed firmly in the spotlight.

Duff played the eponymous spunky preteen in "Lizzie McGuire" for its two-season run from 2001 to 2004, as well as in "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" in 2003. Though a Disney+ reboot was greenlit in 2019, it was ultimately canceled shortly after filming began.

Still, Duff has said she remains “optimistic” about the show’s future.

After her Disney days, Duff seamlessly transitioned into mainstream film and TV stardom. She went on to headline hits like "Cheaper by the Dozen," "A Cinderella Story," "Raise Your Voice," "The Perfect Man," and "Material Girls."

On television, she found major success starring as Kelsey Peters in TV Land’s "Younger" from 2015 to 2021 and the Hulu sitcom "How I Met Your Father," where she played Sophie, a hopeless romantic navigating love and life in New York City.

Adam Lamberg won over fans as Lizzie’s lovable best friend, Gordo. He had already been acting since the mid-’90s before landing the iconic Disney Channel role, but by 2008, he had largely stepped away from the spotlight.

Lamberg, now 39, was set to reprise his role for the scrapped Disney+ reboot, much to the excitement of nostalgic fans. While speaking about the series, Duff revealed a bit of the storyline for Gordo and Lizzie’s future, telling Vulture that the two were not engaged despite what many fans had hoped.

“It’s that one person that you’re like, ‘Was he the one? Is it ever going to be?’” she said. “You’re always kind of wondering. We wanted it to hurt everyone a little bit, and it’ll continue to hurt.”

Jake Thomas played Lizzie’s mischievous little brother Matt, who delivered plenty of comic relief during the show’s run.

After his Disney Channel days, Thomas appeared in shows like "ER," "CSI," and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," and even had a recurring role on "Cory in the House" from 2007 to 2008.

In 2023, the now 34-year-old launched a "Lizzie McGuire" rewatch podcast called "Living Lizzie," which he co-hosts with former co-star Davida Williams.

Outside of acting, Thomas is also a photographer and director.