Several High School Musical alums have gone on to become parents since their days of singing and dancing in the halls of East High.
“Ondine Michelle Pauline. Thank you for choosing @joeypauline and I to be your parents. You have an army of a family that’s been waiting for you,” Olesya Rulin, who played pianist and composer Kelsi Nielsen in the Disney Channel movies, captioned an August 2022 Instagram video of her newborn daughter.
The first time mom continued, “Thank you to all of the life lessons that have brought us to a place where we can welcome you with love in our hearts, peace in our minds, and gratitude in our souls.” The Russia native married her husband, Joseph Pauline, in November 2021.
Ashley Tisdale, who bossed around Rulin’s character in the films as queen of the drama club Sharpay Evans, is also a mom to two adorable little ones. She and her husband, Christopher French, welcomed Jupiter Iris French in March 2021. The pair welcomed their second daughter, Emerson, in September 2024.
Credit: Courtesy of Ashley Tisdale/Instagram
Emerson Clover
Tisdale and French welcomed their second daughter in September 2024. “Emerson Clover French, all three of us are obsessed with you,” Tisdale wrote via Instagram alongside a black-and-white pic of the couple holding the newborn’s hand. “She landed 9.6.24 🍀.”
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Vanessa Hudgens' 1st Child
Hudgens, who played Gabriella Montez, gave birth to her first baby with husband Cole Tucker in July 2024. She did not immediately share the little one's name, sex or photo.
Credit: Courtesy of Ashley Tisdale/Instagram
Jupiter French
Tisdale’s little girl turned 1 on March 23, 2022. “You are the most incredible thing that has happened to me and your dad. You’re everything I could have ever dreamt of and more. I hope you know how incredibly loved and special you are,” the Frenshe founder captioned a birthday tribute to her daughter.
Credit: Courtesy of Olesya Rulin/Instagram
Ondine Pauline
When Rulin announced the birth of her daughter via Instagram in August 2022, some of her HSM cast mates congratulated her in the comments. "Yay!!!! So happy for y'all. Congratulations” Seeley wrote.
"Welcome to the world sweet baby girl 💖 Congratulations you two! I'm glad to see she has arrived safely 🕊 Sending you and her so much Love. Xo," Stroh commented.
Credit: Courtesy of Drew Seeley/Instagram
Ember Seeley
Although Drew Seeley didn’t appear on screen in High School Musical, he provided vocals that were blended with Zac Efron’s voice in the first film. He also cowrote the iconic song “Get’cha Head in the Game” with producer Ray Cham.
The Canada native and his wife, Amy Paffrath, welcomed their daughter, Ember, in July 2019. “Ember you are my entire heart,” the Another Cinderella Story actor wrote alongside a July 2022 Instagram post of Paffrath holding their little girl.
Credit: Courtesy of KayCee Stroh/Instagram
Zetta Higginson
Kaycee Stroh stole the audience’s hearts as Martha Cox, a bookworm who secretly loved to breakdance. She and her husband, Ben Higginson, welcomed their first daughter, Zetta, in May 2013.
The Disney Channel alum announced her pregnancy in November 2013.
"It's been a long time coming. Ben and I have been waiting for the right time, but as anyone in the entertainment business learns, there is no right time,” she said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time.
Credit: Courtesy of KayCee Stroh/Instagram
Lettie Higginson
Two years later, Stroh’s family grew when they welcomed their daughter Lettie in October 2015.
Credit: Courtesy of Bart Johnson/Instagram
Baylen Johnson
When Bart Johnson played Efron's basketball coach father, he already had experience as a real-life dad. He and his wife, Robyn Lively, welcomed their first son, Baylen, in January 2003.
While wishing his oldest child a happy birthday in 2022, the Little Women actor called Baylen, “the kindest most incredible soul I know.”
Credit: Courtesy of Bart Johnson/Instagram
Kate Johnson
“My only daughter turned 16 yesterday,” Bart captioned a carousel of Instagram photos in April 2021. “All she wanted was to go out on the lake in freezing water. I’ve never been more proud!”
Credit: Courtesy of Bart Johnson/Instagram
Wyatt Johnson
The My Family actor’s youngest child, Wyatt, was born in 2008. “Last day of summer break,” he captioned Instagram photos of him and his son posing with surfboards on the beach in August 2021.
