Christy Carlson Romano Gushes Over Husband Brendan Rooney Amid Quarantine: ‘He’s So Inspirational to Me’ (Exclusive)

2020 has been a challenging year for many and with the uncertainty of what’s next, it’s comforting to have someone to lean on. Actress Christy Carlson Romano spoke exclusively with PopCulture.com about her YouTube channel, which has not only become a beacon of joy among fans but features her sweet family navigating these tough times. The former Disney Channel star noted how she’s also inspired by her husband and U.S. marine, Brendan Rooney, in these “times of crisis” because of the “crazy things” he has seen.

“We’ve been holding it down pretty well, I think. I’m actually really proud of us. I think my husband’s been amazing,” Romano said in our series, PopCulture @ Home. “He’s so inspirational to me at times of crisis because he’s seen crazy things, but when it comes to the way that we were starting to prepare for whatever, we didn’t know what was going on with the food and the mail systems and stuff.” She noted how both came together and prepared for whatever may be next, highlighting that they ended up with a few new animal friends too. In fact, she celebrated her birthday on March 20 “installing a chicken coop” in her backyard.

The 36-year-old and her husband share two children together: Isabella and Sophia. While it’s been hectic being a parent of two young children amid a pandemic, Romano says she’s already leaning on Christmas music to get her through the times — a quality fans will remember from her Even Stevens days. “I listened to holiday music yesterday and even this morning. I think it’s helping people get by, I think, like, feeling stagnant and then having something to look forward to,” she said, noting, “We all know once it’s September 1st, it’s Christmas!”

While Christmas music is helping her pass the time by, something else she’s staying busy with is her YouTube channel. “So I started my YouTube channel a couple of years ago and we’ve hit the milestone of having over 200,000 subscribers — which they send you a plaque and you’re on your way,” Romano said. However, things changed a bit on set once the coronavirus came into play. “Then COVID hits and things change, so we’ve had to pivot a little bit, but we’ve had a lot of fun.”

Romano started her cooking show Christy’s Kitchen Throwback, offering fans a sense of nostalgia as she hosts several Disney guests, including her former Even Stevens big brother, Nick Spano. “We had so much fun ’cause we hadn’t seen each other in a little while,” she said of Spano. Despite COVID-19, Romano and her husband, who is her producing partner, have found safe ways to continue their shows via YouTube. Since starting her channel, she’s hosted a variety of segments, including, “The Blindfold Bake Off” and more recently, doing impersonations of fellow celebrities like Lindsay Lohan.

As if Romano isn’t busy enough, the young star also had her show Bucket List Bistro picked up by Fox and will be taking fans on a tour around the world through different foods. The new cooking show will premiere on both the Taste of Fox YouTube channel and Hulu Thursday Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. CT.