Raven-Symoné Reveals Her Disney Character Was Almost a Lesbian
Raven-Symoné has portrayed Disney's Raven Baxter for years, but she wants to make sure that there is a difference between herself and the character that she plays on TV. The Raven's Home star recently appeared on the podcast Pride with her wife Miranda Maday, and she revealed that before the That's So Raven spinoff began, Disney actually gave her the choice for Raven Baxter to be in the LGBTQ+ community before the show premiered in 2017. However, Raven decided against it.
"You know what, there was a conversation before the series started and I was asked the question, 'Would you like Raven Baxter to be a lesbian?' And I said no. I said no," she explained. "The reason I said no wasn't because I wasn't proud of who I was, or I didn't want to represent the LGBTQ+ community in any way."
"It was because Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter," she explained. "There was no reason for me to change the human that she was in order to fit the actress that played her. And Raven Baxter is a character that I was proud to play. Even if she is straight, cisgender, I don't mind, let her have her moment." That's So Raven ended in 2007, and Raven's Home premiered In 2017, with Raven Baxter now a divorced mother of two who lives with her best friend, Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol) and her son.
"I felt like the quiet undertones of living with Chelsea was enough, you know?" she continued. "Not that that was a true statement, that was never the intention of living with my best friend, but, you know, people say stuff that is just hilarious. I didn't want to change who she was."
Ultimately, Raven-Symoné, who came out in 2016 and married Maday last year, wanted there to be a clear distinction between herself and the character that she had played for so much of her life. "When you really start blending your personal self with your character self, it's even harder," she said. "Like, I'm stereotyped for the rest of my life. Let's just keep it 100. You know what I mean? If you ever see me in another character, you see Raven Baxter, and that's just what the deal is. I think the one thing that differentiates me from her is now a lot more."