Former Disney Star Tells How He 'Fell Into' Adult Entertainment
Wizards of Waverly Place star Dan Benson's career took a surprising turn in the decade since the hit Disney Channel series ended. Benson, now 35, revealed that he is now working in adult entertainment after falling into the industry. The actor had a recurring role on the show as Zeke Beakerman, appearing in over 30 episodes alongside Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin and Jennifer Stone.
In a TikTok video published earlier this week, Benson said he "tripped and fell into" adult entertainment. People often ask him why he describes his transition from mainstream television to the adult industry this way. When he was on the show in his early 20s, he said he would get messages from women who thought he was attractive.
@danleebenson I tripped and fell into adult entertainment. #disney #disneychannel #wizardsofwaverlyplace #adultenteratinment #accountant #zeke
♬ original sound – Dan Benson
"I would get messages from people all of the time, some of those being women that I found incredibly attractive," Benson recalled. "It turns out, messaging those women, who turned out not to be who they said they were, turned out to be not the best idea." Benson admitted to sending these women nude photos of himself, which would then surface on websites.
"That was a pretty traumatic experience, and for years I went about trying to get rid of them, get them off the internet, 'cause obviously I did not want them out there," Benson said. "But, as you can imagine, that was a pretty difficult task."
The photos had a "very big, negative impact" on his life. However, he soon came to the conclusion to stop fighting it and "instead go the other direction and completely lean into it and build out a page." He decided to stop letting other people profit from selling his privacy and decided to sell it himself.
Benson started his adult industry career last year and has had a "tremendous amount of fun." He has "met a lot of great people in the adult entertainment industry, and it's changed my life for the better." He is now selling content on an OnlyFans page. "What are you gonna do? Sometimes you have to roll with the punches," he said. "I highly suggest you do."
Wizards of Waverly Place aired on the Disney Channel from 2009 to 2012 and starred Gomez as teenage wizard Alex Russo, who trains her siblings (Henrie and Austin) in New York. The series was created by Todd J. Greenwald and included a 2009 TV movie and a 2013 stand-alone special. The Emmy-winning series is available to stream on Disney+. Benson's last credited role is the 2018 crime movie Killing Diaz.