Kayla Maisonet - Actresses, Family and Personal Life

Kayla Maisonet was born on June 20, 1999, in New York, US, to middle-class parents. The family had no connections in the industry. However, her parents, Amanda and Angelo Maisonet, sensed that their daughter was highly interested in the world of TV and thus decided to support her. She grew up with her elder brother.

Soon after she was born, Kayla and her family moved to New Jersey, which was somewhat closer to New York. There, she was fascinated by the aspect of seeing herself on TV.

Kayla was interested in the ‘Disney’ programs meant for kids. She was 5 years old when she began training in dance.

Although she was a talented performer, she was bullied in school. Her Jewish and Puerto Rican roots, coupled with her unconventional looks, became her biggest issues while growing up. She was not too good in academics and that affected her mental health.

The family then moved to Los Angeles as Kayla stepped into her teenage years. Interested in acting, she started auditioning for commercials and other roles. Eventually, she earned her first commercial, which was for a major company named ‘Verizon.’ This infused a sense of confidence in her.

Her parents were also supportive of her since the beginning of her career. They would pick her up from school, drive her to her auditions, and wait for hours for the auditions to end.

Kayla started her professional acting career in 2011, when she appeared in a short film titled ‘A New York Fairy Tale.’ She played the lead role of ‘Bella’ in the short film. It was her first time in front of the camera, and the confidence she exhibited was a big reason behind her future success as an actor.

In 2012, Kayla was selected to play a key role in the pilot episode of an upcoming series titled ‘Shmagreggie Saves the World.’ The quirky comedy drama had its pilot episode shot, with Kayla playing a key role. However, the pilot was rejected by several networks and the plans for the series were eventually scrapped. This was a major blow to Kayla, but the experience she had during her first shoot was unmatchable. She continued to audition, and it was not too long before she got the first full-fledged role of her career.

In 2012, she bagged a role in the ‘Disney’ comedy series ‘Dog with a Blog.’ The series narrated the story about a family’s awe at finding out that their dog could talk. Kayla was selected to play the role of ‘Lindsay,’ a weird girl with some inexplicable habits and the best friend of the leading lady. Her role was immensely loved by the audiences.

The series was not received well by the critics and received mixed reviews. However, it ran for three seasons. Kayla portrayed the role for 20 of the 69 episodes that were aired.

The series earned several nominations. Kayla earned her first-ever award, for her portrayal of ‘Lindsay.’ She was honored with the ‘Best Performance in a TV series- Recurring Young Actress’ award at the 35th ‘Young Artist Awards.’

The success of her character and the award she won had her becoming one of the key actors in the already-big pool of ‘Disney’s child actors.

However, for her next project, she chose to work with ‘Disney’s rival, ‘Nickelodeon.’ She played the guest role of ‘Lilly’ in the sitcom ‘The Haunted Hathaways.’ She appeared in just three episodes of the first season. Despite her role being small, her performance did not go unnoticed.

In 2015, she appeared in the series ‘Mulaney.’ It was the first guest role of her career. In one of its episodes, titled ‘Ruby,’ she played the role of an unnamed teen girl. Soon, she got a major opportunity when she was invited to audition for a major role in an upcoming ‘Disney’ sitcom titled ‘Stuck in the Middle.’

The sitcom began airing in February 2016 and became an immediate success. Kayla portrayed one of its leading characters, a sports fanatic named ‘Georgie Diaz.’ She played the elder daughter of the lead family in the series. Her role in ‘Stuck in the Middle’ earned her a lot of praises.

She appeared in all 57 episodes of the series, spanning three seasons. In December 2016, the series aired six short films that accompanied the main story.

Kayla Maisonet has been seen teasing her fans by sharing her pictures with another young ‘Disney’ star, Nathaniel Potvin. However, they have not officially confirmed their relationship status.

Kayla is against bullying and has been vocal about it. This is due to the fact that she was also bullied as a kid and knows how badly it can affect a person’s mental health.

Despite having a huge fan following on her social-media accounts, Kayla maintains that she does not give much importance to social media.