Aly Michalka is an American actress and singer-songwriter, who is best known for her work on Phil of the Future, iZombie, Two and a Half Men and as the musical duo, Aly & AJ, with her sister, AJ Michalka.
Background Info
Aly Michalka was raised in Seattle, Washington, with her sister Amanda Joy “AJ” Michalka by her parents Mark and Carrie. They would also spend time in Southern California as well. Mark owns a contracting company, and Carrie was a musician with the Christian rock band JC Band. However, Mark and Carrie would later divorce.
Aly Michalka learned performing arts relatively young, playing the piano at five and the guitar at 13. She would also act in Church plays as early as five. She was raised as a Christian. She is of German, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent.
Professional Career
Phil of the Future
Around the age of 15, Aly Michalka leveraged her music and acting experience and landed the role of Keely Teslow on the Disney Channel original series Phil of the Future.
The series followed a future family and their son, Phil (Raviv Ullman), as they are stranded in the past of 2004. Aly Michalka would play a friend and love interest of Phil. The show ran until 2006 and launched many careers, such as Kay Panabaker and Eva Peters.
The show aired in 2004, but just around that time she also filmed Now You See It…, another Disney Channel original movie. As to which was first, it appears to be Phil of the Future, released first, as production on the film Now You See It…, didn’t end until 2005.
Now You See It… was a TV movie produced by the Disney Channel and released in 2005. The film follows Allyson Miller (Michalka), an aspiring who pushes an aspiring magician, Danny Sinclair (Johnny Pacar), to compete under the tutelage of Mystic Max (Franke Langella).
Aly & AJ
Around the time she was doing projects for Disney, she and her sister AJ would perform music and make videos for the Disney Channel as Aly & AJ, helping to launch the teen singing boom of Walt Disney Records.
By 2009, Aly Michalka would diversify her projects, starting with the rock comedy Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens and Gaelan Connell. She followed that with a role in the sex-comedy Easy A in 2010, which featured Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes.
In 2010 she landed the lead opposite Ashley Tisdale in the cheerleader comedy/drama Hellcats on the CW. The show ran for a year.
Two and a Half Men
One of Michalka’s more notable roles would come in 2013 with a multi-episode run of the sitcom Two and a Half Men. She played the role of Brooke in 5 episodes spanning 2013 to 2015. Brooke was the girlfriend of Jenny (Amber Tamblyn), the lesbian daughter of Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen). Her appearances on the show were limited to the 11th season of the series.
From 2017 to 2019, she appeared in the YouTube Red series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television alongside Ryan Hansen and Samira Wiley. The 30-minute sitcom ran for 16 episodes; Michalka was in 14.
iZombie
Aly Michalka also had an extensive run on the horror comedy iZombie for the CW. She played the character of Payton Charles across 56 episodes. Payton was the best friend of Liv (Rose McIver), who works in local politics. By the third season, she was a regular cast member.
Aly & AJ, Michalka’s pop duo with her sister, AJ, slowed down in years following their material for the Disney company but also recently released their fourth studio album in 2021 after a 14-year hiatus.
What is Aly Michalka doing now?
Aly Michalka is still acting today. Most recently, she appeared in a 2021 movie called Sand Dollar Cove. In 2022 she made an appearance on The Good Doctor. She also has a project titled Killing Winston Jones in production for 2023.
For Phil of the Future fans, in 2020, she hosted a reunion of cast members. She was joined by Brenda Song, Raviv Ullman, and Amy Bruckner. This was part of the Aly & AJ “Up All Night” charity fundraising event. Aly & AJ is still an active musical duo as well. The band is actively preparing for a European tour, and this follows the release of their latest single, “With Love.”
Part of the renewed interest in Aly & AJ is a surge of popularity in viral TikTok videos. Their song “Potential Breakup Song” was ‘rediscovered’ by TikTok users and revived interest in the act after their hiatus.
Personal Life
Aly Michalka is married to director and cinematographer Stephen Ringer. The two were wed on June 7th, 2015. He has been behind the camera in recent Aly & AJ videos.
Aly Michalka can be found on Instagram. She also can be found as part of the band’s Aly & AJ Twitter account.
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