Kayla Maisonet is an American actress, born on 20 June 1999 in New York, USA. She’s currently 21 years old and is mainly known for her role in the Disney’s series “Stuck in the Middle”.
Early Life
Kayla is the second child of Amanda and Angelo Maisonet, the younger sister of Justin, who was born in 1993, and is also an actor, though he hasn’t been cast in any major roles.
Kayla showed a deep interest in acting from a very early age, resulting in her family moving to Los Angeles in 2011 to help the young Kayla to pursue an acting career: ‘Their support means the world, and coming all the way from the east coast to support me shows me how much they care.’
Coming from a family of Puerto Rican and Russian background, Kayla has always faced negative comments about her mixed ethnicity and physical appearance, but has always been proud of her family and origins: ‘My family has shaped who I am in the way they support me, and make me feel as if I can conquer anything,’ she told Teenplicity.
Although not much is known about Kayla’s early education, it’s known that she matriculated from Oak Park Independent School in 2017. Unfortunately she couldn’t attend her matriculation ceremony, but celebrated the event nonetheless thanks to her co-workers of “Stuck in the Middle”.
Career
First Steps
Kayla Maisonet started acting in various school plays, eventually landing her first professional role in a New York University (NYU) film entitled “A New York Fairy Tale”, which was made by students in 2010.
Her first jobs in the industry were a result of her efforts to find an agency, as Kayla told A Book of Us: ‘I decided to give it a shot and sent in pictures to agents and managers. Six months later, one manager got back to us.’
After moving to Los Angeles, Kayla landed an appearance in a Verizon TV ad in 2011. The next year she was cast as TMC in “Shmagreggie Saves the World”, a TV movie directed by Sean McNamara and starring Tucker Albrizzi. However, she obtained her first recurring role in the Disney channel series “Dog With A Blog” playing the role of Lindsay.
The series is centered on Stan, a dog who has the ability to speak and write. In 2013 Kayla appeared in the first three episodes of Nickelodeon’s series “The Haunted Hathaways” as Lilly.
2015: Stuck in the Middle & More
After the end of “Dog With A Blog” in 2015, Kayla Maisonet played a minor character in the show “Mulaney”, then after a year during which Kayla was relatively inactive, in 2016 she was cast in the series “Stuck in the Middle” playing the role of Goergie Diaz. During the first season of the series Kayla was interviewed by Teenplicity, and admitted that she shared many personality traits with her character. She also talked about Georgie’s development, stating: ‘You will see many layers of Georgie as the season progresses, in a great way. She learns a lot and grows a lot towards the end of the season.’
In the same interview she talked about her love for acting, recalling how much she had learned despite only being in the entertainment industry for a few years: ‘I think the most important thing I’ve learned from being an actress is being around so many different types of people’.
“Stuck in the Middle” was on air for three seasons until its cancellation in 2018. However, the show was highly praised for showing an inclusive casting and story, as Kayla recalled: ‘I think having a show like “Stuck in the Middle” has been a great thing for the Latin community’, she said, mentioning the “Wizards of Waverly Place” as a show with a similar representation of a minority.
She continued the interview saying: ‘To have a new Disney show, that is diverse, and is a Latino show for kids, and a family show is great!’.
During her time in “Stuck in the Middle”, Kayla also appeared along with several other Disney’s stars in the official music videos for the song “Ducktales: Theme Song”, and in the feminist anthem “Disney Channel Stars: Legendary”.
2018 – Speechless
In 2018 Kayla Maisonet appeared as Vanessa Rodriguez in the first episode of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”. This comedy TV series is centered in Rebecca Bunch, a young woman who abandons everything in New York to find a new life in California.
In 2019 Kayla was cast as Izzy in the third season of the series “Speechless”, which centers on the life of JJ Dimeo, a teen with special needs. Although this sitcom was highly praised for its realistic take on the dynamics of a family with a disabed and non-verbal member, the show was cancelled in 2019.
2020: Present
Kayla’s most recent project is portraying the character Thelma in the series “Girl Room”. Produced by Lena Waithe and Dove, this series centers on the life of a group of girl friends, exploring various themes deemed important for young women, such as self esteem and body image. The show premiered on 15 April 2020, and won the Best Episodic Short Series category at the Tribeca Film Festival. However, the series has faced controversy regarding its originality, as the screenwriter Lena Lee pointed out the “Girls Room” was very similar to a series of the same name created and produced by her in 2017. However, Waithe denied that the show was plagiarized.
Awards & TV Show Appearances
In 2014 Kayla Maisonet won the Recurring Young Actress’ category at the Young Artist Awards. She has made several appearances in TV variety shows such as “Alexis Joy VIP Access” in 2013, and “Teens Wanna Know” in 2016. She has also been interviewed by “Red Carpet Report”, “Hollywood Today Live” and “TinaQ’s Celebrity Interviews”.
As a Disney channel star Kayla has appeared in various shows of the network, including “The Oh My Disney Show” and “Be Your Best Snackdown”.
Personal Life
Romantic Relationships
In June 2017, rumors regarding the possible relationship between Kayla and the “MECH-X4” star Nathaniel Potvin started, as they were caught hanging out together after he attended her birthday party.
Not long afterwards, the pair attended the red carpet of the movie “Descendants 2”, which confirmed the relationship. The couple has been together ever since, and often share pictures together on their respective social media accounts.
Inspirations
Kayla Maisonet is very passionate about her acting career, pointing out several times how much she loves her job. Besides former Disney stars such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, Kayla considers “Bates Motel” actress Vera Farmiga her biggest acting inspiration: ‘She’s incredible, and I really think that she’s a great actress’. Kayla continued, praising the actress’ ability to express different emotions through her characters: ‘She’s happy one minute and upset the next and mad the next in a way that is so real. Love her’.
Maisonet has also expressed how competitive the entertainment industry is, and how comparisons can wrongly affect people in it, which is the reason she advises young actors to be true to themselves and focus on their personal goals: ‘You have to remember your path, it might be different than others, but it’s yours’.
However, she’s confessed that she often feels herself ‘second guessing’ her career decisions, but doesn’t let these feelings become negative, considering them normal: ‘I want to make sure I’m always doing my best, that my choices are right, and that I’m believable. I think that every actor has these concerns.’
Ethnicity
Coming from a Puerto Rican father and a Russian mother, Kayla Maisonet is very open about her mixed ethnicity and love for her parents’ culture.
In an interview with NY Daily News, Kayla opened up about this topic: ‘I have two cultures to learn about and embrace. Which I love and think it’s so cool. I love being biracial because I think it makes me unique.’
In the same interview, Kayla also confessed that she often receives negative comments urging her to change her physical appearance. However, she always rejects these opinions, considering her looks as part of her uniqueness: ‘Being authentic can mean so many things, but, personally It means to be who I truly am!’
Net Worth
Kayla Maisonet has an estimated net worth of closet to $500,000, which is a result of her work as an actress.
Physical Appearance
Kayla Maisonet is a gorgeous woman with brown eyes and hair. Although her weight is unknown, she’s of noticeably slender build, at 5ft 1ins (1.55m) tall.
Interesting Facts
- Her favorite make actor is Nat Wolf.
- She wants to vacation in London.
- Kayla considers Rihanna her fashion icon: ‘Her style is one of a kind and everything she wears instantly becomes something everyone wants.’