'Wizards of Waverly Place's Showrunner Confirms Selena Gomez's Character Was Meant To Be Bisexual
Alex Russo and Hayley Kiyoko’s Stevie almost had a romantic relationship.
It’s been 11 years since Wizards of Waverly Place wrapped up its fourth and final season, and we’ve gotten confirmation that Selena Gomez‘s character, Alex Russo, was intended to be bisexual. However, considering the time period the series aired, an LGTBQ+ character on Disney Channel may have been considered extremely taboo.
Peter Murrieta, who was the series’ showrunner for three years, revealed that Stevie, who was portrayed by Hayley Kiyoko, was meant to be a love interest for Alex. “We could have played more with the relationship between Stevie and Alex,” Murrieta told Jennifer Stone (Alexie’s best friend, Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise (Alex’s dad, Jerry’s Russo) on a recent episode of their podcast, Wizards of Waverly Pod.
“Right?” Stone chimed in.
Murrieta added, “But we weren’t able to in that time. But it was pretty clear to all of us what that relationship was.”
Since Wizards of Waverly Place, characters on the Disney Channel have explored same-sex relationships, however, “at that time, it wasn’t a thing,” Murrieta added. “But we got as close as we could. I mean … It was pretty close.”
Watch a TikTok clip from the podcast episode below.
@jenniferlstone We know you wanted Stalex…we wanted it too. #wizardspod #wizardsofwaverlyplace #disneytok ♬ original sound – Jennifer Stone
