Ex-Disney Star on Jake Paul, Olivia Rodrigo & Leaving Hollywood | Ethan Wacker Joins SideHustlin'!

He grew up on Disney Channel next to Jake Paul and Olivia Rodrigo. Now he buys malls, offices and hotels. On this episode of SideHustlin', Kristi K. sits down with Ethan Wacker, who played Bernie Schotz on Disney Channel's Bizaardvark. Ethan opens up about why Jake Paul wasn't in the show's final season, dating Olivia Rodrigo before she became a global star, and the money traps that leave child actors broke at 18. Then he walks through his pivot: Vanderbilt, a campus bed rental business, a clothing brand that failed, and a career in private equity real estate. Plus, skipping prom to get dunked on by Jayson Tatum, his Disney Channel Mount Rushmore, and why he thinks AI will reshape Hollywood. Ethan's comments on investing are his personal views, not financial advice. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 01:30 Growing up in Hawaii 05:40 The radio ad that started his career 06:58 Landing Bizaardvark 09:39 On set with Jake Paul and Olivia Rodrigo 11:05 Dating Olivia Rodrigo 15:15 Staying grounded as a child star 19:16 Would he ever act again? 21:47 Jimmy Kimmel Live! and his first gigs 24:00 The biggest lessons from Disney 26:23 Why Jake Paul left Bizaardvark 27:57 Vanderbilt and college during Covid 31:13 2 million followers and walking away 32:41 Building businesses at Vanderbilt 35:18 What a failed clothing brand taught him 37:58 Choosing finance over fame 40:11 Inside private equity real estate 43:17 Balancing school and stardom 46:25 Skipping prom for Klay Thompson and Jayson Tatum 48:03 Interviewing the Warriors and Celtics for ESPN 51:07 The dark side of child acting 52:58 Money advice for young stars 55:41 Why child actors grow up fast 01:00:16 Money advice for anyone 18 and up 01:03:08 Faith and partnering with Hallow 01:05:34 What success means to him 01:07:08 Rapid fire 01:10:52 The GOAT round 01:12:42 The Disney Channel Mount Rushmore 01:13:51 Life at 50 and what he's building now 01:16:16 Make an informed bet on yourself 01:17:03 AI, Hollywood and finance SideHustlin' with Kristi K. sits down with athletes, musicians, actors and influencers to talk about the businesses they built, the risks they took and the lessons they learned. New episodes every two weeks on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Keep building. Keep betting on yourself. And keep SideHustlin’. Subscribe to SideHustlin’ with Kristi K. for conversations about business, reinvention, money, and the decisions that shape success. New episodes every two weeks on YouTube and all digital streaming platforms. Subscribe for new episodes: @SideHustlinTV Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vHaYIB... Follow Kristi K.:   / kristikmedia   Follow Ethan Wacker:   / imethanwacker   Keep building. Keep betting on yourself. And keep SideHustlin'. MB01FPB6LBB5VYS #SideHustlin #disney #disneychannel #EthanWacker #KristiK #NBA #jakepaul #oliviarodrigo #FinancialLiteracy