We Took A Deep Breath After Seeing Raven Symone At 35 Today

Aug 11, 2021

Raven-Symone Pearman-Maday is an American actress, singer, and songwriter who is also mononymously known as Raven. VH1 included her on their "100 Greatest Child Stars of All Time" list in 2012. She has received many other accolades, including five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids' Choice Awards, and three Young Artist Awards. Raven has also been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Raven began her career as an actress at the young age of 3, appearing as Olivia Kendall on "The Cosby Show." She was on the show from 1989 to 1992. Raven later moved to the Disney Channel, where she found great success. 

She began with a role in the television film "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" in 1999. She then went on to have her own sitcom called "That's So Raven," which ran for a record-breaking four seasons on the Disney Channel. Raven is still at home on the network today with a spin-off of her old sitcom called "Raven's Home." The show began in 2017 and has been received well by audiences and critics. 

Raven began her musical career at the age of seven, releasing an album in 1993 called "Here's to New Dreams." She then went on to release three other albums throughout her career, which saw moderate success on the Billboard charts. Raven has also lent her voice to numerous Disney projects, including the soundtracks from "The Cheetah Girls" franchise. 

In her personal life, Raven was married in 2020 to Miranda Maday, who is a social media manager. The actress has been very open about a recent weight-loss journey that was inspired by her wife. Read on to learn more about Raven and her 30-pound weight loss. 

Raven's time with Disney has been nothing but record-breaking. "That's So Raven" was number one on Disney Channel when it originally aired in 2003. When "Raven's Home" premiered in 2017, it also opened at number one, making it the channel's first number one premiere in years. Raven said to Medium of her triumphant return to the channel, "It felt great. It feels good that I'm able to bring happiness back to people and joy and entertainment. It makes me happy."

The star says she feels at home with Disney and that they are of the same mind when it comes to entertainment. Raven said in the same interview:

"I feel like being that I want to, myself, watch content that I can learn something from, I can feel at home with, where I don't feel like, 'should I being watching this,' I feel like my brand and Disney's coincide because I want to make family entertainment and so does Disney. So when you have like-minds come together to create something, I think that's a plus and kind of lightning in a bottle type of magic."

Raven has much to be proud of, and she definitely appreciates the journey she has been on in her career. "This is amazing. I was the first black female to have their name in the title of a comedy series — I don't take it lightly, I definitely understand the ramifications of it and I try my best to do it justice wherever I can. I continuously thank Disney all the time for giving me this opportunity and trusting me with these titles because I won't let them down and they haven't let me down," she said.

Raven had an interview with "Good Morning America" in June 2021 about how she lost 30-pounds in just three months. The actress said she wasn't necessarily trying to slim down but instead, "it's really complete body health."

Raven had lost 70-pounds in 2011 but ended up gaining the weight back. "Every time I lost weight in the past, it was about the size," she said. "I've been a part of the Hollywood industry machine and I didn't understand why every time I dieted I would gain weight later."

This time around, she is not focusing on size and instead on health. Now she's "low carb as much as I can be," and she only does "very minimal exercise." One of her secrets is being "an avid faster," adding that she has "a minimum of 14-hour fast" between her dinner and breakfast.

Raven is aware that there is no time like the present to take care of your body. "I want to make sure that my body is healthy and prepared to deal with old age, ultimately, and I have to start now. I believe that anyone can do it and I believe when you understand why you have great willpower. I feel like this is something that will sustain my life for a lot longer."

The actress told E! In July 2021, that part of her inspiration for losing weight was because she received "horrendous numbers" on recent medical exams. She added that she wants to be around for a long time for her wife, Miranda. "This was because we want to have a life together. She doesn't want to take me to an early grave and I want to make sure I am there for her in the best health possible," Raven said.

What do you think of Raven's weight loss? Did you ever watch her on the Disney Channel? We are curious to know your opinion. Don't hesitate to pass this along to your loved ones.