When we first met Raven-Symoné, she was adorable little Olivia from The Cosby Show. Before she would blow up and become an internet meme, Olivia was so soothing a character to watch. Whether she was explaining where babies came from or feeling overconfident on her first day of school, she often carried the day.

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Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Raven’s career began at a modeling agency, where she appeared in several advertisements. It’s hard to imagine that, prior to The Cosby Show, Raven had no acting experience. When she auditioned for a role, many thought she was too young for it. But luck had I that she would join the sixth season of The Cosby Show and stay on until its finale. Here’s how Raven has grown from her The Cosby Show days:

9 Working As A Child Star

After Raven grew in popularity through The Cosby Show, in the ‘90s she appeared in a couple of high-grossing films. First, there was the 1994 film Little Rascals, where she played the role of Stymie’s (Kevin Jamal Woods) girlfriend at the club. Raven’s highest grossing film was Dr. Dolittle, where she played Eddie Murphy’s daughter, Charissa Dolittle. She reprised the role in the movie’s sequel, which was equally successful.

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8 ‘That’s So Raven’

Before Raven became the lead of the show That’s So Raven, she had in fact auditioned for the role of Chelsea Daniels, a character on the show. As Raven, the teenager with psychic powers, real-life Raven’s popularity shot through the roof. The show became the highest-rated program on Disney and was nominated for numerous awards. It birthed two spin-offs: Cory in the House, and Raven’s Home.

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7 ‘Cheetah Girls’

Raven would later come to be known as one of Disney’s own, thanks to That’s So Raven, but her first project with the giant network was in Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, back in 1999. In 2003, Raven found her next success with Disney by playing Galleria Garibaldi in The Cheetah Girls. The movie proved to be one of Disney’s successful projects and was the network’s top-rated project that year.

6 Attending College

As a child star, it’s safe to say Raven’s childhood was not normal. She took to college when she was 28. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Raven revealed that she would be taking art. “I wanna take jewelry. I wanna take sculpting. I take print-making, I take figure drawing. I wanna turn over the stereotype of what I can become, and to me, it’s just another extension of what I did when I was younger," she said.

5 Coming Out

According to Teen Vogue, Raven knew she was gay by the time she was 12 years old. However, it wasn’t until she was in college that she decided to come out. Her delay, she said, was out of fear of public outroar. In 2013, after the Supreme Court declared The Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, Raven tweeted: “I can finally get married! Yay Government! So proud of you.” The outside world considered that her coming out post. Raven, still in conversation with Oprah Winfrey, said, “I will say that I’m in an amazing, happy relationship with my partner, a woman. And, on the other side, my mother and people in my family, they’ve taught me to keep my personal life to myself.”

4 She Got Married To Miranda

In 2020, Raven got married to Miranda Mayday in a private backyard ceremony. In what is perhaps the most Raven move, the actress shared pictures of her and Miranda in matching tattoos and wedding bands. Raven had proposed at a mountain in Malibu, a place she holds dear. Their wedding was carried out at Grey’s Anatomy actress Debbie Allen’s home.

3 Who Makes A Mean Dutch Baby

If we had any doubts about it, then it’s clear we shouldn’t. There’s one way to Raven's heart: her stomach. Raven’s wife Miranda knows this too well, and one of the very first things she ever cooked her was a ‘Dutch Baby’. What’s a Dutch Baby, you may ask? According to Raven, “It’s not a pancake. It has a little bit different anatomy, but it’s in the same world.”

2 Weight Loss Journey

After trying out one too many diet fads, Raven took to losing weight the best way she knew how, leading her to lose 30 pounds in three months. In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Raven said of her weight loss: “I am low-carb as much as I can be. I do very minimal exercise and I am an avid faster. I make sure that I have a minimum of 14-hour fast between dinner and breakfast.” To keep it going, Raven says she drinks a lot of water and has a goal in mind.

1 Still Thriving

By the time she was 28, Raven thought it was all over. She had basically done it all. "There’s nothing left to do," she said in her conversation with Oprah. Maybe it's the same feeling Beyoncé had at that age, right? Yet she is still thriving in Hollywood and is amongst the child actors who continue to do so. As recent as 2020, Raven continues to appear in films. She plays the lead in Raven’s Home, a show in which she is also an executive producer, and has appeared on shows such as The Bold Type, Celebrity Watch Party, and Bunk’d.

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