# AJ Michalka
**AJ Michalka** (Amanda Joy Michalka, born 1991 in [Torrance, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/torrance-california)) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter, one half of the sister duo [Aly & AJ](https://www.edgepedia.org/aly-and-aj) and known for playing Lainey Lewis on the ABC sitcoms *The Goldbergs* and *Schooled*.[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Amanda Joy Michalka; nickname AJ[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) |
| Born | 1991, Torrance, California[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) |
| Music duo | Aly & AJ, formed with her older sister Aly Michalka; signed with Hollywood Records in 2004[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) |
| Signature hit | "Potential Breakup Song" (2007), which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, the duo's highest-charting hit[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-03-13.pdf) |
| Signature TV role | Lainey Lewis on *The Goldbergs* (2014–2023, 82 episodes) and lead of the spinoff *Schooled* (2019–2020)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404488/) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-goldbergs-spinoff-1990s-series-order-aj-michalka-lainey-936508/) |
| Voice roles | Catra in *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power* (2018–2020) and Stevonnie in *Steven Universe*[6](https://alyandaj.org/aj-michalka/) |
| Recent casting | First confirmed cast member, with Alexander Ludwig, of *The White Lotus* season 4, announced December 19, 2025[7](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/the-white-lotus-season-4-casts-aj-michalka-alexander-ludwig/) |
## Early life and screen debut
Michalka was born in Torrance, California, to Carrie Begley, a musician, and Mark Michalka, who owns a contracting company.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404488/) She was raised in a musical family alongside her older sister Alyson ("Aly") and was homeschooled; she began playing piano and guitar at a young age and performed in church and local theater productions.[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) She began seriously studying acting at age 9, landing a lead role in a church musical, *Jailhouse Rock*, and later booked a national commercial on her first audition.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404488/)
Her screen career began in childhood with early roles on shows including *Oliver Beene*, *Six Feet Under*, and *General Hospital*, followed by recurring roles on the CBS crime series *The Guardian* (2001–04) and the Fox sitcom *Oliver Beene* (2003–04).[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/)
## Music career
In 2004, she and Aly formed the pop duo Aly & AJ and signed with [Hollywood Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-records), the Disney-owned label that was then also breaking acts like the [Jonas Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonas-brothers) and [Hannah Montana](https://www.edgepedia.org/hannah-montana).[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) • [3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-03-13.pdf) Their debut album, *Into the Rush*, was released in 2005 and went gold; *Insomniatic* followed in 2007 and featured "Potential Breakup Song," which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) • [3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-03-13.pdf)
After leaving the Disney fold, the sisters set Aly & AJ aside for several years and briefly performed as the band 78violet.[8](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/) They regrouped under their original name in 2017 with the EP *Ten Years*, titled for the decade since their last release under that name, followed by the EP *Sanctuary* in 2019.[8](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/) Their first studio album since 2007, *A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun*, arrived in 2021, followed by *Silver Deliverer*.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/08/aly-and-aj-a-touch-of-the-beat-interview/) • [10](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-to-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet-20260826) In late December 2020, the duo released a reimagined explicit version of "Potential Breakup Song" after the original saw a resurgence on TikTok.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/08/aly-and-aj-a-touch-of-the-beat-interview/)
AJ has also recorded as a solo artist; her single "It's Who You Are" was released in 2010, and "All I've Ever Needed" appeared on the *Grace Unplugged* soundtrack in 2013.[11](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621224248)
## Acting career
Michalka's [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) debut came in the 2006 television movie *Cow Belles*, co-starring Aly, and she headlined the MTV feature *Super Sweet 16: The Movie* the following year.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/) Her film work includes a small part in [Peter Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-jackson)'s *The Lovely Bones* (2009), the horse-racing drama *Secretariat* (2010), which featured one of her own songs, the J.J. Abrams science-fiction film *Super 8* (2011), and the lead in the faith-themed drama *Grace Unplugged* (2013).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/) She also appeared in *Support the Girls* (2018) and co-starred in and produced *Weepah Way for Now* (2015) with her sister.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/) • [6](https://alyandaj.org/aj-michalka/)
On television, she joined *The Goldbergs* in 2014 as Lainey Lewis, becoming a series regular; when the character left the show, ABC built the 1990s-set spinoff *Schooled* around her, which ran for two seasons from 2019 to 2020.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404488/) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-goldbergs-spinoff-1990s-series-order-aj-michalka-lainey-936508/) In voice acting, she has played Stevonnie in *Steven Universe* since 2015 and Catra in *She-Ra and the Princesses of Power* from 2018.[6](https://alyandaj.org/aj-michalka/)
## The White Lotus and recent work
In December 2025, HBO confirmed Michalka and [Alexander Ludwig](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander-ludwig) as the first officially announced cast members of season 4 of *The White Lotus*, the Emmy-winning anthology series created by Mike White.[7](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/the-white-lotus-season-4-casts-aj-michalka-alexander-ludwig/) The season is set in France, with filming on the [French Riviera](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-riviera) and in Paris, and follows a new group of hotel guests and employees over the span of a week during the Cannes Film Festival.[12](https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-0/hbo-original-white-lotus-season-4-begins-filming-france) The full announced cast also includes [Helena Bonham Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/helena-bonham-carter), Steve Coogan, Vincent Cassel, Chris Messina, Kumail Nanjiani, and others.[12](https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-0/hbo-original-white-lotus-season-4-begins-filming-france) Michalka's character details have been kept under wraps, and trade coverage describes the season as her first major dramatic leading role in years.[13](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/the-white-lotus-season-4/)
The sisters' 2026 Places To Run Tour was affected by both sisters' screen commitments: some November and December dates were canceled after Aly accepted a limited engagement in the Broadway musical *& Juliet*, and AJ's filming schedule for *The White Lotus* had already prompted earlier rescheduling.[14](https://parade.com/news/aly-aj-bittersweet-tour-update-unexpected-opportunity-broadway-debut)
## Personal life
Michalka is married to actor Josh Pence.[1](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/) She has spoken publicly about her past relationship with [Joe Jonas](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-jonas), describing their breakup as a gentle, mutual conversation rather than a dramatic fallout.[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/AJ-Michalka)
## References
1. [AJ Michalka, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/aj-michalka/)
2. [AJ Michalka, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aj-michalka/)
3. [The Last Time Sister Duo Aly & AJ Released an Album, Billboard (March 13, 2021)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-03-13.pdf)
4. [AJ Michalka, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404488/)
5. [Goldbergs '90s Spinoff Lands Series Order At ABC, AJ Michalka To Star, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-goldbergs-spinoff-1990s-series-order-aj-michalka-lainey-936508/)
6. [AJ Michalka, AlyandAJ.org](https://alyandaj.org/aj-michalka/)
7. ['The White Lotus' Season 4 Casts AJ Michalka and Alexander Ludwig, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/the-white-lotus-season-4-casts-aj-michalka-alexander-ludwig/)
8. [Aly & AJ Make Great Pop Songs. They Also Want to Change the World, Time](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/)
9. [Aly and AJ on their new album, growing up Disney and why they haven't gone solo, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/08/aly-and-aj-a-touch-of-the-beat-interview/)
10. [Aly Michalka and Spencer Sutherland to Make Broadway Debuts in & JULIET, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-to-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet-20260826)
11. [Amanda Michalka, Apple Music Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621224248)
12. [HBO Original The White Lotus Season 4 Begins Filming In France, Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-0/hbo-original-white-lotus-season-4-begins-filming-france)
13. ['The White Lotus' Season 4: Everything We Know, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/the-white-lotus-season-4/)
14. [Aly & AJ Share 'Bittersweet' Tour Update After 'Unexpected Opportunity' Gets in the Way, Parade](https://parade.com/news/aly-aj-bittersweet-tour-update-unexpected-opportunity-broadway-debut)
15. [AJ Michalka News, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/AJ-Michalka)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Mc to Mi*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license