# Aly Michalka
**Aly Michalka** (Alyson Renae Michalka, born 1989) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter known for playing Keely Teslow on the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) series *Phil of the Future* and for performing with her younger sister [AJ Michalka](https://www.edgepedia.org/aj-michalka) as the pop duo [Aly & AJ](https://www.edgepedia.org/aly-and-aj).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Alyson Renae Michalka, born 1989 in Torrance, California[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) |
| Breakout role | Keely Teslow on *Phil of the Future* (Disney Channel, 2004–06)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) |
| Music career | Half of Aly & AJ; debut album *Into the Rush* (2005) certified gold by the RIAA[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) |
| Biggest hit | "Potential Breakup Song" (2007), which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100[3](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/11/aly-and-aj-ten-years-interview/) |
| Notable TV roles | Marti Perkins on *Hellcats* (2010–11); Peyton Charles on *iZombie* (2015–2019, 56 episodes)[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621219857) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/) |
| Film work | *Bandslam* (2009), *Easy A* (2010), *The Roommate* (2011); produced *Weepah Way for Now* (2015)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) • [4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621219857) |
| Broadway debut | Anne Hathaway in *& Juliet* at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, beginning performances November 3, 2026[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/207597/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-to-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Michalka was born in [Torrance, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/torrance-california), to Carrie (Begley), a musician, and Mark Michalka, who owns a contracting company.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/) Her acting start came at age five, when she performed in church stage productions at congregations her family attended near Seattle, Washington, and in [Thousand Oaks, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/thousand-oaks-california), taking part in musicals such as *Jailhouse Rock* and *A Time to Remember*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/) Raised in a strict Christian household, she learned piano at five and guitar at 13.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/)
Her television debut came on the futuristic Disney Channel series *Phil of the Future* (2004–06), where she played Keely Teslow, the best friend of Phil (Ricky Ullman), whose family were visitors from the year 2121.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) In 2005 she starred in the Disney Channel television movie *Now You See It...* as an aspiring reality TV producer who befriends a young magician played by Johnny Pacar.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/)
## Aly & AJ
**Music career.** In 2004 Michalka and her younger sister Amanda Joy ("AJ") formed the pop duo Aly & AJ, releasing their debut album *Into the Rush* in 2005 on Disney's Hollywood Records.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) • [6](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/) The album was certified gold by the [Recording Industry Association of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/recording-industry-association-of-america) and yielded the hits "Rush" and "Chemicals React".[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) A Christmas album, *Acoustic Hearts of Winter*, followed in 2006.[7](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Aly%2BMichalka-285645)
The duo's second album, *Insomniatic* (2007), moved into electro-pop territory and fared better on the charts: the album peaked at 15 on the Billboard Top 200, and its lead single "Potential Breakup Song" became a chart hit at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/interviews/a47512/aly-and-aj-return-to-music-interview/) • [3](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/11/aly-and-aj-ten-years-interview/) In 2008 the sisters announced the group had changed its name to 78violet, a reboot that did not make it past launch.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) • [3](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/11/aly-and-aj-ten-years-interview/)
After a decade focused mainly on acting, the sisters regrouped as Aly & AJ in 2017 with the EP *Ten Years*, titled for the decade since their last release under that name, followed by the *Sanctuary* EP in 2019.[6](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 of Here*, arrived in 2021, and the Americana-leaning *With Love From* followed in 2023.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/08/aly-and-aj-a-touch-of-the-beat-interview/) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/35bca454b6d37ef2c7f63b0735d12f18) The duo has since released and toured behind the album *Silver Deliverer*.[11](https://andjulietbroadway.com/cast-creative/)
## Acting after Disney
Michalka co-starred with her sister in the Disney Channel movie *Cow Belles* (2006), playing spoiled heiresses who work at their father's dairy business to save it, and headlined the MTV film *My Super Sweet 16: The Movie* (2007).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) In 2009 she starred opposite [Vanessa Hudgens](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-hudgens) in the coming-of-age film *[Bandslam](https://www.edgepedia.org/bandslam)* as a popular cheerleader who joins a struggling indie rock band.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/)
In 2010 she moved away from her Disney persona with the dark teen comedy *Easy A*, playing Rhiannon opposite [Emma Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-stone), and took the lead in [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) series *Hellcats* as Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student who loses her scholarship and joins her university's cheer team.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) *Hellcats* ran from 2010 to 2011.[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621219857)
Her most substantial television role came as Peyton Charles, a lawyer, on The CW's *iZombie*, which she joined in 2015 and played through 2019 across 56 episodes; she was promoted to series regular in the show's third season.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/) Other credits include *The Roommate* (2011), *Sequoia* (2014), *Crazy Kind of Love* (2012), *The Lears* (2017), *[Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-hansen-solves-crimes-on-television)* (2017–2019), and guest roles on *The Good Doctor*, *MacGyver*, and *Two and a Half Men*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/) • [12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/aly-michalka/credits/3000382818/) She also produced the 2015 film *Weepah Way for Now*, in which she played Elle alongside her sister.[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621219857) • [12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/aly-michalka/credits/3000382818/)
## Broadway
In August 2026 it was announced that Michalka would make her Broadway debut as [Anne Hathaway](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-hathaway) in the jukebox musical *& Juliet* at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, joining the cast on November 3, 2026 for a limited engagement and taking over the role from Alison Luff.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/207597/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-to-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet/) To take the role, she and AJ canceled some dates on their Places to Run tour, a move the sisters described as bittersweet.[13](https://parade.com/news/aly-aj-bittersweet-tour-update-unexpected-opportunity-broadway-debut)
## Activism and public work
On their 2019 Sanctuary Tour, Aly & AJ supported HeadCount, which registers voters; Project HEAL, which aids people recovering from eating disorders; and the Trevor Project, which supports LGBTQ youth.[6](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/) The sisters reported raising 108 percent of their fundraising goal for Project HEAL, which funds treatment-related expenses.[6](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/) Several of their mid-2000s songs, including "Rush," have been embraced by fans as gay empowerment anthems, and the *Sanctuary* song "Star Maps" was written about the #[MeToo movement](https://www.edgepedia.org/metoo-movement).[6](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/)
## References
1. [Aly Michalka – Actress, Musician, Songwriter, Dancer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/aly-michalka/)
2. [Aly Michalka – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425528/)
3. [Interview: Aly & AJ Just Want to Sell Out Shows, SPIN (2017)](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2017/11/aly-and-aj-ten-years-interview/)
4. [Aly Michalka – Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621219857)
5. [Aly Michalka and Spencer Sutherland to Make Broadway Debuts in & Juliet, Broadway.com (2026)](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/207597/aly-michalka-and-spencer-sutherland-to-make-broadway-debuts-in-juliet/)
6. [Aly & AJ Make Great Pop Songs. They Also Want to Change the World, TIME (2019)](https://time.com/5603546/aly-aj-sanctuary-activism/)
7. [Aly Michalka – Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Aly%2BMichalka-285645)
8. [Aly & AJ on Their 10-Year Break, New Sound, And Life After Disney, ELLE (2017)](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/interviews/a47512/aly-and-aj-return-to-music-interview/)
9. [Aly and AJ on their new album, growing up Disney and why they haven't gone solo, The Washington Post (2021)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/05/08/aly-and-aj-a-touch-of-the-beat-interview/)
10. [Review: Enter Aly & AJ's voyage into the sun kissed desert, AP News (2023)](https://apnews.com/article/35bca454b6d37ef2c7f63b0735d12f18)
11. [Cast & Creative, & Juliet on Broadway](https://andjulietbroadway.com/cast-creative/)
12. [Aly Michalka List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/aly-michalka/credits/3000382818/)
13. [Aly & AJ Share 'Bittersweet' Tour Update After 'Unexpected Opportunity' Gets in the Way, Parade (2026)](https://parade.com/news/aly-aj-bittersweet-tour-update-unexpected-opportunity-broadway-debut)
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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: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Mc to Mi*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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