# List of Liv and Maddie characters
This is a list of characters from *Liv and Maddie*, a [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) comedy series that premiered on September 15, 2013, after a July 19 preview, ran four seasons and 80 episodes, and was retitled *Liv and Maddie: Cali Style* for its fourth and final season.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/liv-and-maddie/) The series follows identical twin sisters Liv and [Maddie Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/maddie-rooney), both played by [Dove Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/dove-cameron), in a Wisconsin family whose parents work at the twins' high school.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie)
| Character | Actor | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Liv Rooney | Dove Cameron | Former star of the Hollywood TV series *Sing It Loud!*, a cool, confident social butterfly who loves to sing; appears in all 80 episodes[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/liv-and-maddie/) • [3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) |
| Maddie Rooney | Dove Cameron | Liv's identical twin, an outstanding student and captain of her school's basketball team; appears in all 80 episodes[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) • [4](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Liv_and_Maddie) |
| Joey Rooney | Joey Bragg | Younger brother of Liv and Maddie and older brother of Parker; appears in 79 of 80 episodes[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) |
| Parker Rooney | Tenzing Norgay Trainor | Younger brother of the twins and youngest sibling in the Rooney family[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) |
| Karen Rooney | Kali Rocha | Mother of the four children and vice principal at her children's school[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) |
| Pete Rooney | Benjamin King | Father of the four children and coach of the school's basketball team; no longer a regular character in the last season[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/liv-and-maddie/) |
## The Rooney family
**Liv and Maddie Rooney.** Both twins are played by one actress, Dove Cameron, who separates them with different voice inflections, mannerisms, and wardrobes.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Olivia "Liv" Rooney is the flashy entertainer who left for Hollywood at a young age and returns home in the first episode after *Sing It Loud!* finishes its run.[4](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Liv_and_Maddie) • [5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Early episodes show her as somewhat spoiled and clueless after years as an adored celebrity, and her arc is a readjustment to normal life; she refuses to be typecast as her *Sing It Loud!* character Stephanie Einstein and takes on new roles in *Voltage* and *Space Werewolves*.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Madison "Maddie" Rooney stayed behind in Wisconsin as a generally kind tomboy with a competitive streak, playing to win at basketball and nearly anything else, and she is described as the character with the biggest influence on Liv outside their mother.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) A running slogan for the pair is "Sisters by chance, friends by choice."[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) An episode about their 16th birthday reveals the two were actually born on different days, Liv late on the 5th of the month and Maddie early on the 6th.[6](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie/)
**Joey and Parker Rooney.** Joey, the middle sibling, is the family's on-the-surface dork, fond of dragons and kitten shirts, and he spends much of the series dodging Willow's affections.[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) • [5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Parker is an adventurous genius who is as handy with a shovel as with technology.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) The two brothers enjoy the fact that their sisters' drama keeps the spotlight off their own antics.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie)
**Karen and Pete Rooney.** Both parents work at their children's high school, which complicates the twins' teenage lives.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie) Karen is the school vice principal, and Pete coaches the school's basketball team, giving him a shared interest with Maddie and making him her source of advice about the game and her future.[3](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters) • [5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) The two have different parenting styles that they blend in a quirky way that works for their family.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie)
## Supporting characters
**Maddie's circle.** Winifred "Willow" Cruz, played by Jessica Marie Garcia, is Maddie's best friend and a stellar basketball player whose huge crush on Joey provides one of the show's longest-running gags; the two finally get together late in the series.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Maddie's two love interests are Diggie Smalls, an aspiring sportscaster played by [Ryan McCartan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-mccartan), and fellow athlete Josh Willcox, played by Lucas Adams; their rivalry built to a highly anticipated "Who Will She Choose?" episode.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) Diggie and Maddie's relationship begins before the first episode of season one, and Diggie is a loyal friend not only to Maddie but to her brother Joey.[7](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Diggie_Smalls)
**Liv's circle.** Holden Dippledorf, played by [Jordan Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/jordan-fisher), is Liv's charming crush, a fellow entertainer she has known since third grade, when he took her Goodbye Puppy pen; he is also romantically linked with Andie Bustamante, played by Victoria Moroles, Liv's tough friend who is the only female in a family with five male siblings.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) After her relationship with Holden ends, Andie dates Marion 'Dump Truck' Truckberg, played by Shak Ghacha, a perceived troublemaker who shows there are more layers to him than expected.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) • [13](https://www.tvinsider.com/89008/liv-and-maddie-erik-estrada-disapproves-of-dump-truck-video/) Joey's over-the-top arch-rival Artie also has a crush on Liv.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/)
## Storylines across the series
Each twin carries her own setbacks. Maddie breaks her leg in "Space-Werewolf-a-Rooney" and Liv comes close to losing her voice in "Sing It Live!!!-a-Rooney," leaving each sister's confidence and future in jeopardy.[5](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/) In the season 3 finale, Maddie is accepted into her dream college, Southern California State University, with a basketball scholarship.[8](https://saratogafalcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/issues-62.pdf) The fourth season moves the family to California under the retitled *Liv and Maddie: Cali Style*.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/liv-and-maddie/)
The series finale scatters the Rooney children in different directions: Liv spends her summer in New York starring in the Broadway musical *Double Duchess* before returning to Los Angeles to film the second season of *Sing It Live*; Maddie gives up basketball camp to pursue humanitarian work building tiny houses in New Orleans, with Diggie by her side; Joey takes a gig as opening act on Jim Breuer's stand-up comedy tour; and Parker leaves early for a biodome that has been relocated to Bolivia.[9](https://www.tvline.com/news/liv-and-maddie-series-finale-recap-cameras-explained-810625/) The finale also explains the show's confessional-style asides to the camera: the Rooneys have been starring in a reality show since Liv returned to Wisconsin, one that airs only in [Luxembourg](https://www.edgepedia.org/luxembourg).[9](https://www.tvline.com/news/liv-and-maddie-series-finale-recap-cameras-explained-810625/)
## Reception of the characters
Critics singled out Cameron's dual performance. *Entertainment Weekly* wrote that she "possesses all the spunk and talent of the Demis and Selenas before her," and *The New York Times* found that she "does a decent job with the mix of down-to-earth and diva."[10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/liv-maddie/season-1/) Common Sense Media rates the show appropriate for ages 7 and up, noting that each twin seems comfortable with who she is, though some parent reviewers felt the show overemphasized teenage romantic relationships.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie) An academic analysis of gender representation found that the female characters carry the bulk of the action and drive the plot, while noting that Liv's hyper-feminine styling and Maddie's glasses-and-intelligence pairing risk reinforcing familiar stereotypes.[11](https://www.paperdue.com/study-guide/gender-stereotypes-disney-channel-shows-2169884) A 2021 comparison of twin portrayals judged the show's use of the opposites trope obvious but credited it with avoiding twin-telepathy plots and with giving the sisters substantial individual storylines alongside their shared ones.[12](https://oreosandpeanutbutter.com/2021/01/05/twins-in-media-liv-and-maddie-vs-zack-and-cody/)
## References
1. [Liv and Maddie (television), Disney D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/liv-and-maddie/)
2. [Liv and Maddie – Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie)
3. [Characters, Liv and Maddie Wiki](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Characters)
4. [Liv and Maddie, Disney Channel Wiki](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Liv_and_Maddie)
5. [FEARLESSRiOT SAYS: A Liv & Maddie Retrospective, The FearlessRiOT Blog](https://fearlessriot.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/fearlessriot-says-a-liv-maddie-retrospective/)
6. [Liv and Maddie TV Review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/liv-and-maddie/)
7. [Diggie Smalls, Liv and Maddie Wiki](https://livandmaddie.fandom.com/wiki/Diggie_Smalls)
8. [The Saratoga Falcon, issue 62](https://saratogafalcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/issues-62.pdf)
9. [Liv And Maddie Series Finale Recap – Camera Crew Explained, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/liv-and-maddie-series-finale-recap-cameras-explained-810625/)
10. [Liv & Maddie season 1 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/liv-maddie/season-1/)
11. [Gender Stereotypes in Disney Channel Shows for Kids, PaperDue](https://www.paperdue.com/study-guide/gender-stereotypes-disney-channel-shows-2169884)
12. [Twins in Media: Liv and Maddie vs Zack and Cody, Oreos & Peanut Butter](https://oreosandpeanutbutter.com/2021/01/05/twins-in-media-liv-and-maddie-vs-zack-and-cody/)
13. ['Liv and Maddie': Erik Estrada Disapproves of 'Dump Truck' (VIDEO)](https://www.tvinsider.com/89008/liv-and-maddie-erik-estrada-disapproves-of-dump-truck-video/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy-series characters › Individual sitcom characters › Live-action sitcom characters › American sitcom characters, 1990s onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license