Dan Benson, a former Disney star, has stated that he ‘doesn’t regret s***’ after pursuing a career in adult entertainment.
Between 2007 and 2012, he portrayed Zeke Beakerman on the TV show Wizards of Waverly Place.
However, it was revealed early this year that he’d experienced a big career change, transitioning from a squeaky clean kid star to an Only Fans creator.
Dan has now provided an update in a new TikTok video, saying he felt like a “badass.”
‘My first reaction is confusion because I expected a lot more hate,’ he addressed his 200,000 followers.
‘Instead, people have been like: “Go you. Empowerment”, which is awesome. Mental-health-wise, I feel good. I don’t feel bad about myself, I feel kind of like a badass,’ he continued.
However he went on to explain that creating explicit content did have its downfalls.
‘There are plenty of people on a daily basis asking and demanding I do things I don’t feel comfortable doing, but I’ve been in a position to [say]: “No. You’re gonna get what you’re gonna get… and what I’m comfortable sharing with the world, which is quite a bit”.’
But he added he was ‘feeling good and excited about the future’ and didn’t really ‘feel bad about my decisions at all’.
After his video was reposted by Pop Crave on Twitter, he also commented on that post, writing: ‘I don’t regret s***.’
Dan appears in the Disney series opposite Selena Gomez and Hayley Kiyoko as Justin Russo’s best buddy.
He has since appeared in programmes such as Phil of the Future and voiced a character in the animated comedy Rick and Morty.
He stated earlier this year that he ‘tripped and plunged’ into a career in pornography when intimate photographs of him were exposed online.
‘It took a little while for me to gain the confidence, not only in my ability to go out there and put that together, but also in not being afraid of what other people would think,’ he said.
‘I think that was the biggest obstacle, because this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.’
Speaking to E!, Dan added that it ‘horrifying’ having his photos released, but he ‘wouldn’t change any of the terrible things’ that happened, as they had ‘made me who I am today’.
Wizards of Waverly Place is streaming on Disney Plus.
