Jake T. Austin waited until Wizards Beyond Waverly Place was finished to say what he had been sitting on for six years. Two days after the four-part series finale aired on Disney Channel, and a day after it reached Disney+, the actor who played Max Russo posted a statement to his Instagram Story saying, “for the record how disappointed I am” not to have been included in the sequel series, as reported by Deadline.
The detail that stings is the timeline. Austin says he was approached about reprising the role back in 2020 and told producers he was completely in, before the people making the decisions took the show in a different direction and wrote his character out of the equation. He closed the note with love for his former castmates and thanks to the fans who watched.
The Only Russo Who Never Appeared
Austin ends the series holding a distinction nobody wanted for him. Of the original core cast, he is the only series regular who never appeared in the revival across its three seasons. David Henrie starred and executive produced, Selena Gomez recurred as Alex while also executive producing and directing the final season’s premiere episode, her directorial debut. Maria Canals-Barrera returned as Theresa, and the finale brought back Jennifer Stone as Harper and Gregg Sulkin as Mason. Even David DeLuise, the other absentee from the finale, appeared in two first-season episodes as Jerry.
Max instead existed as an off-screen punchline. The premiere established that he had franchised the family’s Waverly Sub Station into a fortune, a rich life happening somewhere the cameras never went.
Henrie Says They Tried
Henrie has addressed the absence before, telling TVLine that producers wanted Austin back and it simply “didn’t work out.” That framing sits awkwardly next to Austin’s account of having said yes in 2020, and he is not the only alum airing frustration. DeLuise commented on a post about the finale that the ending was a “Missed opportunity” without the original wizards fully assembled.
Austin himself has hardly been idle since Waverly Place wrapped its original run in 2012. He moved straight into two seasons as Jesus Foster on The Fosters before the role was recast with Noah Centineo, competed on Dancing with the Stars, and has kept working steadily in film and voice roles ever since.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premiered in 2024 and ran three seasons on Disney Channel and Disney+, following Justin Russo as he trains a new generation of wizards. The finale closes the book on the revival era of a franchise Disney has leaned on repeatedly as it revisits its Disney Channel catalog, and it does so with its youngest Russo still on the outside looking in.
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