Selena Gomez reunites with her TV dad David DeLuise… 14 years after Wizards of Waverly Place went off air

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Selena Gomez unexpectedly ran into her former on-screen father, David DeLuise, who she starred with on the popular Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place.

On Friday, DeLuise posted a series of photos with Gomez, 33, on Instagram. Gomez then shared the photos on her own Instagram Story.

Selena Gomez kept sharing memories on her Instagram Story, posting old photos from 2009 of her with her former Wizards of Waverly Place co-stars, Jennifer Stone and David Henrie.

Selena Gomez, age 33, recently married Benny Blanco and is enjoying life as a newlywed. She’s best known for her role as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series, while David DeLuise played her character’s father, Jerry Russo.

Wizards of Waverly Place ran for four seasons from 2007 until the series wrapped in 2012. 

Sarah Stone, who played Alex’s best friend Harper, appeared in a group photo with the cast. She and David DeLuise also co-host a podcast called ‘Wizards of Waverly Pod,’ where they rewatch and discuss the show.

Both DeLuise, age 54, and Stone, 32, were in the later Wizards of Waverly Place films, but they weren’t part of the newest series based on the show.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place featured Selena Gomez and David Henrie, who played siblings on screen, along with new young actors portraying their children and cousins.

The Disney series began airing in October 2024 and ran for two seasons, concluding in September 2025.

It seems Henrie didn’t attend the reunion, and neither did his on-screen mother, Maria Canals-Barrera, or his on-screen brother, Jake T. Austin.

Shannon Moore, a costumer on the show, also posted a thank you to Stone for being a great host, and called Gomez and the rest of the group her ‘forever family’.

DeLuise shared a heartfelt caption about a wonderful night filled with laughter, love, and the joy of being reunited with family, calling it the best reunion ever.

He also mentioned Peter Murrieta, who was the lead writer and showrunner for the first three seasons, and Roxanne Baker-Sarver, the hair stylist, in addition to Gomez, Stone, and Moore.

Only David Henrie and Selena Gomez from the original cast reprised their roles for the ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ sequel series, which ran for two seasons and concluded last fall.

Gomez recently shared her thoughts on being a part of the show from her teenage years until it ended when she was 19.

She explained her reasons for coming back to the sequel, even though some of her former co-stars wouldn’t be involved.

For her September 2025 Allure cover story, she explained that she was going through a critical period of brain development at the time.

I’ve really connected with the people I’ve worked with on the show, and I value those relationships. That’s a big reason why I’ve always hoped to return.

Even though she’s only appearing as a guest star in the new version of the show, she’s also a producer and was thrilled to be back involved with the world of Wizards.

She explained that the show had a huge positive impact on her life, describing it as a safe and comforting place, like a second home.

She shared that her younger half-sister, 12-year-old Gracie Elliot Teefey, encouraged her to take on the project, which helped her decide to accept it.

Their mom Mandy Teefey shares the preteen with Gomez’s stepdad Brian Teefey. 

‘And my sister just gets a kick out of it, so half the reason I’m doing it is for her,’ Gomez said.

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2026-02-08 08:19