AJ Michalka

Early life

Michalka was born in Torrance, California and is the younger sister of actress and musician Aly Michalka. Her father, Mark, owns a contracting company, and her mother, Carrie, is a musician and performed with the Christian rock band "JC Band". Her parents are divorced. As a little girl, she briefly lived in Seattle and Milwaukee. Both she and her sister attended Mack Elementary. She has played the piano since she was six and started playing the guitar in her early life. She started acting when she was five, mostly in church play productions. She was raised as a Christian and homeschooled for part of her childhood. Michalka was in a number of musical productions at her school in Milwaukee as a young woman. She plays a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and piano.

Career

Michalka started work in entertainment in the 2000s, when she was a model for catalogs. In 2006, she made her Disney Channel debut in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles, as "Courtney Callum", along with sister Aly, as "Taylor Callum". She has also appeared on shows such as Oliver Beene, Six Feet Under, The Guardian, and General Hospital. She and her sister appeared in the MTV film Super Sweet 16: The Movie.

In 2009, she was featured in the Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones, released widely on January 15, 2010.

From 2009 to 2013, Michalka and her sister performed as the musical duo 78violet. They decided to change their band name back to "Aly and AJ" in 2015. She was cast as a recurring character on The CW series Hellcats starring Ashley Tisdale and her sister Aly Michalka. The series ran for one season and was cancelled in May 2011.

Michalka appeared in the 2011 film Super 8, directed by J. J. Abrams. Her first big-screen starring role was as the title character in 2013's Grace Unplugged.

Since 2013, Michalka has had a recurring role on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs as Lainey Lewis, the best friend of main character Erica Goldberg and one-time girlfriend of Erica's brother, Barry. In May 2015, it was announced that she was promoted to series regular for the show's upcoming third season. She also played the Lainey character in a lead role on the spinoff series Schooled, which ran for two seasons.

Michalka voices the character Stevonnie in Steven Universe, a fusion of the protagonist Steven and his best friend Connie. In July 2014, she and her sister filmed an untitled drama in Laurel Canyon, California. The film was directed and written by Aly's husband, Stephen Ringer. Michalka was one of the producers of the film, with her sister and Ringer, and participated in the casting process. In May 2015, it was announced that the film, Weepah Way for Now, would premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 16, 2015. The film was released on DVD, iTunes, and other streaming platforms in June 2016.

In 2024, Michalka competed in season twelve of The Masked Singer as "Strawberry Shortcake", with Hayley Orrantia (who competed in season seven as "Ringmaster") serving as her Mask Ambassador. She was eliminated in the semi-finals and finished in third place. Michalka also made references to her nephew and Aly & AJ's upcoming album.

In December 2025, it was announced that Michalka was cast in season 4 of The White Lotus.

Personal life

In 2006, Michalka dated actor and musician Joe Jonas. She has confirmed that her duo's song "Flattery" was written about him.

Since August 2017, Michalka has been in a relationship with actor Josh Pence.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Semigran, Aly. (August 14, 2009). "Aly Michalka, actor and musician".
2. "She-Ra gets a makeover! A first look at the new Netflix series and meet the cast". Entertainment Weekly.
3. Axson, Scooby. (July 7, 2006). "Article: Pop sisters: Better known for their acting, Aly and AJ leap onto music... | AccessMyLibrary – Promoting library advocacy". AccessMyLibrary.
4. (May 23, 2006). "Tweenage Riot". Blender Magazine.
5. "78 Violet, 11/05 – Interviews – Christian Music Today". Christianitytoday.com.
6. (May 23, 2006). "Tweenage Riot Article on Blender". Blender.com.
7. [http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2007/001/12.52.html Grounded in Faith – Today's Christian] {{webarchive. link. (June 15, 2007)
8. Argyrakis, Andy. (November 14, 2005). "Away from the Rush". [[Christianity Today]].
9. Graff, Gary. (January 10, 2008). "Aly & AJ Writing New Songs, Plot Films". Brightspot.
10. Valiente, Maria. (January 20, 2011). "Hellcats Star Aly Michalka Reveals AJ's Character's Name!". [[Wetpaint.com]].
11. Goldberg, Lesley. (May 18, 2015). "'The Goldbergs' Promotes AJ Michalka to Series Regular". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
12. Kilday, Gregg. (May 5, 2015). "Los Angeles Film Festival Unveils Lineup". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
13. Schneider, Michael. (December 11, 2024). "''The Masked Singer'' Reveals Identity of Strawberry Shortcake: Here Is the Celebrity Under the Costume".
14. (2025-12-19). "AJ Michalka and Alexander Ludwig Cast in White Lotus Season 4".
15. (November 16, 2023). "AJ Michalka Recalls 'Sloppy' 1st Kisses With 15-Year-Old Joe Jonas: We Were 'Inexperienced'". U.S. Weekly.
16. (April 9, 2020). "Aly & AJ Shoot Down Theory That 'Potential Breakup Song' Is About Joe Jonas — But Confirm 'Flattery' Is!". U.S. Weekly.
17. AJ Michalka. (August 21, 2020). "first date blur (3 years ago this month) thankful for this sweet man. Always loving, always kind. 8.2.17 ♾".
18. Hipes, Patrick. (2017-05-02). "Regina Hall & Haley Lu Richardson Topline Andrew Bujalski's Indie ''Support The Girls''".
19. "AJ Michalka (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
20. Burwick, Kevin. (2018-05-18). "Netflix's ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' Teaser Offers First Look at the Reboot".
21. Andreeva, Nellie. (2018-04-16). "''The Goldbergs'' Spinoff Picked Up To Series By ABC With Tim Meadows, Bryan Callen & AJ Michalka Set To Star".
22. Schwartz, Ryan. (February 22, 2022). "Good Doctor Casts Aly and AJ michalka as Fractured Sister Act - First Look". [[TVLine]].
23. Hailu, Selome. (December 19, 2025). "''The White Lotus'' Season 4 Casts AJ Michalka and Alexander Ludwig".
24. (March 29, 2012). "Slash Releases 'Gotten' Music Video to Benefit Homeless Youth". [[Loudwire]].
25. (11 May 2020). "Kim Petras has shared a new video featuring Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton, Charli XCX and loads more". [[Dork (magazine).