Jenna Ortega's Comments About Disney Channel Media Training And Setting Boundaries With Fans Spark Debate

Most of us have heard about media training, PR training, and even the specific training Disney Channel stars go through before they appear in public, but people are divided this week over the mindset that comes with this training.

While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Wednesday's Jenna Ortega opened up about the training she went through for the Disney Channel, and though she was 9 years old at the time, the training really stuck with the 23-year-old star.

During their conversation, Horowitz was curious about how the future Klara and the Sun star handles fan encounters and how she's been prepared through training and other experiences. More specifically, he noted that with her fame, public appearances are probably pretty overwhelming, so he questioned if she gave herself grace on the tough days.

Ortega was honest:

"Yes and no."

"When I was young and I was on Disney Channel, they took us to media training."

"They told us, 'Every time someone meets you, it's probably the only time they're ever going to interact with you. That's a very special moment in their lives, so please keep that in mind.'"

"That has never left me."

"Sometimes I try to give myself grace, and I'm trying to have better boundaries."

"So maybe if I feel like it's not so safe of a situation, or maybe I don't want to stop and agree to take a photo with a random grown man, but kids and things like that, of course."

"Some of the interactions are so sweet, and then some of them are a little bit more embarrassing, aggressive, or mean. It's hard to know what the balance is, but I do what I can."

You can watch the segment here:

Fans were divided over Ortega's comments on the podcast.

Some accused Ortega of being pretentious and entitled, showing her obvious privilege by seeing herself as a highlight in someone's day.

But others pointed out that celebrities are still people, and they are people that fans get excited to see, and they have needs just like anyone else and deserve boundaries.

The conversation also popped up on the "Pop Culture Chat" subReddit, where Redditors were much more empathetic.

"The part about it being the only time that person will likely ever interact with you is pretty daunting and probably super hard to process."

"I know after so many interactions you accept it, but early on I would probably be over analyzing every one of those short conversations and hoping I lived up to that person's expectations." - wnr3

"Reminder that celebrities don’t owe the time of day or any kind of interaction whatsoever. I hate people who think they’re entitled to pictures and autographs. That’s a privilege earned with respect." - Subject-Property-343

"Imagine them saying this to a bunch of kiddos. The amount of pressure placed on them." - Neither_Complaint938

"Just because you know who someone is doesn't mean they owe you time." - Wifabota

"I think it is good to tell people to take fans seriously. That doesn't mean on the street in life in general, more at signings and things like that. It IS a big deal for the fans meeting their idol. It's crazy that so many people idolize this one person." - Majestic-Watch-2025

You can watch the full Happy Sad Confused podcast episode here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

It's worth noting that this training occurred when Ortega was a child, and the fact that the lessons have stuck with her speak volumes about her character.