Brenda Song

Song was born on March 27, 1988, in Carmichael, California, a suburb of Sacramento. Her father is Hmong and from Bangkok. Her mother is from Thailand as well, and was adopted by a Hmong family. Her paternal grandparents were from the Xiong clan (熊; Xyooj in Hmong), but Americanized their surname to Song after arriving in the United States. When she was six years old, Song moved with her mother to Los Angeles to support her acting career; the rest of the family followed two years later. As a young girl, Song wanted to do ballet, while her younger brother wanted to take taekwondo. She said, "My mom only wanted to take us to one place," so they settled on taekwondo. Although Song cried all the way through her first class, she now holds a black belt in taekwondo. Song was named an All-American Scholar in the ninth grade. She was homeschooled and earned a high school diploma at age 16, majoring in psychology == Career ==

1990s: Beginnings Song began in show business as a child fashion model in San Francisco after being spotted in a shopping mall by an agent from a modeling school. and then a Barbie commercial. She appeared in another short film directed by Elizabeth Sung called The White Fox. The film centers on two teenage girls, Allison Thompson (Hallee Hirsh) and Samantha Kwan (Song), who find a weather machine and make it snow in Los Angeles. Her 2002 appearance on The Bernie Mac Show led to her nomination for "Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series, Guest Starring Young Actress". In the same year, she was in the 20th Century Fox family film Like Mike, which grossed over $60 million. The film stars rapper Bow Wow as an orphan who can suddenly play NBA-level basketball. Song portrays the character Reg Stevens, a thirteen-year-old orphan. on March 23, 2008 In 2002, Song signed a contract with Disney The television premiere received 3.7 million viewers. The film is about two teenage girls living in suburbia who accidentally exchange cell phones with a famous teen singer. At age 15, she received an early acceptance letter from Harvard University that she turned down. Speaking of the time, she said, "My mom got breast cancer for the first time, I booked Suite Life, and I was accepted into the college I'd always wanted to go to." Her father encouraged her to take the role on Suite Life. In 2005, Song began appearing in the role of spoiled heiress London Tipton in the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The role was initially named "Paris" in an allusion to Paris Hilton. She got the role without an audition Song says, "London is my fantasy person, I wish I could be her. I wish I had her closet." The series earned a 2007 Young Artist Award for "Best Family Television Series (comedy)", Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Children's Program" (twice) and "Outstanding Choreography", and three Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award nominations for "Favorite TV show" in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2006 Song earned an Asian Excellence Award nomination for "Outstanding Newcomer" for her part in the series. After her debut on the Suite Life series, Song became a regular on the Disney Channel, and had a voice role in Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long series. In 2006, Song had a voice-over role in ''Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen. She later starred in an online series called London Tipton's Yay Me!. Song was part of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of performers from several different Disney Channel television series. She was featured in the recording and music video of a version of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", which was included on the special edition Cinderella platinum edition DVD and on the DisneyMania 4 CD, released in April 2006. In the Suite Life High School Musical-themed episode, Song performed "Bop To The Top" and "Really Great". "Really Great" became the theme song for the online series, London Tipton's Yay Me!. She sang "Bling Is My Favourite Thing" on another Suite Life episode. In these episodes, Song purposefully sang poorly in character as London Tipton. In 2008, Ian Scott wrote and produced demo songs for her, credited to Mark Jackson Productions. premiere on August 12, 2008|leftSong's first starring role as the title character was in the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, which had over 5.7 million viewers at its premiere. Song was originally planned to play a supporting role, but was offered the lead after starting training in martial arts. Lydia Cook, one of the films's directors, said, "She had the perfect combination of wit and martial arts." Disney Channel executive vice president Gary Marsh called the film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and said of Song: "She's incredibly talented, she's smart. She adds diversity to our network, and she's a real kid." To promote the film, she posed for the cover of Seventeen, Teen People, Teen, Seventeen Malaysia, and several other magazines, and traveled to Malaysia, Singapore, and Costa Rica. The film received positive reviews from critics. UltimateDisney.com called the film "a great showcase of talent in both acting and martial for Brenda Song." Song did most of her own stunt work for the film, with guidance from Koichi Sakamoto. According to The New York Times, the film became a "star vehicle" for Song. The show's premiere on the Disney Channel drew 5.7 million viewers, and it became the most-watched series premiere on Canada's Family Channel. Disney ordered second and third seasons for the series. Song also starred as Paige in an animated television special for NBC, "Macy's Presents Little Spirit: Christmas in New York". In late 2008, Song made a special appearance at the grand opening of the RTA HealthLine in Cleveland. In May 2009, the cast of 'The Suite Life' became Disney Channel's longest running continuous characters on air. Also in 2009, she starred in the telefilm Special Delivery, a film about a bonded courier, Maxine (Lisa Edelstein) and a troubled teen, Alice (Song). The Daily Record called it a "likeable comedy". The Australian publication Urban CineFilm gave Song a positive review for her performance in the film. Song also appeared in the theatrical film College Road Trip with Raven-Symoné and Martin Lawrence. 2010s: Mainstream transition In 2010, Song was the celebrity endorser of the Walt Disney Company's Disney Cruise Line. In 2011, she was also the spokesperson of the clothing brand OP. That same year, Song joined the main cast of Columbia Pictures' The Social Network alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. Song portrayed Christy Lee, a Harvard University student who dates Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Critically acclaimed, it is her first film to be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. She called The Social Network a role that "changed her life", and revealed in an interview with Variety that she had "fought" for the part, since Disney took issue with the film's sexual content. She further claimed that she lost an audition in 2008's Gran Torino on the same grounds. In 2012 and 2013, Song had a recurring role as Alissa in the TV series Scandal in the first and second seasons. In 2013, Song had a recurring role as Daisy in New Girl. In August 2013, Song was cast in a leading role in the Fox television series Dads, in which Song portrayed Veronica. The series' pilot episode was criticized by Asian-American watchdog groups because Song's character wore a stereotypical "sexy Asian schoolgirl" costume, which was deemed "racist" by watchdog groups. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Song defended the series and denied the racism allegations. Fox refused to re-shoot the scenes. The series premiered September 17, 2013, but in May 2014, Fox canceled the series after only one season. In October 2014, Song signed a talent holding deal with Fox and 20th Century Fox Television to star in a television project. In April 2015, Song was cast in a regular role in the NBC comedy pilot Take It From Us. In November 2015, Song was cast in the CBS series Life in Pieces as Bonnie. In February 2016, Song was cast in the CBS pilot Bunker Hill. Later renamed Pure Genius, the series was picked up by CBS and aired during the 2016-2017 television season, but was canceled after one season. In March 2017, Song was cast as a series regular in the CBS pilot Real Life. She was also cast in Seth Green's directorial debut Changeland, on which she worked with her future romantic partner, Macaulay Culkin. In August 2017, it was announced that Song would be starring in Freeform's first original holiday film, Angry Angel, which premiered November 18, 2017. In March 2018, it was revealed Song would join the cast of Station 19 for a multi-episode arc. In December 2018, it was announced that Song would star in the Netflix psychological thriller Secret Obsession. The film was released on July 18, 2019. In January 2019, it was announced that Song would star in the Hulu television series Dollface alongside Kat Dennings. From 2019 to 2022, she voiced Anne Boonchuy in the Disney Channel animated series Amphibia. She also appeared as a guest star in Aly & AJ's music video for the song "Star Maps", from their 2019 EP Sanctuary. 2020s: Renewed recognition In 2022, Song began appearing on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, voicing news anchor Vanessa Vue. That same year, she starred as the lead character Alexa in the Amazon Freevee original movie Love Accidentally. Radhika Menon of Decider wrote, "The film under-uses Brenda Song." Also in 2022, she was part of an ensemble cast featured in the horror game The Quarry. In 2023, she began voicing Princess Akemi in the animated series Blue Eye Samurai. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Seija Rankin, Song revealed that she found herself in a career slump in early 2023 and considered retiring. She was then cast as a showgirl in Gia Coppola's drama film The Last Showgirl, in which she thought her role would surprise audiences since her character works in adult entertainment. The Last Showgirl was released in 2024 and won Song a shared award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Of her performance, Time magazine wrote, "Song is a force of high-energy competence as Isla's (Kate Hudson) right-hand woman, though some independent storylines would help her escape an under-developed sidekick role should the show get a second season." For both The Last Showgirl and Running Point, Song was praised by Vanity Fair and media outlets for her career reinvention. Song herself credits these roles for allowing audiences to meet "the adult me." In July 2025, she announced the nominations for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Television Academy's Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, co-hosting with actor Harvey Guillén and Television Academy chair Cris Abrego. She had a voice cameo in the 2025 film Zootopia 2 as lynx Kitty Lynxley. == Public image ==

in 2009 In 2005, an article "Maths Spotlight on... Brenda Song" in Scholastic Math included facts about Song and mathematical guidance from her. In 2006, CosmoGirl named Song the "Queen of Disney", citing her major contributions on Disney Channel. Song ranked ninth in Netscape's 2007 "Top 10 Pretty Petites in Entertainment", was voted one of AOL's "Top 20 Tween (and Teen) TV Stars", and was ranked No. 3 on Maxim's Asian Hot 100 of 2008 list. Song was also ranked No. 45 in AIM's "Top 100 Celebs Under 25" list. TV Guide listed her in its 2008 list of "13 Hottest Young Stars to Watch". In 2009, Song was featured in Celebuzz's "Rising Stars" list; she was also described as one of "young Hollywood's most promising rising stars." In 2009, the blog Angry Asian Man named her one of the most influential Asian Americans under the age of 30. In April 2008, a picture of Song was used in an ad for an escort agency in the LA Weekly. A representative from Disney told TMZ.com, "This is an unauthorized use of Brenda Song's image and her personal attorney has issued a cease and desist to the advertiser." Song filed a libel suit seeking $100,000 in damages. Song stated, "As a role model to millions of young people, I feel I have to take a stand against this company in regard to its exploitation of my image." The settlement was announced in March 2009. == Personal life ==

From 2010 to 2017, Song was in an on-and-off relationship with musician Trace Cyrus, to whom she was engaged from 2011 to 2012. In 2018, Song shared that she was in a relationship with actor Macaulay Culkin, whom she met in June 2017 when they worked together on Changeland; they were seen dating the following month. Their first son was born in 2021. After more than four years of dating, Culkin and Song were engaged in January 2022. The couple lives in Los Angeles. Song is a fan of the Los Angeles Rams. Activism In 2006, Song was hostess for the "A World of Change" annual charity fashion show to benefit Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services. She also supported the 10th Annual L.A. Cancer Challenge. In 2006 and 2007, she participated in the YMCA Healthy Kids Day in Chicago. She began hosting a Disney special daily segment called Pass the Plate in 2007, in which she helps children and their families learn more about nutrition and healthy food. The series is produced in ten countries in association with Disney Channel. Song returned for the second season of the miniseries. Song appeared alongside Paula Abdul and several other celebrities in a "Our Time to Vote" commercial, which aimed to encourage American citizens to vote during the 2008 presidential election. In 2008, Song was part of the "Power of Youth carnival," a benefit for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. In 2009, Song participated in the "Diet Pepsi Easter Holiday House" event. She decorated an egg at the event that was sold in an online auction benefiting Feeding America. Song was a spokesperson for Disney's environmental campaign, Disney's Friends for Change. She was featured in several commercials on the Disney Channel for the campaign. The charity aimed to explain how children can help preserve the Earth and invited them to go to the Friends for Change website to register and pledge, offering them the chance to help choose how Disney will invest $1 million in environmental programs. ==Filmography==

Film Television Video games == Bibliography ==