David Henrie will forever be known as Justin Russo, the responsible, magic-wielding older brother to Selena Gomez's Alex Russo on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place. Across four seasons, Justin became the family's unofficial emergency brake whenever Alex's spells turned ordinary afternoons into magical disaster movies.

The series gave Henrie a career-defining role and a fandom that still remembers every Russo family catastrophe. However, those reruns apparently never delivered the financial enchantment viewers might expect.

Henrie has revealed that his residual earnings from the Disney hit were remarkably small, especially considering the jaw-dropping checks he received from another television favorite.

Speaking with Josh Peck and Ben Soffer on the Good Guys podcast, David Henrie opened up about the stark difference in how his two biggest TV roles compensated him.

"I remember one time I literally I thought it was a joke. I went and got a residual check out of the mail and I saw it and I thought it was a joke," Henrie said.

Henrie explained that Disney, at the time Wizard of Waverly Place aired, had not yet combined its operations in a way that generated meaningful residuals, leaving him with only small amounts here and there rather than substantial ongoing payments. He contrasted this with network television like How I Met Your Mother, which he said took really good care of its talent.

He noted that he shot 30 episodes of HIMYM that were later cut into 90, dramatically boosting his residual earnings. Henrie is not alone in his Disney frustrations; Lizzie McGuire alum Robert Carradine famously shared a $0.00 residual check during the 2023 strikes, highlighting a broader issue with how children's television compensated its young stars.

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However, Henrie's relationship with the Russo family recently gained another chapter, this time with a very familiar face returning to the spell book.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place reunited viewers with an adult Justin, now raising Roman and Milo with his wife, Giada. His comparatively ordinary existence unravels when Alex introduces him to Billie, a young wizard desperately needing guidance.

Janice LeAnn Brown stars as Billie, alongside Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, and Mimi Gianopulos. The revival began in 2024, bringing a fresh generation of spellcasters into the family business of spectacularly disastrous decisions. And yes, Selena Gomez returned as Alex.

She reprised the character in multiple episodes of the final four-part event. Gomez also made her television directing debut with the concluding season's opening installment. That finale aired on Disney Channel on August 4, 2026, before reaching Disney+ the following day. Billie searched for her missing mother, Alex, with the Russo family uniting against a dangerous magical threat.

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