Who is AJ Michalka?
Amanda Joy ‘AJ’ Michalka was born on 10 April 1991 under the zodiac sign of Aries, in Torrance, California USA. She is a 31-year-old actress and singer, probably best recognized for being half of the duo Aly & AJ, alongside her sister Aly Michalka. She is also known for landing the role of Lainey Lewis in the ABC period sitcom “The Goldbergs” (2014-present) and its spin-off series “Schooled” (2019-2020).
How rich is she, as of now? AJ Michalka Net Worth
As of early 2022, AJ Michalka’s net worth is estimated at over $700,000, acquired through her successful involvement in the world of entertainment, as she’s released numerous singles, and worked on the soundtracks of numerous film and TV titles. She’s also increased her wealth by starring in several TV series and films.
Early Life, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity, Religion, Educational Background
AJ Michalka spent her early years in her hometown of Torrance, but also lived some time with her family in Seattle and Milwaukee.
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She was raised alongside her elder sister Alyson ‘Aly’ Michalka by their father, Mark Michalka, who is the owner of a contracting company, and their mother, Carrie Michalka, who is a musician and member of the Christian rock band JC Band. Her mother was also a cheerleader for the National Football League team the Oakland Raiders; their parents are now divorced. She holds American nationality, and belongs to White Caucasian ethnic grou, being of German, Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent. She is a Christian.
Regarding her education, she went to Mack Elementary and was later homeschooled due to her career. She developed her love for music very early, and started playing both piano and guitar at a very young age, and also began acting at the age of five, initially performing in church play productions. She also appeared in numerous musical productions while she was attending her school in Milwaukee.
Career Beginnings
AJ Michalka launched her professional acting career in 2002, when she made her debut TV appearance as the daughter of Sheridan in an episode of the NBC soap opera “Passions”, while she landed her breakthrough role in the CBS drama series “The Guardian”, in which she starred as Shannon Gressler from 2002 to 2004. The series was created by David Hollander and starred Simon Baker, Raphael Sbarge and Dabney Coleman. Concurrently, she continued to work on other projects, being cast in the recurring role of Bonnie in the short-lived Fox sitcom “Oliver Beene”, which ran from 2003 to 2004. It was followed by her appearance as Ashley B. in several episodes of the ABC soap opera “General Hospital”, which holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running American soap opera in production, as well as the record for most Daytime Emmy Award wins in the category of Outstanding Drama Series.
Rise to Fame
AJ Michalka came to prominence in 2006, when she joined the Disney Channel and took the role of Courtney Callum in the Disney Channel Original romantic teen comedy film “Cow Belles”, alongside her sister Aly. It was followed by her portrayal of Sarah in the MTV comedy film “Super Sweet 16: The Movie” (2007), in which she also shared the screen with her sister, and with Paula DeAnda. Two years later, she played Clarissa in Peter Jackson’s supernatural thriller drama film “The Lovely Bones”, next to Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon, then landed the role of Kate Tweedy in the biographical sports drama film “Secretariat”, which was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2010.
The following year, she had the part of Jen in the monster thriller film “Super 8”, alongside Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, which was written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg.
It was a huge commercial success, grossing more than $260 million worldwide on a $50 million budget. Also in 2011, she appeared as Gillian Duncan in the film adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s novel “Salem Falls”. Her next significant role came in 2013 when she booked the lead role of Gracie Trey in the Christian drama film “Grace Unplugged”, for which she won a Movieguide Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Movies. The next year, she collaborated with Jesse McCartney on the Lifetime drama film “Expecting Amish”, in which she played Hannah Yoder.
Continued Success
AJ Michalka then joined the cast of the ABC period sitcom “The Goldbergs”, in which she has been starring in the role of Lainey Lewis since 2014, and reprised the role in its direct spin-off series, entitled “Schooled”, which lasted for two seasons from 2019 to 2020.
Afterwards, she played Joy next to her sister in the 2015 comedy-drama film “Weepah Way For Now”, for which she was also a co-producer. From 2015 to 2019, she did the voice-over of Stevonnie in the Emmy Award-nominated Cartoon Network animated series “Steven Universe”, for which she won a Behind the Voice Actor Award for Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role.
Parallel with that, she featured as Vallie Sue in the 2016 coming-of-age comedy-drama film “Angels In Stardust”, along with Alicia Silverstone and Billy Burke. In 2017, AJ landed the roles of Kai in the family drama film “Apple Of My Eye” and Tiffany in the action crime film “Dirty Lies”, co-written and directed by Jamie Marshall. It was followed by her appearance as Krista in the comedy film “Support The Girls” in 2018, after which she provided her voice to Catra in the Netflix animated series “She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power” from 2018 to 2020.
Most recently, she played young Abby in the Showtime crime drama film “Ray Donovan: The Movie” in 2022.
Music Career – Aly & AJ
Apart from being an actress, AJ Michalka is known for her successful music career. She and her sister Aly co-founded the pop duo called Aly & AJ, signing a contract with Hollywood Records in 2004. They released their debut studio album, entitled “Into the Rush” the following year, which peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 chart, and eventually achieved gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their second studio album, “Acoustic Hearts Of Winter” was issued in 2006, and was followed up by their fourth studio album “Insomniatic”, which came out in 2007, which reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200. The album’s lead single “Potential Breakup Song” became their most successful single to date, since it earned platinum certification, and reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Thereafter, the sisters left Hollywood Records and changed their name to 78violet. They also launched their own record label called 78violet Music LLC, and in 2013, they released the single “Hothouse”, which is their only single under their new name, as they returned their original name two years later, and then issued their debut EP entitled “Ten Years”. It was followed up by their second EP, “Sanctuary” in 2019, and most recently, in 2021 the girls released their fourth studio album under the title “A Touch Of The Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out And Then Into The Sun”.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
AJ Michalka has long blonde-dyed hair and green eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 6ins (1.68m), her weight is around 117lbs (53kgs), with vital statistics of 35-24-34, bra size 32C, dress size 6 (US), and shoe size 8 (US).
Personal Life
AJ Michalka was romantically involved with singer Joe Jonas for about a year back in 2005.
Following their split, she went on to date famous skateboarder Ryan Sheckler in 200, then after their brief romance, she was linked to Bennet Heimple. Her next boyfriend was actor Hunter Parrish and their relationship lasted for a year. In 2013, she dated actor Keenan Tracey, but they ended their romance after a couple of years. Since 8 August 2017, she has been in a relationship with Hollywood actor Josh Pence; he’s known for his work on “The Social Network” (2010), “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012), and “Good Trouble” (2019-present). Her current residence is in Los Angeles, California.
Trivia
AJ Michalka’s best friend is Mitchel Musso, but she’s is an avid dog lover and has three dogs named Willow, Roadie, and Bandit. Her fourth dog, named Saint, died from brain tumor complications in 2007.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading books, cooking, dancing, horseback riding, and mountain biking. She also likes spending her free time with her family and dogs.
Her favorite TV series are “The Office” and “Dexter”, and favorite music artists are Jack’s Mannequin, Coldplay, Aqualung, POD, Switchfoot, and Heart.
