Corey Fogelmanis has come a long way since Girl Meets World. The actor is carving out a career defined by bold choices, complex roles, and meaningful collaborations. With Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys returning for a second season, a role in Tommy Dorfman’s feature debut I Wish You All the Best, and recent work alongside his close friend Conan Gray, Fogelmanis is proving he’s more than ready for life after Disney.
He opened up to Teen Vogue about his evolution, his friendships, and what drives him to keep pushing for authentic storytelling.
Finding His Voice After Disney
Breaking free from the Disney mold wasn’t immediate.
“It felt like I had a lot to prove,” Fogelmanis admits. “It also felt like I had a lot to learn, too… There was a long moment where it was like, ‘Oh, you need to show people what else you can do before they’re going to let you do it.’”
The patience paid off, as he’s now starring in projects that spotlight stories often left untold.
Playing Queer Characters With Depth
Fogelmanis has leaned into roles that showcase the nuances of queer identity.
“It’s important to me that I am a part of things that are good for people, and are affirming, and also just help people see all the sides of something,” he says. “And so I love, as an artist, that I’m doing these different things all the time, and that it’s not just this stereotype of ‘gay best friend.’”
Nathan in Walter Boys: Messy but Human
In My Life with the Walter Boys, his character Nathan takes up more screen time this season, and makes a few questionable choices.
“Nathan is very much susceptible to the attention of others,” Fogelmanis explains. “It was hard to justify, actually, some of those things that I do… But I like that we get to see someone that’s not perfect because there’s so many different types of gay people, and I think it’s important that you see them in happy relationships and see them love right and love wrong and make mistakes.”
Onscreen and Offscreen Collaborations
Fogelmanis’ creative circle extends beyond acting. His longtime friend Conan Gray tapped him to appear in music videos, sparking rumors about their relationship.
“He was like, ‘I had this idea, and if you want to do it, I would love to do it with you.’ I was like, ‘Absolutely yes.’ I was such a big fan of him,” Fogelmanis recalls. “The music is just so great, exactly what I love from him, which is just so personal and vulnerable. I was very honored.”
Championing Sabrina Carpenter’s Success
Another close friend, former co-star Sabrina Carpenter, has been on a meteoric rise.
“I’ve always just loved what she makes,” he says. “I’m so happy that now she’s in a place where she can do whatever she wants. Now she can make the videos she wants to make. She can make the live show that she envisions in her head a reality.”
Reflecting Through I Wish You All the Best
His role in Dorfman’s adaptation of I Wish You All the Best struck a deeply personal chord.
“This experience of being scared to let someone in… That feeling of putting someone on a pedestal and really admiring this person that you’re with, and wanting to just feel different about yourself,” Fogelmanis reflects. “I feel like so much of the movie is about getting to a place where you feel sturdy enough to give back the love that you’re receiving… I couldn’t believe that she’d written those words. Because I felt like she was writing my life.”
With new projects across film, streaming, and music, Corey Fogelmanis is proving that post-Disney life isn’t about reinvention, it’s about expanding into everything he’s always wanted to do.
