CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses disordered eating.
The curse of the Disney movie stars beefing continues and it feels like we’ve unlocked a chaotic sequel to the Miley/Selena/Nick and Olivia/Josh/Sabrina timelines, just with more TikTok edits this time.
The latest chapter is all about Descendants: Wicked Wonderland leads Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker, plus Zombies 4 actor Malachi Barton who have fans convinced we’re watching a Disney love triangle unfold again in real time.
WTF are the Descendants?
If you’re not across the new Disney era, let me take you back for a sec. Descendants is Disney’s teen musical fantasy franchise about the kids of classic villains and heroes, mixing high‑school drama with magic and big choreo numbers. The newer films shift the focus to Wonderland with Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024) which followed Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe Charming, Cinderella’s daughter, as they messed with time to fix the past.
This year’s Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is the fifth movie in the franchise, set mainly in present‑day Wonderland and picking up after that time‑travel storyline. Kylie is back as Red and Malia returns as Chloe, teaming up with a new group of characters after their choices create a fresh villain and new consequences that end up resolves in a group musical number of course!
Friends turned foes?
In the Rise of Red promo era, Kylie and Malia were very openly in their best‑friend phase. Kylie told Entertainment Weekly in 2024 that they’d been “Instagram friends for a while” before meeting, and said that during casting she pushed for Malia, telling the team “She’s the one; she’s incredible,” and calling their chemistry read “love at first sight”.
She described Malia as her “favourite person ever” and one of her best friends, saying they shared the same sense of humour and hit it off straight away.
Malia definitely matched that energy. In the same interview she said “I love Kylie” and that working with her was “so much fun” it was “nearly impossible to get into character hating her”, even though their characters clash on screen. At that point, they were laughing through interviews and very much selling a tight friendship alongside the movies. It was wholesome as f*ck.
What the hell happened between Rise Of Red And Wicked Wonderland?
Between that era and Wicked Wonderland promo, things seem to have shifted. In 2025 the Descendants cast went on the Worlds Collide Tour with the cast of the Disney show Zombies. During this time Kylie was often seen with Zombies 4 actor Malachi Barton, and fans started to suspect they were dating, even though neither confirmed a relationship. By late 2025, that apparent situationship fizzled out quietly.
Soon after, Malia’s sister posted a photo of Malia and Malachi holding hands at a holiday market, which sparked rumours that they were now together, or at least that Malia had taken Malachi’s side in his alleged breakup with Kylie.
Around that time, Kylie unfollowed both Malia and Malachi on Instagram, something fan accounts tracked in real time.
Two days ago they went ‘official’ (kinda) when Malia Baker’s sister posted a picture of them holding hands at a Christmas Market pic.twitter.com/agQD0lKUqp
— Descendants 5 Wicked Wonderland Updates (@descendantstrr) December 18, 2025
None of the three has publicly confirmed a love triangle or laid out the exact timeline, but in my experience covering messy celeb relationships, the true die-hard fans are usually never wrong.
The interviews that set the internet off
Fast forward to this year’s Wicked Wonderland press run and people have noticed the vibe feels very different. In a joint interview about the film’s friendship themes, Malia said the franchise had taught her “a lot about loyalty and trust”, and Kylie visibly rolled her eyes in response. That small moment went viral EVERYWHERE with viewers slowing down the clip and calling it shady.
not the first question talking about friendship 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/lR4TkQRUFj
— jami ♡ (@snowymuse) July 15, 2026
Kylie has also talked about her upcoming album Valley Girl Problems which explicitly points to the love triangle.
In her interview with Galore, she said she wrote the record “like a diary” and didn’t shy away from “the messy parts (even my very public love triangle),” adding that the situation “unraveled” while she was working on it, so some songs reflect “hurt and betrayal”. Fans have obviously connected those comments to the change in her dynamic with Malia.
@entertainmenttonight The ‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland’ stars Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker weigh in on the movie’s major themes of sisterhood and friendship, and how they navigate public attention both on and off screen. #descendantswickedwonderland #kyliecantrall #maliabaker #descendants
♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight – Entertainment Tonight
Why fans are worried about Malia
Alongside the drama breakdowns, there’s been a softer conversation happening about Malia herself. On Reddit and in Instagram comments, some fans have said they’re worried about her recent weight loss and overall appearance, hoping she’s okay and that it’s something she can recover from.
None of Malia’s personal health details have been confirmed, but it’s clear fans are also worried about the actual humans in the middle of this drama.
Malia has also confirmed she won’t be joining the 2026 Worlds Collide Concert Tour, even though she was invited. Speaking on the Zach Sang Show, she said, “I got the invite”, but explained that touring “didn’t fit” for her and that she never really wanted to be a pop star or singer, preferring to be on set rather than on the road.
@zachsangshow @Malia:) on why she won’t be touring with #descendants + #zombies #descendantszombiesworldscollidetour #Sponsored by @JBL
♬ original sound – Zach Sang Show
She hinted she may still go to support her friends from the audience.
At this point, Disney hasn’t commented on any of the rumours, but I wonder if we’ll be seeing a sixth movie with Kylie and Malia at the helm.
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Lead image: X
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