# AJ Michalka

Amanda Joy Michalka (/miːˈʃɑːkə/ mee-SHAH-kə; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, musician and singer-songwriter who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She has appeared in films such as The Lovely Bones (2009), Secretariat (2010), Super 8 (2011), Grace Unplugged (2013), Weepah Way for Now (2015), and Support the Girls (2018). Michalka also starred in the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs (2013–2023) and its spin-off series Schooled (2019–2020). She is also known for voicing a lead role as Catra in the Netflix animated adventure series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020).

## Early life

Michalka was born in Torrance, California and is the younger sister of actress and musician Aly Michalka. Her father, Mark, owns a contracting company, and her mother, Carrie, is a musician and performed with the Christian rock band "JC Band". Her parents are divorced. As a little girl, she briefly lived in Seattle and Milwaukee. Both she and her sister attended Mack Elementary. She has played the piano since she was six and started playing the guitar in her early life. She started acting when she was five, mostly in church play productions. She was raised as a Christian and homeschooled for part of her childhood. Michalka was in a number of musical productions at her school in Milwaukee as a young woman.

## Career

She plays a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and piano. She was a model for catalogs. In 2006 she made her Disney Channel debut in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles, as "Courtney Callum", along with sister Aly, as "Taylor Callum". She has also appeared on shows such as Oliver Beene, Six Feet Under, The Guardian, and General Hospital. She and her sister appeared in the MTV film Super Sweet 16: The Movie.
In 2009 she was featured in the Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones, released widely on January 15, 2010.
From 2009 to 2013 Michalka and her sister performed as the musical duo 78violet. They decided to change its name back to "Aly and AJ" in 2015. She was cast as a recurring character on The CW series Hellcats starring Ashley Tisdale and her sister Aly Michalka. The series ran for one season and was cancelled in May 2011.
Michalka appeared in the 2011 film Super 8, directed by J. J. Abrams. Her first big-screen starring role was as the title character in 2013's Grace Unplugged.
Since 2013, Michalka has had a recurring role on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs as Lainey Lewis, the best friend of main character Erica Goldberg and one-time girlfriend of Erica's brother, Barry. In May 2015, it was announced that she was promoted to series regular for the show's upcoming third season. She also played the Lainey character in a lead role on the spinoff series Schooled, which ran for two seasons.
Michalka voices the character Stevonnie in Steven Universe, a fusion of the protagonist Steven and his best friend Connie. In July 2014, she and her sister filmed an untitled drama in Laurel Canyon, California. The film was directed and written by Aly's husband, Stephen Ringer. Michalka was one of the producers of the film, with her sister and Ringer, and participated in the casting process. In May 2015, it was announced that the film, Weepah Way for Now, would premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 16, 2015. The film was released on DVD, iTunes, and other streaming platforms in June 2016.
In 2024, Michalka competed in season twelve of The Masked Singer as "Strawberry Shortcake", with Hayley Orrantia (who competed in season seven as "Ringmaster") serving as her Mask Ambassador. She was eliminated in the semi-finals and finished in third place. Michalka also made references to her nephew and Aly & AJ's upcoming album.

## Personal life

In 2006, Michalka dated actor and musician Joe Jonas. She has confirmed that her duo's song "Flattery" was written about him.
Since August 2017, Michalka has been in a relationship with actor Josh Pence.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | The Lovely Bones | Clarissa | |
| 2010 | Slow Moe | Emily | |
| 2010 | Secretariat | Kate Tweedy | |
| 2011 | Super 8 | Jen | |
| 2013 | Grace Unplugged | Grace Trey | |
| 2013 | Angels in Stardust | Vallie Sue | |
| 2015 | Weepah Way for Now | Joy | Also co-producer |
| 2016 | Dirty Lies | Tiffany | |
| 2017 | Apple of My Eye | Kai | |
| 2018 | Support the Girls | Krista | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Passions | Sheridan's Daughter | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Birds of Prey | Young Dinah Lance | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | General Hospital | Ashley B. | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Six Feet Under | Ashley | 2 episodes |
| 2002–2004 | The Guardian | Shannon Gressler | Recurring role (seasons 2–3), 15 episodes; as Amanda Michalka |
| 2003–2004 | Oliver Beene | Bonnie | Recurring role, 9 episodes; as Amanda Michalka |
| 2006 | Cow Belles | Courtney Callum | Television film |
| 2006 | Haversham Hall | Hope Mason | Unaired television pilot |
| 2007 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode dated May 29, 2007 |
| 2007 | Super Sweet 16: The Movie | Sara Connors | Television film |
| 2007 | Aly & AJ: Sister Act | Herself | MTV television special |
| 2011 | Hellcats | Deirdre Perkins | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Salem Falls | Gillian Duncan | Television film |
| 2013–2023 | The Goldbergs | Lainey Lewis | Recurring role (seasons 1–2, 5); main role (seasons 3–4, early season 6); guest (seasons 7–10); 58 episodes |
| 2014 | Silicon Valley | Charlotte | Episode: "Proof of Concept" |
| 2014 | Motive | Emily Williams | Episode: "Dead End" |
| 2014 | Expecting Amish | Hannah Yoder | Television film |
| 2015–2019 | Steven Universe | Stevonnie | Recurring voice role; 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Cupcake Wars | Herself / Contestant | Celebrity special |
| 2016 | All My Friends Are Getting Married | Chloe | Web series; 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: "Aly Michalka & AJ Michalka vs. Adrienne Houghton" |
| 2018–2020 | She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | Catra | Main voice role |
| 2019–2020 | Schooled | Lainey Lewis | Main role; 34 episodes |
| 2020 | The Disney Family Singalong | Herself | Television special |
| 2022 | Ray Donovan: The Movie | Young Abby | Television film |
| 2022 | The Good Doctor | Nelly Dunn | Episode: "Yippee Ki-Yay" |
| 2024 | The Masked Singer | Herself/Strawberry Shortcake | Season 12 contestant |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
| 2012 | "Gotten" | Slash featuring Adam Levine | Joanna Martin | |
| 2020 | "Malibu" (At Home Edition) | Kim Petras | Herself | |

## Discography

Soundtrack appearances :
| Year | Track | Album |
| 2010 | "It's Who You Are" | Secretariat |
| 2013 | "All I've Ever Needed" | Grace Unplugged |
| 2013 | "Desert Song" | Grace Unplugged |
| 2013 | "You Never Let Go" | Grace Unplugged |
| 2013 | "Misunderstood" | Grace Unplugged |
| 2017 | "Here Comes a Thought" (with Estelle) | Steven Universe, Vol. 1 (Original Soundtrack) |
| 2017 | "Tom Sawyer" (with Hayley Orrantia) | The Goldbergs Mixtape |
| 2017 | "Eternal Flame" (with Hayley Orrantia) | The Goldbergs Mixtape |
| 2017 | "Walking on Sunshine" (with Hayley Orrantia) | The Goldbergs Mixtape |
| 2018 | "We Deserve to Shine" (with Zach Callison, Grace Rolek, Estelle, Deedee Magno Hall, Michaela Dietz, Charlyne Yi and Erica Luttrell) | None |
| 2019 | "Escapism" (with Zach Callison and Grace Rolek) | Steven Universe, Vol. 2 (Original Soundtrack) |
| 2020 | "Warriors" | The Music of She-ra |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| 2006 | American Music Awards | Contemporary Inspirational Artists of the Year | Into the Rush | Nominated |
| 2014 | Movieguide Awards | Most Inspiring Performance in Movies | Grace Unplugged | Won |
| 2015 | Napa Film Festival | Special Jury Award-Acting in a Lounge Feature Film (shared with Aly Michalka) | Weepah Way for Now | Won |
| 2017 | Behind the Voice Actor Awards | Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role | Steven Universe | Won |