# Lucy Hale

Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People's Choice Award, and two Young Hollywood Awards.
After early recognition for her roles as Becca Sommers in the series Bionic Woman (2007) and Rose Baker in the series Privileged (2008–2009), Hale received her breakthrough role as Aria Montgomery in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017), for which she received global stardom and critical acclaim. She starred as Stella Abbott in Life Sentence (2018), the titular character in Katy Keene (2020) and DC Lake Edmunds in Ragdoll (2021). She has appeared in films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song and Scream 4 (both 2011), and led the films Truth or Dare and Dude (both 2018), Fantasy Island (2020), The Hating Game (2021), and Which Brings Me to You (2024).
In addition to acting, Hale has also ventured into music. In 2003, she first came to prominence as one of the five winners of the reality show American Juniors, a children's spin-off of Fox's American Idol and began as a solo artist with signing Hollywood Records in 2012, on her debut studio album, Road Between (2014). She is also credited with hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 2016 to 2021.

## Early life

Karen Lucille Hale was born on June 14, 1989, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Julie Knight and Preston Hale. She was named after one of her great-grandmothers. Her mother is a registered nurse. She has an older sister, Maggie, a step-sister, Kirby, and a step-brother Wes. Hale was homeschooled as a child. During her childhood, she took acting and singing lessons. In August 2012, Hale revealed she had suffered from an eating disorder.

## Career
### 2003–2009: Early roles

In 2003, Hale first appeared on television as a contestant in the Fox reality show American Juniors. On July 30, 2003, Hale finished in fourth place and part of a group of the same name formed with the top 5 finishers (Chauncey Matthews, Danielle White and Tori & Taylor Thompson) but the group disbanded in 2005, after their self-titled studio album's lackluster sales.
Hale moved to Los Angeles at age 15 in the hopes of getting a record deal. Shortly after, she started auditioning and received a minor role on Drake & Josh and other guest roles on shows such as Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, The O.C., and How I Met Your Mother. She appeared in two episodes of the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place.
In 2007, Hale appeared in NBC's short-lived series Bionic Woman. Hale plays Becca Sommers, the younger sister of the title character Jaime Sommers (played by Michelle Ryan). The character was originally portrayed by Mae Whitman in the unaired pilot episode, after which Whitman departed the series.
In August 2008, Hale made her big screen debut in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 portraying Effie Kaligaris, the younger sister of Lena Kaligaris (played by Alexis Bledel). Hale then appeared in The CW series Privileged as Rose Baker, with co-stars Ashley Newbrough and JoAnna Garcia. She starred in the Lifetime television film Sorority Wars.

### 2010–2012: Pretty Little Liars and music

In October 2009, Hale was cast as Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars, based on the book series of the same name by Sara Shepard. The television series lasted seven seasons from 2010 to 2017, with Hale's performance being praised by critics. She also received a number of awards and nominations, including seven Teen Choice Awards, a Gracie Allen Award, a People's Choice Award and a Young Hollywood Award.
In January 2010, Hale appeared as the singer Phoebe Nichols and her identical body double Vanessa Patton in the CSI: Miami episode "Show Stopper". In 2011, Hale had a cameo role as Sherrie in the slasher film Scream 4. Later, she was cast as the aspiring singer Katie Gibbs in A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, the third installment of A Cinderella Story series and was released on direct-to-video in September 2011. She recorded songs for the film's soundtrack.
Throughout her career, Hale made appearances of music videos with artists: Foy Vance's "She Burns", Chase Jordan's "Lose Control (Take a Sip)" and Jackson Harris' "Come Back Down to Earth".
Hale hosted an episode of MTV's Punk'd aired on April 26, 2012, where she successfully pranked with Pretty Litte Liars co-star Ian Harding, Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Hutcherson. The same year, Hale played the voice of Periwinkle, Tinker Bell's twin sister (voiced by Mae Whitman) in the Disney animated film Secret of the Wings. In June 2012, Hale announced that she had signed a record deal with Hollywood Records (co-partnership with DMG Nashville).

### 2013–present: Films and current work

On June 11, 2013, Hale announced that she is the new Ambassador of the beauty brand Mark Girl. Hale was co-hosted for the television event shows, the Teen Choice Awards (with Darren Criss in 2013 and David Dobrik in 2019) and the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show with Sway Calloway. On February 18, 2014, Hale's debut studio album was announced to be called Road Between, released on June 3, 2014.
In 2015, Hale collaborated with Rascal Flatts, performed a cover of "Let It Go" from another Disney animated film Frozen and was featured on the compilation album We Love Disney. Later, Hale served as a correspondent in New Orleans and co-hosted with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (2016–2021), making her the first millennial actress to co-host the Times Square segments.
Hale recorded two stand-alone Christmas songs "Mistletoe" and a cover of Francesca Battistelli's "You're Here", both released in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
In 2018, Hale was cast in The CW comedy-drama series Life Sentence as Stella Abbott, a woman who finds out that her terminal cancer is cured. The series which only lasted one season. The same year, Hale starred in three films, Truth or Dare, Dude and The Unicorn. On March 11, 2019, Hale was cast as the lead role in Katy Keene, based on the Archie Comics character of the same name.
In 2020, Hale starred as Melanie Cole in the supernatural horror film Fantasy Island. In 2021, Hale starred as the lead role in the romantic comedy film The Hating Game. The same year, Hale became a brand ambassador and model for lingerie company Hunkemöller.

## Artistry

Hale described music as her "first love". Her early musical influences were Christina Aguilera, Shania Twain and Faith Hill, but what ignited her interest in pursuing music was Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time". Kristian Bush of country band Sugarland said: "She sounds like Carrie Underwood—strong with a blues side and a pop side to it. And a lot like Faith Hill."

## Advocacy

On September 14, 2024, Hale received the Humanitarian Award at the 34th Annual Friendly House Awards Luncheon in Los Angeles. Friendly House is a women's addiction recovery center. She told People magazine: "When I got sober, my intention was never to be the poster child of sobriety. But when I began speaking about it, it came from a place of needing to heal and take my power back."

## Personal life

She has two dogs named Elvis and Ethel. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, and Pilates. As of March 2025, Hale is dating reality star Harry Jowsey

### Health

In January 2024, Hale announced that she was two years sober from alcohol. She started drinking at 14 and worked on quitting alcohol on several occasions. In an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Hale said: "I just held on to that belief that the real Lucy came out when she was drinking. It also quieted my mind... my brain just doesn't shut off and it's exhausting. I was a textbook binge drinker, blackout, wouldn't remember what I did or what I said, which is scary." She struggled with anxiety and depression.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | Effie Kaligaris | As Lucy Kate Hale |
| 2009 | Fear Island | Megan / Jenna Campbell | |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Sherrie | Cameo |
| 2011 | A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song | Katie Gibbs | Direct-to-video film |
| 2012 | Secret of the Wings | Periwinkle | Voice role |
| 2016 | Waiting on Roxie | Roxie Hart | Short film; also producer |
| 2018 | Truth or Dare | Olivia Barron | |
| 2018 | Dude | Lily | |
| 2018 | The Unicorn | Jesse | |
| 2019 | Trouble | Zoe Bell | Voice role |
| 2020 | Fantasy Island | Melanie Cole | |
| 2020 | A Nice Girl Like You | Lucy Neal | Also co-producer |
| 2020 | Son of the South | Carol Anne | |
| 2021 | The Hating Game | Lucy Hutton | Also executive producer |
| 2022 | Borrego | Elly | Also executive producer |
| 2022 | Big Gold Brick | Lily Deveraux | |
| 2022 | The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry | Amelia “Amy” Loman | Also executive producer |
| 2023 | Inside Man | Gina | |
| 2023 | Puppy Love | Nicole | |
| 2024 | Which Brings Me to You | Jane | Also producer |
| 2024 | Running On Empty | Kate | |
| 2025 | F*** Marry Kill | Eva Vaughn | Post-production |
| TBA | White Mars | | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | American Juniors | Herself / Contestant | Finished in fourth place |
| 2003 | An American Idol Christmas | Herself | Television special |
| 2005 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Amy Cassidy | Episode: "Upperclassmen & Gross Biology Dissection" |
| 2006 | Drake & Josh | Hazel | Episode: "Theater Thug" |
| 2006 | The O.C. | Hadley Hawthorne | Episode: "The Man of the Year" |
| 2007, 2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Katie Scherbatsky | Episodes: "First Time in New York", "Vesuvius" |
| 2007 | Bionic Woman | Becca Sommers | Main cast (as Lucy Kate Hale) |
| 2007–2008 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Miranda Hampson | Episodes: "First Kiss", "Pop Me and We Both Go Down" |
| 2008–2009 | Privileged | Rose Baker | Main cast (as Lucy Kate Hale) |
| 2009 | Ruby & the Rockits | Kristen | Episode: "Smells Like Teen Drama" |
| 2009 | Sorority Wars | Katie Parker | Television film (Lifetime) |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Danielle Palmer | Episode: "Pushing the Limits" (as Lucy Kate Hale) |
| 2010 | CSI: Miami | Phoebe Nichols / Vanessa Patton | Episode: "Show Stopper" |
| 2010–2017 | Pretty Little Liars | Aria Montgomery | Main cast |
| 2012 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode: "Lucy Hale" |
| 2013, 2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Herself, co-host | |
| 2014 | Baby Daddy | Piper Stockdale | Episode: "Bonnie's Unreal Estate" |
| 2014 | 2014 MTV Video Music Awards | Herself, co-host | |
| 2015 | Baring It All: Inside New York Fashion Week | Herself | Television documentary film |
| 2016–2021 | Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve | Herself | New Orleans correspondent (2016–19), Co-Host (2019–21) |
| 2018 | Life Sentence | Stella Abbott | Main cast |
| 2018 | Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry | Herself | Episode dated: "April 4, 2018" |
| 2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Herself | Episode: "The Ry Chromosome" |
| 2020–2021 | Riverdale | Katy Keene | Episodes: "Chapter Sixty-Nine: Men of Honor", "Chapter Eighty-Four: Lock & Key" (voice role) |
| 2020 | Katy Keene | Katy Keene | Title role |
| 2021 | Ragdoll | DC Lake Edmunds | Main role, miniseries |
| 2025 | Wizards Beyond Waverly Place | Miranda Hampton | Episode: "Potions Eleven" (Archive Footage) |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2020 | Day by Day | Maya | Voice role; episode: "Big Nights In" | |
| 2023 | Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson | Herself | Voice role; episode: "Lucy Hale on Panty-Droppers, Mental Health, and Chakras" | |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2014 | The Road Between with Lucy Hale | Herself | 4 episodes | |
| 2017 | Lex & Los | Herself | Episode: "Human vs. White Shark" | |

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Album details | US Country | US | CAN | AUS | Sales |
| Road Between | Release date: June 3, 2014 Formats: CD, Digital Download Label: Hollywood, DMG Nashville | 4 | 14 | 13 | 57 | US: 44,000+ |

### Soundtrack albums

List of soundtrack albums :
| Title | Details |
| A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song | Released: September 6, 2011 Formats: CD, digital download Label: WaterTower Music |
| Katy Keene: Special Episode – Kiss of the Spider Woman: The Musical | Released: March 20, 2020 Formats: CD, digital download Label: WaterTower Music |
| Katy Keene: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack) | Released: May 15, 2020 Formats: CD, digital download Label: WaterTower Music |

### Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US Hot Country | Country Airplay | US | CAN | Album |
| "Run This Town" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song |
| "Bless Myself" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song |
| "You Sound Good to Me" | 2014 | 21 | 47 | 88 | 57 | Road Between |
| "Lie a Little Better" | 2014 | — | 54 | — | — | Road Between |

### Other and promotional singles

List of promotional singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Peak position | Peak position | Album |
| Title | Year | Country Digital | Holiday Digital | Album |
| "Mistletoe" | 2014 | — | 40 | Non-album single |
| "Let It Go" (with Rascal Flatts) | 2015 | — | — | We Love Disney |
| "You're Here" | 2017 | — | — | Non-album single |

### Other appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name :
| Year | Title | Other artist(s) | Album |
| 2003 | "One Step Closer" | The Top 10 of American Juniors | Kids in America |
| 2003 | "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" | None | Kids in America |
| 2003 | "Kids in America" | The Top 10 of American Juniors | Kids in America |
| 2004 | "ABC" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "No Matta What (Party All Night)" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "True Colors" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Unstoppable" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "One Step Closer" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Have You Ever" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Emotional" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Sundown" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Bring the House Down" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2004 | "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You" | Artists of American Juniors | American Juniors |
| 2011 | "Make You Believe" | None | A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song |
| 2011 | "Extra Ordinary" | None | A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song |
| 2015 | "It's a Small World" | We Love Disney artists | We Love Disney |
| 2019 | "Back to Earth" | None | Trouble |
| 2019 | "Back to Earth" (Pop Version) | Snoop Dogg | Trouble |
| 2019 | "Made for Two" | Jason Mraz | Trouble |
| 2020 | "Dirrty" | Cast of Katy Keene | Katy Keene: Season 1 |
| 2020 | "My Strongest Suit" | Cast of Katy Keene | Katy Keene: Season 1 |
| 2020 | "She Used to Be Mine" | None | Katy Keene: Season 1 |
| 2020 | "Prologue (Reprise)" | None | Katy Keene: Special Episode – Kiss of the Spider Woman: The Musical |
| 2020 | "Dressing Them Up" | Jonny Beauchamp and Nathan Lee Graham | Katy Keene: Special Episode – Kiss of the Spider Woman: The Musical |

### Music videos
#### As lead artist

| Year | Title | Director |
| 2011 | "Bless Myself" | None |
| 2011 | "Run This Town" | None |
| 2014 | "You Sound Good to Me" | Philip Andelman |
| 2014 | "Lie a Little Better" | Philip Andelman |

#### Guest appearances

| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Director |
| 2011 | "Lose Control (Take a Sip)" | Chase Jordan | Jeff Moriarty |
| 2012 | "Come Back Down to Earth" | Jackson Harris | Jordan Bloch |
| 2016 | "She Burns" | Foy Vance | Gus Black |
| 2017 | "Angels Among Us" | Artists for United in Voice | None |
| 2020 | "On My Way" | Joel Crouse | Robbie Norris |
| 2021 | "State of the Heart" | Patrick Droney | Gus Black |
| 2023 | "We Don't Fight Anymore" | Carly Pearce Chris Stapleton | Alexa Campbell |

### Songwriting credits

Source:
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written with |
| "Come a Little Closer" | 2013 | Sylvie Vartan | Sylvie in Nashville | Co-writer | Mike Daly and Kristian Bush |
| "Just Another Song" | 2014 | Lucy Hale | Road Between | Co-writer | Mike Daly and Catt Gravitt |
| "Feels Like Home" | 2014 | Lucy Hale | Road Between | Co-writer | Mike Daly and Kristian Bush |
| "Loved" | 2014 | Lucy Hale | Road Between | Co-writer | Brett James and Caitlyn Smith |
| "The Call" | 2015 | Ashliegh Lisset | Non-album single | Co-writer | Zac Maloy and Michael Daley |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2011 | Young Hollywood Awards | Cast to Watch (with Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson & Shay Mitchell) | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2012 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2013 | Gracie Allen Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Rising Star | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2013 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2013 | Young Hollywood Awards | Crossover of the Year | Herself | Won |
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2014 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Artist On the Rise | Herself | Nominated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Country Female Artist | Herself | Nominated |
| 2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | Truth or Dare | Nominated |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Instagrammer | Herself | Nominated |
| 2021 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Fantasy Island | Nominated |
| 2024 | Friendly House | Humanitarian Award | Herself | Won |