David Henrie Fires Back at Jake T. Austin’s ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Revival Claims: ‘He Didn’t Accept Our Offers’

Jake T. Austin’s absence from Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has sparked a public back-and-forth between the former Disney Channel star and the people behind the revival.

Austin recently said he was disappointed that Max Russo was not part of the new series, claiming he had been ready to return. However, David Henrie and showrunner Scott Thomas are now pushing back on that version of events, saying Austin was contacted several times about joining the revival.

Austin played Max, the younger brother of Justin Russo, played by Henrie, and Alex Russo, played by Selena Gomez, throughout the original Wizards of Waverly Place. He appeared in all four seasons of the Disney Channel series, as well as the 2009 television movie and the 2012 special The Wizards Return.

While Henrie returned as Justin for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place and Gomez made several guest appearances as Alex, Austin never appeared in the revival.

After the final four episodes of the new series were released on Disney+ this week, Austin addressed his absence on Instagram Stories. He said he was disappointed that he was not included and claimed he had previously been told about the possibility of returning.

“To all the Wizard fans, just wanted to say for the record how disappointed I am to have not been included in the spinoff,” Austin wrote.

According to Austin, he was approached about reprising Max in 2020 and was fully willing to come back. He said the series eventually went in another direction.

“I was asked back in 2020 if I was interested in reprising my role and said that I was 100% in. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided to take the show in a different direction and my character wasn’t part of the equation.”

Austin added that he still supports his former castmates despite not being involved in the revival.

“Even though I wasn’t involved, I still have nothing but love for my former castmates and wish them continued success.”

Henrie offered a different account shortly afterward. In a post on his Instagram Stories, the actor said he would have liked to see Austin return as Max but claimed the actor did not accept the offers made to him.

“I woulda loved to have Max back but sadly he didn’t accept our numerous offers to join the new show,” Henrie wrote. He added that the team reached out in several ways.

“We called him, texted, went through agents etc. I would have loved for this new generation of millions of kids to get to meet Max, but I respect his decision and wish him all the best!”

Scott Thomas, one of the showrunners of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, also supported Henrie’s version of events. Thomas responded on X, saying that Austin had been approached multiple times.

“I’m one of the Wizards showrunners so I can confirm that David Henrie is correct,” Thomas wrote. “Jake was asked multiple times by many people. Really wanted him back. No response.”

The comments from Henrie and Thomas directly contradict Austin’s claim that the revival simply moved forward without his character after he expressed interest in returning.

For now, neither side appears to be backing down. Entertainment Weekly reported that it reached out to Austin’s representatives for comment, but no response was included in the report.

Regardless of how the situation unfolded behind the scenes, Max remains one of the best-known characters from the original series. His absence has clearly become a talking point among longtime fans, especially now that the revival has officially reached its conclusion.

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