Jake T. Austin, who played Max Russo on the original Wizards of Waverly Place, has publicly addressed his absence from the sequel series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place — and he is not happy about it.

In a statement shared on his Instagram account on 7 August 2026, Austin wrote: "To all the Wizard fans, just wanted to say for the record how disappointed I am to have not been included in the spinoff" (Variety). He told followers that the producers "decided to take [the sequel] in a different direction" and that his character was not part of it (Deadline).

Austin was the only Russo sibling not to reprise his role. David Henrie returned as Justin Russo, and Selena Gomez made appearances as Alex Russo. Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premiered in 2024, centring on Justin Russo's family life in Staten Island, and released its third and final season in August 2026 (Deadline). The final season brought back Gregg Sulkin as Mason Greyback and Jennifer Stone as Harper Finkle — but no Max.

The picture gets complicated when other cast members weigh in. David Henrie, who also serves as a producer on the sequel, told TV Insider that Austin was offered a return: "He definitely was." Henrie separately told TVLine on 7 August 2026: "We tried to get him" (TVLine). Austin's own account suggests the opposite — that the production moved on without him. Neither Henrie nor Austin has clarified what form an offer might have taken or why it did not come together.

Austin said he was first asked about reprising Max back in 2020, when early talk of a sequel was circulating. At the time, he said he was "100% in" (Deadline). Four years passed before the show reached screens without him.

In the first season of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Max Russo was written out with a passing reference: he had turned the family's Waverly Sub Station into a billion-dollar franchise and was living on a yacht. It was a comic exit for a character who never appeared on screen.

David DeLuise, who played the Russo siblings' father, Jerry, on the original series, wrote in an Instagram comment that the lack of original cast members in the sequel was a "Missed opportunity" (Deadline). Entertainment Weekly reported on Austin's statement, calling it the first time he had broken his silence on his absence from the revival (Entertainment Weekly).

For fans who grew up with the Russo family, the split is hard to ignore. The original Wizards of Waverly Place ran on the Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012 and made household names of its three young leads. A sequel without one of them was always going to draw questions. Now the series has wrapped, and one of its original stars is still waiting for an answer he says he never got.