Christy Carlson Romano's Memoir 'Once Upon a Trainwreck': Biggest Revelations

It took Christy Carlson Romano two "grueling" years to write her "risky" and "honest" new memoir.

Out on October 6, Romano's Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Rise and Fall of a Child Star delves into the former Disney Channel star's childhood fame, addiction, relationships and family struggles.

"I had to relive my lowest lows, my highest highs and find the courage to share my most vulnerable moments with you," she wrote on Instagram in March.

Following its release, OK! rounded up the biggest revelations from Romano's memoir.

Romano initially went by "Christy Romano" during her time on Even Stevens and Kim Possible before adopting "Christy Carlson Romano" when she portrayed Belle in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast in 2004.

In her memoir, she explained that she incorporated her mother Sharon Romano's maiden name "for broader appeal," as Sharon reportedly believed "Romano" alone sounded "too ethnic."

"I'm embarrassed by how long it is. And there it is. Looming over Times Square. It's not even my real name, but now I'm stuck with it," Christy recalled in her memoir.

At the beginning of her professional performing career, Christy attended her first commercial audition at just 6 years old.

The 42-year-old star recalled feeling uncomfortable when a casting director for a Zest soap commercial asked whether she would be willing to appear shirtless from behind for a shower scene. Sharon, who was also her manager at the time, agreed to the request despite Christy's discomfort.

"'I'm sure that's fine,'" she penned, "Even though I am not feeling fine about it at all. My whole body feels squirmy, like I want to run out of the room."

However, she ultimately did not land the commercial.

In Once Upon a Trainwreck, Christy reflected on the darker side of childhood fame, revealing how growing up in the entertainment industry affected her self-worth and ability to set boundaries. She also expressed concerns about child labor in Hollywood.

"My opposition to child labor in Hollywood — and high-functioning kids training and working in any elite field — isn't about money. It's about the pricelessness of childhood itself," she scribed.

Christy explained, "There's a fine line between supporting a child's dreams and setting them up for failure … When you spend your childhood being rewarded for compliance, for never complaining, for being professional and easy and grateful, you lose the ability to recognize when someone is taking advantage of you. That muscle never develops."

Christy name-dropped Scarlett Johansson and Macaulay Culkin, both of whom attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan alongside her. The Home Alone actor's younger brother Kieran Culkin was also a student there.

The Even Stevens alum recalled the Culkin brothers hung out with a group of punk-inspired students who often wore black trench coats and accessories adorned with band logos. During one awkward encounter with Macaulay, the My Girl actor reportedly mooed at Christy like a cow in a school stairwell.

"[Macaulay] seemed super out of it one day, at least to me. In my head, I can only think that he's such a waste of talent, and I feel embarrassed that he goes to our school looking like that," she wrote.

Meanwhile, she described the Black Widow actress as the "exact opposite" of her.

"She's pretty short, she's got big b----, swollen lips, and grown-up curves, plus dirty-blond hair and squinty green eyes that look like they couldn't care less what anyone thinks of her," Christy shared in the memoir.

Although Christy and Scarlett became acquaintances, they never developed a close friendship.

Elsewhere in Once Upon a Trainwreck, Christy admitted she initially had no interest in auditioning for Even Stevens. Still, the chemistry test with Shia LaBeouf ultimately played a role in securing the part.

After the book was released, Christy claimed she was paid half of what Shia was paid for his role in the series.

"We were co-leads and had the same screen time. While writing my memoir, I dug through thousands of old photos and letters and found this," she wrote in an October 9 Instagram post, which included a throwback photo of herself alongside her mom and Shia.

Even Stevens ran for three years, but working together on the show did not lead to a close relationship between Christy and Shia off camera.

"[We] rarely interact off-screen," she wrote. "He barely asks about my life and I don't ask about his. Maybe it makes the sibling rivalry feel real on the show, but in actual, everyday life, it sucks."

Christy also claimed the Even Stevens crew frequently tried to create competition between her and Shia, causing their on-screen sibling rivalry to "bleed over into real life."

In the book, Christy said she missed an opportunity to audition for The Princess Diaries — which, she believed, could have helped her transition from television to the big screen.

Her Even Stevens costar Donna Pescow, who played her on-screen mother, reportedly helped her prepare. However, things did not go as planned when filming for The Even Stevens Movie ran longer than expected that day, causing her to miss the opportunity.

To make matters worse, she was also unable to reschedule the audition.

Away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Christy struggled to find her place in the industry after years of being known as a Disney Channel star.

She later decided to leave Los Angeles and attend college in hopes of shedding her Disney Kid image and living a more normal life. However, the transition proved difficult.

At the time, she began spending her Disney Channel earnings recklessly, partying, binge drinking and experimenting with drugs.

At one point, she recalled she had "tried being bulimic" to "just feel something" amid her emotional struggles.

"I try scraping my nails against the insides of my arms to see if I can become a cutter. No such luck. I feel like a dumba--. How was I ever someone's role model?" Christy added in the book.

Reflecting on her first experience with cocaine, Christy confessed she tried the drug at Paris Hilton's house during a Halloween party.

"After getting a taste for it the first time at Paris's party, I've been partying too much and trying coke more," she wrote in the book.

Before finding love with her husband, Brendan Rooney, Christy experienced toxic relationships marked by manipulation, infidelity and heartbreak.

She recalled getting engaged twice and experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. Per Christy, one of her ex-boyfriends threatened to sell her intimate photos online, prompting her to seek help from the FBI.

Christy further recounted in the memoir the disturbing experiences from her childhood and adulthood, including an alleged incident in which a neighbor exposed himself to her as a child. She also revealed she was sexually assaulted by someone from her Al-Anon support group at a nightclub in her 20s.

After going through the ups and downs in her life, she emphasized the importance of breaking free from destructive relationships and confronting emotional pain.

"If you should ever lose yourself, please know that the way back isn't through numbing the pain or running from it," she wrote. "The way through is sitting with discomfort until you remember who you are underneath all the performance. You find yourself by stopping — stopping the chaos, the substances, the toxic relationships, the constant motion that keeps you from feeling anything real."

Christy penned, "I found myself by finally getting quiet enough to hear my own voice again. Not my mother's voice, not the industry's voice, not some man's voice telling me who I should be."