He was the kid we all loved to hate, or maybe just loved because he was so unapologetically chaotic. Matt McGuire. If you grew up in the early 2000s, that name probably conjures up images of crimped hair, walkie-talkies, and the kind of sibling rivalry that felt personally offensive.
Matt wasn't just a side character. He was the tectonic plate shifting under Lizzie’s social life.
Played by Jake Thomas, Matt McGuire was the quintessential "pesky little brother." But looking back from 2026, there’s a lot more to the actor and the character than just being a foil for Hilary Duff’s teenage angst.
The Prankster Who Actually Had a Heart (Kinda)
Most people remember Matt as the "minor antagonist." That’s the official term, anyway. He spent his days scheming with his silent best friend Lanny Onasis or plotting with his "girlfriend" Melina Bianco.
He was wily. He was stubborn. Honestly, he was a little bit of a genius in a way that probably should have been channeled into something more productive than annoying Lizzie.
Take the "Lizzie’s Nightmare" episode. Matt gets on the wrong bus, ends up at Lizzie’s junior high, and instead of panicking? He just decides to own the school. He had this weird, unearned confidence that made him the ultimate class clown.
But he wasn't all bad.
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There were those rare, quiet moments where the sibling bond actually flickered to life. Remember when they thought a robber was breaking in and he let Lizzie "protect" him? Or when he helped his parents track Lizzie down in Rome during the movie? Deep down, he cared. He just had a very loud way of showing it.
Jake Thomas: The Man Behind the Spiky Hair
Let’s talk about the hair. That gravity-defying, gel-saturated look was actually Jake Thomas’s idea.
In a 2025 interview with People, Thomas admitted he was inspired by late '90s pop culture icons. He basically chose that "sharp" look himself. But the reality was less glamorous. He had to wash out a literal "tub of hair gel" every single night.
As soon as the show wrapped, he ditched the spikes. He went for the "swoop" for a decade before finally embracing a more mature updo in his 30s.
Where is he now?
Jake Thomas didn't just disappear into the "former child star" ether. He’s been busy.
- He spent years becoming a professional photographer and director.
- He’s a massive Pokémon nerd (reaching Master Ball rank in Pokémon TCG Pocket).
- In 2025, he stepped into a massive role in the video game world.
He played a tech billionaire named Marco Silva in the game MindsEye. It used high-end performance capture technology—a far cry from the multi-cam sets of the Disney Channel.
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The Reboot That Never Was
The biggest "what if" for fans is the canceled Disney+ reboot. We almost had it.
They actually filmed two episodes in late 2019. Jake Thomas was set to return as an adult Matt McGuire. Imagine a 30-year-old Matt. What would he be doing? Thomas thinks he’d probably be into crypto or some other weirdly lucrative scheme.
But the revival fell apart over "creative differences." Hilary Duff wanted a mature, 30-something story. Disney wanted it to stay "family-friendly."
Thomas recently reflected on this, saying 2020 was just the "wrong time" and "wrong circumstances." While the project is dead for now, he’s still optimistic. He pointed out that there was a 17-year gap between the original and the reboot attempt. In Hollywood, nothing is ever truly over.
The Rome Secret
Here’s a fun fact that ruins childhoods: Matt McGuire was never in Rome.
In The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Matt spends the whole film "spying" on Lizzie from across the world. Fans still tag Jake Thomas in photos of the Trevi Fountain to this day.
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Except he’s never been there.
He revealed in 2025 that while the crew did a week or two of exteriors in Italy, he shot all of his scenes in Vancouver, Canada. It was three months of filming in the Great White North while the audience thought he was enjoying a Roman holiday.
Why Matt McGuire Still Matters
Why do we still talk about a character from 2001?
It’s because the McGuires felt like a real family. They weren't polished. They were messy. Matt represented that specific brand of sibling irritation that is universal.
He wasn't just a plot device; he was the personification of how annoying it is to grow up when someone is constantly watching (and recording) your every mistake.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Stream the OG: You can still catch all of Matt's best pranks on Disney+.
- Follow the Career: If you want to see Jake Thomas’s photography or his work in MindsEye, he’s very active on Instagram and TikTok (@jakethomas).
- Check the Game: MindsEye launched in mid-2025 on PS5, Xbox, and PC if you want to see "Matt" as a tech mogul.
The spiky hair might be gone, but the legacy of the kid who made Lizzie’s life a living hell (in the best way possible) remains a core part of millennial culture. If you're feeling nostalgic, go back and watch the "Kung Fu" episode—it features Robert Carradine’s real-life brother, David, and remains one of Jake’s personal favorites.