Andi Mack creator and executive producer Terri Minsky has stated in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences that the character of Cyrus was inspired by her daughter's friends, most of whom are gay and realized that about themselves when they were middle school students: In August 2016, Andi Mack, created by Lizzie McGuire creator Terri Minsky, was picked up by Disney Channel, with then 14-year-old actor Joshua Rush, the voice of Bunga on the Disney Junior series The Lion Guard, cast as the then 12-year-old Cyrus Goodman. In March 2017, The New York Times reported on the character in an article about the then upcoming Disney Channel series prior to its premier in April 2017. Actor Joshua Rush, who portrays Cyrus, has stated in interviews with Good Morning America and Us Weekly that he considers it an "honor" for him to be portraying the character, that he is "proud" to portray Cyrus, and that the character is relatable to him because one of his best friends had come out to him first: Disney has stated that it consulted with child development experts as well as Common Sense Media, GLAAD, and PFLAG to develop the character and his coming out storyline.
Character
Cyrus Goodman is a best friend of both Andi Mack and Buffy Driscoll, the title character and a fellow main character, respectively. Along with his friends, he lives in Shadyside in the fictional U.S. state of Midwest and starts the series as a seventh grade student at Jefferson Middle School. The first gay main character on American Disney Channel, Cyrus has come out to Andi, Buffy, and Jonah. Cyrus is Jewish and has celebrated his bar mitzvah, the second depiction of that coming of age ceremony after LizzyMcGuire on Disney Channel. Cyrus was previously in a relationship with Iris, a girl who Amber and Jonah set him together with, but, while he enjoyed her company because of their shared interests and similar personalities, Cyrus eventually admitted to Iris that he had no romantic feelings for her; they amicably broke off the relationship and agreed to just be friends. Cyrus previously had a long-time crush on Jonah, which he revealed to Buffy and Andi, but his crush on him later fades away. Cyrus grows close with TJ, the captain of the Jefferson Middle School boys' basketball team, after they bond over their shared personal issues. The two develop feelings for each other and in the series finale, these feelings are made apparent and they hold hands, marking the start of a romantic relationship. In terms of hobbies, Cyrus enjoys writing screenplays in his free time and playing board games with his friends. His favorite foods are chocolate chip muffins and baby taters.
Legacy
Critical reception
The character has drawn considerable media attention and Disney's announcement of his coming out was widely reported in the news, both nationally and internationally: BBC News, The Washington Post, ABC News, People, Us Weekly, TVLine, HuffPost, the Daily Star, The Sun, and NPR all described it as "history", while The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, Fortune, the New York Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times all described it as "groundbreaking". Vogue, E! News, and The Salt Lake Tribune have critiqued the inclusion of the character and his coming out storyline as follows: LGBT rights organizations, including GLAAD, PFLAG, and Stonewall, all lauded Disney's inclusion of a character that "reflects the lives and lived experiences" of LGBT youth. Pride commented that the romantic moment between Cyrus and TJ in the series finale is "both the first and the last we get from the Disney Channel’s first real queer relationship between two main characters. It’s an appropriately gentle moment for a show that’s handled its gay character and his storylines in such a relatable human manner. And while fans are sad this is the last moment of Cyrus and TJ...it was certainly an important one."
Awards and achievements
Cyrus Goodman is the first gay main character and the first character to have stated the phrase "I'm gay" on Disney Channel. Andi Mack won the 2018 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming and the 2018 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award for Television with a Conscience, specifically for Cyrus Goodman and his coming out storyline. The introduction of the character's coming out storyline caused the series to experience a ratings surge.
