Jake T Austin is a 29 year old American actor who many remember for being the original actor that portrayed the character of Jesus Foster in the family drama television series, The Fosters. Jake appeared in the first two seasons of the show before leaving after the season finale, the second season. He left The Fosters after he was informed that he was only going to appear in three episodes of the third season and would not be allowed to work on any other project for the duration of the season. Jake was subsequently replaced by actor Noah Centineo.
Jake T Austin Got Cast to Play Jesus Foster in 2013
Jake T Austin was 19-years-old when he got cast to play the role of Jesus Foster in The Fosters. Before this time, he had made a name for himself as a child actor, appearing in different TV shows and films and taking on various voice-acting roles in animated movies.
Austin began acting at the young age of seven. He is best known for voicing Diego in the Nickelodeon animated series, Go, Diego, Go! (2005–2009), and playing Max Russo in Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012) alongside David Henrie and Selena Gomez. Other notable projects he has worked in include Hotel for Dogs, New Year’s Eve, Rio, and Rio 2 among others.
The Fosters is a family drama TV series created by Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg that follows the lives of the members of a multi-ethnic family in San Diego, California. The family is led by lesbian couple Stef Foster and Lena Adams. Stef is a police officer while Lena is a school vice-principal. Together, they are raising one biological son and four adopted teenagers.
Jake T Austin’s Character was a Wrestler who Suffered From ADHD
One of the children adopted by the Adams-Foster family is Jesus Foster, the character portrayed by Jake T Austin. Jesus has a twin sister named Mariana who was also adopted by the lesbian couple. He loves his sister and would go to lengths to protect her. He, however, suffers from ADHD and was put on medication to battle it. The side effects of the medication have an adverse effect on him and so Jesus is advised to join the wrestling team as a way to combat it.
While excelling as a member of the wrestling team, Jesus becomes somewhat of a womanizer, having short romantic relationships with a number of women. Jake played this role for two seasons, leaving after the second-season finale in 2015. For his performance in the role, he received three Teen Choice Award nominations:
- 2013 Summer TV Star: Male
- 2014 Choice TV Actor: Drama
- 2015 Choice TV Actor: Drama
Why Did Jake T Austin Leave The Fosters?
Towards the end of the second season of The Fosters, Jake T Austin was informed that his time on screen in the third season was going to be limited. Producers informed him that he was going to only appear in three episodes of season three. What made matters worse was that he was allegedly told that he would not be allowed to take any other job during the entire time that the show was aired.
Austin did not appreciate this fact and so decided to leave the show, much to the surprise of everybody. He subsequently released a statement where he noted that he was honored to have been part of “such a groundbreaking series.”
Reaction to Jake T Austin’s Exit From The Fosters and How It Affected the Show’s Storyline
Fans of The Fosters were shocked when they got wind that Jake T Austin was leaving the show. Many thought he had gotten fed up with the role and didn’t want to continue playing Jesus while others believed he may have been fired as a result of his off-screen antics.
Producers of the show would later create more confusion with how they ended season 2. With Austin’s pending exit, producers came up with a storyline that saw Jesus Foster get into a bad car accident at the finale episode of season two. With this cliffhanger, viewers could not tell what happened to Jesus, whether his character was just killed off.
When season 3 returned, fans found out that Jesus Foster survived the accident, however, the character was now being played by actor Noah Centineo. Like Austin, Centineo is also a Disney alum. He is best known for his role as Dallas on Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally.
Noah Centineo went on to pay Jesus Foster from season 3 to season 5 when the series ended. While Jake T Austin would be better remembered for playing Jesus Forster, Centineo gained some plaudits for his performance. In 2017, he was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Star: Male.
In the third season when he began playing the role, Noah’s Jesus character was rarely seen on screen as he was reported to be in a boarding school for his high school wrestling team. He later returned after his parents adopted another child, daughter Callie. Jesus goes through a period where he admits to taking steroids and is not allowed to participate with the wrestling team. He later suffers a traumatic brain injury after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a nail gun.
What Has Jake T Austin Been Up To Since Leaving The Fosters
Since leaving The Fosters in 2015, Jake T Austin has continued his acting career. He has also participated in the reality dance competition, Dancing with the Stars. On the 23rd season of the show in 2016, he was paired with professional dancer Jenna Johnson but the duo was the first to be eliminated. Austin would go on to voice the character of Jaime Reyes / Blue Bettle in the DC Comics animated films, Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016) and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017). He reprised the role in two episodes of the series, Justice League Action (2017).
Jake was also the voice of Alex in Columbia Pictures’ The Emoji Movie in 2017. That same year, he played Chris in The Valley (2017) and three years later appeared as Lars in Adverse (2020).
