Cyrus Goodman

{{Infobox character

| name = Cyrus Goodman

| nickname = Cy-Guy (by Jonah)
Underdog (by TJ)
Chocolate Chip Muffin (by TJ)

| series = Andi Mack

| image = Cyrus Goodman.png

| image_upright = 1.2

| caption = Joshua Rush as Cyrus Goodman
in Season 1 Episode 5, "It's Not About You"

| first = "Tomorrow Starts Today" (2017)

| last = "We Were Here" (2019)

| creator = Terri Minsky

| portrayer = Joshua Rush

| nationality = American

| lbl21 = Age

| data21 = 12 (seasons 1–2)
13 (seasons 2–3)

| gender = Male

| occupation = Student at Jefferson Middle School

| significant_other = TJ Kippen

| religion = Jewish

}}

Cyrus Goodman is a fictional main character in the American family comedy-drama television series Andi Mack on Disney Channel. The character is portrayed by Joshua Rush and first appeared on television in the pilot episode, "Tomorrow Starts Today". Cyrus is the best friend of both Andi Mack and Buffy Driscoll, the title character and a fellow main character, respectively, and attends Jefferson Middle School alongside them. The series has been nominated for and won awards specifically for Cyrus and his coming out storyline, the introduction of which caused a ratings surge.

Conception and casting

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:{{blockquote|[T]he fact that my daughter, most of her close friends are kids who knew at the age of 12, 13, junior high,{{efn|name=school|text=In the United States, grades 7–9 were previously organized as junior high school, but grades 6–8 are now organized as middle school. Older Americans may continue to use the former terminology.}} that they were gay. I just felt as if, the reality is that Andi would probably have a friend like that.|author=Terri Minsky, in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/video/television-academy-honors-andi-mack|title=Television Academy Honors Andi Mack|publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|date=May 29, 2018|access-date=August 25, 2018}}}}

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.{{efn|name=age|text=Cyrus celebrates his bar mitzvah in Season 2 Episode 13, "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!", a coming of age ceremony that is held when a Jewish boy turns 13.}}{{cite web|title=Disney Channel, Lizzie McGuire Creator Reunite for Coming-of-Age Comedy|url=https://tvline.com/2016/08/05/lizzie-mcguire-creator-new-disney-channel-comedy-series-order/|publisher=TVLine|author=Ryan Schwartz|date=August 5, 2016|access-date=August 23, 2018|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108202207/https://tvline.com/2016/08/05/lizzie-mcguire-creator-new-disney-channel-comedy-series-order/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title='Andi Mack' Comedy From 'Lizzie McGuire' Creator Picked Up To Series By Disney Channel|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/disney-channel-orders-andi-mack-series-lizzie-mcguire-creator-1201798918/|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=August 5, 2016|access-date=August 23, 2018}}

In March 2017, The New York Times reported on the character in an article about the then-upcoming Disney Channel series prior to its premiere in April 2017.{{cite web|title=Kids Are Getting Older Quicker. And Disney Tries to Adapt.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/arts/television/kids-are-getting-older-quicker-and-disney-tries-to-adapt.html|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|work=The New York Times|date=March 10, 2017|access-date=August 23, 2018}}

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:{{blockquote|I’m really proud to be able to play Cyrus. I think it’s an exciting role to be able to play for Disney. [...] But I think more than anything, it’s an exciting role for these kids that are going to end up seeing Cyrus on their screen and going, "Oh, that’s me! I recognize that and I understand that and I resonate with that." I think it shows those kids that their stories are valid.|author=Joshua Rush, in a cast interview with Good Morning America{{cite web|title=Disney Channel star Joshua Rush says he's 'really proud' to play a gay character on 'Andi Mack'|url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/disney-channel-star-joshua-rush-proud-play-gay-54666243|first=Angela|last=Williams|work=Good Morning America|date=June 4, 2018|access-date=September 2, 2018}}}}{{blockquote|I was so excited when I first read about it. It’s a real honor. [...] One of my best friends came out to me before anybody else. I wish that I had someone like Buffy on TV to show me how I should have responded.|author=Joshua Rush, in an interview with Us Weekly{{cite web|title=Joshua Rush Reveals Surprising Way He Found Out His 'Andi Mack' Character Was Gay|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/how-joshua-rush-found-out-his-andi-mack-character-was-coming-out/|author=Emily Longeretta|work=Us Weekly|date=December 5, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}}}

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 the 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 their mutual friend Jonah.{{Cite episode|title=Hey, Who Wants Pizza?|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep13|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=October 27, 2017|season=2|number=1}}{{Cite episode|title=Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep25|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=February 23, 2018|season=2|number=13}}{{Cite episode|title=One in a Minyan|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep48|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=February 8, 2019|season=3|number=11}} Cyrus is Jewish and has celebrated his bar mitzvah, the second depiction of that coming of age ceremony after Lizzie McGuire on Disney Channel.{{cite web|title=Jewish Actor Joshua Rush Plays Disney Channel's First Gay, Jewish Teen|url=http://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/231931/jewish-actor-joshua-rush-plays-disney-channels-first-gay-jewish-teen/|author=Gerri Miller|publisher=Jewish Journal|date=March 14, 2018|access-date=September 2, 2018}}

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 that he had no romantic feelings for her; they amicably broke up and agreed to just be friends.{{Cite episode|title=Dancing in the Dark|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep4|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=April 21, 2017|season=1|number=4}}{{Cite episode|title=It's Not About You|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep5|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=April 28, 2017|season=1|number=5}}{{Cite episode|title=Friends Like These|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep15|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=November 10, 2017|season=2|number=3}}{{Cite episode|title=A Good Hair Day|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep22|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=February 2, 2018|season=2|number=10}} Cyrus previously had a long-term crush on Jonah, which he revealed to Buffy and Andi, but his crush on him later fades away.{{Cite episode|title=Outside the Box|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep1|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=April 7, 2017|season=1|number=2}}{{Cite episode|title=Keep a Lid on It|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep34|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=July 30, 2018|season=2|number=22}} Cyrus grows close to TJ, the captain of the Jefferson Middle School boys' basketball team, after they bond over their shared personal issues.{{Cite episode|title=There's a Mack in the Shack|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep20|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=January 19, 2018|season=2|number=8}}{{Cite episode|title=Miniature Gulf|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep23|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=February 9, 2018|season=2|number=11}}{{Cite episode|title=A Walker to Remember|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep29|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=June 25, 2018|season=2|number=17}}{{Cite episode|title=The Cake That Takes the Cake|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep37|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=August 13, 2018|season=2|number=25}} 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.{{Cite episode|title=We Were Here|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep57|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=July 26, 2019|season=3|number=20}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.pride.com/tv/2019/7/27/disneys-andi-mack-ends-start-first-gay-relationship|title=Disney's 'Andi Mack' Ends With the Start of First Gay Relationship|journal=Pride|first=Rachel|last=Kiley|date=July 27, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/07/andi-mack-finale-spoilers-interview.html|title=Andi Mack EP Terri Minsky on Legacy, the Series Finale and Movie Possibilities|journal=Paste Magazine|first=Alexis|last=Gunderson|date=July 26, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newsweek.com/andi-mack-series-finale-season-3-1451281|title=Andi Mack' fans get emotional after Disney show teases network's first gay couple|magazine=Newsweek|first=Janice|last=Williams|date=July 26, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2019/07/26/andi-mack-recap-season-3-episode-20-series-finale-ending-cyrus-tj/|title=Andi Mack Series Finale: Who Came Clean? And Who Came Out? Grade It!|website=TVLine|first=Andy|last=Swift|date=July 26, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2019}}

Cyrus enjoys writing screenplays in his free time and playing board games with his friends.{{Cite episode|title=Head Over Heels|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep19|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=January 15, 2018|season=2|number=7}}{{Cite episode|title=Truth or Truth|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep28|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=June 18, 2018|season=2|number=16}} His favorite foods are chocolate chip muffins and baby taters.{{Cite episode|title=Perfect Day 2.0|episode-link=List of Andi Mack episodes#ep27|series=Andi Mack|series-link=Andi Mack|network=Disney Channel|airdate=June 11, 2018|season=2|number=15}}

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, and NPR all described it as "history",{{cite web|title='Andi Mack' stars weigh in on the show's historic coming out episode|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/andi-mack-stars-weigh-shows-historic-coming-episode/story?id=50922766|author=Lesley Messer|work=ABC News|date=November 4, 2017|access-date=August 27, 2018}}{{cite web|title=Disney Channel's 'Andi Mack' Will Make History With Gay Storyline|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andi-mack-gay-character_us_59f223e1e4b07fdc5fbcd74a|author=Brooks Barnes|work=HuffPost|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|title=Disney Channel to Feature First Gay Main Character and Coming Out Story on 'Andi Mack'|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/disney-channel-to-feature-first-gay-main-character-on-andi-mack/|author=Emily Longeretta|work=Us Weekly|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=September 10, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41761512|title=Disney Channel Makes History with First Gay Storyline|work=BBC News|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/26/disney-channel-is-making-history-with-its-first-gay-coming-out-story|title=Disney Channel Is Making History with Its First Coming-Out Story|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Bethonie |last=Butler|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/tv/disney-series-andi-mack-gay-character-network-history/|title=Disney Channel Is Making History with Its First Coming-Out Story|work=People|first=Christina|last=Dugan|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=September 16, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2017/10/25/disney-channel-gay-chatacter-cyrus-andi-mack-season-2/|title=Disney Channel to Feature Its First Gay Main Character in Andi Mack Season 2|website=TVLine|first=Andy|last=Swift|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=October 25, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/10/27/560453926/a-boy-with-a-crush-on-a-boy-and-for-the-disney-channel-a-first|title=A Boy With A Crush On A Boy — And For The Disney Channel, A First|website=NPR|first=Eric|last=Deggans|date=October 27, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}} while The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, Fortune, the New York Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times all described it as "groundbreaking".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/disney-channel-breaks-ground-first-gay-storyline-1051791|title=Disney Channel Breaks Ground with First Gay Storyline|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Kimberly|last=Nordyke|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/10/25/andi-mack-disney-channel-first-gay-character/|title=Disney Channel's Andi Mack to feature groundbreaking gay story line|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|author=Maureen Lee Lenker|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/10/andi-mack-disney-channel-gay-coming-out-cyrus-lgbtq-1201890825/|title='Andi Mack': Teen Character Will Come Out as Gay on Disney Channel's Groundbreaking Series|website=IndieWire|first=Hanh|last=Nguyen|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=September 16, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2017/10/26/disney-channel-andi-mack-gay-character/|title=A Disney Channel First: Andi Mack to Feature a Gay Storyline in Season 2|work=Fortune|first=Chris|last=Morris|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/disney-channel-andi-mack-features-gay-story-arc-season-2-article-1.3588910|title=Disney Channel's 'Andi Mack' to feature a gay story arc in Season 2|work=New York Daily News|author=Rachel DeSantis|date=October 25, 2017|access-date=September 16, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-andi-mack-disney-channel-lgbtq-cyrus-1509038218-htmlstory.html|title=Tween series 'Andi Mack' to feature Disney Channel's first story arc about a character coming out as gay|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Nardine|last=Saad|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=September 16, 2018}}

Vogue, E! News, and The Salt Lake Tribune have critiqued the inclusion of the character and his coming out storyline as follows:{{blockquote|Disney has become surprisingly topical. [...] [A]ddressing real-life issues. [...] [A]nother step towards content for kids that is informed by reality. [...] [A]s Cyrus has continued to evolve, he’s been written with respect and nuance. Though he’s dealing with something that sets him apart from his classmates, he is an ordinary kid, not an anomaly.|author=Vogue{{cite web|title=Why It Matters That the Disney Channel Now Has Its First Gay Character|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/andi-mack-season-2-premiere-disney-channel-first-coming-out-story|work=Vogue|first=Janelle|last=Okwodu|date=October 27, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2018}}}}{{blockquote|[T]he benefits of representation are twofold. Not only are you reinforcing the idea to countless scared individuals consuming the media that they exist, they matter and their stories are worth telling, but you're increasing their visibility in a wider landscape, helping to normalize them to a world that may seek to marginalize them or simply ignore them altogether. It's no coincidence that, when then Vice President Joe Biden announced his public support for marriage equality in 2012, he cited Will & Grace as having done more to educate the American public than anything else since. Visibility and accurate representation matter. Period.|author=E! News{{cite web|title=Andi Mack Will Feature Disney Channel's First LGBTQ Storyline Ever: Why That Matters|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/889630/andi-mack-will-feature-disney-channel-s-first-lgbtq-storyline-ever-why-that-matters|work=E! News|first=Billy|last=Nilles|date=October 26, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2018}}}}{{blockquote|It’s a process. Cyrus still has a long way to go. So do Andi and Buffy — even in this idealized, fictional world where a middle-schooler feels comfortable coming out to a friend. Maybe kids who watch this show can make the real world more like “Andi Mack.” Shows like this are helping to raise a generation that understands what a better world looks like.|author=The Salt Lake Tribune{{cite web|title=Scott D. Pierce: Made-in-Utah 'Andi Mack' does great job with gay storyline|url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/tv/2017/11/02/scott-d-pierce-made-in-utah-andi-mack-does-great-job-with-gay-storyline/|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|first=Scott D.|last=Pierce|date=November 27, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2018}}}}

LGBTQ 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 uttered the phrase "I'm gay" on Disney Channel.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/02/08/andi-mack-makes-disney-channel-history-with-first-character-to-say-im-gay/|title='Andi Mack' makes Disney Channel history with first character to say 'I'm gay'|work=Washington Blade|first=Mariah|last=Cooper|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=February 9, 2019}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/andi-mack-glaad-awards-kids-family-programming-1202746872/|title=Andi Mack Wins GLAAD's Inaugural Kids and Family Programming Award|work=Variety|first=Danielle|last=Turchiano|date=April 11, 2018|access-date=May 21, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/video/2018-television-academy-honors-recipient-andi-mack|title=2018 Television Academy Honors Recipient: Andi Mack|publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|date=June 1, 2018|access-date=June 8, 2018}}

The introduction of the character's coming out storyline caused the series to experience a ratings surge.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/andi-mack-banned-kenya-gay-character-ratings-surge-1202200285/|title=Andi Mack Banned in Kenya Over Gay Character as Ratings Surge|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=November 2, 2017|access-date=July 8, 2018}}

= Censorship and controversy =

Andi Mack was censored in Kenya by the Kenya Film Classification Board, criticized by the One Million Moms division of the American Family Association, and voluntarily axed by Disney from air throughout the Middle East and Africa on account of "cultural sensibilities" because of the character and his coming out storyline.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/kenya-ban-andi-mack-gay-character-crackdown-lgbt-content-1202605206/|title=Kenya Bans 'Andi Mack' Over Gay Character, in Crackdown on LGBT Content|work=Variety|first=Christopher|last=Vourlias|date=November 2, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andi-mack-one-million-moms_us_59f38118e4b077d8dfc98956|title='Family' Group Blasts 'Andi Mack' For Featuring A Gay Tween Character|work=Huffington Post|first=Curtis M.|last=Wong|date=October 27, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/11/08/disney-channel-axes-childrens-show-andi-mack-across-africa-and-middle-east-due-to-gay-storyline/|title=Disney Channel axes children's show Andi Mack across Africa and Middle East due to gay storyline|work=PinkNews|first=Benjamin|last=Butterworth|date=November 8, 2017|access-date=August 25, 2018}}