Disney Courts Celebrity Role Models Justin Timberlake Britney Spears

Disney is plotting a mentorship program in a bid to safeguard its moneymaking young stars from the pitfalls of early fame following a rash of public relation scandals fueled by former Disney darlings.

The studio is turning to golden stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to counsel its young stars.

In the past five years, bosses at The Mouse have been left wringing their hands and hanging their heads in shame as Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical, Hannah Montana’s Miley Cyrus, and ex-Cheetah Girl Kiely Williams have thrust the studio into the headlines with a series of humiliating sex scandals. Now on the heels of the emotional breakdown of Sonny With a Chance actress Demi Lovato, Disney is courting two of its most famous former Mouseketeers to help keep bankable kids of today from going off the rails, The Sydney Herald said Monday.

Justin found boy band fame with ‘Nsync after his years on The Mickey Mouse Club, but Britney, 29, went on to spend time in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, notoriously shaved her head in public, and lost custody of her two sons in 2007. The pop princess has since reclaimed her musical appeal and despite her troubled past, Disney executives think Britney is the ideal person to mentor Hollywood’s young stars.

“Justin and Britney have been asked if they would like to come in and speak to their younger counterparts about the tribulations of being famous so young,” a Hollywood insider explains. “The Disney bosses think that if they have people to look up to they might stay on the straight and narrow.”