Christy Carlson Romano has named Lindsay Lohan as the fellow child star she says “has always been shady.” The former Disney Channel star opened up exclusively to Page Six at the second annual “Virtual Reali-Tea” 2026 Awards on Tuesday, as reported by Page Six.

Romano said her history with Lohan included an awkward encounter in New York before a much sharper exchange at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The memory has clearly remained vivid for the “Even Stevens” alum.

“I remember one time I was at the Chateau Marmont, and I had seen her out in New York one time; it was like an awkward exchange of meeting one another,” Romano said while recounting how the stars had previously crossed paths.

Romano said Lohan later glanced in her direction at the Chateau Marmont and declared that she guessed the establishment was letting anyone inside. It was a brutal remark, but Romano can now appreciate the sheer boldness behind it.

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“I got so much shade, but you know what, savage — points for being savage,” she joked on the carpet. The awards were held at the Edison Ballroom and hosted by Danny Murphy and Evan Real.

Romano, 42, said she and Lohan, 40, came from “very much in the same era” of Disney stardom. She also said society pressured them and other young actresses to view one another as competition.

The women’s lives have since moved in markedly different directions. “I think everyone has grown into these very different lifestyles too, like, where Lindsay is, where Hilary [Duff] is, like, where I am, it’s all so weird,” Romano reflected.

Romano also pointed out that she, Lohan and Duff are now mothers. Her candid comments arrived as she released a memoir addressing both her child star years and the darker experiences that followed.

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“Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Rise and Fall of a Child Star” hit shelves Tuesday. The book includes another uncomfortable interaction involving Lohan, who was 17 at the time of the encounter Romano describes.

Romano writes that she tried to connect with Lohan over her “Cadet Kelly” costar Hilary Duff and her own dislike of Duff at that time. According to Romano’s account, her attempt to make conversation did not go as hoped.

She recalls drunkenly rambling in a way that made her sound like a superfan. Romano writes that Lohan stared blankly, smiled, and appeared annoyed, leaving Romano so humiliated that she returned to her table and refilled her drink.

Despite the awkwardness, Romano says she was struck by Lohan’s powerful energy. She describes it in the memoir as radiating darkness and danger, while also expressing admiration for what she perceived in the younger star.

“She’s unapologetic, and it seems so freeing,” Romano writes. That observation sits among several highly personal revelations about Romano’s own experiences during and after child stardom.

Romano reveals that she first tried cocaine at Paris Hilton’s Halloween party. She also writes that she struggled with bulimia “just to feel something,” offering another stark account of the unhealthy patterns she faced.

Eventually, Romano said she had to leave Los Angeles after falling into a lifestyle of sleeping throughout the day and partying all night. “I can’t take the shallowness of Hollywood and clubs anymore,” she writes. “It’s going to kill me.”

Fans can watch the full 2026 VRT Awards on Philo, the ceremony’s exclusive streaming partner. The show will be available free on Philo’s advertising-supported platform beginning Oct. 9, while the previous year’s awards are already available on Philo.com/VRTs.

Romano recently told Page Six Radio that she also nearly joined Bravo’s “Housewives” franchise. She was part of a proposed “Real Housewives of Austin” cast that included Loreal Sarkisian, Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth, and “Glee” actress Becca Tobin.

The proposed series was not selected, while Bravo announced “Secrets, Lies, Texas Wives” in May. The series is set in Texas Hill Country and concerns Texas wives who were also swingers.

“We were really cooking for a minute and then it kind of just derailed,” Romano said of the abandoned project. Between that television near miss and her blisteringly candid memoir, the actress is putting her most uncomfortable Hollywood stories firmly on the record.