Amanda Bynes started acting at the age of seven, but her career blossomed when she began starring in Nickelodeon’s variety sketch show All That.
She even received her own spinoff show, The Amanda Show, which garnered a lot of attention and catapulted her to fame at a very young age.
Bynes began facing health issues, substance use, and legal troubles that caused her to take a step back from Hollywood. She was placed in a conservatorship in 2013 under her parents and released from it in 2022.
In recent years, she has kept a low profile. Although she has publicly struggled with her sobriety and mental health, she has now made it clear that she is on her healing journey.
Drake Bell joined the cast of The Amanda Show in 1999 alongside Amanda Bynes. After the show’s end, he starred in Drake & Josh alongside Josh Peck. The two played two stepbrothers with opposite personalities.
Bell’s musical career really got its start on the show as well because he wrote and performed its theme song, I Found a Way. His song quickly became an anthem for viewers.
In later years, Bell faced DUIs and other criminal charges for various activities, to which he pleaded guilty. He even had to file for bankruptcy in 2014 because he was nearly $1.6 million in debt.
In the documentary Quiet on Set, he revealed that he had been the victim of what happened on set of The Amanda Show, which had led to his spiral.
Josh Peck played a role in The Amanda Show, but his big break came when he played Josh Nichols in the sitcom Drake & Josh. His chemistry with co-star Drake Bell was undeniable and launched their careers.
The two went on to make two television films together, Drake & Josh Go Hollywood and Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.
Peck is still acting occasionally but puts a lot of his time into being an influencer and podcast host. On his podcast, Curious with Josh Peck, he interviews fellow celebrities about current events and personal lives.
He released a statement following the release of the Quiet on Set documentary, in which he publicly supported the victims and stated that he had reached out to Drake Bell privately.
Keke Palmer started out as the main character True Jackson on the show True Jackson, VP. The show follows a teenage girl (Palmer) as she becomes vice president of a fashion company in New York City.
She also voiced Aisha on Nickelodeon’s revival of Winx Club. She even produced and starred in the network original film Rags, a modernization of the Cinderella fairytale.
Palmer has successfully moved into more adult roles, although she still goes back and forth between drama and comedy. She also has her own podcast called Baby, This is Keke Palmer, where she interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris.
In January 2024, she won an Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Game Show for her show Password. She made history by being the first black woman to be nominated and win the award. She is thriving!
Nick Cannon started his career on the sketch comedy show All That before getting his own show, The Nick Cannon Show, and becoming the host of the popular improv show Wild ‘N Out.
His energy and charisma brought in viewers from all over the world, and he was so popular that he was asked to host the Nickelodeon’s 2005 Kids Choice Awards.
Cannon has been quite busy since his Nickelodeon days. The star is now a proud father of 12 children with six different women—Mariah Carey, Brittnay Bell, LaNisha Cole, Abby De La Rosa, Alyssa Scott, and Bre Tiesi.
He is also still the executive producer and host of both Wild ‘N Out and The Masked Singer. His hosting abilities are nearly unmatched to this day, and he also hosts and produces his own radio show.
Nickelodeon launched Kenan Thompson’s comedic career. He started out as an original cast member on All That before he got his own show, Kenan & Kel, with co-star Kel Mitchell.
Together they also starred in The Good Burger movie. The film was based on a recurring sketch on All That. We love the idea that just a running joke between friends can turn into something so huge!
Because of his comedic talent and general absurdity, Thompson landed a role as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2003. In 2024, he is still going strong as the longest-running cast member.
Thompson also recently released his memoir, When I Was Your Age, which dives into his long career and the highs and lows associated with it. The actor and comedian is busy raising two daughters in addition to his booming career.
Kel Mitchell, alongside Kenan Thompson, was a cast member for All That and Kenan & Kel. A recurring sketch of theirs led to the movie The Good Burger, although the pair’s career paths have gone in different directions since then.
Around the end of Kenan & Kel, Mitchell was struggling with personal issues that eventually led to a fallout between him and Thompson. Mitchell, however, was on the path to turning his life around.
Mitchell became a licensed pastor in 2019 and now serves as a youth pastor in California. In April 2023, he released a hip-hop single, "Go Time," showcasing his musical talent. His acting days aren’t totally behind him, though.
He starred in the long-awaited sequel Good Burger 2 in 2023. He was reunited with former costar Kenan Thompson and it’s like no time has passed at all.
As you may or may not know, your favorite Scream Queen and American Horror Story actress actually got her start on Nickelodeon! At 13, Roberts became a teen icon as she starred as the lead character in the series Unfabulous.
The show followed middle-schooler Allie Singer and her wild imagination. Roberts’ performance resonated with teens and tweens everywhere, making her a beloved star by highlighting the ups and downs of teenage life.
Now, Roberts is tackling very different roles. She is playing the main character in the 12th season of American Horror Story, and this is the seventh season of the show that she has been in.
In addition to the horror genre, Roberts has become an icon in the romcom world. Holidate is one of her most recent ones, but she has additional comedy movies set to be released in the upcoming years.
Jamie Lynn Spears was a regular performer on All That for its eighth season. She also starred as Zoey Brooks on the Nickelodeon sitcom Zoey 101, the show that propelled her into stardom.
During her Nickelodeon days, she was known to be difficult to work with. Jamie Lynn is also famously the younger sister of pop star Britney Spears, and the two have had a very public and rocky relationship.
After a feud lasting years, specifically surrounding Jamie Lynn’s lack of action during Briney’s conservatorship, the sisters seem to be mending fences. Jamie Lynn is raising her own two children as well.
Jamie Lynn also recently starred in the film Zoey 102, which followed the cast of the original show into adulthood. We’ve been seeing a lot of child stars go back to their Nickelodeon roots.
Victoria Justice scored the role of Lola Martinez in the hit series Zoey 101 before landing her own show, Victorious. On the show, Justice showcased her musical talent by playing Tori Vega, a singer going to a high school for artistically talented teens.
Justice often had crossover episodes or movies with other Nickelodeon shows, such as iCarly. She went on to star in a few of the network’s original film projects like Fun Size and The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.
Justice is still taking acting jobs, but a lot of her recent work has been focused on her music career. She released the single "Last Man Standing" in February of 2023 and announced an upcoming debut album.
By no means has she stopped her acting career, though. Some of her most recent films are The Tutor, A Perfect Pairing, and Afterlife of the Party. In 2020, Justice was the brand ambassador for the sportswear company Fabletics.
Ariana Grande became a household name from her portrayal of Cat Valentine on Victorious and the spin-off Sam & Cat. We fell in love with her for her quirky character and high-pitched voice.
As she showcased her vocal talent on the shows, this started her journey to becoming a pop icon. No matter how dumb the character she played seemed, no one could deny the monumental singing voice.
Grande has amassed a global following and is now one of the most well-known singers in the world. Her latest album, Eternal Sunshine, became #1 in the United States.
Grande’s divorce from Dalton Gomez has been finalized just as her album soars the charts. She is also set to play Gilda in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked and is dating her costar, Ethan Slater.
Elizabeth Gillies’s breakout role was Jade West in the series Victorious. Viewers fell in love with Jade’s aggressive attitude and snarky comebacks. West also lent her voice for the animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club as Daphne.
In 2012, at the age of 19, Gillies began dating 40-year-old songwriter Michael Corcoran, whom she had met on the set of Victorious. He helped to write and produce songs for Gillies’s character to sing.
Gillies's career continued to skyrocket after Victorious, with her playing a main character in the series Dynasty. She also released her debut album, We Wish You the Merriest, in November 2023.
In 2020, Gillies married her long-time boyfriend despite their 20-year age gap. Although they had been together for eight years, fans were concerned about how young Gillies had been when they began dating and the power dynamics of working together.
Lizzy Greene made her television debut as Dawn Harper in the Nickelodeon sitcom Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. She played the only female quadruplet in a zany family full of fun antics.
She portrayed her character for four seasons until the show was canceled in August 2018. Her dedication is impressive for someone so young, and she has gotten a lot of experience under her belt in a short time.
After Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn ended in 2018, Greene showed her acting chops by taking on a very different role as Sophie Dixon in the drama series A Million Little Things, which ran from 2018 to 2023.
Greene runs a popular Instagram account, where she has 3.4 million followers and posts updates about her life, acting roles, and award shows and events she’s able to attend.
Miranda Cosgrove has gone from our favorite iCarly girl to… our favorite iCarly girl! Cosgrove started as the clever and tormenting little sister in Drake & Josh before transitioning to her own wacky show, iCarly.
The show really defined a generation of funny kids, being fully and truly themselves. It also represented the generation that was fully embracing the internet and social media and how that changed lives.
The original show ran from 2007-2012 before a reboot in 2021. The reboot focused on a grown-up Carly, played by Cosgrove, navigating adulthood. We loved seeing Cosgrove take the character we grew up with and breathe new life into her.
Cosgrove has an upcoming Netflix romcom with Brooke Shields called Mother of the Bride that is set to be released in May. She also hosts Mission Impossible with Miranda Cosgrove, a show that spotlights female STEM superstars.
