What your favorite Nickelodeon child stars are up to today


It might feel like it was just yesterday that you were watching shows like "Drake & Josh" or even "Clarissa Explains It All," but the former had its final episode in 2007, and the latter ended back in 1994. Enough to make you feel pretty old, right?

The channel launched as Pinwheel on December 1, 1977, but the first original animated series of its own didn't air until 1991 with the debut of Nicktoons, which included "Doug," "Rugrats," and Ren & Stimpy."

Kenan Thompson

If you watch Saturday Night Live, you're familiar with Kenan, one of the longest-standing members of the sketch-comedy show. But back in the day, he was half of the popular pair Kenan & Kel, who seemed to be inseparable back then. Not only did they have their own show, "Kenan & Kel," they starred together in "Good Burger" and "All That." 

While Kenan was the first regular cast member to have a birthdate after the show's 1975 premiere, he's in his 40s now, married to model Christina Evangelina for a decade. Together they have two children, daughters Georgia and Gianna. 

Angelique Bates

You might recall Angelique Bates as one of the original cast members of "All That" from 1994 through 1996. She was the first to leave the show, replaced by the now infamous Amanda Bynes, but she returned for the 100th episode in 2000. Bates started her career as an infant starring in a Borax commercial, and by the time she was 12, she'd already co-hosted two teen talk shows, appeared in music videos, and was featured in two films, among a long list of other credits. 

Bates has done plenty since then too, including performing her first paid, professional stand-up gig at The Laugh Factory at just 16. She co-wrote, produced, and starred in her own pilot featuring Eric Benet too. Today, she's still in the entertainment business, hosting her podcast "The Evening Showdown," in which she interviews various public figures about their careers. 

Jennette McCurdy

McCurdy got her big break when she landed the role of Sam Puckett on the "iCarly" sitcom, starring on the show from 2007 to 2012. She won four Kids' Choice Awards among other accolades and then reprised the character in the spinoff series, "Sam & Cat." After leaving the Network in 2014, she went on to star in the Canadian series "Between" for two seasons.

In 2017, the Long Beach, California native announced she was quitting acting to pursue a career in directing and writing, going on to perform a one-woman tragicomedy show in theaters across New York City and L.A. just before it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having struggled with an eating disorder, she started a podcast focused on recovery, "Empty Inside," which is still ongoing today. 
Melissa Joan Hart

There are few who aren't familiar with Melissa Joan Hart, who famously starred on both the old Nick series "Clarissa Explains It All" and as Sabrina on the sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." The latter premiered on ABC but regularly aired in syndication on Nickelodeon. She also starred in "Melissa & Joey'' from 2010 to 2015. 

These days, the actress frequently appears in Hallmark movies, and she recently became the first celebrity to win the $1 million top prize for her charity on "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune." She's been married for nearly two decades to musician Mark Wilkerson. The couple has three children together. 
Victoria Justice

Following a breakthrough role on "Zoey 101," Victoria Justice went on to star as student Tori Vega in "Victorious" from 2010 to 2013. She's kept busy ever since, first starring on the short-lived MTV series "Eye Candy" followed by "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in the 2016 Fox adaptation. 

Justice has multiple ongoing projects in acting and music today and is also a philanthropist working with Girl Up, a charity helping to educate and empower girls in undeveloped countries.
Nate Richert

Best known as Harvey in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Richert had some brief acting stints on shows like "Touched by an Angel." He retired from acting in 2006 to focus on his music career and can occasionally be seen playing comedian on Twitter.

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