Top 10 Zoey 101 Stars: Where Are They Now?

Austin Butler has remained active in the teen genre since “Zoey 101”’s finale. In 2013, he began starring as Sebastian Kydd in The CW’s “The Carrie Diaries,” which was cancelled after two seasons. Following that, he moved to MTV, landing the lead role of Wil Ohmsford in “The Shannara Chronicles,” a fantasy drama that sees Wil protecting the Four Lands from an invading horde of demons. However, this too was cancelled after two seasons. Austin has also branched out into more adult-oriented shows and movies. From 2011 to 2012, he played Wilkie Wilkerson on “Switched at Birth,” and 2019 marked arguably his biggest break to date, the role of Tex Watson, a prominent member of the Manson family, in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Kristin Herrera starred as Zoey and Nicole’s roommate Dana Cruz in the first season of “Zoey 101,” but then…something happened. She was quickly written off the show, and the rumor mill suggests that it was because Kristin looked too old next to her co-stars. Dana Cruz was then replaced, and that was that it for poor Kristin Herrera. She enjoyed a recurring role as Lourdes Del Torro on “General Hospital,” but it would be her last. Kristin has since quit acting, and her last acting credit was an episode of “General Hospital” that aired in 2008. She is now living a quiet life away from the glitz, glamour, and bright lights of show business.

Alexa Nikolas clearly did not have a good time on the set of “Zoey 101.” Following reports of persistent disagreements and fights with co-star Jamie Lynn Spears, Alexa was fired from “Zoey 101” while her character, Nicole Bristow, was written out of the show. While she hasn’t managed to land a part as big as Nicole since then, Alexa continued to act in television. She has made one-off appearances in numerous beloved shows, including “Supernatural,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Mad Men.” - the latter being in 2013. In 2012, Alexa married a musician named Mike Milosh, but the two split in 2016.

#7: Matthew Underwood

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Following the conclusion of “Zoey 101,” Matthew hasn’t done much in terms of acting, but that hasn’t stopped him from making the news. He was arrested on two separate occasions in 2012, once for marijuana possession and the other time for violating his probation while visiting a hookah lounge. The following year, he directed the music video for Jamie Lynn Spears’ ‘How Could I Want More”, making it clear that the two remained close. And while he still keeps out of the spotlight, he made the news yet again in April 2017, though this time for far more flattering reasons - he rescued a baby from a car crash.

We don’t know if the set of “Zoey 101” was a total Hell on Earth or something, but a surprising number of its stars have seemingly quit acting. Following “Zoey 101,” Christopher Massey provided the voice of Rasta in “The Search for Santa Paws” and appeared in episodes of “The Electric Company” and “Switched at Birth” before leaving showbiz behind. He dropped off the map until 2016, when he was arrested in Las Vegas for misdemeanor domestic violence after reportedly shoving his girlfriend, Cassalei Jackson. You can now find Massey over at his eponymous YouTube channel, where he releases hip hop music.

For all four seasons of “Zoey 101,” Erin Sanders portrayed the kooky and extremely intelligent Quinn Pensky. Once “Zoey” ended in 2008, she immediately switched gears and starred in the soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” where she played Eden Baldwin. Her most successful post-“Zoey” character is Camille Roberts in the Nickelodeon musical comedy “Big Time Rush,” a role that earned her two Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a TV Series. The late 2010s saw her appearing in various shorts and made-for-TV movies, including Lifetime’s “Guilty at 17,” and a miniseries titled “Six Degrees of Separation.”

#4: Victoria Justice

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Victoria Justice didn’t show up until the second season of “Zoey 101,” but she instantly became a fan favorite. She also seems to have used her time on the show as a springboard, as she has enjoyed quite a prosperous career in movies, TV, and music. Perhaps her biggest success is “Victorious,” the popular Nickelodeon sitcom that ran for four seasons between 2010 and 2013. However, the latter half of the decade proved quite fortuitous as well. In 2016, she starred as Janet in the Fox production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again,” and in 2018 she landed a recurring role as Hayley Wilson on the Facebook Watch comedy “Queen America.”

Like many of his co-stars, Sean Flynn has remained relatively quiet since his time on “Zoey 101.” In 2012, he starred in “Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood” alongside Christian Slater, and in 2014 he appeared in two episodes of the Lifetime comedy-drama “Devious Maids.” As of mid-2019, his last credited jobs were from 2015 – a TV movie called “The Wrong Boyfriend,” and a five-minute short called “What Did Zoey Say?,” which saw him and Christopher Massey reprising their roles as Chase and Michael. It was definitely cute, but it just made us long for more Sean Flynn!

Following “Zoey 101,” Paul popped up in an episode of “Criminal Minds” and starred as Jeff Pookie in the YouTube mockumentary sitcom “MyMusic.” However, Paul Butcher has essentially left acting behind and has branched out into music in the later half of the 2010s. You can catch his work over on his YouTube channel, ThePaulButcher, where he releases original pieces and covers of famous songs, including Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”. Fortunately, all this work hasn’t kept him from his education, as he graduated from Oaks Christian School in 2012 and attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he entered the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.

#1: Jamie Lynn Spears

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So, what has Zoey herself been up to since we left her? As you all know, Jamie became the subject of severe scrutiny and controversy when she announced her pregnancy in 2007. She subsequently disappeared from the public eye until she moved to Nashville and began making country music. Her debut EP, The Journey, was released in May 2014, accompanied by the single “How Could I Want More”. She released another single “Sleepover” in 2016, though this track didn’t appear on the EP. 2014 also proved to be a big year in Jamie’s personal life, as she married a businessman named Jamie Watson in New Orleans. Their first child and her second daughter, Ivey Joan Watson, was born in April 2018.