Top 20 Nickelodeon Stars Who Fell Off the Map

After getting his start in 2001 films Pootie Tang and Hardball, Hearne was snapped up by Nickelodeon and became a cast member in the sketch show All That, in 2002. However, Hearnes journey in the orange network wasnt all smooth. In interviews, hes spoken about how demeaning skits on Nick shows, such as being covered in peanut butter and having it licked off by dogs, werent discussed beforehand. On top of that, Hearne also experienced racist abuse, such as being referred to by a Nickelodeon employee as a piece of charcoal. Hearnes last acting job was in 2015. Instead, hes been working on music and poetry and became co-CEO of non-profit group, Urban Poets Society.

In the early 2000s, the phrase I like eggs spread through schools,in the U.S. and abroad. And we can all thank or blame Morrison for that. Playing the lovable but not too bright Debbie in The Amanda Show, the girls room standout was a fan favorite. Yet after leaving the show, Morrison essentially dropped out of the industry. She has made a couple of screen acting roles over the years, the most recent in Twinsmiths 2015 music video Said and Done. Instead, Morrison has found less famous work, most recently working for an outdoor adventures firm in California.

Tadhg Kelly appeared in all three seasons of Unfabulous, which aired on Nickelodeon in the mid-2000s. Despite its name, the show WAS fabulous, as it kickstarted Emma Roberts career and became one of the most popular shows in the country amongst the young teenage demographic. Tadhg Kelly played Ben Singer, Emma Roberts older brother. Unfortunately, he did not share her post-Unfabulous success. At least not in front of the camera. While he has continued acting, he hasnt appeared in much of note. Instead, his IMDb filmography lists him as a production assistant on various shows, such as Chicken Girls and a couple small roles in some shorts.

Josh Server was yet another All That cast member, and the only one to remain throughout the first six original seasons. After his success on All That, Server appeared on Figure It Out and played a few bit roles in shows like Kenan & Kel and The Amanda Show. However, his vigorous career quickly deflated, and Server was resorted to single episode appearances in various series and several reunion specials. In 2018, he appeared as a contestant on All New Double Dare and played Mr. McConner in an episode of Game Shakers.

Before he was stealing the hearts of the audience on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, as Josh, Lascher got his start on the Nickelodeon TV show Hey Dude, in 1989. Playing the role of Ted McGriff, the troublemaking yet endearing employee on the ranch, Lascher briefly left the show before making a triumphant return until it ended in 1991. Fans of Hey Dude might be delighted to know that Lascher had a real-life relationship with a cast member. But rather than it being with Kelly Browns Brad, who his character was typically interested in, it was with Melody's actor, Christine Taylor. In recent years, Lascher still gets occasional work as an actor, including an appearance in 2023 on the TV show The Other Two.

As soon as Logan was introduced in 2005's Zoey 101, his arrogant and misogynistic personality made him one of the shows biggest villains. Yet over time, due to Underwood's great work, a nicer side began to emerge. After the series ended in 2008, Underwood appeared in one production before leaving the industry. He reemerged in 2017, leading to him reprising his Logan role in 2023s Zoey 102. In 2024, Underwood explained on social media why there was an acting gap on his resume. When he was a teenager, he was harassed and assaulted by his agent, who Underwood later reported and who was fired. Due to the trauma and other horrible experiences in his childhood, Underwood walked away from Hollywood for years.

With neon hats, a skateboard, and teenage lingo, Sam was everything 90s in Clarissa Explains It All. Played by ONeal, Sam was Clarissas best friend, the BFF that even today we wish we had. ONeals work as Sam even led to him being nominated for two Young Artist Awards. Yet after the show ended in 1994, ONeal only made sporadic appearances on screen since. The last acting credit he received was as a party guest in 2016s Penumbra. There was talk of rebooting Clarissa Explains It All. However, in 2022, title star Melissa Joan Hart confirmed the plan was called off.

Getting her start in Nickelodeon and acting in general with a role in 1994s My Brother and Me, Baden soon transitioned to the networks Nick Jr. branch with the musical series, Gullah Gullah Island. The child star then joined the cast of Kenan & Kel, playing Kenans sister and Kels biggest fan, Kyra. After Kenan & Kel finished in 2000, Baden took a long break from screen acting, only returning in 2011. But during that time, she led campaigns and movements. Badens acting return led her to the web series, Giants, which earned her a Daytime Emmy in 2019. Beyond acting, Baden has taken up writing, even becoming an executive story editor for Justin Noble and Mindy Kalings The Sex Lives of College Girls.

With quirky, surreal humor and a theme of brothers growing up into adults, The Adventures of Pete & Pete originally ran as shorts, until its popularity turned it into a fall-blown series. And in the role of Big Pete for 3 seasons and many specials was Maronna.You might also know him for his role as Jeff McCallister in the Home Alone franchise. Yet even with that success, Maronna struggled for consistent acting work. Eventually, he became a set electrician. Under this job title, Maronna worked on many productions, including 2008s Sex and the City movie, 2012s Men in Black 3, and several Netflix MCU shows. Maronna also had a cameo with his Nickelodeon brother, Danny Tamberelli, for 2024s I Saw the TV Glow.

Danny Tamberelli is another Nickelodeon veteran. He starred as Little Pete in The Adventures of Pete & Pete and became a cast member alongside Lori Beth Denberg on All That and Figure It Out. Unfortunately, not much became of Danny after that. Aside from providing the voice of Jimmy in Grand Theft Auto V, Tamberelli has stayed away from the camera, instead opting to play bass and sing in his band Jounce, who are still touring as of 2018. He has stayed in touch with Pete & Pete co-star Michael Maronna in the film I Saw the TV Glow and through the podcast The Adventures of Danny and Mike, so hit that up if youre feeling nostalgic.

In 2000, Nickelodeon dropped Caitlin's Way, a gem of a show with Felton playing a troubled teen who struggled with losing her mother and having to move to a rural town in Montana. Yet after 3 seasons, the series came to an end in 2002. From there, Felton didnt get regular work in the industry, beyond occasional guest roles in shows like Orange is the New Black. Her last acting job came in a 2015 short film. After finding work as a bartender, in 2024, Felton announced on social media that shed been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mom created a GoFundMe to help with the costs. Thankfully, by the end of 2024, Felton announced shed finished her radiation treatment.

In 1994, All That debuted on Nickelodeon, with Bates as a cast member. Yet two years later, she became the shows first original member to depart. During the 2000s and into the 2010s, Bates didnt get much work beyond occasional guest roles in shows. But there was a good reason for that. Bates has spoken several times about the abuse she sustained from Dan Schneider on the All That set. She had difficult personal experiences after leaving the show. Bates wanted to help others whod experienced similar circumstances, so she became an advocate for survivors. In recent years, shes stepped back into acting and comedy with roles in 2020s Puzzled and 2024s Her Name is Rochelle.

Known for having an incredible hairstyle, Coconut Head on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide was a dorky, loveable legend. Fun fact, his iconic hair was a wig, not actor Robert Pinkstons own. As well as working at Nickelodeon, the actor appeared on the practical joke show Punkd, getting famously chased by Serena Williams. After the Nick show finished, Pinkston got work in 2008s Extreme Movie. Since then, hes mostly stepped away from acting. Pinkston has worked for various media companies and foundations behind the scenes. After working at Riot Games for several years, in 2024, he became their Global Broadcast Producer. But he still makes time for his former colleagues by appearing occasionally in the Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide.

Zoey 101 is undoubtedly one of the most popular shows in Nickelodeon history. It consistently scored high ratings and was even nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Childrens Program. You would think that starring in it would serve as a major launchpad for promising careers. Sean Flynn starred as Chase Matthews, the first person that Zoey meets at the academy. Unfortunately, Flynns post-Zoey career hasnt been spectacular. He appeared in a film called Return of the Killer Shrews, a couple of episodes of Lifetimes Devious Maids and a few movies youve likely never heard of. And he did rejoin his co-stars for Zoey 102.

Acting debuts don't come much bigger than Vidal's. In 1993, she appeared in Life with Mikey, becoming the first Puerto Rican-American child actress to have a lead role in an American film. Vidals next big break would come in the title role for Nickelodeons Taina, with dreams of being a singer and actor. She would follow this up with 2003s Freaky Friday as Pink Slips lead vocalist. From there, Vidal popped up in many TV productions, such as House, ER, and Castle. In 2017, Vidal had a career resurgence with a leading role in 2017s TV sequel, Training Day. With further work in 2021s The Guilty and 2023 series Primo, Vidal has more to look forward to with the 2025 release of Freakier Friday."

Lori Beth Denberg was an original cast member of All That, the sketch show which has already made appearances on this list. She subsequently starred as a panelist on Figure It Out, a show where Nickelodeon celebrity judges tried to guess a childs secret talent. She also had a regular part on The Steve Harvey Show. Since that time, Denberg has seemingly been chillin mostly. In 2012, she filmed a brief cameo for Workaholics and recently appeared alongside her All That castmates for a reunion on MTVs improv show Wild n Out. Denberg is also among the former child stars who have made allegations about Dan Schneider in recent years.

Irene Ng played the ambitious overachiever Shelby Woo on Nickelodeons The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, which aired for four seasons between 1996 and 1998. After a few guest roles, including on Figure It Out, Irene retired from acting and focused on her schooling. Apparently, Irene Ng is quite the achiever herself, as she graduated from Harvard and went to work as a banker for Merrill Lynch. According to her Wikipedia page, Irene has since left the banking biz behind and has since founded a Mandarin preschool in Connecticut.

If youre a Canadian weather fan, you know exactly what Hull is up to nowadays. The actor got his big break in 1992 with the Nickelodeon horror anthology series, Are You Afraid of the Dark? Playing the role of Gary, the leader of the Midnight Society, he gathered a legion of fans during his time there, which ended in 1996 with the series cancellation. Hull was then cast as a leading role in the Canadian show Student Bodies. Yet after that ended in 2000, he only made sporadic appearances on screen. So Hull studied meteorology. Later, he got work as a weather reporter on several channels. This led to Hull working on Global News, where hes one of their most recognizable faces.

After building his acting CV with several roles, in 2000, Sullivan appeared in a couple of episodes of The Amanda Show. From there, he joined All That, becoming one of its prominent members. This led to work on Malcolm in the Middle and The War at Home. But after the latter finished in 2007, Sullivan departed acting. Instead, he got a college degree and later worked for the venture capital firm, Rainfall Ventures. During the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary, Sullivan made a rare public appearance. He detailed attending a party with convicted offender and former acting coach, Brian Peck. Sullivan found evidence that Peck was pen pals with the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Its tough following an older siblings success. Its even tougher for Jamie Lynn Spears, who has been overshadowed by her older sister her whole life. Nonetheless, she found significant success playing Zoey on Zoey 101, only to have that momentum disappear when she announced that she was pregnant at 16. The news generated significant controversy, as Spears was criticized for supposedly betraying Zoeys innocent ideals and good girl tendencies. Her acting career took a major hit, and she subsequently became a country singer. Her debut EP, titled The Journey, was released in May 2014 and reached #24 on the Country chart. Spears reemerged in the acting world recently with Netflixs Sweet Magnolias and the 2023 sequel film Zoey 102, which sadly got little attention.

If you could reboot any classic Nickelodeon show for the modern-age, which would you pick and why? Let us know below!