What Nickelodeon Stars Looked Like In The '90s Vs. Now

    It's hard to believe it's been 20-plus years since we last saw some of these iconic faces.

    Angela Andaloro
    by Angela Andaloro

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    I don't know about you guys, but I spent a good portion of the '90s glued to my TV watching anything and everything they played on Nickelodeon.

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    I grew up in the golden age of Nickelodeon and was obsessed with all of their stars.

    Nickelodeon / Hey Arnold / Via giphy.com

    I mean, who didn't want Clarissa's fashion, The Midnight Society's bravery, or to be the only kid on the block with a tattoo like Little Pete? I had to find out what some of Nickelodeon's best talents have been up to since the '90s, and here's what I discovered.

    David Lascher (Ted McGriff, Hey Dude)

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    You probably recognize David Lascher from a number of '90s shows, like Full House, Beverly Hills, 90210, Blossom, Two of a Kind, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. But Hey Dude was just his second major acting gig, from 1989 to 1991.

    Today, Lascher does a little bit of everything.

    View this video on YouTube
    Celebified / youtube.com

    David Lascher has added writer, producer, and director credits to his name over recent years.  

    Marc Summers (Host, Double Dare)

    Marc Summers was the fun dad everyone wanted to have. He served as Double Dare host from 1986 to 1993.

    Most recently, Marc was on Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins as a host.

    Christine Taylor (Hey Dude)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    You may be surprised to learn that Christine Taylor got her start on Nickelodeon's Hey Dude as the sugary-sweet Melody, which she played from 1989–91.

    Christine is a wife, mother, and actor, the ultimate triple threat.

    Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller sitting together at a tennis match
    Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

    Christine married actor Ben Stiller in 2000, with whom she's appeared in many movies. Although they briefly separated in 2017, they've since reconciled and are going strong. They share two children, but when she's not busy being a mom, she's still taking interesting and hilarious acting roles. She most recently joined the cast of High Desert.

    Melissa Joan Hart (Clarissa Darling, Clarissa Explains It All)

    Nickelodeon

    Clarissa Darling was effortlessly cool and also kind of a dork, in all the ways we envied. She was also allowed to have a boy climb up into her bedroom window on a ladder — her bestie, at that! 

    Clarissa was the queen of the earliest days of the internet, all while rocking some serious fashion. Did we mention she was the first female lead on a Nickelodeon series? An icon.

    Melissa Joan Hart is still very much in the acting game.

    Melissa Joan Hart posing on a red carpet in 2021
    Gregg Deguire / Getty Images

    The mom of three recently wrapped a Netflix series and did some voice acting. There are rumors she'll appear in a Clarissa reboot, but the timing is unknown.

    Mike O' Malley (Host, Guts, Global Guts)

    Mike O'Malley hosting Nickelodeon GUTS
    Nickelodeon / Via youtube.com

    Before you knew him as Kurt's dad on Glee, Mike O'Malley was the host of Nickelodeon Guts, a sports competition game show that later grew to have kids from different countries competing against each other. Everyone wanted to take home a piece of the Aggro-Crag.

    Mike O'Malley smiling widely with a beard
    Amanda Edwards / Getty Images

    Mike left hosting behind for acting. Not only was he in Glee, but he's also been on shows like Yes, Dear, My Name Is Earl, and Snowpiercer.

    JoAnna García (Sam, Are You Afraid of the Dark?)

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    JoAnna Garcia's first major role was as Sam on Are You Afraid of the Dark? It launched a busy career for the actor.

    Joanna acts and is a mom of two.

    JoAnna Garcia Swisher smiling and opening a car door
    Ogut / GC Images / Via Getty Images

    JoAnna married baseball played Nick Swisher in December 2010. They share two children. JoAnna juggles being a mom with her busy acting career, having appeared in shows such as Reba, Gossip Girl, Once Upon a Time, and Sweet Magnolias.

    Summer Sanders (Host, Figure It Out)

    Summer Sanders posing near a pool
    San Francisco Chronicle / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

    Summer Sanders was an Olympic swimmer and sports commentator when she joined Nickelodeon as host of Figure It Out in 1997.

    Summer still works as a sports commentator and television host today.

    Danny Tamberelli (Little Pete, The Adventures of Pete & Pete)

    Nickelodeon

    Danny Tamberelli was one of the first Nickelodeon stars to become a homegrown talent that would bounce around the network. After years as Little Pete on The Adventures of Pete & Pete, he also appeared on Figure It Out and All That.

    These days, Danny's more of a musician than an actor.

    Lori Beth Denberg (All That, Figure It Out)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    A member of the OG All That cast, Lori Beth also appeared on Figure It Out and in Good Burger, the movie based on the All That skit. She only left Nickelodeon because she was a bit older than a lot of her castmates and was ready to move on.  

    Lori Beth Denberg is still making people laugh.

    Josh Server (All That)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    Josh Server was the only All That cast member to stay on the show for all six of its original seasons. He also appeared on a number of other Nickelodeon shows, including The Secret World of Alex Mack, Drake & Josh, and Sam & Cat.

    Josh has stayed in acting, even appearing in the All That reboot.

    Larisa Oleynik (Alex Mack, The Secret World of Alex Mack)

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    Alex Mack was the main character to look up to for the sci-fi girls. Larisa was pretty, cool, and brainy as the titular character. 

    Larisa has kept crushing it in her acting career, making us '90s girls proud.

    Larisa Oleynik laughing
    Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Larisa went on to have roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, Boy Meets World, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. More recently, she's been in Pretty Little Liars and Mad Men.

    Irene Ng (Shelby Woo, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    Irene Ng had some acting credits to her name before Nickelodeon, having been on All My Children and in The Joy Luck Club. 

    Today, Irene is a Harvard graduate and founded Mencius Mandarin Preschool in 2009. She still dabbles in acting on occasion, most recently appearing in The Affair.

    View this video on YouTube
    Oracle / Via youtube.com

    Kenan Thompson (All That, Kenan & Kel)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    You may recognize Kenan Thompson as one of comedy's biggest names, but he got his start right on Nickelodeon. His role on All That opened doors for his comedy duo series with Kel Mitchell, Kenan & Kel. 

    Today, Kenan is the longest-running cast member on Saturday Night Live.

    Kenan Thompson standing on stage at Kennedy Center Honors
    CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images

    Kenan also does tons of voice acting and recently debuted his own sitcom, Kenan. He's also married and a father of two.

    Kel Mitchell (All That, Kenan & Kel)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    Kel Mitchell also got his start on All That before moving on to Kenan & Kel. Of course, he and Kenan also starred alongside each other in Good Burger.

    Kel is still in touch with his All That roots today.

    kel at a red a carpet premier for a fall from grace
    Arnold Turner / Getty Images for Netflix

    Kel is booked and busy as an actor, voice actor, producer, youth pastor, husband, and father of four.

    Arjay Smith (Allen Strange, The Journey of Allen Strange)

    Nickelodeon / NickRewind / Via giphy.com

    Arjay Smith had a few acting credits under his belt when he starred as the titular character on The Journey of Allen Strange. 

    Arjay is still in acting today, with roles on Perception, Sons of Anarchy, Sacrifice, and The Rookie.

    Arjay Smith in a scene from "In The Line Of Fire"
    Raymond Liu / ABC via Getty Images

    Robert Ri'chard (Bobby Walker, Cousin Skeeter)

    Robert Ri'chard on
    Nickelodeon / Via youtube.com

    Robert Ri'chard played Bobby Walker on Cousin Skeeter. Skeeter would help Bobby work on nabbing his dream girl and navigating teen life.

    Robert Ri'chard's star has only continued rising.

    Robert Ri'Chard posing at a premiere
    Arnold Turner / Getty Images for Prime Video

    Following Cousin Skeeter, Robert has kept himself busier and busier. He's starred in both television and film, with four projects in the works for the upcoming year.

    Meagan Good (Nina, Cousin Skeeter)

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    Meagan Good started acting very young, and her time on Cousin Skeeter is an unforgettable part of her journey. Her fashion and beauty were EVERYTHING on the show.

    Not only is Meagan still acting, she's also one of the biggest stars on this list! She recently teamed back up with her Cousin Skeeter co-star as well!

    Meagan Goode posing on a red carpet
    Arnold Turner / Getty Images for CMA Entertainment

    The two recently worked together on the series Harlem. 

    Shawn Ashmore (Jake Berenson, Animorphs)

    Shawn Ashmore as Jake in "Animorphs"
    Nickelodeon / Via youtube.com

    Shawn Ashmore's first big US-based role was in Nickelodeon's Animorphs in the late '90s. It was the beginning of a seriously major career for the Canadian-born actor.

    Shawn's whole career changed after playing Iceman In X-Men.

    Shawn Ashmore staring intensely
    Raymond Liu / ABC via Getty Images

    After reaching super-hero status, there's not much your career can't do. Shawn has been on a number of TV series and in plenty of films. Like Arjay Smith, Shawn is also on The Rookie.

    Amanda Bynes (All That, The Amanda Show)

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    Amanda Bynes proved herself a comedic genius before her age even hit double digits. She was one of the biggest talents to come out of '90s Nickelodeon, though she's struggled in the years since.

    Amanda is reportedly in a good place today.

    Amanda Bynes walking while holding hands with her fiance
    DIGGZY / / SplashNews.com

    Amanda hasn't returned to acting since 2010's Easy A. In 2018, she mentioned wanting to return to television, but her mental health and struggles with substance abuse have made the path to a return unclear. She is reportedly engaged to Paul Michael.  

    Nick Cannon (All That)

    Nickelodeon / Via gfycat.com

    Fun fact: Before All That, Nick's first acting credit was in the 1995 music video for "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey. He was on All That from 1998 to 2004.

    Nick Cannon is a household name today.

    Nick Cannon speaking into a microphone on a stage
    Fox / FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

    Nick Cannon is a talk show host, game show host, podcaster, actor, artist, and so much more. He's also a father of seven who recently suffered heartbreak after the death of his youngest son, Zen. 

    Who were your favorite '90s Nickelodeon stars? Shout 'em out in the comments.