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- WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'The Amanda Show'
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'The Amanda Show'
Max Kalnitz
- The sketch comedy show "The Amanda Show" ran for three seasons from 1999 to 2002.
- It launched the careers of young actors including Taran Killam, Josh Peck, and Drake Bell.
- Here's what the cast is up to almost two decades after the show ended.
From 1999 to 2002, Amanda Bynes had her own sketch comedy show on Nickelodeon.
If you grew up in the '90s you likely remember the super-catchy intro to "The Amanda Show."
The show started as a spin-off from the widely popular Nickelodeon sketch comedy "All That" with rising teen comedian and actress and "All That" star Amanda Bynes at the helm. Former viewers will remember zany sketches such as "Blockblister," "So You Want to Win Five Dollars?" and "Judge Trudy."
The show ran for three seasons from 1999 to 2002. In addition to propelling Bynes' career, it also helped launch the careers of other actors including Josh Peck, Drake Bell, and Taran Killam.
Ahead of Bynes' 35th birthday on April 3, we tracked down what she and the rest of the cast of "The Amanda Show" are up to today.
Bynes played recurring characters including Penelope Taynt, Judge Trudy, and Blini Blokey.
Amanda Bynes was just 13 when Nickelodeon gave her her own show. In addition to being the show's host, Bynes starred in basically every skit throughout its three seasons.
Bynes is long retired from acting ad recently became a college graduate.
Amanda Bynes' last role was as Marianne in the 2010 film "Easy A." That year, she announced her retirement from acting, writing, "Being an actress isn't as fun as it may seem."
Between 2012 and 2013 Bynes was arrested three times, including on suspicion of driving under the influence and of possession of marijuana. The charges were ultimately dropped in each case.
In a 2018 interview with Paper Magazine, Bynes opened up to editor Abby Schreiber about her mental health and substance abuse issues.
"I isolated a lot," Bynes told Schreiber. "I got really into my drug usage and it became a really dark, sad world for me."
Bynes went on to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles in 2019. In February 2020, she announced her engagement to student Paul Michael and, although they broke up briefly last March, Michael has since shared selfies of them together on Instagram. His bio reads, "Engaged to my love."
Josh Peck starred as a main cast member for the second and third seasons of "The Amanda Show."
Peck replaced season one cast member Raquel Lee for the show's final two seasons. Peck played various recurring characters, including one of the two dancing lobsters and Paulie, an assistant to the Italian mafia boss Tony Pajama's (Drake Bell).
Peck has acted in various movies and TV shows but went viral as a star on Vine.
After "The Amanda Show" ended, the show's creator Dan Schneider created a new sitcom, "Drake and Josh," starring Peck and fellow cast members Drake Bell and Nancy Sullivan.
The success of "Drake and Josh" led to Peck's involvement with numerous TV shows and films including "Red Dawn," the "Ice Age" series, and "Grandfathered." His latest movie, the sci-fi movie "Doors," releases on March 23.
Most recently, much of Peck's fame stemmed from his success on the now-defunct social media app Vine and his friendship with YouTuber David Dobrik.
Drake Bell was Amanda Bynes' partner in crime through all three seasons of the show.
Before he was the guitar-playing teen heartthrob co-star of "Drake and Josh," Bell was known for playing goofy characters like mobster Tony Pajamas, Eenis the hillbilly, and the surf rocker "Totally Kyle."
Bell started as an original member on the show and stayed on board for all three of its seasons.
Bell continued to act, but he also has a successful music career and has released five albums.
Bell rose to peak fame from 2004 to 2007 while starring with "The Amanda Show" alumni Josh Peck and Nancy Sullivan on "Drake and Josh."
Bell used "Drake and Josh" as a launchpad to start successful music and acting career. In the years since, he's appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, and released five albums. His most recent album, "Sesiones En Casa," released in 2020 and one of its singles "Fuego Lento" has been streamed over 24 million times on Spotify.
Bell made headlines in 2018 after complaining that his former co-star Peck didn't invite him to his wedding. Fans were shocked to find out that their favorite on-screen brothers weren't as friendly in real life as they'd thought — yet, months later, they were pictured hugging at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2017.
Before Taran Killam got his big break, he was a side character on "The Amanda Show."
There were many supporting cast members who played recurring side characters on the show but arguably the most famous is Taran Killam. Most notably, he starred as Spalding in the "Dawson's Creek" spoof, "Moody's Point."
Killam has gone on to star in TV shows like "SNL," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Arrested Development."
Although he held one of more minor roles on the show, Killam has gone on to become one of the most successful members of "The Amanda Show" cast.
He appeared as recurring characters in shows like "MADtv," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Scrubs," before getting cast as a member of "SNL" in 2010. Since his departure from the show in 2016, he has appeared in TV series including "Single Parents," "Gaslight," and the children's cartoon "Nature Cat."
Raquel Lee was a main cast member for the first season of "The Amanda Show."
Raquel Lee starred in the popular segment "The Girl's Room" and as herself in various sketches throughout the show's first season.
Lee has appeared as minor characters in various TV shows and movies since her days on "The Amanda Show."
Lee left "The Amanda Show" in 2000 and then voiced the character Nubia Gross on the Disney animated series "The Proud Family" from 2001 to 2005.
After guest-starring on a number of TV shows or in one-season shows, Lee landed a gig playing Charmagne on "Real Husbands of Hollywood," Kevin Hart's satirical take on the "Real Housewives" franchise, from 2013 to 2016. In 2017 she appeared in the 420 stoner flick "Grow House."
Most recently, she appeared in a 2019 episode of the FX series "Snowfall" and as a background character in the 2020 movie "Stan the Man."
Nancy Sullivan played one of the two adult characters on the show.
Sullivan could often be seen as the mom of one of Bynes' or Bell's characters or as a distraught customer trying to return a VHS to Blockblister.
Sullivan starred as Drake and Josh's mom and had minor acting and voice acting gigs.
Sullivan's biggest role was as Audrey Parker-Nichols, the mother of Drake and Josh on the popular Nickelodeon sitcom.
She last acted in 2017 as the voice of Watermelon Woman in the animated film "Barbie Dreamtopia." Other notable performances include voicing Serafie in the World of Final Fantasy video game and as a university dean in the 2016 thriller "Unwanted Guest."
John Kassir was the other main adult on the show.
Kassir played notable characters like Gnocchi Blokey, owner of Blockblister, Principle Thorn, and Carl Klutz.
Kassir has done prominent work as a voice actor but is still best known for being the voice of the crypt keeper in HBO's "Tales From the Crypt."
If you're a fan of cartoons and/or video games, there's a good chance you're familiar with Kassir's voice, which has appeared in over 200 animated movies, video games, and cartoons.
Prominent recent performances include video games like Halo 5, Hearthstone, and Final Fantasy XV, and TV shows/films including "Robot Chicken," "New Looney Tunes," and "The Secret Life of Pets."
Despite his voice acting accolades, true fans most likely remember him as the voice of the Crypt Keeper from HBO's "Tales From the Crypt."
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