If you grew up in the 90s, Saturday nights were basically a ritual. You’d grab a Surge or some Gushers, flop onto the carpet, and wait for that funky TLC theme song to kick in. All That wasn’t just a show; it was the "SNL for kids" that actually worked. It was messy, loud, and weirdly prophetic about who would actually become a superstar.
But looking back at the all that tv show cast today feels a bit like looking through a high school yearbook where half the class became millionaires and the other half just... vanished into thin air. We all know Kenan Thompson is the king of 30 Rockefeller Plaza now, but what about the kid who played Ear Boy? Or the girl who did the "Vital Information" sketches? Honestly, the trajectory of these child stars is way more chaotic than the sketches they performed.
The Original Seven: Where the Chaos Started
When the show launched in 1994, nobody knew if kids would actually sit through a sketch comedy. The original lineup—Angelique Bates, Lori Beth Denberg, Katrina Johnson, Kel Mitchell, Alisa Reyes, Josh Server, and Kenan Thompson—had to carry the whole thing on their backs.
Kenan and Kel were the obvious breakout stars. Their chemistry was so undeniable that Nickelodeon basically had no choice but to give them a spin-off and a movie about a fast-food joint. Kenan is now the longest-running cast member in the history of Saturday Night Live. He’s been there since 2003! Kel, on the other hand, took a different path. After a bit of a career lull and a very famous (and fake) death hoax in 2006, he’s found his footing as a youth pastor and a producer. He even came back for the Good Burger 2 sequel in 2023.
Then you’ve got Josh Server. He was the only original cast member to stay for the entire first six-season run. He’s the guy who gave us Detective Dan and Ear Boy. While he didn't become a household name like Kenan, he’s been a consistent "Nick legend," popping up in Drake & Josh, Game Shakers, and even the 2019 reboot.
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The Weird and Wonderful Career of Lori Beth Denberg
Lori Beth was the "adult" of the group, mostly because she was 18 when it started. She was the anchor. If you don't remember her "Loud Librarian" yelling at kids for breathing too loud, did you even watch the show?
After leaving in Season 4, she did the Steve Harvey Show and then mostly stepped away from the limelight. These days, she’s an ordained minister. You can actually hire the "Vital Information" lady to officiate your wedding. Think about that for a second.
The Amanda Bynes Era and the Second Wave
Around 1996, the show shifted. Angelique Bates left, and this tiny 10-year-old named Amanda Bynes showed up. She was a comedic prodigy. She could do physical comedy that most adults couldn't pull off. Her success led to The Amanda Show, which eventually birthed stars like Drake Bell and Josh Peck.
But Bynes’ story is the one that everyone talks about with a bit of sadness. After a string of massive movie hits like She's the Man and Hairspray, she had a very public struggle with mental health and substance abuse. She’s spent much of the last decade under a conservatorship, which was finally terminated in 2022. She’s been focusing on fashion design and staying out of the paparazzi's way, which, honestly, is probably the best move for her.
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The Nick Cannon Factor
People forget Nick Cannon was on All That. He joined in 1998 (Season 5) and was basically a background player at first. He didn't even audition; he was a warm-up act for the audience who just happened to be funny enough to get on screen.
Now? He’s the host of The Masked Singer, the creator of Wild 'N Out, and the father of... well, many children. He might be the most successful alum in terms of sheer business empire-building, even if people mostly associate him with his personal life these days.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2000s Relaunch
In 2002, Nickelodeon tried to catch lightning in a bottle again. They brought in a totally new all that tv show cast for what fans call the "Relaunch Era." This is where things get polarizing. Purists hated it, but this era gave us:
- Jamie Lynn Spears: Before Zoey 101, she was playing Thelma Stump on All That.
- Jack DeSena: He became the voice of Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- Lisa Foiles: She’s now a huge name in the gaming world and a published author.
It wasn't the same "grunge-lite" vibe of the 90s, but it kept the brand alive long enough for the 2019 reboot to actually happen. That reboot, by the way, was executive produced by Kenan and Kel themselves. It brought in a whole new crop of kids like Ryan Alessi and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, though it got cut short by the pandemic in 2020.
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The "Ear Boy" Legacy: Why We Still Care
Why does the all that tv show cast still dominate nostalgia feeds? It’s because the show felt like it was actually run by kids. There was a level of "we’re getting away with something" that modern, overly-polished Disney shows lack.
When you see Danny Tamberelli (who joined in Season 4) and Michael Maronna from Pete & Pete doing their podcast The Adventures of Danny and Mike today, you realize these kids really were a family. They weren't just coworkers; they were the pioneers of a very specific type of gross-out, high-energy humor that defined a decade.
What to Watch Next if You’re Feeling Nostalgic
If you want to see where the cast ended up, don't just stick to Wikipedia. Here’s how to actually dive back in:
- Check out "Quiet on Set": If you want the raw, sometimes dark truth about the production environment behind these shows, this docuseries is a must-watch. It changes how you see the sketches.
- Follow the Alums on Social: Alisa Reyes and Katrina Johnson are super active and often post behind-the-scenes photos that haven't been seen in 30 years.
- Good Burger 2 on Paramount+: It’s surprisingly wholesome and features cameos from several original cast members that will make you point at the screen like the Leo DiCaprio meme.
- The SNL Connection: Watch any episode of Saturday Night Live from the last 20 years. Kenan Thompson is almost always the best part of the show, and you can see the All That DNA in his timing.
The show might be over, but the impact of that specific group of kids changed comedy forever. They proved you didn't need to be an adult to be genuinely, weirdly funny.