Top 10 Most Successful Nickelodeon Stars

Transitioning from one highly successful series to another, this American actress and singer spent nearly a decade as Nickelodeon's poster child. Right after “iCarly” completed its seven-season run, Miranda Cosgrove went on a tour in support of her 2011 EP “High Maintenance”. She also voiced the character of Margo in all of the “Despicable Me” films. Besides a poorly received horror movie called “The Intruders”, Cosgrove has largely stuck to animation and short-lived sitcoms, including a one season run on NBC's “Crowded”.

Because of her work on “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, this actress is synonymous with the '90s and early aughts. Taking up acting at the tender age of four, Melissa Joan Hart continues to be a regular on the small and big screen. While the multi-talented performer will always be known as Nickelodeon's Clarissa Darling, Hart's career earned a second wind with ABC's “Melissa & Joey”, which lasted for four seasons. While Netflix prepares for its dark reimagining of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, Clarrisa recently directed her first feature-length film with Lifetime's remake of “The Watcher in the Woods."

Occasionally, Nickelodeon is more of a stepping stone than a career starter. Even though “Cousin Skeeter” served as a great showcase of this actress' talent, Meagan Good had already landed bit-part roles in the movie “Friday” and an array of television series prior to appearing on Nickelodeon. As an adult actress, Good carved out a niche as a horror scream queen by appearing in “Saw V”, “One Missed Call”, and the “The Unborn”. Bolstered by enjoyable performances in 2012's “Think Like a Man” and 2013’s sequel to “Anchorman”; Good's resume is constantly improving. Next in the cards is DC's “Shazam!”

Going from a one-off appearance in Disney's “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” to Nickelodeon's “Zoey 101”, Victoria Justice ranks among the most instantly recognizable young celebrities. Largely known for playing “Victorious'” Tori Vega; in recent years, the Florida-born star has prioritized acting over her musical career. Her two worlds collided however when Justice was cast as Janet Weiss in Fox's tribute to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Even if the adaptation of R.L. Stine’s “Eye Candy” ends up being the highlight of the actress' post-Nickelodeon TV career, Justice's 14 million Instagram followers ensure she is not going to be forgotten anytime soon.

Keke Palmer earned her stripes by landing small parts in “Cold Case”, “ER”, and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” before Nickelodeon came knocking for “True Jackson, VP”. She went on to be nominated for five consecutive YoungStars Award by the BET Awards. In those rare instances when the young celebrity is not simultaneously cast in multiple TV shows, Palmer can be found either releasing music or making strides by breaking social barriers. In 2014, Palmer made her Broadway debut as the first African-American actress to portray Cinderella in the musical of the same name.

While she took a hiatus from acting in 2010, we couldn’t leave out this “All That” veteran. Joining the cast of the popular Nickelodeon sketch show in 1996, Amanda Bynes proved so popular that she eventually got a show of her own, titled – you guessed it – “The Amanda Show”. She successfully made the transition to the big screen with 2002’s “Big Fat Liar, and appeared in an string of successful comedies, including “She’s the Man”, “Hairspray”, and “Easy A”. While she’s recently been more well known for her run-ins with the law, as of 2017 she has apparently worked through her personal issues and plans to return to acting in 2018.

Largely remembered for his feud with Eminem, Nick Cannon's career has sure been a rollercoaster ride. In the late '90s, the teenage Canon was added to the roster of Nickelodeon's “All That”, while his rap group warmed up the crowd for acts like Will Smith. After leaving the sketch show; the comedian kept himself busy by creating two studio albums, forming multiple record labels, and marrying Mariah Carey. His most notable success to date has been working as the host of “America's Got Talent” from 2009 to 2016.

Some people are just born with an extra funny bone. The ‘90s are considered to be the Nickelodeon channel's golden era and Kenan Thompson is a big reason why. Along with starring opposite Kel Mitchell in the hilarious “Kenan & Kel”, Thompson proved his worth as a sketch comedian on the network's “All That”. This experience soon paid off, as Kenan earned a place on “Saturday Night Live”'s coveted roster and currently holds the record for the longest-serving cast member. With 15 seasons and counting, hopefully Thompson continues to bring the laughter for decades to come.

The star who played “Unfabulous’s”Addie Singer abandoned her family-friendly roots a long time ago! As the show’s protagonist, Emma Roberts embraced the life of a teen idol and maintained her girl-next-door image as “Nancy Drew”'s titular detective. Alas, nobody stays innocent forever; so Roberts slowly transitioned towards more adult-oriented roles, appearing in films like Wes Craven's “Scream 4” and 2016 techno-thriller “Nerve”. When it comes to the small screen, the young actress is somewhat of a horror icon, mostly due to her runs on “American Horror Story” and “Scream Queens”.





Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



Elizabeth Gillies





Jennette McCurdy





Josh Peck

Honestly, is anyone surprised? Cast as Cat Valentine in Victorious, Ariana Grande was such a big deal for the network that Nickelodeon gave the celeb her own spin-off series. While a decent enough actress in her own right, Grande was clearly born to be a pop-star. Despite the celebrity's debut album only coming out in 2013, the American starlet's discography has already spawned many hit singles and earned Grande multiple Grammy nominations. With an Instagram following exceeding 100 million, Ariana Grande is the very definition of successful.