The late '90s to early 2000s was a wild time for Nickelodeon live-action comedies. Though not as (in)famous as the Disney Channel Stars, Nickelodeon’s lineup was nothing to sneeze at. Example: Drake & Josh, a show responsible for repeating things for emphasis and possibly launching people to stardom.
...Ok, that’s questionable. But that doesn’t erase the fact that some primetime TV stars were barely even guest stars on Drake & Josh. Here are 10 celebrities who were extras on Drake & Josh.
Allison Dunbar
Allison Dunbar was Peggy Sherman in the 2005 episode “The Affair.” Basically, the boys thought Walter was cheating on Audrey with Peggy and antics ensue. And Walter didn’t have an affair, he was trying to advance his career. Oops?
While Dunbar isn’t at the height of popularity, her filmography is nothing to sneeze at. She had a small role in CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as Darrell’s ex-wife, Stacy Whitefeather. She’s also had recurring roles in StartUp, Quick Draw, and the crown jewel of TV dramas: The Sopranos.
Brittany Curran
One of the few extras to get two episodes and a character name in Drake & Josh, Brittany Curran appeared as Carly in the episodes “Who’s Got Game?” and “The Storm.” Other parts of her filmography from the mid-2000s include The Suite Life series—yes, both on and off deck—and other guest star roles, primarily on TV dramas.
Since then, she earned herself recurring roles on Twisted and Chicago Fire. She had a main role on Men of a Certain Age and won a Peabody Award for her performance. Oh, and she was in the film Dear White People, which later became a series on Netflix. Currently, she’s a regular on SyFy’s The Magicians.
Minka Kelly
Minka Kelly showed up in the episode “Movie Job” as Drake’s date, Stacy. And poor Stacy was left without popcorn because Drake’s always broke. Typical. But it’s okay, because now Kelly doesn’t need a man to buy her popcorn.
Her big breakout role came a few years after this episode, landing herself the role of Lyla Garrity in Friday Night Lights. The show, while never a massive hit, was highly praised by critics and had a dedicated fanbase. Since then, Kelly has shown up in Parenthood, Charlie’s Angels, Almost Human, and Jane the Virgin. Currently, she has a recurring role on DC Universe’s Titans as Dawn Granger, AKA Dove.
Torrey DeVitto
Torrey DeVitto wins this list automatically because she played two different girlfriends on Drake & Josh and left most of us bamboozled. She appears in three episodes: as Denise Woods in “First Crush” and “Driver’s License,” and then as Tori in “Playing the Field.”
Now, she seems to have a specialty in TV dramas. She had recurring roles in One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries. Currently, she’s a part of the massive Chicago trifecta: Dr. Natalie Manning in Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Fire.
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr was yet another girlfriend. Why did we think Drake was so cool when Josh was the one who built a lasting relationship with someone? Anyways.
Szohr got her major breakout role in 2007 as Vanessa Abrams in Gossip Girl. She’s been in a handful of movies, most notably Ted 2, but she’s more known for her work in television. Since Gossip Girl, she’s been in Complications, the 2017 Twin Peaks reboot, Shameless, and joined The Orville starting in Season 2.
Dylan Minnette
Dylan Minnette’s humble beginnings included playing a kid dressed up as a pirate in one of the funniest episodes of the show: “The Demonator.” Now, he’s best known as Clay Jensen in Netflix’s controversial series 13 Reasons Why.
Before that, he mostly had guest star roles on some big TV titles like Two and a Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer, The Mentalist, Supernatural, Lost, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Scandal. But he did land that role in Goosebumps, which was surprisingly charming. If you haven’t seen it, please do. It’s a good time.
Dianna Agron
Before enrolling in William McKinley High School, Dianna Agron was Lexi, the girl who could fit her whole fist in her mouth. Obviously, Agron’s best-known role is as Quinn Fabray, the cheerleader turned glee club member.
Aside from that, Agron has been in Veronica Mars, Heroes, and the films I Am Number Four, Novitiate, and Burlesque.
Emma Roberts
Surprise, bench, bet you thought you’d seen the last of her. Emma Roberts appeared in the episode “Honor Council” back in 2004. It was actually a very clever cameo of her character, Addie Singer, from Unfabulous—yet another popular Nickelodeon sitcom.
However, despite a filmography a mile long, Roberts is probably most famous for her surprise meme as Madison Montgomery in American Horror Story: Coven. But if we really want to get into it, not only is she an AHS regular, she also has credits in Family Guy, Scream Queens, Aquamarine, Hotel for Dogs, and UglyDolls.
Lucy Hale
She played Hazel in the 2006 episode “Theater Thug.” Unfortunately, she’s not famous for “Whoa, take it easy, man!” But she has some other impressive quotes, mostly as Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars. 7 years in a role is nothing to sneeze at.
Busy with that, she managed to snag some guest roles in CSI: Miami, Punk’d, and a lead role on the short-lived Life Sentence. Don’t worry, she also snagged a lead role in the upcoming 2020 musical dramedy Katy Keene.
Vanessa Hudgens
Premiering a little bit before High School Musical, Vanessa Hudgens showed up in the 2006 episode “Little Sibling” as Rebecca. She covers for Drake’s tardiness and literally has 30 seconds of screen time. And then we all knew her as Gabriella Montez. Since the end of the High School Musical trilogy, she’s released two albums and landed a good number of film credits. However, it seems her bread and butter is musical theatre. Oh, and that one episode of Drunk History where she was Joan of Arc. Everything about that episode is amazing.
Recently, Hudgens has taken to the live TV musical recordings and is absolutely killing it. She was Rizzo in Grease: Live and Maureen Johnson in Rent Live!. Further expanding her musical credits, she was part of the Broadway revival cast of Gigi and was recently confirmed for the reading of Ingrid Michaelson’s The Notebook musical.