In 2004, Nickelodeon legend Dan Schneider blessed the channel’s teen audience with a sitcom of two polar-opposite teenagers who suddenly become step-brothers under one roof. Pair that up with a cast of talented comedians, and you’re bound to hit primetime T.V. gold.
Luckily for Schneider and his now-classic brainchild, Drake and Josh, that’s exactly what went down.
Drake and Josh was a family-friendly comedy series featuring Drake Bell and Josh Peck as the leading, titular characters, and the often ridiculous teenage shenanigans they often find themselves thrown into.
Once mere high-school classmates, the two also have to deal with becoming sudden step-brothers since the announcement of their parents’ engagement, which makes for some fine comedy material, since the two are completely flipped opposites of one another.
The series was mainly targeted at pre-teens to those in early high school themselves – though it goes without saying that those same people are now far into their early-to-mid-twenties, with the cast having very much matured themselves.
The then-teen actors behind Drake, Josh, Megan, and their various high school peers are now a far cry from their clean-cut, cookie-cutter Nickelodeon selves – and it isn’t a bad thing, either.
In celebration of one of Nickelodeon’s funniest creations, here’s a list of some of Drake and Josh’s most memorable actors – what they looked like in their first episode, and their transformations over the years.
Here is What The Cast Of Drake And Josh Looked Like In The First Episode Vs. Now.
15. Chelsea Brummet
Chelsea Brummet shot to Nickelodeon stardom through her work on the final run of Dan Schneider’s All That– a comedy sketch show akin to Saturday Night Live, but you know, for kids.
From one Schneider brain-child to another, Brummet made her appearance on Drake and Josh as Mrs. Hayfer’s beautiful teen daughter with a slightly off quirk – she can’t seem to stop giggling at everything.
Unfortunately, she briefly dates Drake, who Mrs. Hayfer threatens to dump into summer school if he dares to attempt a break-up.
While garnering audience laughs in her early comedienne days, Brummet seems to be inactive in the acting field as of recently. She’s evidently still looking as gorgeous as ever, however, and is quite active on Instagram, where she features her handmade art from time to time.
14. Alec Medlock
Alec Medlock was known for his recurrent role as the stereotypically “nerdy” kid, Craig Ramirez, often seen with his equally “nerdy” partner-in-crime, Eric Blonowitz.
The two are often thrown into unpredictable shenanigans during the show’s run – including babysitting a demented 80-year old World War II veteran who saw the two as nefarious German soldiers keeping him in captivity.
Since the success of the Teen Nick sitcom, Medlock has had minor roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Baby Daddy, but has most notably done work behind the camera in recent years, directing and writing short movie projects.
One of these was the Kickstarter-funded independent movie known as Evelyn’s Wake, with sneak-peek clips that can be found on Medlock’s very own self-titled website.
13. Miranda Cosgrove
There couldn’t have been an eviler character on Nickelodeon at the time than Drake and Josh’s Megan Parker. As the younger sister of Drake and Josh, Megan’s role was to pretty much torture her brothers to the point of utter misery – often through the form of complex pranks.
Like Mindy Crenshaw, the girl seems to have a very schadenfreude-type of humor, which eventually cause the two to get along in later episodes.
From a cute (yet devious) 11-year old with a kiddy sense of fashion, Cosgrove has blossomed into her early 20s with a gorgeously mature look and classy sense of style. From her time on-screen as a pre-teen villain, Cosgrove leapt to teen success with another Dan Schneider series known as iCarly.
From there, Cosgrove has had continued success with a music career as a pop singer, and has starred in the more adult-targeted, short-lived sitcom, Crowded.
12. Yvette-Nicole Brown
Yvette-Nicole Brown was known as the show’s Helen Dubois, the memorably sassy manager of The Premiere theatre. Usually seen reprimanding a miserable Josh Nichols for his tiniest of mistakes, Helen is notorious for being blunt and callous with her employees – and it makes for some fine Nickelodeon entertainment.
Of course, Brown’s on-screen talents didn’t end with Drake and Josh. In 2009, Dan Harmon casted the hilarious comedienne as the stereotypically-religious sweetheart, Shirley Bennett, on his award-winning comedy series, Community.
The adult-oriented sitcom went on to receive critical acclaim and a dedicated cult following, with Brown making her mark as the conservative yet smart-mouthed Christian mother with a rather troublesome past.
Today, Brown is the host of the cosplay Syfy series, Cosplay Melee, and can be found actively posting on her Instagram about her latest Hollywood endeavours.
11. Jerry Trainor
If you aren’t familiar with “Crazy” Steve, are you even a Drake and Josh fan? Portrayed by the hilarious Jerry Trainor, Crazy Steve gained legendary status as one of Nickelodeon’s most meme-able sitcom characters, frequently stealing the scene with his tendency to randomly flare up at the pettiest of circumstances.
From his very first appearance in the show, Trainor makes for a convincing, awkward high schooler with a young face and flat, greasy hair (from which he graduates to a simple buzz-cut).
However, nowadays he’s looking much more friendly and approachable, sporting a much more matured look, complete with a Jason Bateman-style ‘do.
Far from his time on-screen as a loud-mouthed, erratic movie theatre employee, Trainor is now the bass guitarist for the band Nice Enough People, along with former Drake and Josh actress, Allison Scagliotti.
10. Alyson Stoner
The ever-so-talented Alyson Stoner first showed up on the series as a young, pre-teen girl named Wendy – a member of Megan’s troublesome campfire troop.
After bumping into Drake at one of their gatherings, she immediately develops an obsession for him and his musical skills, proceeding to pull out every stalker’s stunt in the book.
While definitely a cute kid in her younger years, we can safely say that puberty’s been kind to the former starlet, sporting a stunning transformation at the age of 24.
After her minor stint at Drake and Josh, Stoner has lent her voice to the ultra-successful Disney Channel animated series, Phineas and Ferb, and currently has a flourishing career as a model, singer, and hip-hop dancer.
9. Allison Scagliotti
If you ever had an annoyingly cocky, know-it-all classmate back in high school (and you’re a fortunate one if you didn’t), they probably resembled Drake and Josh’s Mindy Crenshaw.
Played by Allison Scagliotti, Mindy was a straight-A, competitively catty student in Belleview High, making it a point to beat Josh in every project or subject possible.
We eventually discover that this bordering-insane academic actually had feelings for poor Josh, and the two ensue an on-again, off-again romantic relationship.
Veering off from her days as a haughty high-schooler, Scagliotti has undertaken other recurrent roles in television, most notably the sci-fi series Warehouse 13 and Stitchers. Her look is now a far cry from her often nerdy get-ups as Mindy, but we’re not complaining.
Apart from on-screen acting, Scagliotti has also starred in the live theatre play, Unhealthy, and has even formed a band with former Drake and Josh co-star, Jerry Trainor.
8. Julia Duffy
It’s hard to forget the memorable role of Mrs. Hayfer, Belleview High’s English teacher and Drake’s worst nightmare.
Usually giving Drake a difficult time for consistently slacking off in class, she has quite the opposite on-screen dynamic with the two leads compared to Helen Dubois, while Helen loves Drake and terrorizes Josh, Hayfer is seen bluntly favouring Josh over Drake, going so far as to tell Drake that she hates him to his face.
As of now, Duffy has undertaken various roles in successful television shows such as Shameless, Looking, and Scream Queens.
She is also very much active on the theatre stage – appearing in plays such as Little Foxes and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (for which she was nominated an award for best supporting actress) – and has even written a book titled Bad Auditions that was published last year.
7. Scott Halberstadt
Scott Halberstadt played the other half of the loveably “nerdy” dynamic duo known as Craig and Eric, entertaining audiences as the dorky-yet-intelligent Eric Blonowitz.
The character, along with Craig, is frequently exploited by protagonist Drake Parker, who often turns to them as pawns for his many ridiculous schemes.
Eric made his first appearance as a background extra during the series pilot, eagerly watching as Drake attempts to take on the high school jock, Buck, in a failed fist fight.
Ironically, he actually punches Drake in the eye during the episode “Eric Punches Drake”, from which he temporarily gains the respect of his peers.
Halberstadt has recently stepped away from the cameras (as per a Twitter announcement in 2013) to focus on video games, classic wrestling, and being the father of an eight year-old boy.
6. Jonathan Goldstein
We first see Jonathan Goldstein in the series pilot, “sucking face” – as Megan puts it – with Drake’s mother Audrey, much to the discomfort of everyone.
Things take quite a crazy turn for our two teenage leads, however, when the two lovebirds announce that they are finally getting married, making Drake Parker and Josh Nichols official stepbrothers and kicking off four seasons of legendary Teen Nick comedy.
Known as Walter Nichols in the series, Goldstein dons a look that’s quite similar to that of Josh – if the kid aged another decade and a half. Not only similar in looks, the two also share much of the same personality – goofy, clumsy, and in an often playful mood.
Nowadays, Goldstein is looking rather different to his Nickelodeon counterpart, with his Instagram showing photos of the actor wearing longer hair, a beard, and horn-rimmed glasses.
5. Nancy Sullivan
Playing the other half of Jonathan Goldstein’s bumbling Walter Nichols is Nancy Sullivan as Audrey, Drake and Megan’s biological mom.
Often seen disciplining the two step-brothers and falling for many of Megan’s lies, she’s portrayed as your typical, loving sitcom mother with a fondness for all of her kids.
In the show, Sullivan’s character is of a rather simple, conservative appearance, with her defining physical trait being her short, flipped bob-cut.
Her looks haven’t changed too drastically in recent years, though she’s definitely more fashionable than her on-screen counterpart and looking younger than her age claims.
Since Drake and Josh, Sullivan has undertaken roles in small movies like Aber, The Invisible Dog and has lent her voice to the role of Serafie in the video game, The World of Final Fantasy.
4. Jake Farrow
Though he only played a minor role on the series, Jake Farrow never failed to bring in the laughs with his random, humorous one-liners as The Premiere’s offbeat and lazy employee, Gavin.
As if his behaviour wasn’t strange enough, the character flaunts a rather peculiar, mullet-like hairstyle, which remains consistent throughout the series.
Apart from starring as a recurrent character, Farrow also worked as a writer and a producer for the show, along with a number of other series by Dan Schneider in later years, including iCarly and Victorious.
Though he’s worked for a handful of kid-friendly programs, he was also a credited writer for the Emmy Award-winning comedy series, Arrested Development.
Nowadays, however, Farrow is looking much more clean-cut – thank goodness the’ 70s hairdo is now a distant memory – and is currently a co-executive producer for another Nickelodeon Schneider creation, Game Shakers.
3. Brittany Curran
Brittany Curran makes her first appearance on the show as the spunky sales assistant of Spin City, a record shop that Drake comes upon. Of course, after a back-and-forth banter on favorite bands and music tastes, there were undoubtable sparks, and the two eventually begin dating.
While sporting an alternative punk-chic look during her time on the show, Curran’s current fashion aesthetic is actually quite a far cry, with her Instagram featuring the actress in a much softer, sophisticated style from her Drake and Josh days. ALso, it goes without saying, but she’s looking better than ever.
After her time on Nickelodeon, Curran has dabbled in more adult-oriented programs, including Twisted, Chicago Fire, and currently, the Syfy fantasy series, The Magicians.
2. Josh Peck
Gaining his television cred as a Nickelodeon icon, Josh Peck charmed audiences with his geeky, adorably-awkward, and often highly strung persona as Drake and Josh’s titular lead, Josh Nichols.
Peck’s physical evolution may have been the most impressive throughout the years , starting out as an incredibly chubby, baby-faced teenager in the pilot episode of the show to a much fitter, tanner, and stubble-faced version of himself today.
Who knew Drake’s dorky step-brother would one day grow into a hunk himself?
Since his time on the now classic Nick sitcom, Peck has since acted in more mature movies such as Drillbit Taylor, Red Dawn, and The Wedding Ringer.
He has also lent his voice to various animated movies, including Ice Age: Continental Drift, and The Angry Birds Movie.
1. Drake Bell
High school slacker, rock musician, and a good-looking “cool” dude – it was hard not to love Drake Parker and his devil-may-care persona.
Let’s not forget those awesome band (or solo) performances he’d treat the audiences to every now and again, with the perfect amount of Rockstar attitude to get all those teenage girls swooning.
Of the two brothers in the show’s earlier days, Drake Bell was definitely meant to look like your stereotypical teen heartbreaker – much in contrast to his other, “nerdier” half.
Nowadays, his co-star Josh Peck has absolutely caught up and shed that old, “adorkable” teenage skin, with Bell having maintained that same old, studly image.
Since his successful time on the show, Bell has pursued a thriving music career, releasing three chart-topping studio albums and several concert tours. He has also lent his voice to Spider-Man in the animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, which featured on Disney XD.
Which Drake and Josh transformation surprised you most? Let us know in the comments!
