These ‘Zoey 101’ Characters Look Very Different 15 Years Later

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Zoey 101 is about to join the wonderful world of revivals with the premiere of the Paramount+ film Zoey 102. The film will star a lot of the original show's cast—including Jamie Lynn Spears, Sean Flynn, and Erin Sanders—reprising their roles.

To recap: Zoey 101 ran on Nickelodeon for four seasons between 2005 and 2008. The show starred Jamie Lynn Spears as the titular Zoey, and followed a group of students at Pacific Coast Academy, a fictional boarding high school in California. It was a huge hit at the time, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children's Program, and produced by the same creator behind Drake & Josh, the original iCarly, and Victorious.

The upcoming movie will pick up with the students, now in their thirties, returning for two of the original characters'—Quinn and Logan—wedding. Since it's been so long since you've connected with this cast, it's natural to be curious—do they look good today? What else are they up to? Women's Health has all the deets.

Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks

Jamie Lynn Spears starred as the titular Zoey in the Nickelodeon series, and will return for the revival film. She’s also known for being the little sister to pop sensation Britney Spears. Her Zoey 101 character was known for losing her dorm key, and thus iconically wearing it as a necklace to keep track of it. When the show suddenly wrapped in 2008, it was speculated that the series halted due to Jamie Lynn becoming pregnant at 16, according to People. However, the actress has denied that claim.

“I didn't become pregnant until probably six months after we wrapped or something like that, but some of the episodes had not aired yet,” She told Nylon in 2020. “But the show had already wrapped and there was never a negotiation to go into any more seasons. We were too old. It was done.”

In addition to her work on the Zoey 102 (which has been in talks for several years), Jamie Lynn also stars in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias. She has two daughters: Maddie, 15, and Ivey, 5. She also released a memoir, Things I Should Have Said, in 2022.

Alexa Nikolas as Nicole Bristow

Alexa was known for her “boy crazy” character Nicole on the original Zoey 101 series. Unfortunately, Alexa had a very negative experience during her time as a Nickelodeon actor—both because of her relationship with her fellow cast mates and the creator, Dan Schneider. In 2022, she made headlines for protesting outside of Nickelodeon’s studios.

“I didn’t feel protected at Nickelodeon as a child,” Alexa told Rolling Stone around the time of her protests. “I didn’t feel safe around Dan Schneider; every time he came on set my body got extremely tense. Later on in season 2, him and a bunch of executives made me cry in a room alone. I don’t think any child should have to experience anything like that, especially when it’s coming from people that are supposed to be looking out for the kids on set.”

It’s also worth noting that Nickelodeon also cut ties with Schneider in 2018 when allegations surfaced that he was verbally abusive, per Rolling Stone. Alexa currently uses her platform for activism, and founded her own organization, Eat The Predators. She will not be participating in the Zoey 102 revival.

Christopher Massey as Michael Barret

Christopher Massey played Michael, Chase and Logan’s roommate and the lighthearted one of the group. His character also loved playing the flute and basketball. The actor is known for being the brother of Kyle Massey, who starred in Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven and Cory in the House. After his stint on Zoey 101, the actor moved into music. He’s released three albums: Heartbreak Ave and Centralia Love in 2019, and Fallen Star in 2022. In 2016, the actor was arrested for domestic violence charges from his former girlfriend Cassalei Jackson, per E! News.

The couple has one child together, Mariah Massey (who has her own Instagram). Christopher also has two other children, a daughter Bella and son Carter, with Bria Miller, per IMDb. It seems the actor keeps up with most of his former Zoey 101 co-stars, and will appear in the upcoming film.

Austin Butler as James Garrett

Before Austin reached A-lister status with his starring role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, he was a child actor and had a consistent role as James Garrett in the show’s final season. Fun fact: He also appeared a season prior in an episode as an extremely minor character, Danifer. His character James joins the friend group after Chase leaves PCA in the final season, and dates Zoey until Chase returns.

Austin told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year that he was not asked to return for Zoey 102, but looks back at his time on the original series fondly. “Zoey 101 was a big turning point for me, because it was the first time I was ever a series regular on a show, so I got to be part of an entire season,” he said. As for what Austin is pursuing now, he will appear in Dune: Part Two, which is set to release in November, and the mini television series Masters of The Air, according to IMDb.

Erin Sanders as Quinn Pensky

Erin Sanders’ character is probably the most important in the upcoming Zoey 102 reboot (aside from Zoey, of course) as her character plays the bride-to-be and Zoey’s best friend. Quinn was known for being extremely smart, and a little nerdy throughout her time at PCA. She also entered a relationship with her polar opposite, Logan Reese, toward the end of the series.

After Zoey 101, Erin went on to star as Camille in another Nickelodeon series, Big Time Rush. She’s also starred in several other small projects such as The Call, according to her IMDb. On Instagram, Erin describes herself as “the multi-hyphenate of your dreams.” Fun fact: she taught online yoga classes during the pandemic.

Kristin Herrera as Dana Cruz

Kristin Herrera’s character starred in the first season of Zoey 101 as Dana Cruz, who was tough and confident. Her character was written off in the show’s second season, and replaced with Victoria Justice. However, the Kristin moved on to bigger and better things!

After her time on Zoey 101, Kristin went on to star in the film Freedom Writers and a few episodes of General Hospital, per IMDb. However, she mostly stayed out of the limelight in her adulthood. She’s currently private on Instagram. It doesn’t look like she’ll be returning for the Zoey 102 film, however she did return for a cast reunion on All That in 2019.

Matthew Underwood as Logan Reese

Matthew’s character Logan was known for being arrogant and rude throughout most of the Zoey 101 series. However, in the final season, his character took a turn for the better when he started dating Quinn, who was known for being the nerd of the PCA friend group. Zoey 102 will take place as the couple gets married, so the actor will also reappear in the film.

Matthew hit a bit of a rough patch after wrapping Zoey 101. In 2012, he was arrested and charged with drug possession and found with a 17-year-old girl in his room (at the time, he was 21), per E! News. Later that year, he was arrested again and charged with violating probation in Port St. Lucie, Florida, according to HuffPost.

In 2017, Matthew made headlines for saving a baby from the scene of a motor vehicle crash. The child’s parents had allegedly overdosed and crashed their car into a tree, per WPTV 5. Now living the mostly headline-free life, Matthew currently works on the production side of film sets, per his Instagram. It seems he still resides in Florida, his home state.

Paul Butcher as Dustin Brooks

Paul Butcher played Zoey’s adorable little brother, Dustin. His character was often the sidekick for his older sister’s, and her friends,’ antics. The former actor segued into music after his Zoey 101 tenure, and attended University of California Los Angeles. He’s currently 29 years old, and coming out with a new single, “Pieces,” which he’s been promoting on his Instagram. It also seems like he’s close to his former Zoey 101 co-star, Victoria Justice. Sadly, it doesn’t look like Paul will make an appearance in the upcoming movie, according to IMDb.

Victoria Justice as Lola Martinez

Victoria Justice joined the cast of Zoey 101 in the show’s second season and continued until it wrapped in 2008. Her character Lola was a quirky actress. After Zoey 101, Victoria went on to star in her own Nickelodeon show, Victorious, which aired for four seasons before being canceled in 2013. Since her time on Nickelodeon came to an end, Victoria has starred in several smaller projects including recent Netflix film A Perfect Pairing, according to IMDb. She’s also pursued a career in music, and released a single called “Last Man Standing” in February. Although she seems to be on friendly terms with her Zoey 101 costars, she will not be appearing in the movie.

“I had so much fun making that show, and I’m just rooting all of them on, and I can’t wait to see the movie. I think it’s going to be so much fun!” Victoria told HollywoodLife.

Sean Flynn as Chase Matthews

Sean Flynn played Chase Matthews, the original “simp,” who had a huge crush on Zoey throughout the series. In the final season, Sean wanted to leave the show to focus on his education, so he was written out and replaced with a new character. He later returned, and expressed regret in leaving the show in a 2015 interview.

The actor pivoted into producing after the show ended, and currently works at a company called Donatello Arm. He also streams on Twich, and got married to his partner, Lyndsey Monconduit Amir in March 2022. It seems Sean keeps in touch with several of his Zoey 101 costars, and is extremely excited about the upcoming movie, per his Instagram. He’ll be reprising his role, and based on the trailer, will be a big part of the plot.

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