Courageous Nerd

For anyone who lived under a rock, Victorious was a popular sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon between 2010 and 2013, following in the footsteps of other shows such as iCarly, Drake and Josh and Zoey 101.

It followed the adventures of Tori Vega (Victoria Justice), a student at Hollywood Arts High School, encapsulating her friends, mishaps and triumphs along the way.

In 2020, the show will celebrate a whole decade since it first aired on TV. Surely I’m not the only one feeling old? Here is a look into what the cast are doing more recently, six years after Victorious ended.

THEN: VICTORIA JUSTICE (TORI VEGA)

Actress and singer Victoria Justice played likeable protagonist Tori Vega for the show’s entire run. Her credits prior to Victorious included Gilmore Girls, Suite Life of Zack and Cody and a main role on Zoey 101, which shared a creator with Victorious.

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Justice has continued in her acting career, with roles in projects such as Eye Candy (MTV), Queen America (Facebook Watch) and in films such as The Outcasts (with former co-star Avan Jogia) and Bigger.

In 2016, Justice appeared in the The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event as Janet Weiss. The television film was directed by Kenny Ortega and also featured Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert, Ryan McCartan, Adam Lambert and Tim Curry.

then: leon thomas iii (andre harris)

Musically multi-talented Andre, Tori’s first and closest friend at Hollywood Arts, was played by the equally talented Leon Thomas III, an actor-musician who had previously appeared in August Rush (with Robin Williams and Freddie Highmore), iCarly and The Backyardigans.

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In the years since Victorious ended, Thomas has continued with both his acting and music careers. He is signed with Columbia and Rostrum Records and won a Grammy in 2015.

On the acting side, Thomas appeared in the highly acclaimed film Detroit and the pilot of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead.

then: matt bennett (robbie shapiro)

Matt Bennett played Robbie Shapiro, eccentric ventriloquist and star of short-lived ‘Robbarazzi’. Bennett had appeared in Will Ferrell-produced The Virginity Hit and made an appearance in Bridesmaids, which was released while Victorious was still on air.

Although Bennett puppeteered the Rex dummy, he did not provide the voice.

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Bennett reprised his role as Robbie in an episode of Sam and Cat. He also made appearances in films such as Stanford Prison Experiment and in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Game Shakers and Fresh Off The Boat.

He also recently reunited with Ariana Grande for a rendition of one of their popular Victorious songs.

then: elizabeth gillies (jade west)

Mean girl Jade West was portrayed by Elizabeth Gillies, whose pre-Victorious roles included Harold (2008) and the Broadway musical 13.

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Gillies currently stars as Fallon Carrington in The CW’s Dynasty reboot, while also appearing in Sam and Cat, Vacation, Arizona and Robot Chicken.

Furthermore, Gillies reunited with Ariana Grande in her music videos Right There and Thank U, Next.

then: ariana grande (cat valentine)

Ariana Grande, yes that Ariana Grande, played bubbly and unintelligent Cat Valentine, another student to quickly befriend Tori. Grande appeared in 13 opposite Elizabeth Gillies.

Fun Fact – Grande, a natural brunette, dyed her hair for the show so there would not be four dark-haired girls.

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As I’m sure most reading this already know, Grande has had significant musical success in recent years. She has won many accolades including a Grammy Award, a Brit Award and two Billboard Musical Awards.

Grande also continued acting, in series such as Sam and Cat, Scream Queens and Family Guy.

THEN: avan jogia (BECK OLIVER)

Canadian Avan Jogia played resident heartthrob Beck Oliver; his previous credits included television films such as Devil’s Diary, Alien’s America, A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story and Gym Teacher.

During Victorious’ run, Jogia appeared in the 2012 Nickelodeon TV film Rags alongside Max Schneider, Keke Palmer and Drake Bell.

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Jogia reunited with Victoria Justice in The Outskirts, had a recent role in Zombieland Double Tap and has held multiple starring roles across various television series, such as Twisted, Tut, Ghost Wars and Now Apocalypse.

then: daniella monet (trina vega)

Daniella Monet co-starred as Tori’s self-absorbed older sister. She had guest starred in other popular children’s programming prior to Victorious, including iCarly, Zoey 101 and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, similar to Victoria Justice (Tori).

Monet also appeared in films such as Nancy Drew, Take Five and Simon Says.

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Monet has guest-starred in multiple series including See Dad Run, Baby Daddy, Paradise Run and Cousins For Life.

Other than her career, Monet also became a mother in late 2019.

then: eric lange (sikowitz)

Character actor Eric Lange, perhaps best known for his turn as Dharma Initiative worker Stuart Radzinsky on Lost, played Sikowitz, a quirky, unorthodox acting teacher.

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Lange has continued his career to great success and had roles in many television series such as Law and Order: SVU, Touch, Castle, The Bridge, Once Upon A Time, Grey’s Anatomy and Narcos.

He got married in 2013 and has two children.

then: mikey reid (sinjin)

Mikey Reid played oddball Sinjin Van Cleef, a minor supporting character whose role grew as the series progressed.

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Reid has since appeared in Sam and Cat, The Blacklist and Paradise City. He also shares a friendship with Phineas and Ferb and Everybody Hates Chris star Vincent Martella.