All That hit the Nickelodeon airwaves in 1994, which, if you want to do the math, means that All That is legally old enough to walk into a bar and order a drink. Born from Nickelodeon’s desire to test out a sketch comedy show for younger viewers in the vein of SNL, All That is quintessential ’90s TV and experienced its “Golden Era” from 1994-2000 with actors like Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell leading the cast.
All That was rebooted in 2002, but it lacked the diversity and creativity that propelled the show previously. That’s right; the original All That came with more diversity than most shows of its time, directed at children or otherwise. So, ignoring the post-2000 run of All That, let’s check out where the Golden Era actors ended up.
Angelique Bates
Bates was an original cast member, joining in 1994. She was the first black female cast member on All That, paving the way for other cast members and inspiring her fellow black female comedians.
She left following the All That move to Hollywood, making her the first member to leave the cast. Since exiting the show, she has guest-starred in shows like Strong Medicine and Boston Public. Also, she’s the Bub Bubs Singer from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and maintains an awesome Youtube channel. She has a single, “Can’t Fade Me Now,” available on iTunes.
Amanda Bynes
Bynes has been on a very slippery slope in the past few years. She had a hilarious film career up until around 2010, starring in She’s the Man (2006), What a Girl Wants (2003), and Sydney White (2007). Apparently, Sydney White came out eight years ago.
She posed for Maxim magazine in 2010, and after her spread, Bynes said she would retire from acting.
Unfortunately, she’s run into quite a bit of legal trouble since then, and managed to stir a whole lot of problems on Twitter in 2013.
Lori Beth Denberg
Denberg has kept fairly quiet since her time on All That ended. In the ’90s, in addition to All That, she was a regular on comedy classic Figure it Out from 1997-1998. In the early 2000s, she played Lydia on the Steve Harvey Show.
Catch Denberg guest-starring on an episode of Workaholics as herself, from 2012. In 2014, she went on the Raymond and Lane Web series, where she did a revival of her old segment, “Vital Information.” While Denberg has said she’s happy to be enjoying her “old age, “she’s listed in a few 2015 productions on IMDb, including a role in Shelter: A Survival Story and a role in Goody Goody. These are her first listed credits on IMDb since 2006.
Christy Knowings
Knowings actually got her start on a different sketch show, the Rosie O’Donnell comedy special And Now This, with her twin brother, Chris. In 1997, Knowings was brought on to the show following the All That move to Hollywood. She was the most recent actress to take on the role of Penny Lane, which had been passed down through the cast. She also rocked it as teen queen Jessica in “Whateverrr!!!” alongside Bynes.
Christy and Chris are still a dynamic duo, and have worked together more recently, as themselves, on Sesame Street.
Kel Mitchell
Fan-favorite Mitchell has been pretty much everywhere, in both TV and movies since his last appearance on All That — which should be reassuring, given that he was the comedy staple of the show. Mitchell was the linchpin in the classic ’90s films Good Burger and Mystery Men.
He auditioned against friend and co-star Kenan Thompson for a spot on SNL in 2003, and though the spot went to Thompson, Kel’s still been going strong. He wrote and starred in his own production, Dance Fu, in 2008. He’s done regular voice work for Curious George, Motor City, and Wild Grinders.
Kel had a minor role on the Nickelodeon show Sam & Cat, and will be taking on a larger part in the upcoming Nick show Game Shakers. Also, he has regular stubble now, and that’s really working for him, face-wise.
Alisa Reyes
Reyes was on All That from 1994-1997, becoming one of the first cast members to leave after the move to Hollywood. While she stayed on for season three, she left in season four after growing tired of the sketch-comedy format. She had roles on Passions, The Bold and the Beautiful, and American Family in the early 2000s. She’s well-known as the voice actress for Lacienega Boulevardez on Disney’s The Proud Family.
There are a couple of upcoming 2015 roles listed for Reyes; she’ll be voicing Momo in the upcoming animated series Da Jammies, and she’ll be acting in the short film Mosquito.
Josh Server
Server was the longest standing member of the original All That cast, staying on board from the show’s pilot in 1994 to the end of the Golden Era in 2000. Server played an entire variety show’s worth of characters on All That, often subbing in during cast switches and moves. One of his more notable characters, the manager of Good Burger, crossed over to the movie. As the cast member with the most seasons under his belt, Server can be found in pretty much every sketch at least once.
He’s had several minor roles on hit Nickelodeon TV shows, including Drake & Josh, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, and Sam & Cat. He is listed as “John Stone” in the upcoming film Uploaded.
Danny Tamberelli
Pete and Pete alum Tamberelli was another cast member added to All That following the Hollywood move. He was something of a fixture in the ’90s, voicing Arnold on The Magic School Bus and starring in The Mighty Ducks. Tamberelli is a graduate of Hampshire College in Massachusetts.
In 2013, Tamberelli played Jimmy De Santa (son of main character Michael) in Grant Theft Auto V. He’s a member of the Man Boobs Comedy troupe, and starred in a Pete and Pete Reunion podcast with Michael Maronna as well as an episode of Getting Doug with High.
Kenan Thompson
Arguably the most famous alum of All That, Thompson captured our hearts as Pierre Escargot, who taught us all the French we’d ever need to know. Thompson had supporting roles in My Boss’s Daughter and Love Don’t Cost a Thing, and started as the titular character in 2005’s Fat Albert. Apparently, Fat Albert the movie is 10 years old. Time is ephemeral and we have no way to properly understand its passage, something about being old, moving on.
Thompson joined SNL in 2003, and has stayed on for 12 seasons so far, surpassing Tim Meadows as the longest standing black SNL cast member. And while his time on SNL has been hilarious, we can all agree at this point, SNL could definitely benefit from a little Escargot. Or at least a Good Burger throwback.
