Watch:’All That’ Star Christy Knowings Dead at 46
The Nickelodeon family has lost one of their own
Christy Knowings—who starred alongsideNick Cannon,Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchelland more on All That—died on Aug. 12 at a Los Angeles-area hospital, her family told TMZ. She was 46
The comedian was hospitalized and placed on life support on Aug. 7 after suffering an asthma attack that left her with brain damage, according to her family. Five days later, her loved ones made the difficult decision to take her off life-support system
Knowings rose to fame in 1997, when she replaced Tricia Dickson on the fourth season of All That. She remained on the comedy sketch show as a repertory player until the end of its original run in 2000
During that time, she notably portrayed characters Winter Wonder, Penny Lane and Brenda Stone.
“The characters were all written by the writers of the show, but in terms of the voices and how they were embodied, that was up to us,” Knowings told Complexin 2014. “All those kinds of characters were developed on my own, like Brenda Stone.”
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Celebrity Deaths 2026
“They just gave me the script and I went with it,” she continued. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like Fran Drescher, it just kind of did.”
Knowings returned to the All That stage in 2005—three years after the series was rebooted with an all-new cast—for its 10th anniversary special.
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
“Being on All Thatwas definitely an incredible experience,” she told Occhi Magazine in 2019. “I love that I am part of something so iconic that brought so many people a great deal of joy. Fans often express how much my presence on the show meant to them. That’s a massive reward, to hear that.”
In addition to her acting career, Knowings was a talented folk musician. She released her first single “To the World” in 2020
“Vocalists carry energy that affects people universally,” she shared in her Occhi interview. “It’s vibrating in nature, and we are all affected by vibration, energy. It’s my responsibility to emit a vibration that supports my values and what I stand for.”
Read on to learn more about the cast of All That
Nickelodeon Network, Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Bynes quickly became the star of All That, thanks to her hit sketch “Ask Ashley.” By the age of 13, Bynes proved so popular she landed her own sketch comedy series, The Amanda Show, which helped launch the careers of Drake Bell and Josh Peck and ran for three high-rated seasons.
Thanks to her TV work, Bynes became the go-to comedic actress of her generation, starring in movies like Big Fat Liar, She’s the Man, What a Girl Wants, Hairspray and Sydney White. She also returned to TV, starring opposite Jennie Garth on The WB’s What I Like About You.
In 2009, Bynes starred opposite Emma Stone in Easy A, with fans not yet knowing it would be her last film role. Bynes tweeted her retirement from acting at the age of 24 soon after the movie’s release.
In 2019, Bynes checked into a mental health facility after a reported relapse. Since then, she continued to remain largely out of the spotlight, but has made rare public appearances.
“I didn’t really audition,” Thompson told Complex. “I had a meeting with the producers in their office and kicked my feet up on their desk and was like, ‘What can I do for you guys?” [Laughs.] But I guess they were impressed because they hired me.”
After becoming one of All That’s early breakout stars, Thompson landed his own Nickelodeon spinoff series (Kenan & Kel) and a feature film, Good Burger. But he admitted to EW that he struggled after his time at the network was over.
“I mean leaving Nickelodeon was definitely an adjustment,” he said. “Because then it was back to the real world of, ‘Now I’m an adult looking for a job,’ as opposed to a kid that’s getting introduced to all these people like, ‘Look how cute this little kid is, don’t you want to put him on your show?'”
In 2003, Thompson returned to the sketch comedy world when he made his Saturday Night Live debut. After more than 20 seasons on the show, Thompson now holds the record for the longest-tenured cast member in the iconic show’s history, winning his first Emmy in 2018 for the original song “Come Back Barack.”
“So, I’m walking out and I knock over these power cords to some electronics in the room, and I played it off real funny,” he told Complex in their expansive oral history of the show. They started cracking up.”
Mitchell would go on to play some of the show’s most beloved characters, including Coach Kreeton, The Repairman, Pizza Face, and of course, Ed from Good Burger, who became so popular it landed a feature film spinoff. Plus, Mitchell and Thompson were pulling double duty with All That and their spinoff series, Kenan & Kel.
“The relationship between all of us was like summer camp. We’d get clique-y sometimes. There were times when we would get into arguments, but nothing too crazy,” Mitchell said of the vibe on set. “But I enjoyed the job of it. Think about it: Universal Studios in Florida was our backyard. In between scenes, we would jump lines and ride rides.”
After All That and Kenan & Kel ended, Mitchell consistently made TV appearances and popped up in Kanye West’s music video for “All Falls Down.” In 2015, he returned to Nickelodeon, starring in the network’s hit sitcom Game Shakers. Six years later, Thompson and Mitchell teamed up once again for Good Burger 2.
“During the seasons of All That they used to see Kenan and I off-set, just kind of telling jokes and hanging out—that is basically what led to the Kenan & Kel show,” Mitchell told EW, with Thompson adding that their own spinoff felt like a dream come true.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “We didn’t feel that we could do any better. We hit the goal, I guess we can retire now.”
“I was the audience warm up and writer for the show,’ Cannon told Complex. “I was a comic doing stand-up in Los Angeles when I was around 16 years old. Someone from the show saw me doing stand-up and they asked to manage me. They’d send me to tapings of All That and have me perform a couple jokes. So, I was entertaining the audience while the cast was in the back changing.”
He then started writing material for the show and went on to become a writer on Kenan & Kel, developing a close relationship with Thompson.
Two years later, he was asked to become a cast member, but he was “a little reluctant” because he had his own TV deal and record deal with Will Smith’s company. Ultimately, Cannon joined the show because they were “family,” and called Thompson his “big brother.” He also revealed he did homework with Destiny’s Child when they were on the show and tried to flirt with TLC.
After two seasons on All That, Cannon went on to star in movies like Drumline and Love Don’t Cost a Thing before launching his own show Wild ‘N Out. While the improv comedy series was initially canceled in 2007, MTV revived it in 2013. He then went to host America’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer.
The actor is dad to 12 kids, including twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey.
And after two seasons, Spears scored her own Nickelodeon series, Zoey 101, playing the titular character in the popular sitcom that became one of the network’s highest rated shows.
But the show came to an end after its fourth season shortly after Spears, then 16, announced her pregnancy. In 2019, Spears refuted the rumor that her pregnancy caused the show’s cancellation.
“Are you ready?” she captioned a video on Instagram that featured the show’s theme song. “14 years later…still a jam. #itdidNOTendbecauseofpregnancy #contractwasfinished.” She then added more information in the comments, telling one follower, “I went home to finish high school and was going to pursue movies.”
In 2008, Spears earned her GED before welcoming her daughter Maddie Lynn in June of that year. While she and Casey Aldridge got engaged, they split in 2009 and briefly reconciled in 2010 before calling it quits for good. “We tried,” Spears said in an interview with Glamour. “We really wanted to do it right. We loved each other. I will love him as Maddie’s father until the day I die.”
She married Jamie Watson in 2013 and gave birth to her second daughter Ivey Joan in 2018.
In 2023, Spears reprised her role for the movie Zoey 102.
“I just went on it like a total lark, not like it was some big deal. Just kind of a goof,” Denberg, who was the show’s oldest cast member at 18, said. “And that was my first audition for All That. I wasn’t nervous ’cause I wasn’t really taking it seriously.”
But her experience on the show ended up being a defining life experience for Denberg, who told The Huffington Post, “I know how much television meant to me as a kid—I was watching everything and studying it. So to know that I was on a show that brought something positive to other kids really means a lot. I get and give a lot of hugs.”
Denberg ended up becoming a featured player on Nickelodeon, fronting the Vital Information segment (All That’s version of Weekend Update) and becoming a panelist on the popular game show Figure It Out. In 1998, she left the network, going on to star on The Steve Harvey Show for four seasons.
Looking back on her experience, Denberg said she was “glad” she was slightly older than the average All That star. “Not all kid actors fare that well, and I could kind of see why,” she explained. “I saw all different kinds of kids and parents and situations.”
Since the end of Steve Harvey in 2002, Denberg has made brief but memorable appearances in projects such as Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Malcolm in the Middle, Hollywood Darlings, and an episode of Workaholics, in which she played herself.
Denberg is also an ordained minister and has presided over 12 weddings.
Server was just 15 when he joined the show: “They wanted us to do some of our characters and then some impressions,” he said. “And it was a lot of fun. Anytime you get to do those types of auditions, it’s pretty cool because it’s your stuff, you know, and when you’re a kid, that’s pretty rare.”
In an interview with Bustle, Server admitted it was a pretty energetic environment, especially when the cast had to go to school on set.
“Picture eight or seven at a time Class Clowns in one classroom. It was a mess,” he said. “These poor tutors should be given awards…they were the real heroes back then, trying to get all these crazy, artistic kids to try and pay attention to sophomore French.”
After making appearances on Drake & Josh and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Server took a break from the acting world for several years. He made his return at the start of the ’90s nostalgia craze, booking a recurring role on Amazon’s Good Girls Revolt and making an appearance on Ariana Grande’s Nickelodeon series Sam & Cat as well as other Nick shows.
When she first met her fellow stars, Reyes noted to Complex, “I thought it was awesome because none of us look like each other. We were like a total melting pot of diversity.”
But in beginning of the show’s run, Reyes admitted she felt All That “favored” the male stars.
“Once they saw that the girls had confidence and could set their tone and their mark,” she said, “they allowed us to have more roles.” Reyes became known for her characters Kiki the Island Girl and Baggin Saggin’ Mary.
“When my character Kiki came about, I was like, ‘Well I see her talking fast and energetic,’ and we figured out that Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island was going to be what I was going for,” she explained of helping to create the character.
After leaving the series ahead of season four, she did voicework for The Proud Family TV series and worked for Playboy Radio and PlayboyU online.
“My mom went all out and got me the full costume, with the big glasses, the suspenders,” she told Complex. “A lot of the auditions were improvised, so you had to be quick on your feet. They would throw too many things at us. We had to be funny, we had to try not to laugh.”
And since she was 14 when the show started, Bates admitted to having her annoying moments on set.
“If there was tension, it was probably because we had been up all night. [Laughs.] We were doing takes over and over again, ’til late,” she recalled. “As far as with each other, some of us were definitely that annoying little sister. I had my moments. We were just kids so we had times where we got on the other person’s nerves, but it was never hate. The next day it would be good.”
Bates left the show after two seasons, with Amanda Bynes joining the cast to replace her. But it was only after her exit that she realized how passionate their fans were, saying, “I started noticing how much the fans liked me then when I learned that the that fans were giving Amanda a hard time. I reached out to some of my fans saying, “It is what it is. At least give her a chance.'”
After leaving, Bates made appearances on Boston Public and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and returned for All That’s 100th episode. She’s also a rapper, releasing music under the name Alize Bates.
Danny was already friendly with the cast members because of his history on the network, telling Complex, “I’d known Kenan, Kel, Josh, and Alisa through doing all these events together, like ‘Nick Takes Over Your School,’ so it was pretty easy to get thrown in there. I was still the new kid so I got picked on a little bit, but in the nicest way.”
During his two-season stint on All That, he also served as a panelist on Figure It Out.
“I think it’s awesome!” Tamberelli told Page Six of the revival, adding he would be down to guest-star if asked.
In addition to serving as the lead vocalist and bassist in his band Jounce, Tamberelli began a popular podcast, The Adventures of Danny & Mike, with his Pete & Pete costar Michael C. Maronna.
Admitting he was “really nervous” to join the cast, Iglesias admitted one of his costars wasn’t very welcoming.
“Some of the cast was cool, some not so cool,” he recalled. “Some were fun, some were just pains in the butt.”
Iglesias was only on All That for one season, with Nickelodeon deciding to revamp the show and bring in in whole new cast for season seven. He then competed on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (but was disqualified for sneaking a phone in), before going on to make a major name for himself in the stand-up world.
Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution ran for three seasons on Comedy Central, and Iglesias had a small role in Magic Mike XXL and has voiced characters in Coco, Ferninand and UglyDolls.
“I know I wasn’t allowed to watch SNL on too late,” Johnson recalled. “There was In Living Color and I would always sneak and try to record it and try to watch it.”
But when Bynes joined the cast in season three, Johnson was no longer the youngest one on set, telling Complex, “I thought Amanda was really annoying. She was to me what I was to everybody else: the baby, kind of wild and running around. When she came along, I could kind of see firsthand how everyone must’ve looked at me.”
Though she left the show after season three, Johnson returned for the 100th episode as well as the 10th anniversary special. While residing in Las Vegas, Johnson hosted Uncensored Radio’s Guilty Pleasures podcast.
After her time as a child star, Foiles took a break from the acting world to focus on her college writing courses, graphic design and video games.
In 2016, Foiles announced on her YouTube channel that she had a daughter named Chloe, and had been keeping her pregnancy a secret. And she posted another video two years later to announce the birth of her second child, a son named Calvin, with husband Shawn Colvinger.
Because she was on the show in its later season, Foiles was able to connect with many of the fans online.
“There are a handful of Internet ‘friends’ I’ve known since my first season on All That,” she told MMA Uncaged. “I’ve never met most of them, but I feel like I know them since we’ve chatted for so many years. It’s so cool to have people like that who have cared about my life/success for so long. I hope I never disappoint them.”
“I looked up to everyone on that show because they were all significantly older than me,” he told Complex of joining the popular series. “Everyone gave me advice because they had been there for so long and wanted to see me have a good time.”
In their last season, Saul and costar Tamberelli became writing partners, eventually receiving writing credit on the show.
But Saul was balancing his work schedule with homework, saying, “My biggest regret is that I had to leave early from that meeting because I had an English test.”
Saul exchanged sketch comedy for hospital scrubs when he took on the role of Dr. Steve Mostow for four seasons on Grey’s Anatomy, playing the nerdy intern in seasons 4-8. He’s also made appearances on hit shows such as Desperate Housewives, Bones, Parks and Recreation, Grace & Frankie and Parenthood, among others. Saul also runs a popular Etsy shop and plays in the the folk band, The Flashcards.
In 2012, Saul married high school sweetheart Ilana Berger. They share three kids together.
Some of her notable roles on All That included Winter Wonders, a parody of Figure It Out host Summer Sanders, and Penny Lane, a character she inherited from previous stars. But the one she had the most active involvement in the creation of was Brenda Stone.
“The characters were all written by the writers of the show, but in terms of the voices and how they were embodied, that was up to us. All those kinds of characters were developed on my own, like Brenda Stone,” she told Complex. “They didn’t know I was gonna use a voice like that. They just gave me the script and I went with it. I didn’t mean for it to come out like Fran Drescher, it just kind of did.”
During her three seasons on the show, Knowings got to meet a lot of the celebrity guests, who were pretty big deals at the time. “One of the nicest boy bands was 98 Degrees. And the Spice Girls were really cool!” she said. “I liked it when they came and did a sketch with us.”
While she mostly left the acting world behind in 2000 to focus on college, Knowings returned to make a small cameo in the show’s 10th anniversary special.
She died on Aug. 12, 2026, at age 46 after suffering an asthma attack that left her with brain damage, per her family.
Since All That’s cancellation, De Sena has done voicework for a lot of popular animated TV series, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Batman and Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. He’s also made appearances on Veep, House of Lies and Sam & Cat, and starred on Nickelodeon’s 100 Things To Do Before High School.
In 2016, De Sena launched his popular YouTube series Jack & Chris, a comedy with his friend Chris Smith that posts new sketches weekly.
De Sena married Lisa Bierman in 2018. The pair share two kids.
After making an appearance on Wizards of Waverly Space and a small role in Elizabethtown, Lyons left acting behind at 16 to pursue a career in the food industry, which was fitting as his parents were both professional chefs. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in New York at just 18 years old and working in several restaurants, he moved back to Colorado, where he opened his own restaurant, Nosh.
Lyons also competed on the fourth season of Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star, making it to week six of the competition. In an interview with Food Network, he admitted, “My least favorite part was the after-challenge interviews and doing multiple takes and pickup shots. That truly removed the sense of ‘reality’ and put me back in the realm of scripted television.”
He now works as a culinary consultant.
Aside from her work on Nickelodeon and Disney, Samuels also starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing, Freedom Writers and appeared in several episodes of FXX’s You’re The Worst.
She and several Nickelodeon alums appeared 2024 docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
In 2012, Brummet retired from acting, going on to study fashion in college and pursue a music career.
