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Watch: “Degrassi: The Next Generation” Is Coming to HBO

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Whatever It Takes, You’ll Want to See Where Degrassi’s Stars Are Now

Watch: “Degrassi: The Next Generation” Is Coming to HBO Max: EXCLUSIVE

Degrassi has officially entered the next generation.

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered on CTV Oct. 14, 2001.

For 14 seasons, viewers followed the lives of the students of the titular school—and you’re sure to recognize some of the show’s alumni. Drake, Nina Dobrev, Miriam McDonald, Cassie Steele and Shane Kippel were among the stars of the show as were Lauren Collins, Ryan Cooley, Jake Epstein, Stacey Farber, Adamo Ruggiero and Shenae Grimes-Beech.

And just thinking about the series can leave a certain rapper in his feelings.

“Everyone knows that’s my story,” Drake, born Aubrey Graham, told Complex in 2009. “At the end of the day, it’s part of me, it’s my stepping stone. I’m proud of every moment thus far.”

Cast as Jimmy Brooks when he was a teenager, the Grammy winner acted on the show for eight seasons before pursuing his career in music.

“Back then, I’d spend a full day on set and then go to the studio to make music until 4 or 5 a.m,” he recalled to W Magazine in 2015. “I’d sleep in my dressing room and then be in front of the cameras again by 9 a.m. Eventually, they realized I was juggling two professions and told me I had to choose. I chose this life.”

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TV Cast Reunions That Made Our Nostalgia-Loving Hearts Swell

Still, Drake has paid tribute to Degrassi several times over the years—reuniting the cast for his 2018 “I’m Upset” music video and recently releasing an apparel collection inspired by the show through his brand OVO.

George Pimentel/WireImage

And yes, he’s earned money from the teen drama series long after its end. Though, Drake admits the residual checks aren’t the best he’s ever had. Posting a photo of the $8.25 he received in 2017, the 39-year-old wrote on Instagram, “Degrassi money still coming in don’t sleeeeeeeep.”

If you need a refresher on the cast, consider class in session and check in on the stars.

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Aubrey Graham (a.k.a Drake)Um…he’s Drake?Degrassi‘s most successful alum, Aubrey Graham is better known as Drake—the rapper who has sold millions of records worldwide, won five Grammys, released several major chart-topping hits and is a former recipient of Billboard‘s Artist of the Decade honor.But for fans of the long-running series, he’ll always be Jimmy Brooks, the basketball star who was paralyzed in Degrassi‘s infamous shooting episode, “Time Stands Still.”Later on in the series, Drake’s musical skills were put to good use, as Jimmy pursued a career as a rapper before deciding to undergo a stem cell surgery. Last seen in season eight, Jimmy planned on proposing to his girlfriend Trina.Drake staged the ultimate reunion in 2018 for his “I’m Upset” music video. And while a lot has happened since his time on Degrassi—including him releasing more music, feuding with Kendrick Lamar and welcoming son Adonis with ex Sophia Brussaux—he’s proven that the series will always hold a place in his heart.

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Nina DobrevNina’s character Mia Jones, a teen-mom-turned-model, was less than well-received—she was basically the cause of fan favorite J.T.’s tragic death! But when the actress left the series in season nine, it was because she landed the lead role on the CW smash hit The Vampire Diaries, which she starred on for six seasons before announcing her exit in 2015. In addition to appearing in films such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Flatliners and Dog Days, Nina returned to TV in 2019 to star in the CBS sitcom Fam.After romances with her TVD co-star Ian Somerhalder and Grant Mellon, she Olympian. The Love Hard star and the snowboarder got engaged in 2024 after about five years together, but broke up in 2025.

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Miriam McDonaldMature and slightly uptight, Emma Nelson was the reboot’s female lead as she was the child of the original series’ fan favorite, Spike. On the series, fans watched Emma stand up for what she believed in through her activism, address topics like eating disorders, internet safety and STIs and have an on-again, off-again relationship with Sean before exiting the show in season nine following her wedding to Spinner.After taking a break from acting, Miriam appeared on Lost Girl, Wolves and Orphan Black (which was a who’s who of Degrassi alumni). She’s also worked as a real estate agent, a yoga and pilates instructor and the founder of Presence for Paws, which supports rescue animals.

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Lauren CollinsOne of TV’s best mean girls, Lauren’s Paige Michalchuk had one of the show’s most iconic catchphrases: “Hun.” That one word said so much.However, Paige addressed serious subjects too. In season two, she was raped by Dean (played by Shawn Roberts) and the show followed her journey as she pressed charges and headed to trial. During her college years, Paige also suffered from panic attacks, experienced a dorm fire and explored her sexuality as she developed a romance with Alex (portrayed by Deanna Casaluce). Last we heard of Paige, she was working in Hollywood and had finally reconciled with Marco after their falling out in the movie. Following Degrassi, Lauren served as the host of MTV’s 1 Girl 5 Gays. She has also appeared in Impulse, What We Do in the Shadows, My Dead Mom and Frankenstein.After marrying actor Jonathan Malen in October 2018, Collins welcomed son Charlie in 2020 followed by his little brother Leo three years later.

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Jake EpsteinThe series’ original bad boy, Jake played Craig Manning, who dated Ashley, got Manny pregnant, trashed a hotel room, became a famous singer and developed a coke problem during his tenure on the series. But we still have one unanswered lingering question about Craig: Did he and Ellie end up together?! We need closure.After Degrassi, Jake took to the Broadway stage, starring in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He’s also played the romantic lead in several Lifetime Christmas movies and appeared in shows like Designated Survivor, The Umbrella Academy, The Hardy Boys and Murdoch Mysteries.In 2018, Jake married Vanessa Smythe. Five years later, they welcomed son Miles.

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Cassie SteeleOne of the show’ most beloved characters was Cassie’s Manny.Over the course of nine seasons, the show covered topics like Manny’s friendship with Emma, a leaked video, Manny’s pregnancy and abortion, relationships and her career as an actress.After leaving Degrassi, Cassie starred in The L.A. Complex andvoiced Tammy on Rick & Morty. She’s also a musician and a mom.

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Adamo RuggieroAdamo joined the cast of Degrassi as fan-favorite Marco Del Rossi in 2002 after initially auditioning for Craig (“When in doubt kiss Craig?!”), becoming the show’s first gay character and taking part in one of the first LGBTQ+ kisses on Canadian television two years later.After graduating from Degrassi, Adamo remained on the show for one season when they tried to follow some of the characters to college, and he returned in later seasons as a teacher. Full circle.In 2008, Adamo came out, explaining Marco’s struggles to come to terms with his sexuality on the show often mirrored his own in real-life, with some of Marco’s scenes taken from his real conversations with family members. “Maybe it’s life imitating art, or maybe that’s what ‘Degrassi’ intended to do,” Adamo, who is an LGBTQ+ activist, told eTalk Canada at the time. “I feel like I’m living proof of what the show wanted to accomplish,” Adamo has also hosted the Canadian reality competition series The Next, as well as the web series Straight Talk with Adamo Ruggiero.

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Shane KippelShane starred as Spinner in over 180 episodes of the show, surviving a fallout with his entire group of pals after he inadvertently caused Jimmy to get shot, along with a cancer battle, ending his run on the show married to Emma and managing The Dot. He was one of the few original cast members to appear in Netflix’s Degrassi: Next Class.Following his run on the show, Shane remained close with many of his former co-stars, including Drake, and is still acting while working as a musician and producer.”It could not have been more natural,” Kippel told E! News of the cast’s interactions in Drake’s “I’m Upset” video. “The energy that was caught on camera, nothing of that was played up for effect. That was how we were really feeling being in each other’s presence, so I’m happy it translated. How it looked on-camera is exactly how it felt when the cameras stopped rolling.”

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Stacey FarberStacey’s character Ellie Nash (coolest name ever) was one of the series’ best, in our humble opinion, thanks to her awesome sense of style and journalism aspirations.After leaving Degrassi in season eight, Stacey starred on the series 18 to Life. Over the years, she’s also appeared on Superman & Lois, Virgin River, Diggstown , The Spencer Sisters and Brilliant Minds. Oh, and she’s still close with Drake, the rapper once dubbing her his “Penny Lane.” NBD.

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Daniel ClarkSean Cameron made being bad look so good. Come on, the white tank, the drag-racing, the eyebrows. No wonder both Emma and Ellie fell head over heels for Sean, who eventually enlisted in the Canadian army.Aside from a small supporting role in Juno opposite Elliot Page, Daniel left the acting world behind. After graduating from New York University, Daniel went on to work as a news reporter on FusionTV’s America with Jorge Ramos and as a producer at ABC News. Degrassi fans were upset when he was left out of the “I’m Upset” reunion, with Daniel commenting on Drake’s Instagram, writing to his former co-star, “really sad I missed this. Brought back some amazing memories — miss and love you brother.”

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Shenae GrimesDegrassi‘s first star to make the move to Hollywood, Shenae landed the juicy role of Annie Wilson (a.k.a. the new Brenda Walsh) in the CW’s 90210 reboot. But fans of the series remember her as Darcy, the super religious cheerleader who was raped in season seven. In one of the series’ most memorable sendoffs, purely because of how random it was, Darcy left Degrassi (and boyfriend Peter) for Kenya.Since 90210 ended, Shenae married British model Josh Beech. The couple welcomed a daughter, Bowie, in 2018 followed by son Kingsley in 2021.In addition to acting (also appearing in Scream 4 and The Detail), Shenae runs the lifestyle brand Two Halves with Josh and hosts the podcast Lost the Plot.

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Sarah Barrable-TishauerIn another version of life imitating art, Sarah graduated as valedictorian from Concordia University, a few years after her character Liberty Van Zandt was named the valedictorian of Degrassi.Since graduating from university, Sarah, who uses the stage name Me Time, works as a DJ and advocate “who engages dance music as a catalyst for social change,” according to her website. She also worked as an account manager at a marketing company and talked about balancing her two careers in an interview with Refinery29 in 2017.”You can probably imagine having a nine to five job and also DJing until 3 a.m. is kind of a difficult thing to balance, so I’ve just tried to keep my gigs on weekends and just a couple times of month because I just don’t have a lot of time,” she said. “So, it’s kind of like I live this dual life Marketing by day, bass by night, but I’m really loving it.”In May 2020, Sarah got engaged to her boyfriend Ryan, with the couple getting married in November 2021.

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Ryan CooleyNo, we can’t look at Ryan without crying over his fan-favorite character J.T. Yorke’s death in season six!OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way: After his heartbreaking exit from the show, Ryan made an appearance on Lost Girl and starred in Oh No! It’s an Alien Invasion before leaving the acting world behind. According to his Instagram, he’s now the vice president of Konrad Group, a global digital agency, which Snake, his former media teacher, would probably take credit for. Ryan got engaged to his girlfriend Stefanie in February 2019. As for why Ryan was MIA in the “I’m Upset” music video, Drake responded to disappointed fans on Instagram, writing that Ryan “thought it was a scam” when he received a phone call about the reunion.

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Andrea LewisJustice for Hazel! Andrea has the distinct honor of starring on Degrassi and co-starring in Cadet Kelly with Hilary Duff, an iconic Disney Channel Original Movie. After Hazel received her diploma from Degrassi, Andrea started her own company, Jungle Wild Productions, creating the web series Black Actress and Beyond Complicated. And on her YouTube channel, she opens up about her time on Degrassi and posts lifestyle videos. Andrea also created the Glam Culture Series and Black Beauty Effect series.

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Melissa McIntyreSuper serious about her music career, Melissa’s character Ashley Kerwin left the series after season four, returning later for seasons six and seven. Melissa appeared to have left the acting world after her second goodbye on Degrassi and has a scarce presence on social media.

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Christina SchmidtIf only Terri could see herself now! A series regular on the first three seasons, Christina exited the series after her character was put into a coma by her abusive boyfriend Rick. After leaving the Canadian teen drama, Christina continued to have a successful modeling career, and landed the cover of Fashion Magazine in Canada. “Growing up, I never thought I was an inspiration to anybody in any way,” she told the publication. “I never realized that some of these young girls really needed someone to look up to. There wasn’t Instagram or Facebook, and the majority of television stars were definitely not as diverse as those you see today, so having someone like them on a TV show was huge. This all just started making sense to me years later, though, when they would express how I made such an impact on their lives.”In addition to being an actress and model, Christina is a creative director and mom to son Orlando.

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Jake GoldsbieOh, Toby!After appearing in eight seasons as Ashley’s step-brother/J.T.’s sidekick turned homecoming king, Jake went on to graduate from Concordia University. In addition to making apperances on a number of TV shows over the years, he’s worked as a producer and the host of
several podcasts, including Columbia House Party and Less Than Jays. In October 2019, Goldsbie announced he was engaged to his girlfriend Cassie and the pair wed in November 2020.

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Mike LobelIt’s hard to believe Mike managed to make troublemaking bully Jay Hogart so likable by the end of his six-season Degrassi run after he gave Emma gonorrhea at the ravine and was expelled for his role in Jimmy’s shooting. And yet he managed to do it!After his time on Degrassi, Mike starred on the Canadian teen comedy Really Me and appeared in the TV movie The Music in Me. The actor-musician also acted in and directed Detention Adventure and was in the band Future Peers. His latest project includes Don’t Come Upstairs.

One of the few co-stars that didn’t get a call from Drake for the “I’m Upset” video, Mike simply responded by tweeting, “I’m a little upset.” Well played. In 2022, Mike wed actress and writer Mika Collins.

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