Whatever Happened To Ned's Declassified Star Devon Werkheiser?
Devon Werkheiser hoped that he'd find regular work in Hollywood after he graduated from the Nickelodeon school of acting. Unfortunately, the "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" star discovered that the cartoonish theatrics that appealed to younger fans were not what most Hollywood producers were looking for when casting their projects. So, Werkheiser decided to look for work aside from acting as he continued to audition for roles.
From 2004 to 2007, Werkheiser built a loyal fanbase as Ned Bigby, the exuberant teen who dished out tips on how to navigate the many trials of middle school, from taking tests to trying out for sports and crushing on classmates. His character was relatable, helpful, and funny, which gave Werkheiser an exemplary post-Nick reputation. "Whenever anyone recognizes me from Ned's, they have genuine love in their hearts for that show," he told YouTuber Tyler Boronski in 2023.
Werkheiser once believed the love for "Ned's Declassified" was large enough that he would be able to get the green light for a reboot, but alas, fans will not get to find out what Coconut Head did after graduation. What we do know is that the actor who was once underneath that famous bowl cut, Rob Pinkston, played a role in inspiring Werkheiser to pursue a different career in the entertainment industry. It didn't keep the bills paid, however, and Werkheiser eventually wound up working a 9-to-5 job. "It was a rude awakening when life found me," he said on "NickRewind."
He worked at a gym and opened for Seal
At age 15, Devon Werkheiser filmed his final episode of "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide." He left the show with a new hobby, telling Conventional Relations that he decided to learn guitar because Rob Pinkston and some of the show's crew members played the instrument. He was also a talented singer and scored a record deal with Universal Motown soon after the show ended. While he learned a lot from working with the label, he just wasn't the polished performer that it needed him to be. "I wasn't clear on who I was as an artist yet," he admitted. He eventually parted ways with Universal without releasing any music. However, he dropped his first self-produced EP, "I Am," in 2013 and continued recording songs. By 2019, he had scored a gig opening for "Kiss from a Rose" singer Seal. "To get to open for him was terrifying, an honor, and it forced me to up my game," Werkheiser said.
Unfortunately, Werkheiser's music and his sporadic post-Nickelodeon acting gigs weren't bringing in a steady income, and he told Business Insider that his savings dried up about 10 years after "Ned's Declassified" ended. He had to seek work elsewhere, including the front desk of an Equinox gym. On "Speech Bubble," he recalled seeing Terry Crews, who he co-starred with in the 2017 movie "Where's the Money," at the gym he worked at one day. "That was a weird moment where I didn't say hi," he said.
He and Lindsey Shaw dated and became podcasters
In 2015, Devon Werkheiser told MTV News that he was having such a difficult time landing roles that he had started taking acting classes to sharpen his skills. He hoped he'd eventually get an opportunity to play a character just as iconic and beloved as Ned Bigby. Instead, he found himself reliving his time as the James K. Polk Middle School student when he launched the "Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide" in 2023. His former co-stars, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, joined him as co-hosts.
By then, fans were already aware that Werkheiser had dated Shaw, who played Jennifer "Moze" Mosely on the show. In a 2017 Reddit AMA, Werkheiser revealed that their relationship began during the final months of filming. "We dated for over a year after that, and I have a lot of love for her," he wrote. When the exes reunited on the podcast, listeners learned a lot more about their time as a couple, including some NSFW details about their extracurricular activities. "We got busy in quite a few places," Shaw recalled. So many that they were both able to share an oral sex story that the other party was unable to remember. "I felt like a failure," Shaw said of the experience Werkheiser couldn't recollect. "To clarify for the pod, we never had sex, but we got busy," he said. Just think of the guide that Ned could write now.