Daniella Monet

Summary

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Teen Beat with Danielle Fishel – Daniella Monet (June 10, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode joins Danielle Fishel (best known as Topanga from Boy Meets World) with fellow former child star Daniella Monet (Victorious, Zoey 101, Suite Life, and more). The conversation is a lively, candid, and nostalgia-packed exploration of growing up in the spotlight, their parallel childhoods in California’s San Fernando Valley, the quirks of being a young actor, and navigating both motherhood and Hollywood careers. With Daniella set to return as Trina Vega in Netflix’s Victorious spinoff Hollywood Arts, the two dig into what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what they’ve learned along the way.

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Childhood in the Valley: Shared Roots and Nostalgia

[04:25 - 09:40]

• Danielle and Daniella bond over growing up in adjacent Valley towns (West Hills and Calabasas).
  • Tightly-knit community, public schools, the cultural “normalishness” of the area.
  • Shared affection for local haunts like the Topanga Mall, Promenade, and Commons; recalling vanished icons like Ruby’s Diner and the old Pizza Huts.

  “I have so much appreciation for it… when you meet someone who grew up in the same area as you, you feel like this kindred connection.” – Daniella Monet [05:57]

  • Mall culture, childhood independence, and the “big event” of being dropped off at the AMC or Promenade.

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Performers From the Start

[09:47 - 13:17]

• Both recall being performative from a young age, putting on “shows” for their families.
• Early inspiration and formative moments:
  • Daniella’s first “aha” was performing with Golden Performing Arts and feeling the crowd’s reaction:

    “That was the first time I realized what having an audience and feeling that sense of, like, oh, I hit it…that feeling of being so alive and present.” – Daniella Monet [11:10]

• Parental support and sacrifice:
  • Daniella’s mom wanted to be an actress, so she encouraged Daniella to audition from age 7.
  • "There's a lot of fond memories of just like sitting in the freeway... looking at the Thomas Guide." – Daniella Monet [12:23]
  • Mutual memories of learning to navigate LA traffic and audition calls before GPS.

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Childhood Hustle, DIY Spirit & Money Memories

[13:19 - 16:46]

• Danielle and Daniella both started with commercials; Danielle bought a five-disc CD player, while Daniella was “money-motivated” from the start:
  • Side gigs: neighborhood garage sales, selling rhinestone-studded clothes, “piercing” ears (à la Parent Trap), doing acrylic nails, and hair highlights.

    “I was slinging whatever I could… At one point, pretended that I knew how to pierce ears. I had a line, my neighbors.” – Daniella Monet [13:56]

• Early financial independence:
  • Daniella moved out and bought her own condo at 17; reflects on the market crash shaping her outlook.

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Growing Up Girl: Relatable Confessions

[17:08 - 20:01]

• Makeup memories: Danielle and friends sneaking lipstick, Daniella’s addiction to eyelash curlers for auditions.
• Parenting the next generation:
  • Both have daughters interested in makeup; Danielle opts for an open, teaching approach to avoid “sneaking around.”
  • Daniella: “If she wants to play a little, I’m okay with it…” [19:17]

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Breaking Into TV: From Commercials to Sitcoms to Kids’ TV

[24:08 - 27:48]

• Daniella shares her love for sitcoms and the formative draw of studio audiences.
  • “For the most part, I just loved working. Specifically sitcom – so I caught that bug pretty early. Again, that audience.” [24:58]
• Child acting grind: experiences with set tutors and (sometimes lonely) hours on sets.
• Danielle and Daniella compare the audition “rollercoaster” – missing out on dream roles and keeping perspective:

  “What’s yours will never not find you…for every experience where you think that is yours…and then it goes down the drain, there’s the next one that becomes yours.” – Danielle Fishel [32:01]

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Navigating Dual Lives as Young Celebrities

[32:48 - 33:58]

• Both describe normal/celebrity “double lives”—going to public school, having non-industry friends, playing down work outside Hollywood.
• Daniella: “I was kind of just like a normal girl and then would go and work and then get sucked in…” [33:09]
• Danielle: “Total dual lives…we just talked about, you know, boys and homework, tests, football games, dances…then it was like, all right guys, I’ll be back in three.” [33:25]

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The Kids’ TV Era: Camaraderie & Crushes

[34:10 - 36:16]

• Memories of peers: carpooling with Emma Roberts, chance friendships on sets, and the unique “pop-up” families of showbiz.
• Danielle asks about “boy craziness”; Daniella admits to being a late bloomer and more interested in being “one of the boys”—until meeting her husband, the “high school quarterback with a real job.” [36:16]

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Victorious, Nickelodeon Stories & Showbiz Bonds

[37:04 - 41:32]

• Leon Thomas (Victorious castmate) and mutual pride for the show’s post-Nickelodeon success stories:

  “That whole cast, like, it honestly always feels like a fever dream that I was even part of it, because each one was more successful than the next and so gifted.” – Daniella Monet [37:20]

• Legendary Nickelodeon lot stories:
  • Justin Bieber once took over a dressing room (“we’re in Justin Bieber’s dressing room!”), crew crossovers with iCarly, and the “built-in dating service” of kid sitcoms.
  • On the famous Nickelodeon slime: first time was “a novelty,” but repeat slimings meant repeated hair/makeup resets:

    “These lashes were done so well. I am not taking these individuals off one more time.” [40:50]

• Reflections on changing TV production: audience tapings vanishing, pandemic impacts.

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Industry Changes: Then & Now

[42:00 - 44:17]

• On re-watching old shows: perspective on “problematic” old content evolving with times.
  • Daniella: “Jokes that were funny then might not feel the same now… things I was in a situation with may feel uncomfy now, but it’s all perspective.” [42:28]
• Both look at TV childhoods with affection, seeing them as just a different path to the same formative awkwardness as any other.
• Early encounters with YouTube culture:
  • Daniella worked on Fred’s TV projects: “It was news to me… I must have missed a little bit of that YouTube startup culture… But he was just a kid that figured it out early and had a niche.” [44:26]
• Observations on how kids today have power to be themselves and build their own following from scratch, compared to the old “audition and hope” system.

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YouTube What-Ifs & Social Media Imagination

[45:49 - 46:52]

• Danielle asks what young Daniella would have done with a YouTube channel:
  • “I was such a Spice Girl stan… Probably just have an entire account on like, lip syncing to every song and making some silly choreography up, and that would just be it.” – Daniella Monet [46:07]
  • Adds she'd be “Cheffy Spice”—the sixth Spice Girl, cooking up both food and drama.

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Returning to Trina Vega: The Victorious Spinoff

[47:05 - 52:05]

• Daniella discusses stepping back into Trina Vega’s shoes for Hollywood Arts on Netflix:
  • Emotional and surreal to lead a spinoff, only agreed to do it with the old cast’s blessing.

  “They were like, ‘Okay, literally, they said, we’ll give you 24 hours, but we’re gonna announce that this is gonna get greenlit…’ And every single response, Ari’s being the longest, was, like, so heartfelt and so supportive…” [48:42]

• The surprising maturity of the new generation cast:
  • “They make girls different nowadays… authenticity, self-awareness, good communication… for a lot of them, it was their first table read, which was nuts. So seeing them just be such good humans… chef’s kiss.” [50:12]
• Daniella’s goal: to model professionalism and kindness as both mentor, star, and executive producer.
• Danielle applauds sustained happiness and stability through decades in an unpredictable industry.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Perspective & Career:

  “I’ve always tried to tell myself… it’s not for me…I’m being led. And I will only do the jobs that are right for me, because what’s yours will never not find you.” – Daniella Monet/ Danielle Fishel [31:48-32:07]

• On Motherhood:

  “There’s too many tabs open… We have too many tabs open in the brain at all times.” – Danielle Fishel [15:31]

• On Fame & Family:

  “Now my kids are like, they really like you because you’re famous. And I’m like, that’s weird. I don’t know if I like that.” – Daniella Monet [36:45]

• On Rebooting Victorious:

  “That was number one for me—I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have [the cast’s] support.” – Daniella Monet [47:05-48:13]

• On Adolescence & Mistakes:

  “No one gets through it unscathed… Ours were just preserved on television and now the Internet for everyone to witness.” – Danielle Fishel [43:34]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:25 – Shared Valley memories & mall culture
• 10:28 – Daniella’s early love for performing, parents’ support
• 13:56 – Daniella’s childhood hustles & “entrepreneurial” spirit
• 24:08 – Breaking into TV, first real sitcoms, and the child actor life
• 27:48 – Audition heartbreak, perspective on “roles that got away”
• 32:01 – “What’s yours will never not find you” philosophy
• 34:10 – Friendship circles, surviving fame with real-life connections
• 37:20 – The legacy of Victorious and the Nickelodeon “golden age”
• 40:03 – Getting slimed: the good, the bad, the sticky
• 42:28 – Hindsight on old TV content, adapting to new standards
• 44:26 – Reflections on YouTube, authenticity, and new fame models
• 47:05 – Becoming Trina again (Hollywood Arts), cast blessings, and mentoring new stars
• 50:12 – Comparing “then” and “now” with new show’s young cast

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Tone and Final Thoughts

The conversation is warm, quick-witted, and refreshingly honest, toggling between 90s/2000s nostalgia, real talk about the oddness and joys of televised adolescence, and the resilience needed to grow up on- and off-camera. Both Danielle and Daniella blend humor and sincerity as they discuss motherhood, career, awkward moments, and why—despite the odds—they’d both do it all again.

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For more: The bonus “Teen Beat” with additional stories and listener submissions airs Friday on the show’s dedicated feed.

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Transcript

[Daniella Monet]

This is an I Heart Podcast.

[Joy 101 Host (How to Kot Me)]

Guaranteed human joy is essential and it's also elusive. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy101 it's a new podcast hosted by me how to cop Me if you're craving inspiration, support and useful tools to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting and moving on air chats. Listen to Joy 101 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you your

[Danielle Fishel]

podcasts hey everyone, this is Teddi Mellencamp and Tamara Judge from Two T's and a Pod. There's been one scandal that's consumed our lives these last couple of months. We're recapping the three part summer house reunion and as always, we're being brutally honest. We're dissecting timelines, receipts, blind items and previous episodes. Amanda and Wes, watch out. We're not going to be easy on you. Listen to two T's in a pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podc. Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

[Daniella Monet]

I think any good romance. It gives me this feeling of like butterflies.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Robaix and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcast where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk, stars and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Brought to you by Cotton the Fabric of Our Lives.

[Daniella Monet]

Not every sale happens at the register before AT&T business Wireless checking out customers on our mobile POS systems took too long. Basically a staring contest where everyone loses. It's crazy what people will say during an awkward silence. Now transactions are done before the silence takes hold. That means I can focus on the

[Danielle Fishel]

task at hand and make an extra sale or two.

[Daniella Monet]

Sometimes I do miss the bonding time.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

Sometimes AT&T business Wireless Connecting changes everything.

[Danielle Fishel]

Give me money for cigarettes, I'll never leave your cookie bed. I stay the night and one night begin two or three years. The kids are not alright, but that's okay cause no one here is tb. Hello, it's your host Danielle Fishel and it is time to catch tb. Oh, that sounds just awful. TB is clearly tuberculosis. But this is Teen Beat, a podcast where we high dive into the deep end of a pool filled with the awkward truths of childhood. Every week I sit with interesting people who've done interesting things, knowing that by sharing these tales of shame and commiserating in the journey of youth, we learn just a little bit more about who we are today. I see it like this. I gave you my childhood. It's time we hear yours. But this week I'm talking to a fellow former child actor who knows exactly what it's like to have your growing pains and puberty and documented for public consumption. An actress whose Hollywood career began at the ripe age of seven, debuting in the type of embarrassing commercials that seven year olds get cast in. She then transitioned to big girl TV shows on shows like 8 Simple Rules, Zoey 101, and the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. But it was her time as Trina Vega on Nickelodeon's Victorious that would shine a spotlight that's about to be reignited for a brand new spinoff she will star in and produce 10 years later. Now that's a predicament I know a little bit about. She was an integral part of a Y2K young talent pool that have all branched out into their own lanes, running Hollywood and families. As my guest now also has two beautiful young children of her own. So this week on Teen Beat, it's actress, singer, entrepreneur, and the pride of West Hills, California, it's Daniella Monet.

[Daniella Monet]

Hello, West Hills. I represent the infamous.

[Danielle Fishel]

We have so many things in common, apparently. Valley kids.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

But Also you have two kids. One born in 2019 and one born in 2021.

[Daniella Monet]

Is that you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Daniella Monet]

Unreal.

[Danielle Fishel]

Unbelievable.

[Daniella Monet]

That's so funny.

[Danielle Fishel]

About to be seven and about to be five.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, my gosh. I just. Yeah, my daughter just turned five and my son's about to be seven.

[Danielle Fishel]

Man, what a time to be alive.

[Daniella Monet]

It feels exactly that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

There's a lot of things going on, a lot of.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know how you feel with your kids ages, but I finally feel like the sun has come out a little bit. There's time for. I have time to get dressed in the morning.

[Daniella Monet]

I'm sitting here breathing. I got myself a little Bev. Like we're living again.

[Danielle Fishel]

I didn't realize how dead I have been for the previous five years with two especially. And now I'm like, ah, this all good. We're gonna be fine. We're gonna make it just fine. Yes.

[Daniella Monet]

And it also feels like Kind of at the same time like I'm. I'm dipping my toe back into like, work, which I took myself very far out of for at least five years. So it just feels like a lot of things are feeling normal. Ish again.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. And there's some time for you.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

What you love, what you want to do, what you're good at. I'm so excited about that. So did you enjoy growing up a Valley girl? I grew up just next door to you in West Hills. I was in Calabasas. Did you love the Valley? Do you still love the Valley?

[Daniella Monet]

I have so much appreciation for it. In fact, when we were talking earlier about how, like when you meet someone who grew up in the same area as, you feel like this kindred connection right away. Yeah. And I, Yeah, I'm really proud of like, where we, where we came up, you know, it's a good spot. It's, it's. I don't know. How do you even describe the valley? Like it's la, but not correct at all.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, not. It's like, it's like if LA and Orange county had a baby and that baby was. Well, it's probably purple. I was going to say. I was going to say more blue.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, sure. And lots of public schools. Like, it's not like fancy. I wouldn't say. Well, there are fancy places. We're fanciest adjacent.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

But like, normal ish feels a little normal ish. Ish.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I, I, yeah, I'm a, I'm a Valley kid through and through. And I, I'm happy to be raising my kids there. Me too. Both my kids are in public school. I went to public school. It's pretty great. Well, I'm really thankful that you're here for many reasons, but it also means I get to introduce a new feature here on Teen be, where I ask my guest, did you go to the Topanga Mall?

[Daniella Monet]

Topanga Mall? I sure did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Daniella Monet]

I sure the heck did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you love the Topanga Mall?

[Daniella Monet]

I love the Topanga Mall. It's had very many iterations since the mall that I frequented as a kid. Okay. And also, not to be like, going off on a tangent, but the AMC is another world now too, which is really sad. On the other side of the Topanga Mall.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know that whole place is.

[Daniella Monet]

I don't know what's happening. I almost like can't go in that area quite yet until it's like finished and then I'll accept it for what it is.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, good luck. I think we're going to be working on that area for a solid 12 more years. Yeah. But I might. Some of my favorite memories are actually at the Promenade Mall.

[Daniella Monet]

That's what I'm talking about. The mc. The Promenade was where it's at. That's where you got dropped off, if you were allowed. I begged.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly.

[Daniella Monet]

Begged. My parents were like, no, I was

[Danielle Fishel]

allowed to get dropped off in. Well, not at the movie theater, but at the mall on weekends with my best friend. And we would get Vanilla Ice blended at that Coffee Bean that was there. And then we'd walk to Victoria's Secret and play with lip glosses and sprays and try on bras we had no business wearing.

[Daniella Monet]

Of course. Pink.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Everything pink. Yes, exactly. And now, I mean, I. At one time, before, it literally was. They now have torn the mall down over there. But before they tore it down, I went in and, like, looked through the windows, and they had allowed the plants to just fully. It was a to. I've never seen the inside of a completely abandoned mall.

[Daniella Monet]

It's weird.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. The plants were taking over. It was rather scary. But those were really good times.

[Daniella Monet]

They sure were. And then you grew up and we went to the Commons, which I'm sure is in your backyard now. Like, this is.

[Danielle Fishel]

But again, talk about things that have changed. That Sinclair gas station used to be a Chevron. Lovie's used to be a Red Robin.

[Daniella Monet]

I grew up Red Robin with the free French fries.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, in the Happy Birthday song. I went there every year on my birthday. And then also Ruby's Diner at the mall.

[Daniella Monet]

That was Ruby's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Why is that?

[Daniella Monet]

What was it? Five cent. Five cent something.

[Danielle Fishel]

They had five gumballs. Five cent gumballs. And they also had skinny fries. Do you remember when they introduced skinny fries? But they weren't just skinny in size. They were, like, made with supposedly some healthier oil that they tried to market these fries as being healthy for you. It wouldn't have stopped me anyway, for

[Daniella Monet]

beating that, Ruby's was where it was at.

[Danielle Fishel]

Why don't we have a great Ruby's Diner anymore?

[Daniella Monet]

You know, it's weird. I saw this thing recently with Pizza Hut. Have you seen what they're doing? Oh, it's brilliant. They're basically taking all the existing Pizza Hut locations that are essentially just like, takeout joints now and like, reversing it back to the 90s and doing, like, tables with, like, the checkered tablecloth and

[Danielle Fishel]

the nice, like, I'm there. The salad bar. I'm.

[Daniella Monet]

For kids to grow up the way we did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. We'll take our kids there. Let's go together.

[Daniella Monet]

And now for all the Gen Zs listening, they're like, okay, move on.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like, whatever. Also, people who aren't from the Valley. Sorry, just skip the first seven minutes of this interview. Of course.

[Daniella Monet]

It's worth a visit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, let's talk a little bit about Daniella, the young kid. Were you always performative?

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, unfortunately.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know the feeling. Yeah. Did you used to perform for your family in the kitchen?

[Daniella Monet]

Of course. Everywhere. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Singing, dancing. Okay. So we mentioned that we both have kids.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Born in the same years. And I'm always so interested in the little, like, how they pick things up, like, what sparks their interest. Because then I think, what was it for me that sparked my interest in things? Like, my youngest is very into pro wrestling. Oh, he lives for it.

[Daniella Monet]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Truly. And my oldest is very into baseball.

[Daniella Monet]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

What was your thing as a kid?

[Daniella Monet]

Well, I think, unfortunately, I just love detention. There's really no, like, special answer there. I just think I like to make people laugh, and if I felt like they were entertained, I was winning. I briefly remember dipping my toe into Golden Performing Arts. Do you remember that at all? No. It was, like, a theater company that did, like, you know, community theater. But at the time, it was like. Like a big deal. And I remember feeling what it felt like to get, like, that instant gratification from an audience. And that was the first time I think I realized this is. I've actually never said this before, but I think I'm connecting. Like, that was the first time I realized what having an audience and feeling that sense of, like, oh, I hit it, or I nailed it, or whatever. That feeling of being so alive and present.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Daniella Monet]

There was no going back for me. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

That was the moment the little light bulb went off where you were like, this feedback loop. If I put something out, you give me something in return. Well, I mean, imagine that.

[Daniella Monet]

So it just.

[Danielle Fishel]

It ended up shaping your entire life.

[Daniella Monet]

It really did.

[Danielle Fishel]

You didn't wait long to get your parents to start driving you to auditions in that 101 traffic.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, boy. Mm.

[Danielle Fishel]

How were you able to convince them to do this at seven years old? Um. Gosh.

[Daniella Monet]

Good question. Well, if I'm being honest, my mom wanted to be an actress.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Daniella Monet]

So that Alpha answer. You look too amazing. She didn't have the opportunity. Opportunity. So she was really supportive. And, yeah, I mean, I think, like, anything else, like, it ran its course, and it was a lot of work for our parents. It was so much work. So when I got my license And I was able to do it on my own. And I made the choice that I was, like, still interested at that point. I think there was, like, a slight weight lifted off them, but also, like, you know, a morning of that chapter together. Because there's a lot of time in the car. You're invested in this process together. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of fond memories of just like sitting in the freeway. Yeah. Looking at the Thomas Guide. Sorry, guys, I'm so old.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, the Thomas Guide. I have one framed. I have a Thomas Guide framed in my house.

[Daniella Monet]

Where's my life?

[Danielle Fishel]

Auditioning with a little silver star at the spot of where Boy Meets World started. Where Disney Studios is. I got one for Ryder and Will because we all used the Thomas Guide to get around. And it was our job to sit

[Daniella Monet]

in the passenger seat. Yeah, in the back seat or in the back.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. Because you were seven. I was 10, so I was also in the back. And you'd figure out where mom was going. Trying to read a map. But also, one of my favorite mom stories is that if I started to fall asleep, she'd yell to me, sleep with your head against the window. Because she wanted to be in the carpool lane and she was so worried we were gonna get pulled over. So if I fell asleep, I had to sleep with her.

[Daniella Monet]

You didn't still see my head.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do not tip over this way. Tip over this way, lady. Hilarious.

[Daniella Monet]

What a time.

[Danielle Fishel]

We also both started in commercials.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh. I had an agreement with my mom that after my first big national commercial, that she would let me take a little bit of the money I earned.

[Daniella Monet]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

And buy something.

[Daniella Monet]

Roxy, what was it?

[Danielle Fishel]

I spent $500 on a five disc CD player. Could you. Do you remember?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, I could hear LFO right now.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love it.

[Daniella Monet]

This is basically just a throwback. Throwback show.

[Danielle Fishel]

We are ancient. Do you remember what. What was your like? Did your parents.

[Daniella Monet]

Okay, so funny story. I was very money motivated as a kid, so my acting money I barely cared about because I was slinging whatever I could. Oh, you had. Oh, girl. I had garage sales almost like weekly. I used to make clothes so close Swarovski crystals, where everything. So I would rhinestone. Pretty much anything you had. I could do that. I at one point pretended that I knew how to pierce ears. I had a line my neighbors. My mom was a hairdresser, worked out of our house and had like a little salon in the garage. And I would do highlights.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, acrylics, by the way, if you needed any acrylics I figured out the Dremel real quick. Sally's beauty Store for some powder girl. It was nuts.

[Danielle Fishel]

What did you pierce people with? You were pretending. You just have a sewing needle and a potato behind you.

[Daniella Monet]

It was like Parent Trap. What else?

[Danielle Fishel]

Unbelievable. What were you. You were coloring hair.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And people were letting you.

[Daniella Monet]

They were like willing. Yeah, I was coloring my own hair to start. Do you have any pictures of that? I'm sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah, I'm gonna need a picture of that.

[Daniella Monet]

Y. Yeah. And. And then would like venture. Yeah, I would do like a few little highlights in my friend's hair. Like, I watched enough. I was so observant growing up. I'm like, I can do that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Also, could I still give you some? Could you still be Dazzle Things? Cause I'd love to give you some. I'm all into it again.

[Daniella Monet]

I mean, to be honest, I have the focus of a two year old at this point. My poor daughter's like, mom, come color with me. And you have to sit still. And I'm like, okay, let me just take the trash out and put the clothes in the dryer. I'll be right back.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Daniella Monet]

You know what? You forget?

[Danielle Fishel]

There's too many tabs open. We have too many tabs open in the brain at all times. So I understand because I also go to sit down and connect with my kids. And while they're doing that, my brain is like, I forgot to put the transfer of the clothes. I need to take that trash out. It's overflowing. Why is there. Why are there so many crumbs under my feet? Easy to get. Very overstimulated.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, so you had a bunch of hustles and you were making. You just were like income streams from everywhere. What did you spend the money on?

[Daniella Monet]

I probably reinvested it, if I'm being honest. I remember the next Martin Funnel buying chocolate bars and going door to door. Those aren't cheap when you get the big sizes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, I know, I know.

[Daniella Monet]

What did I spend money on? I was a really thrifty girl as a kid. I mean, Ross and that sort of thing was like my style. So. Yeah, I would try to find like name brands there.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Daniella Monet]

What else did I spend money on? Do you remember your first out early. Oh, I moved out early, so I got myself, well, relatively early. I moved out when I was 17 and I bought a place in Calabasas, a condo.

[Danielle Fishel]

Great.

[Daniella Monet]

So needed all the money for that.

[Danielle Fishel]

So smart. Smarter than I was.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. Except it was 2006 and then the market crashed. So we learned a lot. Yeah, we learned a lot.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right? So the timing. Yeah, timing could have been better, but really smart that you were like, okay, moving out, gonna save all this money for a house.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. And a car. I did get myself a nice little Scion TC with some subs in the back. Oh, the subs. Hear me coming around the corner.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. What were you listening to?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, gosh. You know, I'm kind of like a hip hop girly a little bit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow.

[Daniella Monet]

We're very similar. Yeah. This is Valley.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is the Valley.

[Joy 101 Host (How to Kot Me)]

I know.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's so embarrassing. And also amazing. I don't ever want to change. Some of my kids little girlfriends show up to parties with makeup on. They're very into fancy dresses, little high heels. And it reminds me that when I was in elementary school, my best friend and I desperately wanted to wear lipstick. And our moms were both absolute. That's an absolute no from us. And then when we started walking to school alone, we realized that, like, on the walk, they don't know what happens. So one day, my best friend walked out of her house. I showed up at her door to. We walked alone. So I met her at her door. She came out, and she. Her mom's like, behind her. She's like, bye, have a good day. She's like, bye, Mom. And she turns around, and she pulls out of her pocket a lipstick. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. And Jessica starts walking toward me, and she takes the cap off. Oh, my gosh.

[Daniella Monet]

Like a movie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Puts red lipstick all over her mouth.

[Daniella Monet]

And I'm like, whoa.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm so excited for my turn. And within seconds, Jessica's mom appears at the back of the door. Jessica, you forgot your lunch.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, no.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Jessica's just looking at me, her back to her mom like this.

[Daniella Monet]

Grab my lunch. And I'm like, uh, I'll get in.

[Danielle Fishel]

I go running up there. And she's like, jessica, what are you doing? Jessica goes and turns around. Of course, we were immediately busted in massive trouble. Take that off. Give that to me. Why are you taking my lipstick? Did you. Were you into all of that?

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, I was definitely. So my weapon at that age was an eyelash curler. Loved an eyelash curler. That was probably the first tool I fell in love with. I remember for Barbie commercial auditions, I got to curl my eyelashes because, like, big eyes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah. Those big doe eyes for Barbie.

[Daniella Monet]

Outside of that. Yeah. I mean, that was pretty much my thing. I would wear a little gloss. And it's funny now because my daughter is so into makeup and my approach has been pretty chill.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep. Okay. You do say so yourself.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, I'm just gonna, like, let it kind of do its thing and, like, you know, teach her how to do it. Like, show her what kind of colors look good on her. So it's not like, you know, like, dark crazy.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

But, like, if she wants to play a little, I'm okay with it because I don't know, I'm just, like, worried that if I'm like, absolutely not, that we're gonna have the sneaking around and then, you know. So that's our approach right now. And she's so cute. She'll do, like, gloss and, you know, she'll put a little cheek on, and I'm like, just rub it in, you know?

[Danielle Fishel]

Rub it in. Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is she using creams or.

[Daniella Monet]

She's using a cream at this point. Yeah. It's so cute.

[Danielle Fishel]

Adorable. Is she into Sephora? Because I hear all the girls love.

[Daniella Monet]

I mean, I wouldn't be surprised, but, like, she has a mom who doesn't know much about anything. Okay, so I'm not at Sephora. I mean, I use my eyelash curler still.

[Danielle Fishel]

I was gonna say you. You know a lot about a lot of things. I don't know the first thing about acrylics or.

[Daniella Monet]

I mean, those days are over. I'm exhausted. I retired so early.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, all right. I'm happy to hear that because I don't know how you're doing it. Truthfully,

[Joy 101 Host (How to Kot Me)]

Joy is essential, and it's also elusive. You can't order it, you can't borrow it or simply hope it into life. But now there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence. Joy 101. It's a new podcast hosted by me. How to kot me together, guys. We'll have meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sports icons, wellness experts, and everyday people will share how they find, allow, and experience joy. And I'll offer some of my own tips and take on seeking a more balanced and harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support, and useful tools to maximize your joy, tune into these candid, uplifting, and moving on air chats. Joy after a breakup. Joy as an empty nester. Joy after a loss. Joy as a caretaker. This new podcast will speak to you. Listen to Joy 101 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast podcasts.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess What? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We. We just contributed to it. First people to do podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special. So how did we. How do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember.

[Danielle Fishel]

I think it was on a call

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

about what we should call it and,

[Daniella Monet]

well, we were thinking.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band, before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast. People could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey Jonas. And offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen.

[Daniella Monet]

We don't care where you hear it. What did black music, food and culture teach us about who we were becoming? 2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still consumed things in community. From Beyonce and Rihanna.

[Danielle Fishel]

Everybody wanted to be Beyonce.

[Daniella Monet]

I don't think we'll ever see another Rihanna.

[Joy 101 Host (How to Kot Me)]

To soul food, memory, identity, and the

[Daniella Monet]

stories we carry through black culture. What does it mean to be black and eat in America? So we were this group of people

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

who knew how to work the land, who knew how to live with the land.

[Danielle Fishel]

We make it do what it do.

[Daniella Monet]

Therapy for black girls is bringing together the conversation shaping black life right now. You will never make me feel bad for being a black girl or for

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

being a black American girl ever.

[Daniella Monet]

Therapy for black girls is bringing it all to the mic. Listen to Therapy for black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

You said to me, yo, you know, keep at it. Cause you let me rap for you. It was magical for all of us.

[Daniella Monet]

Ah, we made it.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

We made it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

I'm like, we, you know, I'm like, I know these guys, but who are you? I'm MC Jen. And this is last but not least, I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. Like the co founder of Rough Riders, Darren D. Dean, talking about as a kid. Do you remember that we met even way before that?

[Danielle Fishel]

Let me think. Did you walk up to the Gate.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

That was me.

[Danielle Fishel]

D. That was you?

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

That was me. The day we found out that you and the whole crew was at Hit Factory. The mission was to get me to go to the gate, start freestyling and see if I could get in the studio. I'm rapping, and then suddenly I hear a voice. Hey, open the gate.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let.

[Various Guest Speakers (including Jonas Brothers, MC Jen)]

Let him in. The gate slowly went. They all. They watching this and they watch me walk into there. And that is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Listen. And last but not least, with McGin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Danielle Fishel]

So a few years after you start doing commercials, you start popping up in TV shows like 8 Simple Rules, Bernie Mac, but most predominantly, listen up, Jason Alexander. And this was. It had to have been a dream, right? I mean, the cast is incredible. And now you have an on set teacher. Yes. You're living the life. Did you love it?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, I loved it. Oh, I loved it. Any excuse, if I'm being 100% honest, any excuse to get out of school, I was like, sign me up.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. And on set, schools are not quite the same.

[Daniella Monet]

No. I mean, some set teachers are better than others. I'm sure you've had your experience.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mine were great.

[Daniella Monet]

Okay. Lucky.

[Danielle Fishel]

Very dedicated.

[Daniella Monet]

Ugh. Love that, that. But also, it's the experience too. Like, for instance, on Listen Up, I was the only kid, so I was like, okay, now I gotta go back to the bungalow on 20th Century Fox and sit by myself and try to get my hours in.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Daniella Monet]

But no, for the most part, like, I just loved. I loved working specifically sitcom. So I caught that bug pretty early again, that audience.

[Danielle Fishel]

You had a live studio audience.

[Daniella Monet]

The audience, yes. Most of the shows I did initially were all audience. And now I feel like that's kind of like an anomaly.

[Danielle Fishel]

It is. Coaches gave them an excuse to not need audiences. They were like, hey, yeah, we're just bringing laughers. Laughers.

[Daniella Monet]

I know.

[Danielle Fishel]

12 people paid to laugh at the jokes.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes. And now you're lucky you even have those. Now we're like everyone in Video Village laugh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. I know. Laugh loud. I also know the late Malcolm Jamal Warner was on that show with you, and he knew what being a child actor was all about. What was working with him.

[Daniella Monet]

Like, he's was a gem. Yeah, he's a special guy. You know what I loved most about him was that you knew he had grown up in this business, but, like, he was not a typical actor in that way. Like, so humble and kind. And kind of introverted, too. Yeah. Really sweet, sweet man. And great for someone like me because it was my first series, so at least I had worked with him. Being a child actor himself, Jason, who had been in so much television at that point, I just felt, like, really supported.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ugh, What a great first experience then to have, like, you know, tent poles around you.

[Daniella Monet]

I know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Of class and excellence. Yeah. So thrown into the mix here are kids shows like Zoey 101, iCarly, Suite Life, the Nancy Drew movie.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes. So good. The best books ever.

[Danielle Fishel]

The best books. And my aunt had all of the, like, original ones. Oh, my God, I love them so much. Okay, so you're circ. At this point. You're circling the Disney universe a bit. And I know you sing as well.

[Daniella Monet]

Ish.

[Danielle Fishel]

What was being a triple threat Disney kid really? Like, woof.

[Daniella Monet]

Well, if I'm okay. So when I was on Listen Up, I remember the agents I had at the time, you know, putting me in the mix for some, like, bigger stuff, and I was kind of annoyed because I was like, no, I want to do Disney and Nickelodeon. Like, that's all I wanted to do. So I kind of went behind their backs and got into a general with Disney through my manager, and that general led to testing for Hannah Montana within, like, at least the same day. It's kind of a blur at this point, but I remember them saying, like, oh, this will be great for you. You should test for this show. And so that was like, my entry level into, like, the Disney universe. Yes. I had done maybe, like, some sweet or. No, I think Suite Life came after, but yeah, I. I just loved. I loved kids tv. I was a kid TV consumer at the time, so I'm like, if I could be on my favorite shows, that's a dream come true. I mean, that's the same thing today.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Daniella Monet]

So that was kind of like my first experience, and it was a rush. Like, I just. Yeah, I feel really grateful I got sucked in.

[Danielle Fishel]

That is so fun. I was singing was never on my.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, girl. I don't know why singing's on there, if I'm being honest.

[Danielle Fishel]

Really?

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. I've had no choice but to figure it out, because at the time when we. When Hannah Montana, for instance, they were like, go sing. And I said, you got it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Here we go.

[Daniella Monet]

I was watching American Idol at the time. Kelly Clarkson was a thing, and she sang. I believe Jeremiah was a bullfrog, which is called. And that song stuck in my head, and that was what I sang for the Hannah Montana audition. Of course I said she sounded great. I'm gonna do that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love you for that because I. For having all the confidence in the world as far as, like, walking into a room and saying whatever was on a piece of paper. The minute somebo told me I needed to sing, I was like, oh, you have the wrong person. I'll see you later. Bye, everyone. It was nice meeting you. Yes.

[Daniella Monet]

And it's, like, not good enough. Like, especially. I feel like we're circling back to that a little bit where, like, that era, you had to sing, like, they were like. And now you sing. And I'm like, okay, okay, I will if you want me to.

[Danielle Fishel]

Still not that much different. I mean, Girl Meets World now at this point was 12 years ago, but everyone has to sing in every audition. They were like, now why don't you sing us?

[Daniella Monet]

And you watch the audition. And I watched the auditions. I now got an experience. And I'm like, these people have to sing on top of being good at what they do and being cute and perfect. And now they got to be singers.

[Danielle Fishel]

Now also be a singer. Yeah, I know. It's. It's wild. It is wild. I. I admire it so much. There's like, somehow people just think there's like one little gene where you're good at all these things. Not me. No, no. Thank you. You, as you mentioned, you tested for Hannah Montana. You were in the final three, and we all have those roles.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

That got away.

[Daniella Monet]

I gotta hear yours. Cause that's like one of my favorite things to ask people.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Like, what did you really want?

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. Or just like, was there that moment where you thought, okay, my life could very much change if this goes my way.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. I, I, at one point, early, Early, I was gonna. The girl in Free Willy. I wanted that role. Oh, I bet you did so bad.

[Daniella Monet]

That's crazy. Cause that some of these roles you audition for and you have no idea the scope that it'll be become. But you connected with that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I totally did. And then I also tested for eight Simple Rules, and I was like, I

[Daniella Monet]

would have been great.

[Danielle Fishel]

I want to do that show. And then I don't remember what happened, but I think that might have been the audition where. No, that was a different show. I tested for another show. It's my weirdest story where in the waiting room of looking at all the other people who were there to test, there were, like, three women that. And then there was another woman testing young woman, and she was like, really off to the side. And I could just tell that There was, like, a very nervous energy, and I felt very much like it was my job to comfort her. I don't know why. And I started talking to her, and it turns out she's the one who originally booked the role, and they shot the pilot with her and were making her test again against the other people,

[Daniella Monet]

all at the same time, these studios.

[Danielle Fishel]

Not like, oh, you know what? This is traumatic enough. We're gonna give you your own space and time. No, she's in the waiting room with the other people she was testing against. Anyway, then we left that audition, and she was staying at a hotel nearby. They flew her back out. Wow. And I drove her back to the hotel, and as she was getting out of the car, both of our phones rang.

[Daniella Monet]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

And we looked down, and it was

[Daniella Monet]

like, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is this your manager? And she was like, yeah. And I was like, it's my manager, too. And I was like, like, I really hope you get it. Oh. And she was like, thanks. She got out and she closed the door, and I answered the phone, and they were like, all right, you didn't get it. And I said, could you please just tell me, did the person who get it, is she the one who had it originally? And they said, no, it was neither.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, man.

[Danielle Fishel]

Terrible. Like the kind of Hollywood story that could make you just go, take me off the list. I'm out. I don't want to do it anymore, still. And, yeah, just build your character.

[Daniella Monet]

And you know what? I've always tried to tell myself, myself this, like, crazy narrative that, like, it's not for me. It's not like I truly believe and I have to, or else I will go nuts that I'm being led.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct.

[Daniella Monet]

And I will only do the jobs that are right for me and.

[Danielle Fishel]

Because what's yours will never not find you 100%.

[Daniella Monet]

Because for every experience where you think that that is yours and you build the whole story around your future, and then it goes down the drain, there's the next one that becomes yours. And even if it's three years later, you're like, this makes so much sense now.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. And how many times have we had experiences where we think we really want some or even just a friend that you realize, like, you were there. I didn't know you were there. And then you still keep bumping into each other. It's like, the universe will find a way if it somehow misses you in this angle, there will be another way. If it's yours, it will be yours. I completely agree. And we have To. We have to tell ourselves this even if it's not true. Okay. So, Hannah or not, you are working a ton back then. I have to assume your friends are starting to be other studio lot kids.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, a little bit. I'm trying to think, you know, I was. Because I don't know if it's because I grew up out here that I had, like, one big foot in reality still. And my, like, one foot was, like, pretending to be an actress.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it was weird.

[Daniella Monet]

It was like I would come home and I had a neighborhood full of kids and, like, I didn't feel like I could really talk about, like, what I did.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

So I was kind of just like a normal girl and then would go and work and then get sucked in for that and then come back and be like, nah, it's all good. And, like, jump back into real life. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

In a lot of ways, what you're describing was my childhood as well. And it's a little like a Hannah Montana.

[Daniella Monet]

Yes. Like, you live dual lives a little bit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Total dual lives. I loved going to my regular school with all my friends, my best friends. Still to this day are the people I met at 12 years old at Ae. Wright.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, I think you're a high.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like, those are all my best friends. And I didn't talk a lot about work. We just talked about, you know, boys and homework, tests, football games, dances, all the normal stuff. And then it was like, all right, guys, I gotta. I'll be back in three. I'm going to go pop over here and do this weirdo thing.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, weird. I just downplay it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it's weird. It's awkward. But then I come back and then it's all back to normal.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

So who was your little crew? Like, if not. Not your regular friends, but, like, your

[Daniella Monet]

gosh, like, who was I coming up with a little bit.

[Danielle Fishel]

Who were you coming up with if you did connect with, I mean, other celeb kids? Who were they?

[Daniella Monet]

I'm trying to think. Oh, my goodness. Who was it there was, like, trying to think. You know what? I'm not gonna name too many that I was, like, close with. I just remember, like, we would see each other and it would be cool and friendly, like sets. Yeah. Like, Emma Roberts was cool. Yeah. We did the movie together, so I remember hanging out with her in real life because she lived in Hidden Hills, so I would drive her sometimes to work. She didn't drive, I don't think, at that point. So I don't know. I mean, trying to think. It was not I don't know if there was many, like, big celebrities, but if I, like, saw them, it would be very comfortable and cool. But a lot of kids lived out in Burbank or.

[Joy 101 Host (How to Kot Me)]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

At the Oakwoods.

[Daniella Monet]

At the Oakwoods. And I didn't. I only really came out for work or auditions. So it wasn't like we were gonna play dates exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, it was. Yeah. And your parents then would have to make plans to get you together. You'd all, like, go. We used to go to Islands.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

My mom. I have millions of photo shoots with random guys that were just guest starring on Boy Meets World. And my mom and his mom would like, kick hit it off and they'd be like, let's all go to Islands after this. And then we'd have like a. We would just take a bunch of pictures in the Islands booth. Like, you know, also. Great fries.

[Daniella Monet]

Great fries.

[Danielle Fishel]

Were you boy crazy as a teen? I was.

[Daniella Monet]

I was a late bloomer.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Daniella Monet]

I was a very late bloomer. I thought that. I think, like, I should have been a boy. Like, I was like, I'm a hang with the boys. But, like, you can't like me

[Danielle Fishel]

very much the same. I loved all. I loved all guy stuff.

[Daniella Monet]

Like, I loved guy stuff.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wanted to hang out with them, wanted to be around them. Thought about them all the time, but maybe a little, but wasn't ready to have a boyfriend.

[Daniella Monet]

I was a very late bloomer. Even ask my husband. He'll be like.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's like, she still doesn't like me. We're married, two kids.

[Daniella Monet]

It's the opposite. It's like I'm so obsessed with him. I'm like, I'm living a movie. Like, he was like a high school school quarterback and he had such a normal life and, like, has a real job.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that for you. What's his normal job?

[Daniella Monet]

Well, he went to school to become an accountant, but now he's in, like, fintech sales. I don't know. Sometimes I'm like, what are you doing? You work at home and make a lot of calls on the phone. And we have the phone. Be quiet. Dad's on the phone.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. For Mother's Day, my son made me a card. And he said that what the question, One of the questions was, what does mommy do for work? And he said, make calls and going somewhere. I was like, well, you're not wrong.

[Daniella Monet]

You're actually lucky you have that perspective. Because now my kids are like, they really like you because you're famous. And I'm like, that's weird. Like, I don't know if I like that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Like my son said to me yesterday, ugh, why do all these people want to take your picture?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, they hate it. Yeah. And they. Yes, yes. That is a funny thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sorry. Well, one of your victorious co stars, Leon Thomas, took home the American Music Award for breakthrough R B artist and even shouted out his Nickelodeon fans in his acceptance speech. Is his success in music a surprise to you?

[Daniella Monet]

Not at all. You know, he. I think if. I know. Like he and Ariana used to work together on music. So like he early days. Yes. Was like so gifted. I mean that whole cast, like, it honestly always feels like a fever dream that I was even part of it because each one was more successful than the next and so gifted.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I know you guys have really all grown up to be very cool and like, not, not, not a lot of shows can say that, you know.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, yeah. I feel lucky in that, like, we generally speaking all have some sort of like, connection still and like, you know how jobs are. It's like you become a family in two seconds and the second they call cut or rap, you're like, I'm gonna see you next week and we can't be a targe. I love you. And then nothing. Yeah, but with Victorious, there's something different. Like we're bonded in a really cool way and even if we're not like hanging out all the time, like, I love them. I love each and every one of them and I will absolutely always be their biggest fan.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so sweet you guys. Shot at the Nickelodeon studio on Sunset. It's a bit of a landmark now that sadly no longer exists, but at any given moment there were a handful of kids shows filming all at once. Could you give me any good Nickelodeon lot stories?

[Daniella Monet]

Like yes. Oh, I'm thinking of one. I don't even remember why, but Justin Bieber came and did a little thing with us and I remember where my dressing room was. It was me, Victoria and Avan on one wing and then Ari, Liz and Leon had like another wing and I think Matt was over there as well, trying to picture it. Anyways, they took over whose room was, I think maybe Avin's, and gave him Justin, like, like his own dressing room, which was right across from me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Look at that picture.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh yeah, there it is. Yeah. So like Ari and I, like all the girls are just like going nuts and we're like sitting in the dressing room and like now it no longer says Avan's name, it says Justin Bieber. Like we're in Justin Bieber's dressing room. Like, everyone you've been in a thousand times before, so little and cute there. Like, it's not even the Justin Bieber we know now, but at the time, he was still just as, you know,

[Danielle Fishel]

amazing to have this many decades of Bieber fever.

[Daniella Monet]

Bieber fever.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. What a cutie. You know, there was great experiences. Like, we overlapped, I think, with icarly at one point. So we did a movie together. And like, that was fun. Like, it's always fun when you are with the same people all the time. It's like when you get a script and you're like, there's a guest star this week. Who's it gonna be? I hope he's cute.

[Danielle Fishel]

That was always me. I hope he's cute.

[Daniella Monet]

Well, that too. That. Yeah, it's like built in dating services for everyone.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exact. I'm going to assume that this is a yes. Have you been slimed?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, yes. Multiple times.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tell me about that experience.

[Daniella Monet]

The first time. It was a novelty. I just thought, no way. My childhood dreams, like, coming true. Complete. We're done. I can. We can hang it up. Yep, we're good. Bucket list done. And then you get slimed a number of times and you're realizing, wow. And we would do these game shows where you might get slimed on the first show, but you have like two more that you're shooting in that same day and now you're running to, like, whatever the little pop up tent trailer situation for the shower is. Have to reset, go through hair and makeup and turn around for the next episode just to get slimed again and do it all over again.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh. Okay. So it goes from being like the number one thing on my bucket list checked off to if you slime me

[Daniella Monet]

one more time, I'm like, these lashes were done so well. I am not taking these individuals off one more time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is it hard to get out of your hair?

[Daniella Monet]

Um, it's. No. I just remember it being like almost like Elmer's glue. What is it? I forgot because we've had to use it. They use it all the time in movies and stuff.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's.

[Daniella Monet]

Whatever that is, it's safe. I think you can eat it. I would not.

[Danielle Fishel]

I wouldn't try that. No. Yeah, I got. I had to be covered in honey once on an episode of Boy Meets World. And the only thing I remember about the. Literally covered in honey in front of a bear.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, my gosh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Don't remember anything about that. I do remember that washing My hair was annoying. That's the memories, like getting honey out of your hair.

[Daniella Monet]

Well, you have like, you have the hair of like a lifetime.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you very much.

[Daniella Monet]

I dreamt of having hair like you at one point in my life. I dreamt of being you.

[Danielle Fishel]

You have gorgeous hair. You don't need anyone else's hair. It's just gorgeous. But allow me to tell you about Be Free by Danielle Fishel.

[Daniella Monet]

You say less.

[Danielle Fishel]

My hair care line, I'll send it to you.

[Daniella Monet]

Say less. No, I'll be a customer.

[Danielle Fishel]

You'll get to. Oh, no, no, I'll send it to you. And if you love it, then the best reward is you being a customer.

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, that's definitely me.

[Danielle Fishel]

On my other podcast, Pod Meets World, we have been rewatching our show as adults and we have run into what I've called hindsight problems. These are scenes or motifs or instances that seem problematic in 2026. But at the time, as kids, it was just sort of this unspoken job that we had to keep quiet and do what's in the screen. I know Victorious has this problem occasionally now too, and I've wondered, how do you perceive it now that you're in your 30s?

[Daniella Monet]

How much time do we have? Just kidding. You know, I have like kind of a rose colored glasses approach to it all. It's just that, like, I grew up in this business and jokes that were funny then might not feel the same now. And things that, like, I was in a situation with at one point may feel uncomfy now, but, like, it's all perspective and, you know, it is what it is. The show has such a special place in my heart. And that time of my life was like a really, like, big growth period for all of us. And so in a lot of ways, like, I just couldn't imagine not having gone through that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I feel exactly the same way. I don't remember, sure, were there moments where things were like. Like, this is weird. Like, I do definitely remember thinking, is this weird? And then you just move on and it. And those moments are not things that I feel like have permanently scarred me. I could. I look back on the time and think everyone has something.

[Daniella Monet]

Totally.

[Danielle Fishel]

Everyone has their things.

[Daniella Monet]

Totally.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ours were just preserved on television and now the Internet for everyone to witness. But you don't go through life unscathed or without having uncomfortable experiences or being put in situations that now you'd go, I wouldn't want anybody putting my kid in that situation. But, like, no one gets through it unscathed. So you also worked Closely with arguably the first ever YouTube star to cross over to mainstream, Fred Figglehorn. Most people didn't even know what YouTube was back then. And you were on his TV shows, in his movies, then his unrelated Nick show later on. Did anyone back then think YouTube would become what it has become?

[Daniella Monet]

Gosh, that's a great question. I mean, it was news to me, kind of, because I must have missed a little bit of that YouTube, like, startup culture.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

And I just remember the buzz around this kid and how, like, down to earth, he was like, he gen. He was just a kid that figured it out early and had a niche and he leaned in and people loved it. And that's what happens nowadays. It's just now so much more multiplied. And I. I don't know if we knew back then, like, what YouTube would become, but I'm. I'm really, in a way, like, grateful that YouTube exists, because I don't know if you heard this a lot growing up, but I sure did, where I was like, how do I become an actress? And I'm like, now you guys, like, you actually have so much more power than I did. I had to commute to a room, present myself, like, hope that they would like me enough to give me a chance, and then hope that that would, like, open doors, that it just. It's such a different process now.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, absolutely. Also, you can become a success by being authentically you.

[Daniella Monet]

Totally.

[Danielle Fishel]

Instead of trying to put yourself into the mold of a character or something that somebody else wants that, like, we're all craving more authenticity and seeing more of it. And so, yeah, the power kids have today that we just couldn't have even dreamed of. Do you still keep in touch with Fred?

[Daniella Monet]

I haven't talked to him in years. I was actually. Yeah, I didn't even. I'm sure he's doing well. I think he probably was like, I'm good with this. Like, I made my money young. I'm gonna go live my life.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

But, yeah, I'm happy for him.

[Danielle Fishel]

What do you think if you had the power of YouTube at your fingertips when you were a kid?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, my gosh.

[Danielle Fishel]

And hearing all about your side hustles, what do you think you would have made your niche YouTube career out of? What would you focus on?

[Daniella Monet]

What would I have focused on? Probably. I mean, I was such a Spice Girl, Stan. Like, I would probably just have an entire account on like. Like, lip syncing to every song and making some silly choreography up, and that would just be it. That would be the end.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'd Love to see you as, like, a whole series on, what, your sixth Spice Girl. Like, what?

[Daniella Monet]

What?

[Danielle Fishel]

You know what I mean?

[Daniella Monet]

There it is.

[Danielle Fishel]

You're, like, the sixth, and so you. You see the opening. They're all named. Who would you have been? What. What girl would you have been?

[Daniella Monet]

Well, I. Okay, let me think. Hold on. Chefy Spice.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love Cheffy Spice.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. Like, she's just gonna chef it up. She can cook you something up.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

We're always gonna be drama.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sometimes it's drama.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, you just never know what you're gonna get.

[Danielle Fishel]

So now this is something I know a little bit about. You are about to step back into the role of Trina Vega 10 years later for a Victoria spinoff, Hollywood Arts on Netflix.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

You'll be surrounded by a whole new generation of stars. How are you feeling about it?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, man. Yeah, I. I was pretty emotional, to be honest. Like, I don't know if you felt that way. It was a so long time coming. Like, I think, you know, the show left us kind of open for something fresh and new and exciting, and I'm so grateful for the audience that, like, we're such big supporters of Victorious to allow us to do something like this, because if there isn't a fandom, like, nowadays, you can't sell anything. So, yeah, we're lucky that we had that so that we can, like, like, make a show that we think they'll love. And it feels really pretty amazing. Like, when I said, you know, I feel like at some point I was, like, an observer of the Victorious cast. Like, I was just happy to be there, and I couldn't believe that I got to be a part of it. I still feel that way. So the fact that, like, I'm now in this spinoff and in a way, like, on my own outside of that original cast is wild to me, but I don't think I would have done it if I didn't have their support. That was, like, number one for me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you have all those conversations before going into the meetings?

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah, it was a wild experience because there was talk of it for, you know, how things are. It's like, it's an idea for a while, and then it becomes sort of closer to being a real thing, and then it stops. And then you're like, yeah, it's not happening. And then one day, it, like, light bulb was like, yep, we're gonna announce that it's gonna happen. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. Wait. Hold on. I gotta talk to everyone. Like, this can't be, like, announced without me having a conversation with everyone. I couldn't imagine them finding this out and not being from me in the news.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Daniella Monet]

And so they were like, okay. Literally, they said, we'll give you 24 hours, but we're gonna announce that this is gonna get greenlit. And I went, oh, my gosh. I was on my phone, like, all of that day, like, calling, voice messaging, like, sending texts, like, trying to explain. Like, this has kind of been happening, but, like, I didn't think it would actually happen, and now it's gonna happen. Like, I'm lost, and I just need you guys to know and hear it from me, and, like, I want to hear what your thoughts are. And every single response. Ari's being the longest was, like, so heartfelt and so supportive and, like, yeah, to this day, I'm like, God, I wish. Like, I'm not a voice memo keeper, but I'm like, man, I wish I would have kept those because the words were, like, so real. Things like, this is your chance to, like, make Nickelodeon, like, what it was for us growing up, like, come back to, like, where we began. And, like, it was just really, really sweet. So I hope I did that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. I'm so excited for you.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you ever. I mean, you said it's been in talks for a long time, but could you have imagined back when you were on the show, did you ever see this being. No. The thing that was. No, right?

[Daniella Monet]

Not at all. I don't know. Maybe I have, like, a little imposter syndrome, but, like, I was just happy to be there. Like, I never thought that, like, it could come back and then I could, you know, be the one to be in this spin off. Like, that's nuts.

[Danielle Fishel]

So sweet.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Have you been surprised by how much you see yourself in the young girls in the cast?

[Daniella Monet]

Oh, my gosh. Do you see yourself a little bit. I don't know. They make girls different nowadays. Okay. They are way cooler. So in that regard, I think there's a bit of a disconnect. They're so mature and so cool and. And you know, what I said about this experience that's, like, just different than any experience I've been in is that people have so much more self awareness. I thought that I was mature and confident, but I think a lot of it was just a front. Like, I was just trying to figure it out and get by and like

[Danielle Fishel]

it till you make it, fake it

[Daniella Monet]

till that was more my narrative. Theirs is, like, authenticity, self awareness, like, good communication. And that was really important for me because I want us to be like this. And I, and I think, like, you know, I got to come in as now like a ep, which is so wild for me. But I think the, the biggest part of that role for me is being somewhat of like, like modeling best practices. Because this is for a lot of them, is their first show. A lot of them, it was their first table read, which was nuts. So seeing them just be such good humans and like, come together as such good humans, I'm like, shots. Kiss.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. That's exactly how I felt too. Is like modeling what it means to be a professional on stage and to do this work and to have boundaries and to take care of yourself and to take care of your fellow actors and to, you know, all of that was like the thing I was the most excited for and to be able to model. Kudos to you that you can start out out very young in this industry and still be in it this many decades later and still be happy and still be thriving and have a good, happy, normal, yes. Successful life.

[Daniella Monet]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that. That can be their future too. So very excited for you.

[Daniella Monet]

Thanks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Lucky for me, Daniella stuck around for a bonus Teen Beat that will air this Friday on our dedicated feed. We get into so much more about her life and upcoming return to the victorious universe. Plus, we hear from a dear listener willing to share their own embarrassment in order to make us feel better. And remember to check out teenbeatpod.com for Teen Beat merch. Teen Beat is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, voice that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram teenbeatpod.

[Daniella Monet]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.