Former Nickelodeon Star Tylor Chase Breaks His Silence About His Life After Child Stardom

Once a familiar face to millions of Nickelodeon viewers, Tylor Chase is now living a life far removed from television sets and studio lights.

At 36, the former child star is opening up about his reality on the streets of California, sharing his thoughts, memories, and contradictions with striking honesty.

His story is equal parts haunting, confusing, and deeply human.

Tylor Chase was just 15 when he landed the role that defined his early life. As Martin Qwerly on "Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide," he played the brainy, fast-talking student who became a staple of early-2000s Nickelodeon programming.

Chase appeared in all three seasons from 2004 to 2007, quickly becoming a recognizable face to young audiences.

But once the show wrapped, the momentum faded. Aside from a handful of small roles, his acting career stalled. He eventually left the industry behind, moving to Georgia to live with his father and attempting to reinvent himself creatively.

In 2014, Chase began posting poetry videos to YouTube, revealing a darker inner world. One poem titled "Bipolar" captured the fragility he was grappling with at the time. “I'm a leaf in a running gutter with the inevitable fate of ending up in a drain,” he said in the poem.

Another passage painted an even bleaker picture of how he viewed himself. It read, “I have a hard time in life. I know that I can make it better, but right now, I'm a magician who has misplaced his top hat and rabbits. No one comes to my shows any more.”

The poem ended with words that now echo painfully in light of his current circumstances. “I'm chained into my bedroom by the gravity of bipolar. Perhaps I am doomed. Perhaps I have done nothing. Perhaps I am nothing,” Chase said.

After leaving Georgia, Tylor Chase moved to Riverside, California, where his mother works as a realtor. He told the Daily Mail he arrived there “about seven to nine years” ago.

During that time, he continued chasing artistic outlets, self-publishing two fantasy novels in 2020 under the pen name Shrine Tylor. The books followed a magical painter who defeats a vampire king and ascends to Heaven, themes that mirrored his own search for escape and meaning.

He also continued uploading poetry readings and narrated chapters from his books online until late 2021. However, behind the creativity, instability was growing.

Over time, Chase began spending more of his life on the streets. Riverside County court records show 12 criminal cases against him since August 2023, including eight this year alone. His most recent arrests involved alleged shoplifting of items under $950 and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Warrants were issued in both cases, though police stress he is not currently wanted.

Riverside Police Department Public Information Officer Ryan Railsback confirmed, “During all of our interactions, he has been cordial and cooperative with our officers.”

Railsback also acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Chase’s living situation. “We do not know how long he has been experiencing homelessness,” he said, explaining that officers contact him weekly and offer support services.

Despite those efforts, Chase has declined assistance. According to Railsback, outreach teams have offered shelter, substance treatment, and mental health services, all of which he has refused. “Regarding family, I am not aware of any attempts by officers to contact relatives on his behalf,” he added.

When reporters found Chase behind a 7-Eleven in Riverside, he was digging through dirt, dressed in a torn purple jacket, an LA Raiders polo, and ill-fitting pants decorated with characters from Rugrats. His hands were blistered and dirty, yet he appeared upbeat and engaged.

“It’s not too shabby,” Chase said. “Life always gets better, keep your head up.”

Clutching discarded Christmas cards, he smiled at the thought of the holiday approaching. “They're very beautiful. I just like to cherish the idea of them, I would say,” he explained. “I get excited, festive, merry spirit. It seems like it is time to celebrate pretty soon.”

When recognized as a former Nickelodeon star, his demeanor changed instantly. “You heard about Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide? We started in 2004 and went to the third season in 2007. After that we had a wrap party, the festivities, like a happy holiday,” he recalled with pride.

Despite his circumstances, Chase repeatedly insisted he was not homeless. “It's not really like that, I have friends and family. I stay around here locally. My mom is here,” he said. “I have a lot of good people helping me.”

He continued, “It's not too shabby. A lot of people help out. It goes a long way.”

Speaking about charity and faith, Chase added, “I have family and friends, and the housing shelter assistance program. There's graceful charity from the grace of God's family people. That's a pretty chill aspect of it all. It's a true privilege, obviously.”

When offered food, Chase declined and made a different request. “I could use maybe a joint or a bong. Do you guys smoke weed?” he asked.

Tylor Chase openly discussed his substance use, telling reporters he “likes to vape” and takes “Prozac, Adderall, Sudafed, Wellbutrin or also Zoloft,” which he said were prescribed by a psychiatrist. He denied having any diagnosed mental health conditions.

Looking ahead, he said he was considering leaving California altogether.

“I'm not really active homeless at this time, I'm thinking that I would like to go see my dad, relatively shortly, in the state of Georgia,” he explained. “I have the whole setup to stay out there, a room out there hopefully... Probably a housing assistance program in Georgia most likely.”

His mother, Paula Moisio, has taken a firm stance against public fundraising. After a GoFundMe raised $1,200 for Chase earlier this year, she requested that it be taken down. “Tylor needs medical attention not money. But he refuses it,” she wrote.

She added, “I appreciate your effort. But money would not be a benefit to him. I have gotten him several phones, but he loses them within a day or two. He can't manage money for his meds by himself.”

The viral footage of Chase sparked emotional reactions from his former "Ned’s Declassified" co-stars.

Daniel Curtis Lee described the moment he learned about Chase’s situation. “There was some bad news that I received earlier this week about our dear friend Tylor Chase. It was a lot to process for me,” he said, calling the video “scary.”

Lee admitted feeling conflicted. He said, “When I first saw it, I was angry, because I was like, why put a camera on someone's face in hard times? But then I was upset with myself because I feel powerless because there's not much that I felt I could do.”

He also said he wanted to reconnect but worried about crossing boundaries, saying he didn’t want to “waste my time and put him on the spot.”

Lindsey Shaw echoed those feelings, saying she was “in the same boat” and wanted to see Chase in person. Devon Werkheiser, who has not seen Chase in two decades, called the situation “heartbreaking.”

“My only hope is that from this exposure, someone with real understanding and resources can step in, get Tylor into treatment, and help him get back on track,” Werkheiser said. “We all want a happy ending.”

That hope was echoed by former child star Shaun Weiss, who publicly offered help.

“I reached out to some friends of mine and we have a bed for him at a detox and we have a place for him to go and get long-term treatment,” Weiss said. “All we need to do now is find him. I'm not in Los Angeles or I would go look for him myself.”

As Tylor Chase continues navigating life far from the spotlight, his words reveal a man caught between gratitude and despair, memory and survival.

His story is no longer just about what happened after fame, but also about what happens when someone is still searching for solid ground long after the cameras stop rolling.