Nickelodeon's megahit show SpongeBob SquarePants made its TV debut on May 1, 1999. Fans of the cartoon span generations and the animated series has become a multibillion-dollar franchise.

Being cast as SpongeBob “was a huge game changer,” says Kenny, fresh from a convention appearance for the show in Jackson, Miss. “I had done stand-up, writing on shows and some on-camera acting.