List of Degrassi: The Next Generation characters

This is a list of those characters who have appeared in five or more episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Main characters

There is no single lead character, but from episode to episode one or two characters will usually be the focus of the main plot. Main characters listed here are those who are portrayed by actors billed in the opening credits.

Emma Nelson (Miriam McDonald)

(Seasons 1-)

Daughter of Christine "Spike" Nelson (who gave birth to Emma in between the second and third season of Degrassi Junior High), Emma is smart, determined and idealistic, sometimes to a fault. She champions broad causes such as protecting the environment and boycotting genetically modified food. She had an eating disorder in season 5. Her main love interest has been Sean Cameron since season one and peter in season 4. Emma also contracted gonorrhea from Jay Hogart.

James "Jimmy" Brooks (Aubrey Graham)

(Seasons 1-)

Jimmy is an athlete, but also has an artistic side. His family is also quite wealthy, although he resents that his parents are often absent. Jimmy teased Rick for a while, but later befriended him as they practiced for a game show together. His life took a tragic turn when his best friend Spinner led Rick to believe that Jimmy was behind a vicious prank on Rick, not knowing Rick was carrying a gun. Jimmy was shot in the back while he was trying to run away, and paralyzed from the waist down. This nearly destroyed his friendship with Spinner, but they have since reconciled. He has previously dated Ashley and Hazel, and tried to develop a relationship with Ellie. However, after kissing Ashley in "High Fidelity 2" (Season 5 finale), Jimmy and Ashley have reconciled. He was unable to graduate with the rest of his class because of the time he took out of school to recover from his injuries. In Season 7, Jimmy has started rapping, and is pursuing a career in music.

Theresa "Terri" MacGregor (Christina Schmidt)

(Seasons 1-3)

The only daughter of a widowed father, Terri McGregor struggles with insecurities about her appearance, due to the fact that she is more curvaceous than her very thin peers. Her career as a plus-size model improved her self-image, and helped her overcome her vulnerability to peer pressure, although her individuation remains incomplete. She once possessed a keen interest in the occult. In Grade 10, never having experienced a real boyfriend, she tried hard to make a relationship work with Rick. She worked through his obsessiveness and abusiveness, and came back to the relationship, forgiving him each time. In the moment she was strong, but liked the feeling of being loved. She made a mistake forgiving him the first time, for in the final chapter, she was knocked into a coma by Rick. (Rick violently pushed her, she fell down and hit her head on a cinder block.) She was not spoken of again until Rick came back to Degrassi. In a deleted scene from an episode leading up to the shooting, concerned students speak to Mr. Simpson about Rick's return to Degrassi and what he did to Terri. It was then revealed that Terri transferred to a private school.

Ashley Kerwin (Melissa McIntyre)

(Seasons 1–4; guest appearance Season 5; recurring Season 6-7)

Introverted Ashley strives to be good to the people around her, but is finding out that that's not always possible while being good, or even true, to yourself. One major point in Ashley's history was her mistake of trying the drug ecstasy, instead of disposing of it. She suffered the consequences of her actions while under its influence for almost an entire year, by being isolated and shunned by most of her former friends, except for Terri. She also lost her relationship with boyfriend Jimmy Brooks, whom she had been dating for many months. This isolation set in motion her friendship with Ellie, and her goth stage. It was believed that Ashley and Craig were soulmates, but in this school nothing ever stays 'nice'. She came back to him after he cheated on her with and impregnated Manny Santos. She stuck to the relationship, always caring for Craig, but it proved to be too much stress and drama for her; she preferred a normal boyfriend but didn't tell this to Craig. Ashley went to England for a summer and fell in love with a man she met there. She decided to stay in England to be with him, and broke up with Craig over an email. After the relationship failed, she returned to Degrassi to enroll for the next school year (season 6). She was initially part of the Class of 2006. In Season 7, she rekindled her relationship with Jimmy and they started a music duo, but they have since broken up.

Liberty Van Zandt (Sarah Barrable-Tishauer)

(Seasons 1-)

Liberty is very a pristine and intelligent savant. Her main love interest is J.T. Yorke, who she has been attracted to since the beginning of the series, much to the dismay of J.T. In season 4, she and J.T. finally become a couple. They become sexually active, and in season 5 Liberty accidentally becomes pregnant. In season 5 Liberty becomes Student Body President. This accomplishment adds to the stress of pregnancy, and causes her to no longer want to be pregnant. J.T., although not very keen on babies, knows it isn't right and finally convinces Liberty to seek help. J.T. resorts to selling drugs to make money and eventually becomes so depressed about the situation that he attempts suicide. Her and J.T. finally decide to put the baby for adoption, and they break up. In season six, Manny throws a birthday party for Liberty, Liberty gets into an argument with J.T. After the argument he talks to Toby and realizes he's still in love with Liberty. This is what caused J.T. to leave the party, which led to his murder. Toby later reveals to Liberty that J.T. still had feelings for her when he died. She also broke down crying when she saw a video of J.T. playing with Isabella, Mia Jones' daughter.

Manuella "Manny" Santos (Cassie Steele)

(Seasons 1-)

Born in Manila, Philippines, Manny is a Filipino girl who is struggling to define herself. Her demeanor and appearance have changed drastically over the years. Once giggly, girlish, and greatly naive, she has evolved into a head strong and confident woman over the course of the series. Often criticized for being a "slut" by both fellow students and her father, she has become emotional. In season 3, Craig cheated on Ashley with Manny, and Manny became pregnant with Craig's child, causing her to have to get an abortion (although the episode was initially unaired in the U.S. due to controversy; the episode was aired later). She is an actress, having appeared in a leading role in the Kevin Smith film shot at Degrassi during season 4. She left home and moved in with Emma's family after her strict parents kicked her out. She stays there for the remainder of season 4 and from seasons 5-6. And she soon saw Emma as the "sister she never had" after a couple months after moving in" Manny began dating Craig in season 6, but ended the relationship after discovering his addiction to cocaine. She became engaged to Jay Hogart in the middle of season 7, but has since broken the engagement. She will be attending Smithdale University for the coming school year with Emma.

Archibald "Archie" "Snake" Simpson (Stefan Brogren)

(Seasons 1-)

Archibald (Archie/Snake) is a student from the original series who has become a teacher at Degrassi. He marries Christine "Spike" Nelson in the second season and becomes Emma's stepfather. In the third season Spike gives birth to their son Jack. He is diagnosed with cancer in the third season, but then he goes into remission. In the fifth season, he was seen by Emma kissing Ms. Hatzilakos, and was briefly separated from Spike. Later, they made up and he moved back in.

Tobias "Toby" Isaacs (Jake Goldsbie)

(Seasons 1–5; recurring Season 6-)

Toby is introduced in the first episode of the series as a friend of J. T. Yorke, having met previously at summer camp. With Toby moving into the Degrassi school district due to his dad re-marrying, he is forced to attend Degrassi and soon strikes up friendships with Emma, Manny, and Sean. He is also Ashley's step-brother.

Toby often chooses intellectual pursuits over social endeavors and in the early seasons, was proud of being a 'nerd'. However, because he spent more time on these activities than developing his social skills, Toby was often awkward when dealing with other students and suffers some isolation and abuse from that difference. He has a sarcastic sense of humor, and is good with planning, computers, and is often a sounding board to his friends problems.

Toby had a brief relationship with Spinner's adopted sister Kendra while he was in grade eight and she was in grade seven. Though Kendra and Toby had some minor spats during their relationship, they ultimately ended it during the summer between grade nine and ten. Once friends with Rick, the student who ultimately brought a gun to Degrassi, Toby had mixed feelings after Rick's death. However, he ultimately attended his funeral with Manny and J.T.

In the fifth season, J.T. leans on Toby more than ever while dealing with Liberty's pregnancy. When things begin to overwhelm J.T. to the point that he attempts suicide, Toby steps in for J.T. and cares for Liberty as she enters the final weeks of her pregnancy. Already working together on student council, the friendship between Liberty and Toby strengthens as a result of J.T.'s absence. As Liberty and J.T. quarrel, Toby acts as a conduit between the two of them. Liberty's water broke in Toby's car after it had broken down on the way to a meeting. She was taken to the hospital by an ambulance and gave birth the baby at the hospital. Liberty eventually gave the baby up for adoption.

In season six, a rivalry between Degrassi and neighboring Lakehurst High School develops with Toby being the first casualty in the war declared between the two of them; a result of a beating by a group of Lakehurst thugs. J.T. had wanted to seek revenge, but Toby convinces him otherwise in the hopes that the situation would cool. Unfortunately, things only escalated and Toby must once again deal with death as J.T. is slain by the Lakehurst thugs. When the doctor at the hospital refuses to tell any of J.T.'s friends his condition, Toby claims to be his brother, leading the doctor to reveal the information to them. Organizing a memorial for his departed friend, the relationship between Toby and Liberty intensifies as they both draw strength from the other following their loss. A big feather in his cap comes at the winter prom as he's named Prom King, which he believed J.T. would be proud of.

As season seven develops, Lakehurst is forced into the ranks of Degrassi following the burning of their school. Toby is outspoken at first, claiming in a podcast that Degrassi should not welcome murderers in their halls. Sensing the situation to be escalating back to the levels which led to J.T.'s death, Toby ultimately retracts his podcast after a consultation at J.T.'s grave.

Gavin "Spinner" Mason (Shane Kippel)

(Seasons 1-)

So nicknamed for his bouts of ADHD, Spinner is an upperclassman who doesn't mind using his age and size to his advantage. He has an adopted sister named Kendra Mason. Often a bully to other students, Gavin alternates between being extremely closed-minded to being an incredibly supportive and loyal friend. The closest friend has been Jimmy Brooks. That loyalty has waned from stealing from him, to blaming a prank on him, resulting in his shooting. He's been isolated for this. He fell in love with Paige for a few seasons but they ended up breaking up, causing his personality change from a popular, loving boyfriend to an outcast rebel, which was further reinforced after his minor involvement in Jimmy's shooting, which turned him into a pariah among his friends. Spinner became a born-again Christian through his new girlfriend Darcy and joined The Friendship Club, a Christian group at Degrassi and slowly began winning his friends back, beginning with Marco. Spinner broke off his relationship with Darcy when she became jealous over issues concerning past sexual experiences. Darcy asked Spinner to take her back, but retracted the offer when she discovered he'd broken his vows by sleeping with Paige. Even though Spinner's life was seeming to come back together, his only real desire was to reconcile with Jimmy. At the very end of "High Fidelity, Part 2", Spinner reconciles with Jimmy during the graduation ceremony when the two are held back. Shortly after he begs Darcy for forgiveness prior to her departure for camp, but she doesn't know if she can forgive him. When the episode concludes, their future remains uncertain. However, in sixth-season premiere "Here Comes Your Man", Darcy did give him another chance. Later on, in season 6, he breaks up with her once again after finding close-to-nude pictures of Darcy on the internet. Having been expelled briefly as punishment for his involvement in Jimmy's shooting left Spinner unable to graduate with his class. In season seven he has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and went through a period of reckless behavior, believing that he had nothing to live for.

James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke (Ryan Cooley)

(Seasons 1-6)

J.T. was the resident class clown. His quick wit and humorous come-backs gave him attention and made him lots of friends, and got him into just as much trouble. He lived with his grandmother after his father left his mother. J.T. was a typical teen horn-dog and was insecure after thinking that his penis was not very big, even resorting to a penis-pump. His most recent trouble had been getting his girlfriend, Liberty, pregnant and then struggling to make money to raise the baby. After being controlled by Liberty, J.T. didn't want to take it anymore, dumping Liberty during her pregnancy. He refused to abandon her though because he didn't want to be anything like his father. He finally resorted to stealing drugs from the pharmacy where he worked to sell. Following arguments with both Liberty and Toby, and realizing he's ruined his life by becoming a drug-dealer, J.T. attempted suicide by overdosing on the stolen oxycodone. Rushed to the hospital, his stomach was pumped, and he barely survived, having been put on suicide watch. The baby is born prematurely and J.T. only got to see him for a few moments before he is given to its adoptive parents. In season 6, a girl named Mia Jones wanted to be on the Spirit Squad, but because she is a teenage mother, Darcy Edwards refused to let her onto the squad. After Darcy made a terribly rude remark to Mia about her and her daughter, Mia starts a fight with Darcy pushing her into Nic, her ex-boyfriend from Lakehurst. Mia slapped Nic for embarrassing her in front of the whole school starting a big brawl. J.T. hit Nic in the head with his panther helmet, knocking Nic to the ground. Nic let him know that it wasn't over between them. Months later, J.T. and Mia began dating, and J.T. helped take care of Mia's daughter, Isabella. Nic and his trouble-making friends returned, cornering Danny, Derek and Toby. Nic threatened them and declared war on Degrassi. Nic was supposed to fight J.T., but Mia convinced J.T. not to fight him. Later, Mia went out of town and J.T. convinced Emma and Manny to have a birthday party for Liberty at Emma's house, while Snake and Spike were out of town. J.T. left the party to tell Liberty he was still in love with her, but two Lakehurst guys were waiting by his car. One of them fatally stabbed J.T., puncturing his aorta, hours later J.T was pronounced dead.

Paige Michalchuk (Lauren Collins)

(Seasons 1-)

Paige is a popular fashionista with a sharp tongue who often says things which are hurtful to others. "Brutally blunt" is her phrase of choice to describe her attitude at telling people like it is. Paige is no stranger to trials herself, however, and may be a more vulnerable person than indicated by the personality she shows to the outside world. After a date with an older student from another school ended in rape, Paige become more kind and gentle than evil to her peers. She dated Spinner and later Mr. Oleander, a student teacher at Degrassi, and developed a relationship with him that had to remain secret. The secret got out, after having a physical altercation with the girl she trusted with the secret, Manny. Recently struck by anxiety about college applications and resumes, she smoked marijuana to try to convince Alex to consider going to college as well. She didn’t expect to see a friend-of-the-family representative from her university of choice (Banting in Kingston). Her parents found out that she was high through this friend. After the Kevin Smith movie premiere, Paige discovered that she was bisexual and Alex became her girlfriend, although she was concerned that other people would talk nastily about her behind her back at first. Paige and Alex broke up when Paige got accepted at Banting in Kingston and they realized they were going on different paths. In season 7, Paige began suffering from anxiety attacks due to her hectic college schedule, and eventually dropped out, moving in with Marco, Ellie, and Alex, with whom she becomes romantically involved again. She gets a job at a fashion designer company, and breaks up with Alex, and kicks her out of the house. She recently dated and slept with her roommate Griffin who is HIV positive he has not told her about his disease she finds out on her own. She goes to get tested for HIV and is told that the results will not come in for another 6 months.

Sean Cameron (Daniel Clark)

(Seasons 1–4 & 6, (guest appearance in season 7)

Sean is a troubled teen with a violent past. He was expelled from his previous school for involvement in a fight with bad consequences, and despite his best efforts to be normal, he often has flares of anger that get him into trouble again. Living with his older brother Tracker in a run-down apartment, Sean also wants desperately to have the material things that others have. Emma was his first love; then he moved on to Ellie. They became quite serious, even renting an apartment and moving in together. Sean started a criminal life when he began to associate himself with Jay Hogart. In season four, Sean returned to Wasaga Beach in an attempt to cope with, among other stresses, the fact that he accidentally took Rick's life while trying to save Emma's. He abruptly ended his relationship with Ellie by moving, leaving her with an apartment she couldn't pay for on her own. Sean returns to Degrassi at the beginning of season 6 and has rekindled his romance with Emma Nelson. He was arrested and served a brief time in jail for vehicular manslaughter charges brought on after he hit a man while street racing Peter. When released he continued his relationship with Emma. He gets expelled from school when Peter plants drugs in his locker. He currently works as a mechanic at a shop where Jay works, and eventually joins the military. On a weekend off from training, he returns to the Nelson's residence, where he informs them that he will be fighting in Afghanistan. Scared to go, he reaches out to Snake for help.

Daniel "Dan" Raditch (Dan Woods)

(Seasons 1–4)

Ex-principal of Degrassi. Was a teacher to the adults (Spike, Snake, Joey, Caitlin etc.) that attended Degrassi Junior High/High. He was transferred out of Degrassi after the school shooting because it was felt that he had mishandled Rick's problems and issues prior to the shooting.

Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni)

(guest appearance Season 1; Seasons 2–5)

Owner of a car dealership, father of Angela and stepfather of Craig Manning. Dated Sydney, Caitlin Ryan and currently Diane. Was a former student at Degrassi.

Craig Manning (Jake Epstein)

(Seasons 2–5; recurring Season 6; guest appearance Season 7)

The consummate artist, Craig first could be seen being an avid photographer. But it would come to light suddenly that he likes to play the guitar when he forms a band after being adopted by Joey. Dealing with his abusive father before the adoption has made the transition to adulthood difficult for Craig and he continues to work though this and other issues, including a deceased loving mother, cheating on his girlfriend Ashley, impregnating Manny and being diagnosed as bipolar. He rekindled the relationship with Ashley with much hardship, but she couldn't handle his illness, and moved away from him, obviously dumping him when she found a new boyfriend, and never having bothered getting around to tell him personally. Craig has developed a friendship with Ellie, due to their being in the same therapy group, but does not want a romantic relationship with her. He instead chooses to rekindle his relationship with Manny. Craig went to Vancouver to work on a solo album in season 6, but returns at the end of High Fidelity Part 2 to say goodbye to his fellow graduating classmates. During his time in Vancouver, Craig and Manny maintain a long-distance relationship. He returns in season 6 in the episode, "What's it feel like to be a ghost?". Manny soon realizes that Craig has an addiction to cocaine. She cannot handle his addiction and leaves him. Ellie tries to help Craig, and threatens to tell Joey what he has been doing, but Craig kisses Ellie and tells her he loves her, and after she says it back, he asks for his drugs back. Ellie storms out of the room, and Craig goes on stage to do an opening for Taking Back Sunday. As he is playing however, his nose starts to bleed because of the cocaine. He is sent off to Calgary (where Joey now lives) at the end of the episode, telling Ellie that he really does love her, but not having the affection returned.

Eleanor "Ellie" Nash (Stacey Farber)

(recurring Season 2; Seasons 3-)

Ellie Nash started off as a goth, whose father is in the army and whose mother is an alcoholic, which spawns from not being able to cope with her husband's constant leaving. Ellie quickly became friends with Ashley Kerwin, a fellow goth at the time, and took a liking to Marco Del Rossi, who became her boyfriend. Marco and Ellie had a romantic relationship, until Marco revealed his homosexuality to her, and the remainder of the relationship was spent as a cover until Marco was ready to come out to everyone else. Ellie has a passion for journalism and that led to her getting a co-op with local and famed reporter Caitlin Ryan. During the stint as a co-op, stress became too much for Ellie and Paige discovered Ellie's method of coping, cutting herself. Ellie eventually blossomed a relationship with Sean, which lasted successfully until her junior year. But, once the school shooting came around, Sean fled to his hometown of Wasaga Beach, leaving Ellie behind. Ellie soon moved back in with her mother and later joined a support group, which fellow classmate and best friend's boyfriend, Craig Manning, later also joined because of his bipolar disorder. Craig and Ellie have since developed a close friendship. Though later on in the season she and Jimmy both discovered a mutual love for art, the crush developed on his part, but was not mutual. Her crush on Craig seemed to be unrequited as he has rekindled his romance with ex-girlfriend Manny Santos, stating that he saw nothing more in Ellie than a good friend. In Season 6 after going off to college and leaving Degrassi behind Ellie finds a new boyfriend; a fellow college journalist who is a few years older, and moves in with Marco and his boyfriend Dylan.

Hazel Aden (Andrea Lewis)

(recurring Seasons 1 & 2; Seasons 3-5)

Hazel is a smart, popular Somali Muslim girl who is occasionally mean and sassy, but outside of her catty circle of friends usually deals with others with more kindness than she displays in front of her peers. She is sidekick to Paige Michalchuk and follows her personality with rude snide remarks. She fell in love with Jimmy, and dated him for a couple of years. She struggled with the fact that the shooting left Jimmy handicapped, but stayed faithful to him, until she suspected that he had feelings for Ellie. After she found out that Jimmy was into Ellie and not her, she finally broke up with him. She once tried to pretend that she was Jamaican during a diversity celebration, but when an Iraqi classmate's poster was vandalized with anti-Muslim slurs, Hazel is accused of having committed the crime, though she is innocent. After the true culprits are caught, she realizes that she must be true to herself instead of trying to conceal her identity. She was a part of the 2006 graduating class, and left the show after the final episode of the fifth season.

Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto)

(recurring Seasons 1 & 2; 3- (only 3 appearances in season 7)

Hairdresser and mother of Emma, with whom she was pregnant in the original series. In the second season she married Archibald "Snake" Simpson, and in the third season she gave birth to their son Jack.

Caitlin Ryan (Stacie Mistysyn)

(guest appearances Seasons 1, 2 & 7; Seasons 3-5 {only one episode in Season 5})

A prominent TV journalist who has had a long standing on-again off-again relationship with Joey Jeremiah since their junior high days. She broke up with Joey in season four to accept a position in the U.S. at a nationally syndicated news magazine. Caitlyn made one appearance in the Season 5, in "I Against I", to help cheer Spike up. She then returned in Season 7 for a guest appearance in "Jesse's Girl".

Marco Del Rossi (Adamo Ruggiero)

(recurring Season 2; Seasons 3-)

An openly gay student at Degrassi, Marco has taken the role of a "gay guardian angel", a person who dispenses helpful advice to other students. Marco was an A student at Degrassi and now attends the University of Toronto, and lives with Paige and Ellie. He came out after pressured by Ellie, his ex-girlfriend who was tired of pretending. It was only verbally done to two people, but everyone knew before long. He dated Paige's older brother Dylan. However they broke up because Dylan wanted an open relationship. In season 5, after briefly dating Tim, Marco reconciled with Dylan and they are now back together. His mother is understanding of Marco's sexuality, but his father wasn't quite as accepting when he finally came out to him during the 5th season. However, Marco's father eventually accepted him.

Jason "Jay" Hogart (Mike Lobel)

(recurring Seasons 3 & 4; Seasons 5–)

Jay is a belligerent rebel who carefully cultivates his bad boy image by being genuinely amoral. He seems to be involved with all of the illegal or inappropriate activities around Degrassi, and once admitted to being the "Low-down dirty sinner". He first appeared in a confrontation with Dylan about Dylan being a homosexual. He has been caught stealing a few times. He is also sexually active and help spread gonorrhea at school, including to Emma Nelson. He dated Alex for a while, but Alex broke up with him when she discovered Jay was cheating on her. He works as a mechanic at an auto repair shop. In season three, he developed a friendship with Sean and proceeded to become a bad influence on him. Similarly, he also befriended Spinner and became a bad influence on him as well. Jay was expelled from Degrassi because of his involvement with Rick's school shooting. He is now working as a mechanic. Sean is still friends with Jay but Spinner has stopped associating with him. Currently, he is ex-engaged to Manny Santos.

Alexandra "Alex" Nuñez (Deanna Casaluce)

(recurring Seasons 3, 4, & 7; Seasons 5 & 6)

Alex dated Jay and was a member of his gang. She presents a tough feisty exterior, but is sensitive on the inside. Once prejudiced against homosexuals, she became vice-president under Marco, whom she befriended. She is partially responsible for conducting a prank, using her title as alibi, which resulted in Rick shooting Jimmy, and some slight, and fleeting guilt. Her mom is divorced and has an abusive boyfriend, which bothers Alex. Alex originally felt that she would not go to college or amount to anything in life, self-fulfilling her belief that she will be stuck in a dead-end job forever. Originally disliking Paige, Alex realizes she may have hidden feelings for her, feelings that Paige also had and they dated and recently broke up. She revealed to Jay she was a lesbian. In Season 6 she returns to Degrassi again as a senior and improves her grades so she can get into college. At the Season 6, Alex becomes a stripper to support herself and her mother, but later quits once she discovers that her mother is wasting the much needed money she is making, and after Paige threatens to break up with her over it. In season 7 she moves out of her mom's house and lives with Marco, Ellie, and Paige, until she is kicked out after a fight with Paige in the episode "Love is a Battlefield."

Peter Stone (Jamie Johnston)

(Seasons 5–)

Peter is Mrs. Hatzilakos' son. From his first appearance in the series, Peter is established as mischievous and immoral. Peter got Manny drunk and convinced her to take her top off on camera when he was a sophomore, and from then on was known as the "devil" at the school. Emma and Peter began dating and were forced to keep it a secret from her best friend Manny, and he stuck with her during her anorexia/bulimia crisis. When Sean returned to Degrassi, Emma and Sean began dating and Peter started a rivalry with Sean that ended with Sean being expelled from school after Peter put drugs in his locker. He turned to Darcy and convinced her to put racy pictures of herself on the internet for money. After that scandal, Peter was left with no friends and no one to talk to. In season 6, Darcy forgives Peter and they secretly start dating. Darcy has been a good influence on Peter, who has been considerably better behaved since dating her. In season 7, Peter stays by Darcy after she is raped. Eventually they tell other people which spreads to the whole school.

Daphne Hatzilakos (Melissa DiMarco)

(guest appearance Season 2; recurring Seasons 3 & 4; Seasons 5–7)

Former science teacher, who is now the Degrassi principal. She is the mother of Peter Stone, though she is divorced. She and Snake were seen kissing by Emma and Peter, although the affair never went further.

Darcy Edwards (Shenae Grimes)

(recurring Seasons 4 & 5; Seasons 6-)

Darcy Edwards is a strait laced Christian who is in the Spirit Squad and eventually becomes one of the leaders. Later, Darcy joined a Christian group at school called the "Friendship Club". Spinner joined the club, and the two soon began dating. After dating for a while, they broke up when Darcy found out that Spinner wasn't a virgin. They got back together when he religiously restored his virginity, but then Spinner and Paige had sex, so Darcy broke up with Spinner again. The next year, Darcy and Spinner got back together, but when Darcy began posting "sexy" pictures of herself on the internet for money for the Spirit Squad, they broke up. Darcy started dating Peter in season 6. In season 7, Darcy is drugged and raped in the first episode, and as a result of the rape, Darcy contracts the STD chlamydia and attempts to commit suicide.

Mia Jones (Nina Dobrev)

(recurring Season 6; Season 7-)

Mia Jones is the new girl at Degrassi who transferred from Lakehurst. She's a single teenage mom with a little girl named Isabella. She is on the cheerleading squad and is liked by Manny. However, Darcy dislikes her for being a teen mother and denied her a spot on the squad. After Darcy left the squad for personal reasons, Mia was added to the team. Mia admired J.T. and his love of children and they soon began dating. Unfortunately, the relationship ended when J.T. was killed. Soon after, Mia is reunited with the father of her daughter, Lucas Valieri, a Lakehurst bully who now attends Degrassi.

Derek Haig (Marc Donato)

(recurring Seasons 5 & 6; 7-)

Derek went on a date with Emma, but it did not go well as they had nothing in common. Derek hurt Liberty's feelings when he began to question why she gave her child up for adoption. Derek later revealed that he was adopted and tries to understand Liberty's decision and how she feels about giving up her baby.

Daniel "Danny" Van Zandt (Dalmar Abuzeid)

(recurring Seasons 4-6; 7-)

Danny Van Zandt is the younger brother of Liberty, and has made friends with J.T. Yorke so much so to the point that JT's best friend, Toby Issacs, felt alienated and befriended Rick Murray, the school shooter. While Danny and Liberty have the normal cat-and-dog relationship that is sometime seen between siblings, Danny is very protective and cares very much about her, as seen when it was discovered that JT impregnated Liberty. He was very helpful with the pregnancy, after attempting to blackmail JT into helping him get a good grade in Family and Consumer Science.

Holly J. Sinclair (Charlotte Arnold)

(Season 7-)

Holly J. is the sister of Heather Sinclair. Holly J. shares a locker with Mia Jones, and gives Mia the nickname of 'Mamma Mia'. Holly J. also has a best friend, Anya MacPherson. In late season 7, Holly forms feelings for Toby after he tutors her.

Jane Valieri (Paula Brancati)

(Season 7-)

Jane is another character who arrived at Degrassi after the Lakehurst fire. She has a punk look. Immediately, Spinner took liking to her and the two began to date. She and Spinner have had a few problems; namely when he walked out on their date due to pain from his cancer, and when he resorted to marijuana because of his cancer. Her brother is Lucas Valieri, father to Mia's daughter, though she prefers that people not know that they're brother and sister. She once confessed to Darcy that her real name is Anastasia.

Damian Hayes (Mazin Elsadig)

(Recurring season 6, Season 7-)

Damian was first introduced in "Rock this Town," as the student council president of Lakehurst. Manny tries to set him up with Liberty, but the two end up hitting it off themselves. They have a "sort-of" relationship until two episodes later, when Emma and Manny's friendship is almost ruined due to Manny dating someone from the school that J.T.'s murderer was from. This season he transferred to Degrassi after the Lakehurst fire, and became a main character billed in the credits. He and Manny tried to go out again, but the two had different beliefs on whether or not Degrassi and Lakehurst sport teams and student councils should merge. When they break up, they joke around it is because he is black, and rumors surface that Manny is racist. When the Purple Dragon hosts a badminton tournament at Degrassi, Damian encourages Emma to become a model, but that does not work out. He and Emma began a relationship in "Got My Mind Set on You", and there was no mention of her boyfriend Sean, in the army at the time.

Minor characters

Minor characters listed here are those who are not portrayed by actors billed in the opening credits but who have appeared in five or more episodes.

Anya MacPherson (Samantha Munro)

(recurring season 7-)

Anya is the best friend and follower of Holly J. She does whatever Holly J. tells her to do or else. They even dress similar. When Mia tries to talk to Anya about Holly J., Anya just replies that at least she is not alone like Mia.

Jeff Isaacs (Nigel Hamer)

(recurring seasons 1 & 2)

Jeff Isaacs is the father of Toby Isaacs, stepfather of Ashley Kerwin, husband of Kate Kerwin, and ex-husband of Anne Marie Isaacs.

First seen touring the new school with Toby in the first Degrassi: The Next Generation episode, "Mother and Child Reunion, Part 1", Jeff Isaacs has made a number of appearances throughout the first season of the series. Though a loving father to Toby, he and his ex-wife Anne Marie cannot have a conversation without it turning into an argument. After splitting up, he and Toby move in with his new girlfriend, Kate Kerwin (Ashley's mother), which causes some friction between the new siblings. He essentially treats Ashley like a step daughter even though he is not officially married with Kate.

On Degrassi Community School's Parents Day, the relationship between him and his ex-wife is revealed. It is apparent that they cannot even be in the same room with each other without arguing and as they were meeting for their son's parent-teacher interview, Jeff promises Toby that they will have no arguments. However, even though Jeff tries not to engage his ex-wife further during the interview, he eventually falters and joins Anne Marie in an escalating argument. Jeff takes a strong stance that Anne Marie breaks her commitment to their family to instead, pursue her casting career. The specific reason for why they separated is unknown but its revealed that it was Anne Marie that left, who also cites that threats are "Jeff's area of expertise".

In the episode "Secrets & Lies", when Ashley comes home from being dropped off by her father, she walks in on Jeff and Kate arguing over doing the dishes. When the argument is seemingly about to be escalated by Jeff, he sees his stepdaughter and simply jokes that Kate was in "one of her moods again". Even though it seemed their relationship may have been faltering and deteriorating into Jeff's previous relationship with his ex-wife, it was not the case as they both still share a strong and loving bond.

Kate Kerwin (Maria Ricossa)

(recurring season 1-4)

The mother of Ashley Kerwin and girlfriend of Jeff Isaacs, she splits up with her husband after finding out that he's gay and cheated on her. When Jeff and his son Toby move in, to accommodate Toby, she dotes him and always takes his side sometimes over her own daughter Ashley. This, in addition to Toby's attitude and behaviour, causes the sibling like rivalry between him and Ashley.

It's shown that she has some knowledge of science when her and Jeff comically interrupt Toby and J.T., who were watching porn. When Toby questions "... are those real?", Jeff and Kate, who have come home early unbeknownst to the two boys, Jeff responds with "actually, I'll say silicon" and Kate retorts with "or saline solution". They both agree on disciplining J.T. and Toby by forcing to watch porn with them (including gay) so they can learn the hard lesson about objectifying women.

She has also been seen briefly in an episode, scolding Ash for writing music instead of being sick, like she had claimed after Craig broke up with her.

Matt Oleander (Christopher Jacot)

(recurring season 4 & 5)

Matt started out as a student teacher's assistant under Mr. Simpson, and yoga instructor at Degrassi. Paige crushed on him and got her way when he kissed her, starting their secret relationship. This lasted the entire second semester of the school year. Matt was a struggling college student and a teaching enthusiast. He lived in an apartment worse than Sean's, and tried to shield Paige from seeing it to allow her to keep her fantasy vision of how wonderful it must be. One person was in on the secret, and that was Manny, who witnessed their kiss. Manny was good about keeping the secret until Paige made her mad by missing spirit squad rehearsals, so Manny started a cat fight with Paige and revealed the secret to the crowd. Manny also accidentally informed Hazel, who is well known for being "secrecy-challenged", but Hazel only caused some heat. Matt was questioned about his paramour, and took responsibility, realizing that calling her a stalker wasn't cool. He was kicked out of school, and left for a couple of months. He came back scraggly-looking and unkempt, and told Paige about plans to move to Vancouver as a painter.

Angela "Angie" Jeremiah (Alex Steele)

(recurring season 2-5)

Angela Jeremiah is the daughter of Joey and Julia Jeremiah and the half-sister of Craig Manning.

When Craig becomes introduced, Angela is the subject of his photographs to complete his "My Perfect Family" collection. In an instance where he photographed her in her school playground, Angela spotted her half-brother almost immediately and they both talk. With Angela notes that he had been gone for an extended period of time, Craig remarks that he has returned from camp and that they wouldn't be separated, despite his father's wishes. Craig's wish to not reveal their relationship to both their fathers puts some strain on Angela as she accidentally tells Joey that Craig saw her, as she immediately quiets herself when she realizes her mistake. Being babysat by Emma, Angela saw more of her brother, who openly lied to Joey saying that Albert was okay with their visits. When they were tickling each other, Angela was the first to see the bruises Craig received from his father's beatings but accepted his claim that a "dinosaur" did it. She later retold it to Joey, which consolidated the allegations of Craig's abusive father. Craig leaves his father and moves in with Joey and Angela.

Chantay Black (Jajube Mandiela)

(recurring seasons 4-)

Chantay Black is on the Spirit Squad and is best friends with Darcy Edwards. She had a significant lust for Chester Hosoda-Bloom, helped in the scheme that broke Paige Michalchuk's leg, and revealed to Paige that Manny's topless video was circulating around the school, ultimately getting Manny kicked off the Spirit Squad. She later believes Holly J.'s lies about Manny being a racist.

Ms. Kwan (Linlyn Lue)

(recurring seasons 1-)

Ms. Kwan is the English teacher at Degrassi and is known to be strict, but is a rather good teacher. She briefly left the first year she worked at Degrassi to take care of her sick husband causing Spinner and Jimmy to feel guilty over a series of mean-spirited pranks they played on her.

Scott "Tracker" Cameron (Kristen Holden-Ried)

(recurring seasons 1-4)

Tracker is Sean's older brother and they lived in an apartment together, until getting an unrefusable job offer in Alberta, leaving Sean alone when he moved there with girlfriend Kim. He dispenses brotherly wisdom from time to time and tried to keep Sean out of trouble again, by trying to keep him away from Jay Hogart, but to no avail. Tracker left Sean to be emancipated and left the apartment in Sean's care, until Sean too vacated the apartment for their parents' home in Wasaga Beach, leaving the apartment to Sean's girlfriend, Ellie Nash, who couldn't afford it on her own.

Coach Armstrong (Michael Kinney)

(recurring seasons 1-)

Coach Armstrong is the Mathematics teacher for all grades at Degrassi, and shows he's dedicated to his job by taking time out to tutor students who are having trouble in the course. But this dedication started to spawn nasty rumours that he and Liberty Van Zandt were having an inappropriate relationship, when the real reason behind Liberty's tutoring is that she had a learning disability called dyscalculia. Coach Armstrong coaches the boys' sports teams and takes an active part in Degrassi's sports programme.

Dylan Michalchuk (John Bregar)

(recurring seasons 3-6)

A graduate of Degrassi class of ‘04 and Paige's older brother, Dylan is openly gay. He was Marco's first boyfriend and only intimate partner, and they recently broke up due to Dylan wanting an "open relationship". It is theorized that Jay may have an old feud with Dylan, though no explanation has ever been offered. It could just be plain homophobia. Dylan is a jock, playing both volleyball and college hockey. He recently got back together with Marco at the end of season 5. In season 6, Dylan moved to Switzerland to play hockey, and at the beginning of season 7, he and Marco break up because neither can handle the long distance.

Richard "Rick" Murray (Ephraim Ellis)

(recurring seasons 3 & 4)

Rick is an intellectual, psychotic young man. He had major anger problems, where he would turn violent. He was in love with Terri, but was a controlling, obsessive, abusive boyfriend. He shoved her, she fell on the ground and hit her head on the edge a concrete block, putting her in a coma. He left school, to return a little late next year to a place where he was not welcome. Despite his insistence that he's gotten help for his problem and is trying to put his life back together, his classmates never let him forget what happened with Terri. At one point, his tormentors dumped paint on him in front of the school during an academics competition. He returned after lunch that day with a gun. He was mislead into believing his friend, Jimmy, pulled the prank. He shot him and was going to shoot Emma when Sean tussled with the gun and twisted it back towards Rick. The gun went off and Rick was killed.

Dean Walton (Shawn Roberts)

(guest appearances seasons 2 & 4)

Raped Paige in the episode "Shout". During the episode "How Soon Is Now", Dean comes back to Degrassi to play with his basketball team in the tournament. Paige tells J.T. about her rape and he attempts to beat up Dean. In the episode "Ghost in the Machine", Paige faces Dean in court and loses. Then after she crashes a frat party announcing Dean is a rapist, she totals Spinner's car by slamming it into Dean's.

Sav Bhandari (Raymond Ablack)

(recurring season 7-)

Sav transferred to Degrassi from Lakehurst after the Lakehurst fire. He is the object of many girls affections, and is shown to be very immature. Manny was the first person we saw to like him, but this passed when she found out he was in grade 10. Mia and Holly J. both liked him, which was one of the main factors of their rivalry. Sav shut them both out until the episode "Hungry Eyes" when he paired up with Mia for the badminton tournament and revealed that he has never kissed a girl. Mia gave him his first kiss, but when she tried to kiss him again he revealed that he liked Anya instead.

Johnny DiMarco (Scott Patterson)

(recurring season 7-)

Johnny was first introduced as one of Nic's thugs from Lakehurst in season 6. He helped beat Toby up, and was present when Drake Lempkey stabbed J.T. In season 7 he transferred to Degrassi after the Lakehurst fire, which caused problems for Toby. Johnny tried to make a truce, which Toby did not accept, and revealed his feelings through a podcast. After talking with Liberty, Toby tried to take Johnny up on his truce offer, but Johnny said it was off the table, for he heard Toby's podcast. Later, he develops a rivalry with Spinner while he is struggling with cancer. Spinner fights Johnny, which is taped and posted on youtube. In "Live To Tell", he teased Darcy about everything going on with her, and then Darcy makes out with Johnny on the roof.

Chris Sharpe (Daniel Morrison)

(recurring seasons 3 & 4)

Chris was an aspiring D.J. first introduced in "Father Figure". Emma took liking to him, and the two started to date after Emma broke up with Sean. There was tension between the two, however, as Emma sought revenge on Sean for stealing Snake's laptop, but the two worked through the problems. It was revealed that they later broke up before season 4. In the episode "King of Pain", Liberty crushes on Chris, and Emma does not like this. She is not jealous, but she thinks her reputation would be ruined if her ex-boyfriend dated Liberty next. Chris does not like Liberty, however. In his last appearance Chris was shown making comments to Emma in media immersions about her affair with Jay at the ravine. Although not credited, Chris Sharpe appears in the season 3-5 opening during Emma's scene.

Jesse Stefanovic (Steve Belford)

(recurring seasons 6 & 7)

Jesse is the editor at the Core, the newspaper where Ellie works. When Ellie first starts working at the Core, he denies her article at first but then publishes it. Shortly after, the two start dating. This causes brief tension at the Core. Later, in the episode "The Bitterest Pill, Ellie is afraid to tell Jesse about her kiss with Craig. She tells him, but he soon reveals he also cheated on Ellie with a random woman at a bar. Ellie is very mad, and believes what Jesse did was worse. Although they do not break up then, the do shortly after in "Love My Way," for they were unhappy and were constantly fighting. Jesse dates Paige for a little while, but they soon break up because they have nothing in common. Jesse and Ellie get back together in "Don't You Want Me," but break up again in " Jessie's Girl," after Jesse cheats on Ellie with Caitlin.

Griffin Pierce-Taylor (Nathan Stephenson)

(recurring season 7-)

Griffin is the new roommate of Paige, Ellie, and Marco introduced in "Love is a Battlefield." He is very involved with music, and holds an open jam on Friday nights. He tried to help out Jimmy make it big in the music industry, but is unsuccessful because Griffin is just trying to make a name for himself. Marco begins to crush on him, but he tells Marco to leave him alone because he is not gay. In the episode "Talking in Your Sleep," Griffin has sex with Paige, after which Paige discovers that Griffin was born with HIV.

Kendra Mason (Katie Lai)

(recurring seasons 2 & 3)

Gavin "Spinner" Mason's younger, adopted sister. She dated Toby for a time until he became too clingy. She was introduced in season 2 and remained a recurring character in season 3. She was last mentioned in the season 4 premiere but hasn't appeared or been mentioned since then. She made a brief appearance in the Degrassi Extra Credit graphic novel, "Missing You", which took place before season 6. Although not credited, Kendra appears during season 3-5 opening during J.T.'s scene.

Lucas Valieri (Marc Minardi)

(recurring season 7-)

Lucas is a former Lakehurst student, introduced in season 7 and is good friends with Johnny DiMarco. He is also Jane's brother and is Mia's former boyfriend and father to her daugther Isabella.