Daniella Monet spent her formative years on TV. Her first kiss, at 17, was captured on camera during a guest spot on “Zoey 101,” where she was cast as the mean girl archetype she quickly became accustomed to playing. It was 2006, and Hollywood had rules for this kind of thing. “There was a time in the world where blondes were mean girls, and then there was a time in the world where brunettes were mean girls. And I came up at this time where blondes were the girl next door, and I was the mean girl,” Monet says.
By Sarah Wasilak
Photography By Anna Koblish
Daniella Monet
Is Rebooting Trina Vega, on Her Own Terms
Daniella Monet and the cast of “Listen Up,” 2004; getty images/CBS Photo Archive
Daniella Monet and Victoria Justice at Nickelodeon’s 23rd Annual Kids’ Choice Awards After Party, 2010; getty images/Charley Gallay
Daniella Monet and Ariana Grande at the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Day of Fun, 2010; getty images/Charley Gallay
Daniella Monet with Aly AND AJ Michalka at the “Nancy Drew” Los Angeles Premiere, 2007; Getty images/Jason Merritt
Her most famous mean-girl role was Trina Vega on “Victorious,” though Monet agrees that the character, who’s the older sister of Victoria Justice’s Tori, is “a little delulu,” rather than mean. Throughout the show’s four seasons, Trina is a drama queen who is loud, self-centered, and oftentimes oblivious to how she’s coming off. That iconic persona still might shape how the public thinks about Monet, even if it doesn’t jibe with who she actually is: “I would just be curious to know if fans think about me in that light, because I just feel like I’m not that way at all,” she says.
In the intervening 13 years since the show ended, Monet took time off of work, built her family with husband Andrew Gardner, who she’s been with since “Victorious,” and started a wellness community called Daniella’s Digest, where she offers tips about mental health, self-care, and slowing down. Monet’s interest in wellness stemmed from her uncle and, later, both parents being diagnosed with cancer, and has grown into a journey she openly shares with others to “dive deep into what supports our bodies and minds best.”
That commitment to well-being extends to all parts of her life. She says she’s deliberate about choosing her projects — if her kids can watch what she’s making, she’s all in. “I think [Trina] would think that my lifestyle could be classified as boring,” she laughs.
But now here she is, in a mall, clad in a 2004 Blumarine pastel-pink capri set splashed in a postcard print, with a chunky chainlink heart necklace to match (read: not boring at all) — embodying where she’s been, and also where she’s going.
Photos: Anna Koblish; Daniella wears vintage Blumarine SS 2004 capri pant and tank top set and vintage Christian Dior “Miss Diorella” denim FW 2001 saddle bag via Isle of Monday, Carter rimless rectangle sunglasses via Urban Outfitters, Amazon necklace, Laura Lombardi silver suona bracelet, and Paris Texas Lidia silver slingback sandals
When “Victorious” writer Jake Farrow called her about starring in “Hollywood Arts” — an upcoming Netflix spinoff of “Victorious” that centers on modern-day Trina returning to her alma mater performing arts school as a substitute teacher — it was surreal. Monet would serve as both the show’s star and its executive producer.
“It was a little scary to be like, ‘Wait, just me? Are you sure?’” she says. “It’s funny, because when I think about playing Trina from my POV, it almost felt like she was very much just an accessory, like the one to take a pie to the face or fall down a flight of stairs. So to see people show their love and support for her feels good.”
The biggest difference between “Victorious” and “Hollywood Arts” isn’t the set or the vibe — in fact, the art department intentionally worked to make viewers feel like they’re “plopped right back into the world.” Instead, it’s Monet herself.
“I feel like in 2010, I wasn’t paying as much attention to myself and my needs,” she says. “And now I feel so much more regulated. Even though my plate is fuller, I’m able to handle a lot more. And I strive to just constantly be more present, more in my body.” Monet says the simple act of making her morning beverage (coffee mixed with a lion’s mane mushroom blend) can ground her.
Her natural sense of ease can be felt on set today, too. Despite the long day in the mall, the LA sun beating down through the windows and making everything toasty inside, Monet is all smiles, no drama. She tries on every look with enthusiasm, saying she’ll “wear whatever.” And when she plays Popsugar’s Full-Body Flashback game, where she’s blindfolded and asked to use her senses to guess the nostalgic food item in her hands, she happily takes on the challenge with one caveat for the “taste” portion: “I mean, I’m vegan. Pretty limiting right off the jump.”
READ MORE OF The AUGHTS EFFECT
20th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
It’s obvious that, in 2026, what sets Monet apart from Trina Vega is finding balance in her 30s. Instead of chasing fame like Trina might, she has chosen a path that keeps her grounded. “I remember even before having kids I used to say, ‘I never want to be famous,’” Monet says. “I thought at one point maybe this business isn’t for me. . . . Somehow, even though it maybe took some extra time and a couple of turns along the way, I’ve been true to what mattered to me, which was being there as a good mom, a good wife, taking care of myself.”
A young Trina may think that sounds drab, but Monet teases a character development that the rest of the world will see all these years later, when the show drops on Netflix later this year: “I think in her 30s, [Trina’s] slightly more evolved, and I think she would understand some of the pieces of my life that she might aspire to have herself.”
Photo: Anna Koblish
Creative Credits Photographer: Anna Koblish
Videographer: Mike Dalton
Associate Creative Director: Emily Zirimis
Senior Visuals Designer: Summer Bockart
Social Media Design Coordinator: Sara Abdelbarry
Animation Designer: Luke Irwin
Stylist: Ali Claire Marino
Makeup Artist: Amy Galibut
Makeup Assistant: Romana “Romie” Macedo
HairStylist: Berenz Castro
Hair Assistant: Jasmine Bagley
Groomer: Colleen Dominique
Lighting Director: Byron Nickleberry
1st Photo Assistant: Morganne Boulden
2nd Photo Assistant: Layla Williams
Digitech: Tara Raine
Photo Retoucher: Alberto Maro
Stylist Assistant: Kassidy Taylor
Tailor: Egle Paulauskaite
Production: Dunwell Production
Executive Producer: Caroline Santee Hughes
Producer & prop stylist: Andre Shahjanian
Assistant Director of production: Becca Weston
Production Assistant: Kurtis Scott
Production Assistant: Francesca Ferraro
Editorial Credits Editor-in-Chief: Kelsey Castañon
Senior Director of Special Projects: Lena Felton
Cover Story Writer: Sarah WAsilak
Senior Style Director: Jessica Andrews
Director of Audience Development: Kaitlin Hatton
Managing Editor: Karen Snyder Duke
Supervising Producer: Jordan Shalhoub
Audience Development Manager: Charisandra Perez
Associate Social Talent Manager: Mia Marquez
Editorial Operations Coordinator: Caitlin Oates
Photo: Anna Koblish
