The Shameless Star You Forgot Appeared On Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide

Nickelodeon's "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" was a sitcom that ran for three seasons between 2004 and 2007 and centered around the titular Ned Bigby (Devon Werkheiser). This middle schooler spends the series explaining various tips and tricks within his "school survival guide." Each episode is dedicated to a specific section within this guide: exploring the ins and outs of things like field trips, science fairs, pep rallies, and even featuring an entire episode dedicated to the hierarchy of dodgeball.

His own mistakes and misadventures often inform Ned's advice throughout the series, which are often precipitated by the actions of his best friends Jennifer "Moze" Moseley (Lindsey Shaw) and Simon "Cookie" Nelson-Cook (Daniel Curtis Lee), as well as the school's janitor Gordy (Daran Norris) — who spends most of the series tracking down a weasel in the school's ventilation system.

Considering the lighthearted tone and inherent absurdity of the show, it's hard to imagine that there would be much overlap between the cast of "Ned's Declassified" and the depraved comedy-drama series "Shameless" — though surprisingly, one of "Shameless'" biggest stars made a brief appearance on the Nickelodeon show. 

During the Season 2 episode "Upperclassmen & Gross Biology Dissection," Ned Bigby is enlisted to give a tour of James K. Polk middle school to a psychotic 5th grader named Palmer Noid: who is played by none other than Cameron Monaghan. Monaghan is most well known for playing Ian Gallagher on "Shameless," an ambitious, strong-willed member of the Gallagher clan who often finds himself on the wrong side of the law.

Although Monaghan is much younger during his appearance on "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide," it's somewhat comical that Palmer Noid shares many of the destructive tendencies that would define Monaghan's iconic character on "Shameless" (including one particularly wild moment where Ian blows up a van after going off his bipolar meds). Throughout the episode, we watch as this maniacal 5th grader rips open lockers with a crowbar to rifle through their possessions and steals people's clothes so they have to walk around the school naked.

Although Monaghan's appearance in "Ned's Declassified" is exceptionally brief, it certainly is highly memorable — especially when you consider just how similar some of Palmer's actions are to things that Ian does in "Shameless."