Sam Morelos is a Filipino-American actor who first caught wide attention as the intelligent and ambitious Nikki Velasco in Netflix’s That ’90s Show. Born on July 7, 2005, in Los Angeles, Morelos is 21 years old in 2026 and has already moved from a teenage TV newcomer to larger movie roles in Summer of 69 and Regretting You.
What makes their rise especially interesting is how quickly everything happened. Morelos has said they did not originally expect to enter professional acting until their twenties, yet they landed That ’90s Show at only 16 after an open casting call.
Sam Morelos Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sam Morelos |
| Born | July 7, 2005 |
| Age in 2026 | 21 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California |
| Heritage | Filipino-American |
| Profession | Actor, director, producer |
| Pronouns | They/them |
| Breakout Role | Nikki Velasco in That ’90s Show |
| Major Movie Role | Abby in Summer of 69 |
| Other Films | Descendants: The Rise of Red, Regretting You |
| Years Active | 2016–present |
| Net Worth | No reliable verified figure |
| Relationship Status | Not publicly confirmed |
Who Is Sam Morelos?
Sam Morelos is one of the young performers who found a major audience through Netflix.
Their breakthrough character, Nikki Velasco, appeared in That ’90s Show, the sequel series to the hugely popular sitcom That ’70s Show. Nikki was introduced as smart, focused and ambitious, with plans for college and eventually medical school.
But Morelos did not stop with one Netflix sitcom.
They subsequently appeared in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red, starred opposite Chloe Fineman in Hulu’s Summer of 69, and played Lexie in the 2025 film Regretting You.
That is a surprisingly busy résumé for someone who only turned 21 in July 2026.
How Old Is Sam Morelos?
Sam Morelos was born on July 7, 2005, in Los Angeles, California.
That makes them 21 years old in 2026. IMDb and other entertainment databases consistently list the same birth date and birthplace.
Morelos was only 17 when That ’90s Show premiered in January 2023.
That matters because Nikki often appeared confident and mature on screen, yet the actor behind the character was still experiencing many of the same growing-up years as the young cast.
By 2025, Morelos was taking on larger film roles.
And by 2026, they had already created a career spanning television, streaming movies and upcoming adaptations.
Sam Morelos Is Filipino-American
Morelos is a first-generation Filipino-American performer.
They grew up in California’s San Gabriel Valley, just outside Los Angeles. Their Filipino heritage has become an important part of discussions surrounding their work and representation in Hollywood.
In a 2023 interview, ABS-CBN highlighted Morelos as a Fil-Am actor breaking into mainstream American television through That ’90s Show.
That representation matters.
For many young Filipino-American viewers, seeing someone with a similar background in a major Netflix comedy can make Hollywood feel a little less distant.
Morelos has continued discussing Filipino representation as their career has expanded into movies.
Their Mother Is Jennifer Esclamado-Morelos
Public biographical information identifies Morelos’ mother as Jennifer Esclamado-Morelos.
They also have an older brother named Matt.
Morelos has not turned their family into a major part of their celebrity image.
That is worth noting because young actors often become the subject of intense curiosity once they land a popular streaming show.
Much of Morelos’ public conversation instead remains focused on acting, creativity, Filipino-American representation and the projects they are building.
Sam Started Performing at Just Four Years Old
Acting may have become the career, but performing began much earlier.
Morelos told Forbes that they started doing community musical theater at around four years old while growing up in the San Gabriel Valley.
Interestingly, they initially thought of themselves more as a singer than an actor.
“I was a singer first,” Morelos explained when discussing their childhood performance experience.
That makes their career path a little unexpected.
The person now known for television and movies originally did not believe acting was their strongest skill.
The Pandemic Changed Their Career Direction
One of the most important moments in Morelos’ development happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were studying musical theater at a performing-arts high school when in-person performance suddenly became difficult.
A teacher changed the class into an on-camera acting course because traditional musical theater did not translate easily to Zoom.
Something clicked.
Morelos discovered that they loved acting for the camera.
They eventually switched into the acting department.
Then came an opportunity that changed everything.
An open casting call appeared for a new Netflix series called That ’90s Show.
Landing That ’90s Show at Only 16
Morelos submitted for the series through an open casting call.
They were only 16.
And they got the job.
This was not a young actor slowly collecting dozens of television guest appearances before finally getting noticed.
Netflix itself described That ’90s Show as Morelos’ television debut after work in two short films.
That makes the breakthrough particularly impressive.
Imagine being in high school and wondering what you might study after graduation.
Then suddenly you are acting on a Netflix continuation of a famous sitcom alongside Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.
That is essentially what happened.
Who Did Sam Morelos Play in That ’90s Show?
Morelos played Nikki Velasco.
Netflix described Nikki as focused, intelligent and ambitious, with plans to attend college and become a doctor. She begins the series dating Nate, played by Maxwell Acee Donovan.
Nikki helped balance the personalities in the teenage friend group.
Some characters were impulsive.
Some were rebellious.
Nate could be wonderfully clueless.
Nikki was often the person thinking about the future.
That made her more than simply “Nate’s girlfriend.”
As the series continued, relationships shifted and Nikki developed beyond the role she initially occupied in the group.
What Is That ’90s Show About?
That ’90s Show takes viewers back to Point Place, Wisconsin, the fictional setting of That ’70s Show.
The new series centers primarily on Leia Forman, the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti.
She spends time with her grandparents Red and Kitty Forman and forms a new group of teenage friends.
Morelos’ Nikki is one of those friends.
The concept allowed Netflix to combine nostalgia with a younger cast.
Older viewers recognized Red and Kitty.
Younger viewers could follow Leia, Nikki, Gwen, Nate, Jay and Ozzie.
Morelos landed right in the middle of that combination.
Sam Appeared Throughout the Netflix Series
Morelos was not simply an occasional guest star.
Nikki was part of the main cast.
TVmaze records Morelos appearing as Nikki across 26 episodes, covering the show’s 2023 debut and its 2024 continuation.
That gave Morelos valuable experience very quickly.
Sitcom acting has its own rhythm.
Actors need timing.
Reaction.
Chemistry.
The ability to deliver dialogue naturally while still landing jokes.
For someone entering professional television as a teenager, working through that many episodes was essentially a crash course in screen comedy.
That ’90s Show Was Canceled
Netflix did not continue That ’90s Show indefinitely.
After its run, the series ended without giving Morelos years to remain comfortable in the same role.
For a young performer, that could have been a difficult moment.
A first major job can become an identity.
When it ends, what happens next?
For Morelos, the answer was movies.
And one project in particular gave them a chance to move from ensemble sitcom performer to leading film actor.
Descendants: The Rise of Red Came Next
In 2024, Morelos appeared as Meadow in Disney’s Descendants: The Rise of Red.
It was not their biggest role, but it placed them inside another recognizable youth-entertainment franchise.
That matters early in a career.
Netflix had introduced Morelos to one audience.
Disney offered exposure to another.
But their next project would be more important because Morelos would no longer simply be one member of a large ensemble.
They would carry much more of the story.
Summer of 69 Became a Major Breakout
In 2025, Sam Morelos starred as Abby Flores in Hulu’s comedy Summer of 69.
The film paired them with Saturday Night Live performer Chloe Fineman.
Forbes described the role as Morelos’ biggest movie opportunity at that stage of their career.
Abby is an awkward high-school senior who wants to impress her crush.
Her solution?
She hires an exotic dancer, played by Fineman, hoping to become more confident and experienced.
The setup is intentionally outrageous.
But underneath the comedy is a coming-of-age story about confidence, friendship and discovering what actually matters.
Summer of 69 Showed a Different Side of Sam
Nikki in That ’90s Show is confident and ambitious.
Abby is different.
She is awkward.
Uncertain.
Trying to reinvent herself.
That gave Morelos more emotional and comedic territory to explore.
It also placed much more responsibility on them.
In an ensemble sitcom, several characters share the story.
In Summer of 69, Abby is central to the movie.
Morelos had to help carry it.
That transition is important when looking at their career.
It showed casting directors that the young actor could do more than repeat the character audiences already knew.
Music Is Still Important to Sam Morelos
Remember that Morelos started as a singer?
Music never completely disappeared.
Public profiles note that they have shared videos of themselves singing online, while their childhood background in musical theater gave them years of experience combining music with performance.
That creates interesting possibilities for the future.
Could Morelos eventually appear in a movie musical?
Return to stage work?
Release music?
None of those outcomes should be treated as confirmed plans.
But their musical background gives them another skill that casting directors can potentially use.
Sam Morelos in Regretting You
Morelos also appeared in Regretting You, the 2025 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel.
They played Lexie, adding another mainstream movie credit to a year that was already important for their career.
The film featured a larger cast including Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Mason Thames and Dave Franco.
This was a different environment from Summer of 69.
Different tone.
Different audience.
Different type of character.
That variety is valuable for a young performer.
If Morelos wants a long career, avoiding one narrow character type could be important.
Another Adaptation Is Ahead
Morelos is also attached to Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, an adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel.
The project adds another young-adult story to their growing filmography.
The important point is momentum.
That ’90s Show did not become the beginning and end of their career.
After the Netflix series, Morelos continued landing roles.
That is often the hardest part for young actors.
One famous role gets attention.
A second and third role turn attention into a career.
Morelos appears to be making that transition.
Sam Is Also Interested in Filmmaking
IMDb does not identify Morelos only as an actor.
Their credits also include work as a director and producer.
That suggests an interest in what happens behind the camera.
For someone so young, that can open several paths.
Some actors eventually direct.
Others produce projects they want to star in.
Some write and create their own material.
It is too early to know exactly where Morelos will take those skills.
But the interest is already there.
Sam Morelos and NYU
As their professional career expanded, Morelos also continued thinking about education.
In interviews, they have discussed balancing school with acting and developing creatively beyond simply showing up on set.
That is particularly interesting because education was part of their plans even before That ’90s Show appeared.
Netflix quoted the teenage Morelos saying they had not expected to enter professional acting until well into their twenties because college was supposed to come first.
Instead, Hollywood arrived early.
Their challenge became figuring out how education and professional acting could coexist.
Why Representation Matters to Sam
Morelos has spoken about being Filipino-American while entering an industry where Asian-American performers have historically had fewer opportunities.
Their role in Summer of 69 was particularly meaningful because Abby Flores could exist as a funny, complicated young person rather than being reduced to one stereotype.
That is a small but important difference.
Representation is not only about placing someone from a particular background on screen.
It is also about letting that character be strange, funny, flawed, romantic, ambitious or confused.
In other words, letting them simply be human.
Morelos’ growing career gives them more opportunities to tell those kinds of stories.
Is Sam Morelos Non-Binary?
Morelos publicly identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
They have also discussed being comfortable portraying female characters.
That distinction is useful because an actor’s personal gender identity does not determine every role they can play.
Nikki and Abby are characters.
Sam is the performer.
As Morelos’ career grows, audiences may see them take on an even wider variety of roles.
Does Sam Morelos Have a Boyfriend or Girlfriend?
Morelos has not established a highly public romantic relationship.
There is no reliable basis for confidently naming a boyfriend, girlfriend or partner in 2026.
That is an area where celebrity biography sites can easily create confusion.
A photograph with a friend becomes a dating rumor.
A social-media interaction becomes “proof.”
Without confirmation from Morelos or reliable reporting, it is better not to turn speculation into biography.
At 21, Morelos is building a career in public.
Their romantic life does not automatically need to become public too.
What Is Sam Morelos’ Net Worth?
There is no authoritative, independently verified figure for Sam Morelos’ net worth.
Some celebrity websites may publish estimates, but those figures generally do not come with access to contracts, bank accounts, investments, taxes or expenses.
Morelos is still at an early stage of their career.
They have earned professional acting credits through Netflix, Hulu, Disney and feature films, but that does not allow outsiders to calculate an exact fortune.
It is therefore better to avoid attaching a made-up million-dollar number to their name.
Their career is growing.
Their private finances remain private.
How Tall Is Sam Morelos?
Secondary biographical sources commonly list Morelos at around 5 feet 7 inches.
Famous Birthdays, for example, reports that height.
Height can sometimes become surprisingly popular search information for actors, especially when fans see casts standing together at premieres.
But it has little connection to what makes Morelos interesting professionally.
Their rapid transition from community musical theater to a Netflix sitcom and then movie leads tells us much more about the direction of their career.
Sam Morelos in 2026
At 21, Morelos is in an interesting position.
They are no longer simply “the new actor from That ’90s Show.”
That description made sense in 2023.
By 2026, the résumé is broader.
There is Descendants: The Rise of Red.
There is Summer of 69.
There is Regretting You.
There is upcoming work.
There is also an interest in directing and producing.
That makes the next few years especially important.
The teenage breakthrough has already happened.
Now comes the harder challenge: building a career that lasts.
Final Thoughts
Sam Morelos is one of those performers whose career arrived earlier than expected.
They started performing in community musical theater at about four years old and initially thought of themselves as a singer. During the pandemic, an on-camera acting class changed their direction.
Then an open casting call changed it again.
At only 16, Morelos landed Nikki Velasco in That ’90s Show, essentially their first major professional acting job. Netflix introduced them to a global audience as part of its new generation of Point Place teenagers.
But the more interesting part came afterward.
Morelos appeared in Descendants: The Rise of Red, took the lead role of Abby in Summer of 69, and joined the cast of Regretting You. IMDb now describes them not only as an actor but also as a director and producer.
Their Filipino-American background adds another layer to that rise.
So does their identity as a non-binary performer.
But neither should overshadow the simplest explanation for why people are paying attention: Morelos keeps getting opportunities to show more range.
At 21, there is still far more career ahead than behind.
That makes Sam Morelos a name worth remembering—not simply because of the show that introduced them, but because of what could come next.
FAQs About Sam Morelos
Who is Sam Morelos?
Sam Morelos is a Filipino-American actor best known for playing Nikki Velasco in Netflix’s That ’90s Show. Their other notable projects include Summer of 69, Descendants: The Rise of Red and Regretting You.
How old is Sam Morelos in 2026?
Morelos was born on July 7, 2005, in Los Angeles. They turned 21 years old in July 2026.
What is Sam Morelos’ ethnicity?
Morelos is a first-generation Filipino-American who grew up in California’s San Gabriel Valley.
Who did Sam Morelos play in That ’90s Show?
They played Nikki Velasco, the intelligent, ambitious girlfriend of Nate Runck and one of the main members of Leia Forman’s teenage friend group.
Who does Sam Morelos play in Summer of 69?
Morelos stars as Abby Flores, a high-school senior who hires a dancer played by Chloe Fineman to help her become more confident while pursuing her crush.
Is Sam Morelos in Regretting You?
Yes. Morelos plays Lexie in the 2025 film adaptation of Regretting You.
What are Sam Morelos’ pronouns?
Morelos identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
Is Sam Morelos dating anyone?
No current romantic relationship has been reliably confirmed publicly. It is better to treat their dating life as private rather than rely on unsupported online rumors.
What is Sam Morelos’ net worth?
There is no reliable independently verified figure for their personal net worth. Exact figures found on celebrity-estimate websites should not be treated as confirmed.
What is Sam Morelos doing in 2026?
Morelos continues building a film career after That ’90s Show, with recent credits including Summer of 69 and Regretting You and additional screen projects in development.
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