Here's An Update On These 25 Teen Actors From The '70s, '80s, '90s, And Even '00s Sitcoms

    All of these teens from TV sitcoms made me want to have an older sibling growing up.

    Nora Dominick
    by Nora Dominick

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. First, Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy on Married... with Children:

    closeup of her character wearing a jean jacket with short blonde hair
    Fox

    Christina Applegate now:

    closeup of her on the red carpet in a long velvet dress with her cane
    Axelle / FilmMagic / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Of course, Christina went on to appear in shows like Samantha Who?, Friends, Up All Night, and more. Recently, she's starred on Netflix's Dead to Me, with her work earning her three Emmy nominations. She's also become an advocate for multiple sclerosis after being diagnosed in 2021. 

    2. Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show:

    her character using the pay phone
    NBC / Everett Collection

    Lisa Bonet now:

    closeup of her at an event with long locs and a tall wide brim hat
    Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: After starring on The Cosby Show, Lisa notably reprised her role of Denise in the spinoff series, A Different World. She also went on to star in movies like Enemy of the State, Angel Heart, High Fidelity, and more.

    3. Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show:

    his character with his mouth open in shock
    NBC / Via youtu.be

    Malcolm-Jamal Warner now:

    closeup of him smiling
    Randy Shropshire / Deadline via Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Since his The Cosby Show days, Malcolm has gone on to appear in numerous TV shows like The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Most recently, he starred as Dr. AJ Austin on The Resident.

    4. Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy on Modern Family:

    closeup of her character wearing a jacket outside
    ABC

    Sarah Hyland now:

    closeup of her in a strapless mini dress
    Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

    What she's up to now: After Modern Family wrapped in 2020, Sarah has appeared on several reality shows like RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Celebrity Game Face, Love Island USA, and more. She also starred as Heidi in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, thus reuniting her with her Modern Family costar, Adam DeVine.

    5. Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy on Modern Family:

    closeup of her character wearing glasses and a long-sleeve under a t-shirt
    ABC

    Ariel Winter now:

    6. Scott Weinger as Steve Hale on Full House:

    closeup of the character wearing a letterman jacket
    ABC

    Scott Weinger now:

    closeup of him in a baseball cap and stripped shirt at an event
    Image Group La / The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Scott notably reprised his role as Steve in the Netflix revival series, Fuller House. Most recently, Scott continues to reprise his voice role as Aladdin in various Disney projects, like the 2023 short Once Upon a Studio. Scott was also a producer on Black-ish, 90210, and Galavant.

    7. Kaley Cuoco as Bridget Hennessy on 8 Simple Rules:

    closeup of her character crossing her arms
    ABC

    Kaley Cuoco now:

    closeup of her in a suit with long hair at an event
    Axelle / FilmMagic / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Of course, Kaley went on to star as Penny on The Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. Recently, she received critical acclaim for her role in The Flight Attendant, which she also produced, and she currently voices Harley Quinn in Harley Quinn.

    8. Amy Davidson as Kerry Hennessy on 8 Simple Rules:

    closeup of the character at a dinner table wearing a hoodie
    ABC
    closeup of her at an event
    Araya Doheny / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: After playing Kerry on 8 Simple Rules, Amy has appeared in countless TV shows like Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Bones, Better Call Saul, The Rookie, and All Rise. The last two years, she's reunited with Kaley and other members of the 8 Simple Rules cast at an event honoring John Ritter and his foundation.

    9. Sally Struthers as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family:

    closeup of her character looking confused
    CBS

    Sally Struthers in 2018:

    closeup of her at an event
    Maury Phillips / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Of course, after playing Edith on All in the Family, which earned her two Emmy Awards, Sally's other notable role was as Babette on Gilmore Girls. She even reprised her role in the 2016 Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

    10. Mackenzie Phillips as Julie Cooper Horvath on One Day at a Time:

    closeup of her character with short hair flipped back
    CBS / Via youtube.com

    Mackenzie Phillips now:

    closeup of her wearing glasses
    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images,

    What she's up to now: After One Day at a Time wrapped in 1983, Mackenzie went on to appear in countless TV shows, notably starring in So Weird in the early 2000s. Most recently, she appeared in the Netflix reboot series One Day at a Time, playing Pam, and she had a recurring role as Barb on Orange Is the New Black.

    11. Valerie Bertinelli as Barbara Royer on One Day at a Time:

    her character wearing a jacket and scarf
    CBS / Via youtube.com

    Valerie Bertinelli now:

    12. Mayim Bialik as Blossom Ruby Russo on Blossom:

    her character in a large knit sweater and headband in her short hair
    NBC

    Mayim Bialik now:

    closeup of her in a suit with short hair at an event
    Gregg Deguire / WireImage / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Of course, Mayim went on to star as Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, which earned her four Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Currently, she also hosts Jeopardy! and starred in Call Me Kat for three seasons.

    13. Joey Lawrence as Joey Russo on Blossom:

    his character wearing suspenders
    NBC

    Joey Lawrence now:

    closeup of him speaking into a podcast mic
    PodCo / Via youtube.com

    What he's up to now: Joey's most notable TV role after Blossom was when he starred as Joe Longo on Melissa & Joey. He's also appeared on shows like Hawaii Five-0, Dollface, The Masked Singer, and he even reunited with Mayim Bialik in an episode of her show Call Me Kat. He currently hosts a podcast alongside his brothers Matthew and Andrew Lawrence.

    14. Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:

    his character dressed in preppy clothes
    NBC

    Alfonso Ribeiro now:

    closeup of him in a suit holding a mic
    Eric Mccandless / Disney / ABC via Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Alfonso has gone on to host quite a few reality shows, most notably he took over America's Funniest Home Videos from Tom Bergeron and he currently serves as a host of Dancing with the Stars alongside Julianne Hough.

    15. Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:

    her character wearing a suit and matching hat
    NBC

    Karyn Parsons now:

    closeup of her at an event
    Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

    What she's up to now: Following The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Karyn appeared in a few movies and shows like The Ladies Man, Melrose Place, The Job, and more. More recently, she's written three children's books.

    16. Will Smith as Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:

    his character wearing bright clothes and pointing excitingly at something
    NBC

    Will Smith now:

    he's in a suit speaking at a podium
    Jemal Countess / Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Of course, after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wrapped in 1996, Will went on to have a hugely successful movie career. He's starred in films like Men in Black, I, Robot, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, and more. In 2022, he won an Academy Award for his work as Richard Williams in King Richard.

    17. Sara Gilbert as Darlene Connor on Roseanne:

    young character wearing a baseball hat
    ABC

    Sara Gilbert now:

    closeup of her in the picket line for the writer's strike
    David Livingston / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Following Roseanne, Sara appeared in shows like ER and The Big Bang Theory, with the latter reuniting her with Johnny Galecki, who played her onscreen love interest on Roseanne. Since 2018, she's been reprising her role as Darlene on The Conners.

    18. Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch:

    character peeking behind a wall
    CBS

    Maureen McCormick now:

    closeup of her at an event with her hair pinned back and wearing thick glasses
    Rodin Eckenroth / WireImage / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Following The Brady Bunch, Maureen continued to reprise her role as Marcia Brady in various spinoff films. Recently, she's appeared in several Christmas TV movies and she wrote a memoir in 2008.

    19. Eve Plumb as Jan Brady on The Brady Bunch:

    closeup of her character
    CBS

    Eve Plumb now:

    wearing a suit at an event with hair cut very short
    Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for 20th Century Studios

    What she's up to now: After The Brady Bunch, Eve also reprised her role as Jan Brady in numerous reunion series and movies. She's also appeared in several notable TV shows like Family Affair, The Big Valley, That '70s Show, Law & Order: SVU, and more. In 2016, she also appeared in Grease: Live as Mrs. Murdock.

    20. Barry Williams as Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch:

    character looking confused
    CBS

    Barry Williams now:

    walking outside with sunglasses and carrying bags and boxes
    Joce / GC Images / Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Like the other Brady children, Barry also reprised his role as Greg Brady in numerous sequels and spinoff movies. He also appeared in shows like Full House, That '70s Show, and more. Recently, he competed on The Masked Singer and Dancing with the Stars.

    21. Christopher Knight as Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch:

    closeup of the kid character
    CBS

    Christopher Knight now:

    closeup of him in a suit
    Amy Graves / WireImage for Blue Fox Entertainment

    What he's up to now: Again, like the other Brady children, Christopher reprised his role as Peter Brady in the countless spinoff movies. He also appeared in That '70s Show and competed on The Masked Singer alongside Barry Williams.

    22. Will Friedle as Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World:

    his character bending down to talk to a younger character
    ABC

    Will Friedle now:

    closeup of him in a suit
    David Becker / Getty Images for iHeartRadio

    What he's up to now: Will went on to become a very notable voice actor, with his biggest role being Ron Stoppable in Kim Possible. He's also voiced characters in ThunderCats, Justice League Unlimited, Avengers Assemble, Teen Titans Go!, and more. He also reprised his role as Eric Matthews on Girl Meets World and he hosts a rewatch podcast alongside his Boy Meets World costars Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong. Will's most recent role is voicing Kashaw Vesh in The Legend of Vox Machina, a part he also played in Campaign 1 of the D&D web series Critical Role.

    23. Matthew Lawrence as Jack Hunter on Boy Meets World:

    closeup of him in a flannel
    ABC

    Matthew Lawrence now:

    him at an event wearing a flannel and a baseball hat
    Gerardo Mora / Getty Images

    What he's up to now: After Boy Meets World wrapped in 2000, Matthew went on to appear in shows and movies like The Hot Chick, Melissa & Joey, Workaholics, and more. He also reprised his role as Jack Hunter on Girl Meets World. He currently hosts a podcast alongside his brothers Joey and Andrew Lawrence.

    24. Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson on Black-ish:

    her character at a dinner table wearing a lot of jewelry
    ABC

    Yara Shahidi now:

    her outside smiling
    Arnold Jerocki / Getty Images

    What she's up to now: Yara reprised her role as Zoey Johnson on the spinoff series Grown-ish, with the final episodes set to premiere in 2024. She's also starred in movies like The Sun Is Also a Star, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Sitting in Bars with Cake.

    25. And finally, Marcus Scribner as Andrew "Junior" Johnson Jr. on Black-ish:

    his character at the dinner table
    ABC

    Marcus Scribner now:

    closeup of him in a suit
    Anna Webber / Variety / Getty Images

    What he's up to now: Marcus also reprised his role as Junior on Grown-ish, with him becoming a lead character on the spinoff in 2022. He's also voiced characters on She-Ra and the Princess of Power and Dragons: The Nine Realms.