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The cast of Mean Girls: Where are they now?

Here's what's new with the stars of the iconic 2004 teen comedy.

It's been 20 years since teen queen Regina George ruled the halls of North Shore High School, but devoted Mean Girls fans are still wearing pink on Wednesdays and asking what day it is on October 3rd. The iconic film starred Lindsay Lohan as fish-out-of-water Cady, who tries to adjust to life in a school dominated by a trio called the Plastics: the reigning Regina (Rachel McAdams), toaster-strudel heiress Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), and dim-witted Karen (Amanda Seyfried). Tina Fey's sharp and endlessly quotable screenplay perfectly captured the shifting day-to-day dynamics of the high school scene, fueled by nasty rumors and social sabotage. 

Fey loved her Mean Girls characters so much that she revived the story as a Broadway production in 2018, and a film adaptation of the musical arrived in 2024. Read on to find out what the original Mean Girls cast has been up to since they left North Shore High.

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Lindsay Lohan (Cady Heron)

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Caught between two cliques, Cady Heron entered her new high school as an uncool mathlete and ended up at the top of North Shore’s popularity pyramid. 

Actress Lindsay Lohan started in Hollywood as a child actress, making her feature film debut at age 12 as twin girls in Disney’s The Parent Trap (1998). She followed this with two more Disney comedies, 2003’s Freaky Friday (marking her first collaboration with Mean Girls director Mark Waters) and 2004’s Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. 

When Lohan was invited to join the cast of Mean Girls, she was hoping to portray Regina, telling EW in 2014, "I had just played — in Confessions and Freaky — not the cool girl in school. I was still 17 years old and I wanted to be the cool girl on set. So I had a war with Mark, and he goes, 'No, Cady is the heroine, and that's who you are.'"

Following Mean Girls, Lohan branched out as a singer, releasing albums in 2004 and 2005. After that, she played lead roles in several films, including light-hearted comedies Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) and Just My Luck (2006) as well as psychological dramas I Know Who Killed Me (2007) and The Canyons (2013). However, her well-publicized personal struggles with addiction interfered with her career in the entertainment industry for years.

During her break from acting, Lohan opened three beach clubs in Greece and launched a TV comeback in 2019 with an MTV reality series, Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club. 

Lohan has since found a new home at Netflix, where she has a multi-picture deal. Her first movie, the rom-com Falling For Christmas, premiered in 2022, and she recorded a cover of the Plastics' traditional Winter Talent Show tune, "Jingle Bell Rock," for the score. Her next Netflix film is another romantic comedy, Irish Wish, slated for 2024. 

But Cady remains Lohan's most iconic role, and she has continued to pay homage to her Mean Girls legacy. Her commercial for running shoes referenced the Plastics, and ads for Pepsi and eye patches have also quoted the film. 

In 2023, Walmart went all-out to celebrate the movie in their Black Friday ad campaign, bringing most of the cast together for a Mean Girls reunion that felt like a glimpse of the highly anticipated 2024 sequel. The commercials see Lohan's Cady still at North Shore High, but she’s now working as a counselor, helping to guide the school's next generation.

Lohan married financier Bader Shammas in 2022. Their son, Luai, was born in 2023. 

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Rachel McAdams (Regina George)

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Rachel McAdams played the villain we love to hate, the manipulative life-ruiner Regina George. 

McAdams got her start in Canadian television, and her first American film was the 2002 comedy The Hot Chick. 2004 was a breakthrough year for the actress; in addition to Mean Girls, she also starred in the romantic drama The Notebook opposite Ryan Gosling. 

McAdams appeared next in the rom-com Wedding Crashers (2005), the comedy-drama The Lucky Ones (2008), and Robert Downey Jr.'s two Sherlock Holmes films (2009, 2011). In 2015, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as an investigative journalist in the biopic Spotlight, followed by a turn in season 2 of HBO's True Detective. The actress has also starred in The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013).

McAdams played Stephen Strange's love interest, Dr. Christine Palmer, in the Marvel movie Doctor Strange (2016) and reprised the role in the 2022 sequel. Recently, she played Margaret's mother in the Judy Blume adaptation Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (2023). In spring 2024, she'll make her Broadway debut in the drama Mary Jane.

While McAdams has expressed interest in appearing in a Mean Girls sequel, she chose not to participate in the recent Walmart-sponsored cast reunion. "I've never done commercials, and it just didn't feel like my bag," she told Variety in 2023. "Also… I didn't know that everyone was doing it. I would, of course, always love to be part of a Mean Girls reunion and hang with my plastics, but yeah, I found that out later."

McAdams and her partner, screenwriter Jamie Linden, have been together since 2016. They welcomed a son in 2018 and a daughter in 2020.

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Amanda Seyfried (Karen Smith)

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Amanda Seyfried made her feature film debut playing Karen in Mean Girls, and she nailed the hilariously empty-headed character. Still, it was an anxious time, though she told EW in 2014 that she was grateful for her costar's support: "I had just graduated high school! It was terrifying. I don't know what I would have done without Lacey Chabert. She was my angel."

Seyfried's next major role was Lilly Kane in the mystery drama series Veronica Mars (2004–2006) followed by playing eldest daughter Sarah Henrickson in the HBO drama series Big Love (2006–2011). She soon starred in the film adaptations of musicals Mamma Mia (2008) and Les Misérables (2012). Her other early movie roles include Jennifer's Body (2009), Dear John (2010), and Letters to Juliet (2010).

Seyfried's recent work has earned critical praise and awards. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Marion Davies in the biopic Mank (2020) and won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for her starring role as Elizabeth Holmes in the 2022 Hulu biographical series The Dropout. In 2023, she led the Apple TV+ psychological thriller The Crowded Room. 

Seyfried has been married to actor Thomas Sadoski since 2017 and has two children, Nina and Thomas.

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Lacey Chabert (Gretchen Wieners)

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The most anxious of the Plastics, Gretchen Wieners was willing to try anything to stay popular — although she couldn't make "fetch" happen. In 2014, Lacey Chabert told EW, "I loved how insecure she was. For me, the comedy came in her trying so desperately to please everyone and fit in and having no clue of her own identity."

As a child actress, Chabert first became known as one of the Salinger siblings in the Fox drama Party of Five, which aired from 1994 to 2000. Starting in 1998, she also voiced Eliza Thornberry in Nickelodeon's animated series The Wild Thornberrys, and in 1999, she voiced Meg on the first season of Family Guy before Mila Kunis took over the role.  

Following Mean Girls, Chabert appeared in several movies, including the slasher Black Christmas (2006) and the rom-com Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) with Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey. In 2014, she headlined the rom-com Christian Mingle.

Chabert appeared in her first Hallmark TV movie in 2010, beginning a prolific run on the channel. She's since worked on dozens of Hallmark productions, starring in multiple movies per year since 2017, including six in 2023 alone.

Chabert married David Nehdar in 2013. They have one daughter, Julia.

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Lizzy Caplan (Janis Ian)

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Lizzy Caplan plays the lovably scheming Janis Ian, one of the greatest people you will ever meet.

Caplan began her career in 1999 with a recurring role on the well-loved but short-lived NBC show Freaks and Geeks. After Mean Girls, she appeared in the found-footage monster film Cloverfield (2008). 

Caplan's comic skills were put to good use in the Starz comedy series Party Down for two seasons (2009–2010), and she soon began appearing in comedy films such as Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Save the Date (2012), and Bachelorette (2012). Caplan was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as Virginia Johnson in the Showtime series Masters of Sex (2013–2016), followed by appearances in the heist film Now You See Me 2 (2016) and the science-fiction action flick Extinction (2018). In 2019, she played Annie Wilkes in the second season of the Stephen King horror anthology series Castle Rock. 

Recently, Caplan starred with Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes in the FX miniseries Fleishman Is in Trouble, and she was paired with Joshua Jackson in the Paramount+ television adaptation of Fatal Attraction (2023). Her most recent film role was in the 2023 horror movie Cobweb. 

Caplan married British actor Tom Riley in 2017. They have one son, Alfie, born in 2021.

06of 12

Daniel Franzese (Damian)

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In Mean Girls, Damian may have been "too gay to function," but Daniel Franzese has been functioning very well as a comedian for many years.

Franzese's first film role was in the 2001 crime drama Bully, a much darker take on high school bullying. Following Mean Girls, Franzese appeared in horror films like Cruel World (2005) and I Spit On Your Grave (2010), but has mainly found success in stand-up comedy. In 2011, he created a rock opera called Jersey Shoresical followed by a 2013 one-man Off-Broadway show, I've Never Really Made the Kind of Money to Become a Mess.

In 2014, Franzese came out as gay in a public letter to his Mean Girls character, telling EW, "After the countless number of fans who have come up to me over the years telling me what an inspiration ‘Damian’ had been to them in their coming out process, I thought it was time I honored them and myself with the truth." A year later, Franzese was cast in HBO's gay comedy-drama Looking as Agustín's love interest. 

Franzese's queer-themed comedy tours have included Yass You're Amazing (2018) and Danny Franzese and the House of Glen Coco (2018). Since 2020, he's co-hosted a sexuality-affirming comedy and faith podcast called Yass, Jesus! with Azariah Southworth. 

Franzese was engaged to his boyfriend Joseph Bradley Phillips in 2016 but the pair split in 2018.

07of 12

Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury)

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Tina Fey wrote the Mean Girls screenplay and played Ms. Norbury, the empathetic but awkward teacher who leads the discussion on reducing "girl-on-girl crime" at North Shore. 

Fey started her career in the legendary Chicago improv troupe Second City and joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 1997. She began performing on the show in 2000 and became the co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update segment, first with Jimmy Fallon and then with Amy Poehler in 2004. 

Fey left Saturday Night Live in 2006 to create and star in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, based on her experiences as the SNL head writer. 30 Rock wrapped in 2013, and she went on to co-create the Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which ran from 2015 to 2020. Fey has won nine Emmy Awards — three for her work on SNL and six for 30 Rock. She has also starred in the films Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016), and A Haunting in Venice (2023), among others.

Still inspired by the world of Mean Girls, Fey brought the story to Broadway in 2018, writing the book for a musical adaptation of the movie. In 2020, it was announced that the musical would be turned into a new film. "It's been incredibly gratifying to see how much the movie and the musical have meant to audiences," Fey said in a statement. "I've spent 16 years with these characters now. They are my Marvel Universe and I love them dearly." Both Fey and costar Tim Meadows reprise their roles in the 2024 film. 

Recently, Fey has appeared in the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building as podcast host Cinda Canning (2021–present). 

Fey married composer and comedian Jeff Richmond in 2001, and they've been successful creative partners as well as loving spouses: Richmond composed music for 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the Mean Girls musical. They have two daughters, Alice and Penelope.

08of 12

Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall)

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Tim Meadows played Mr. Duvall, North Shore's long-suffering principal who tried to deal with the fallout from the Burn Book crisis. 

Like costar Tina Fey, Meadows began his career as a member of the Second City improv troupe in Chicago. He joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 1991 and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in 1993. He stayed with SNL for nine years before exiting in 2000. 

After Mean Girls, Meadows appeared in films with other SNL stars, including The Benchwarmers (2006) with Rob Schneider and David Spade and Jack & Jill (2011) with Adam Sandler. His other notable films include The Ladies Man (2000), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), and Grown Ups (2010). He was also the only Mean Girls cast member who appeared in the Mean Girls 2 TV movie made for ABC Family in 2011.

Meadows returned to a school setting in 2013 as Mr. Glascott, the guidance counselor on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. His popular recurring role led to a spinoff, Schooled, which ran for two seasons from 2019 to 2020. In 2023, he took another education-based character, playing a college dean in the comedy fantasy film Dream Scenario. Like Fey, he also reprises his role in the 2024 Mean Girls musical film. 

Meadows was married to Michelle Taylor from 1997 until their divorce in 2005. They have two sons, Isaiah and Julian.

09of 12

Amy Poehler (Mrs. George)

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Mrs. George had a small but unforgettable part in Mean Girls as Regina's self-described "cool mom."

The actually cool Amy Poehler was a co-founder of the improv and sketch comedy team Upright Citizens Brigade, and she appeared on Comedy Central's UCB show from 1998 to 2000. She joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2001 and was a co-anchor of Weekend Update opposite Tina Fey. Poehler stayed on SNL until 2008, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Also in 2008, Poehler reunited with Fey for the film Baby Mama. 

Beginning in 2009, Poehler starred in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation as Deputy Parks Department Director Leslie Knope for seven seasons. She also voiced Joy in Pixar's Inside Out (2015). In 2016, Poehler won a Primetime Emmy for guest-hosting Saturday Night Live along with Fey. 

Poehler soon reunited with some past costars for two reality shows. She co-hosted NBC's crafts competition show Making It with Parks and Rec star Nick Offerman from 2018 to 2021. A spinoff series on Peacock, the cooking competition Baking It, paired Poehler with SNL greats Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph. She also recently co-created and starred in Fox's animated series Duncanville, which ran for three seasons from 2020 to 2022. 

Poehler was married to actor Will Arnett from 2003 until 2016. They share two sons, Archie and Abel.

10of 12

Jonathan Bennett (Aaron Samuels)

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Aaron Samuels is the much sought-after heartthrob of North Shore High — and the catalyst of Cady and Regina's competition. 

Jonathan Bennett began his career playing J.R. Chandler on the ABC soap opera All My Children in 2001. Following Mean Girls, he appeared in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) and starred as Bo Duke in the TV movie Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007). He hosted the Food Network cooking competition Cake Wars from 2015 to 2017, as well as the spinoffs Cupcake Wars (2016) and Halloween Wars (2016–2020). 

Bennett has embraced his enduring Mean Girls stardom, putting out a cookbook in 2018 called The Burn CookBook and releasing a 2019 line of T-shirts and tank tops with gay pride-related twists on classic Mean Girls quotes. 

Like costar Lacey Chabert, Bennett has appeared in several Hallmark movies, including a groundbreaking milestone for the channel. In 2022, the openly gay Bennett starred in The Holiday Sitter, Hallmark's first same-sex Christmas rom-com. "There have been a lot of different stories of queer people on Hallmark Channel, but we had yet to see two men fall in love at Christmas,” Bennett told EW. “And that's what I really wanted to show because I really wanted people like me to feel represented when they watched Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark."

In 2024, Bennett will make his Broadway debut in the long-running musical Spamalot, playing the not-so-Brave Sir Robin. 

Bennett married actor and TV host Jaymes Vaughan in 2022.

11of 12

Rajiv Surendra (Kevin Gnapoor)

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Top mathlete and rap master Kevin G. certainly made an impression on audiences, but Mean Girls was actor Rajiv Surendra's only major film role. When his efforts to snag the lead role in Ang Lee's 2012 movie Life of Pi failed, Surendra retired from acting. He wrote a 2016 memoir about his experiences called The Elephants in My Backyard. 

Surendra founded a calligraphy business in New York in 2010 and has engaged in several creative pursuits, including bookbinding, chalk art, and paper marbling. In 2021, he contributed a video series to HGTV's Handmade YouTube channel, chronicling his many talents. The series' success inspired him to start his own YouTube channel in 2022, where he posts instructional videos on cooking and crafts.

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Dwayne Hill (Coach Carr)

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Coach Carr was a confusing and ineffective health teacher, ordering his students not to have sex and then offering them condoms. 

Actor Dwayne Hill is mainly known as a voice actor, with dozens of commercials and cartoons to his credit. He's been a featured player in the Canadian animated shows Jimmy Two-Shoes (2009–2011) and Scaredy Squirrel (2011–2013). His most recognized role in the United States is voicing Cat in the PBS animated series Peg + Cat, which aired from 2013 to 2018 and earned him an Emmy nomination. 

Most recently, Hill has played a supporting role in the animated show Daniel Spellbound, which began airing on Netflix in 2022.