Married… with Children was a sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1997, and focused on the lives of Al and Peggy Bundy and their family. Ed O’Neill and Katey Sagal starred as the married couple in what was Fox’s first sitcom. The show helped launch the careers of several actors, and boasted a host of memorable female characters. It ended in 1997, though, so many of the stars of the show have moved on with their lives at this point. Here’s what they’ve been doing with their lives since.
Christina Applegate – Then
Christina Applegate will be familiar to many fans of Married with Children. She plays the role of Kelly, Al and Peggy’s eldest child. Kelly is known for her revealing outfits and stereotypical ‘ditzy’ personality.
Kelly tends to struggle in her love life, and often finds herself falling for the wrong guy, which usually ends in tears. Her father is often not a fan of the guys she brings home, something that tends to make him more and more angry as the series progresses.
Christina Applegate – Today
Applegate played Kelly in all eleven seasons of Married with Children and has featured in several TV shows and movies since her time as the ‘ditzy’ Bundy child.
One of her most famous roles was alongside Will Ferrell in the comedy movie Anchorman, and she appeared in children’s cartoon adaptation movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Applegate starred in her own sitcom, Samantha Who? and is thought of as one of America’s favorite TV personalities. She suffered from breast cancer in 2008 but has since been given the all clear.
Amanda Bearse – Then
Bearse plays the Bundy’s neighbor, Marcy Rhoades D’Arcy. She happens to be best friends with Peggy but does not have a lot of time for Peggy’s husband, Al.
Marcy is a fierce feminist and despises Al’s attitude toward women, leading her to happily join Peggy in trying to mess with him. Although she may initially seem as though she is reserved and conservative, we later find out she has a wild side whenever she begins to talk about her past.
Amanda Bearse – Today
Bearse is probably best known for her portrayal of Marcy Rhoades D’Arcy in Married with Children. She appeared in the entire run of the show and since then has made several small appearances in TV shows and movies.
During her time on the set of Married with Children she took to the director’s chair and has found that she has a flair for directing. Bearse has directed on some shows such as; MADtv, Dharma & Greg, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Keri Russell – Then
Although she only appears in one episode of the show, she leaves a lasting impact on several of the cast members. Russell portrays April Adams and finds that Bud Bundy has a little soft spot in his heart for her.
She dates Bud, but soon Bud has a rival for April’s affections. A fellow student, Nikolai, has feelings for April and is prepared to fight Bud over her. The pair end up fighting, and the scrap accidentally gets broadcast over the school radio, April is put off and rejects both guys.
Keri Russell – Today
Although she only appeared in Married with Children on one occasion, that did not stop Keri Russell from becoming a star.
Since the show, she went on to appear in period drama The Americans, a role that has earned her huge plaudits from colleagues and fans of the show. Russell met her partner, Matthew Rhys, while filming The Americans, and the pair now have a child together. She has been nominated for both a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award for her role as Elizabeth Jennings in the period drama.
Fergie – Then
Fergie was also a love interest of Bud in Married with Children for a time. Bud was enamored with Fergie’s character, Ann, from the moment he set eyes on her.
Ann flirts with Bud while he is in line for concert tickets, in the process, she manages to jump the line and con Bud at the same time. She was paid by a bunch of guys to get them further to the front of the line and invites them into the line ahead of Bud.
Fergie – Today
Although she dabbled with acting, most people who know Fergie know her thanks to her place as a member of pop group The Black Eyed Peas.
First appearing in the charts in 2002, Fergie has been a part of the group the whole time and has also branched out to forge a solo music career too. Her debut album was titled The Dutchess and sold over eight million copies, but her main success has been with her work alongside her fellow Black Eyed Peas members.
Tiffani Thiessen – Then
Another girl that gets away from Bud, Tiffani Thiessen features as Heather McCoy, although she is more of a bully to Bud than anything.
In the 6th grade, Heather plays a prank on Bud that leaves the Bundy child feeling pretty humiliated. She walks back into Bud’s life five years later, and he tries his best to get his revenge, only to be left humiliated once again. Kelly has Bud’s back though and ties Heather up to the school lockers without any clothes on as revenge for tricking Bud.
Tiffani Thiessen – Today
Tiffani Thiessen is probably best known for her role as Kelly Kapowski in high school drama comedy show, Saved by the Bell before starring in teen drama Beverly Hills 90210.
She continued acting throughout the years and most recently has appeared in crime mystery series White Collar and brings her voice to animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Theissen now presents Dinner at Tiffani’s, her own show that runs on the Cooking Channel.
Andrea Parker – Then
Her first ever TV role was as a go-go dancer on Married with Children. Andrea Parker featured in the episode Married with Prom Queen, and even though her character didn’t have a name, she is remembered for her dance moves.
Although she puts a lot of effort into her dancing, she is not well received by the crowd at the club she is performing at. She is dancing in a cage and shocks many people by calling her boss ‘Daddy’ and asking if she can take a break.
Andrea Parker – Today
Although she only had a small role in Married with Children, Andrea Parker has gone on to bigger and better roles later in her career.
She will be familiar to fans of teen drama Pretty Little Liars, where she plays Jessica DiLaurentis. Parker appeared in Married with Children in 1989 and hasn’t looked back. Since the show, she has regularly featured on TV screens across America. She has had roles in drama Desperate Housewives and was one of the lead characters in sitcom Less than Perfect.
Teresa Ganzel – Then
In a rare moment of compassion, Peggy takes responsibility and tries to find some work as the family’s money struggles worsen.
She gets a job as a makeup saleswoman and for a time becomes the biggest earner in the family. Thanks to Peggy’s job we are introduced to Teresa Ganzel’s character, Heather, who helps Peggy get the job in her cosmetics company. Heather is a hilarious character who convinces Peggy having her own job is something worth having.
Teresa Ganzel – Today
By the time she appeared in Married with Children, Ganzel was pretty familiar with how a TV set looked. She had been acting for years beforehand and has continued to do so since appearing in the sitcom.
Ganzel had voice roles in animated adventures, The Smurfs and The New Yogi Bear Show and doing voice work has proved to be a real winner for her. Her voice can be heard on animated movies Monsters Inc., Toy Story 3, and Inside Out.
Jennifer Lyons – Then
Jennifer Lyons features as, Ariel, one of Bud’s girlfriends in the show. She is a minor recurring character, appearing in three episodes, and often is turning the heads of people when on screen.
She shares similar characteristics to Bud’s sister, Kelly, and is a stereotypical ‘ditzy blonde’ who wears revealing outfits. Al becomes a real fan of Ariel after she reveals she doesn’t like Marcy, she even plots with Al to help him get one over on his neighbor.
Jennifer Lyons – Today
Lyons found success with her role as Ariel, and she was cast in a number of similar roles thanks to her performance in Married with Children.
She featured in sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and TV drama Desperate Housewives and has appeared in a handful of horror movies, often ending up being a victim. Besides acting, Lyons has found some success as a model and primarily works as a pin-up style lingerie model. She recently had a regular role on TV comedy Hitting the Breaks, appearing in all 10 episodes of the show.
Julie Condra – Then
Julie Condra appears in Married with Children as Crystal Brooks, a successful singer who happens to be another female that has stolen Bud’s heart.
It turns out that Crystal has a thing for Bud and once wrote him a valentines card that he never received. Bud discoveries that Crystal is performing nearby and staying in a local hotel. When Bud finds her she rejects him, but changes her mind and writes him another note, sadly Bud doesn’t get the note and Crystal is left feeling rejected all over again.
Julie Condra – Today
Condra didn’t have much success in the acting world after her appearance on Married with Children. The majority of her acting roles came before she played Crystal but she did appear in a few TV movies during the ‘90s and ‘00s.
She appeared in action thriller Crying Freeman in 1995 where she met her partner Mark Dacascos, the pair have three children together, and Condra has spent much of her recent time looking after them.
Bobbie Brown – Then
Bobbi Brown played Nibbles, a character that Al and Bud became obsessed with during a trip to the grocery store. The Bundy boys are wandering around the store to get some free air conditioning on a hot day when they encounter Nibbles.
They follow her around the store, getting her to pick up various items as they watch on. Al and Bud are declared the winners of a competition because they have been deemed the one-millionth customer and include Nibbles in the celebratory group hug.
Bobbie Brown – Today
Bobbie Brown found great success as an actress during the ‘90s. She appeared in action drama Baywatch Nights and comedy NewsRadio.
She appeared in some very fun movies, even if the quality was not always the highest – movies such as action comedy Double Trouble. Her star has fallen a bit since the ‘90s and she has appeared in limited roles recently. The rock band Steel Panther cast her in their musical comedy, Live from Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage, where she plays Lexxi’s mom.
Jerry Hall – Then
Jerry Hall appears in Married with Children during the first season. She appears as Terry Cherry, a bubbly character who is often seen with Al’s friend Luke.
On one occasion Al is staying with his friend Luke following an argument with Peggy, and Terry’s sister, Sherry, tries to seduce him. Al remains faithful however and soon returns home to his wife. Terry doesn’t appear very often in the show but her moments are memorable as she often makes innuendos without meaning to.
Jerry Hall – Today
Jerry Hall is well-known to many thanks to her various acting roles and modeling career.
Besides her own talents, she is also known as the partner of several incredibly famous men, including rock star Mick Jagger and her current husband, business mogul, Rupert Murdoch. Hall recently found some success in the UK, where she appeared in comedy movie Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and thriller Gangster Kittens in 2016. In 2012 she appeared in the UK version of Dancing with the Stars but was eliminated early in the show.
Vanna White – Then
Vanna White plays Coco in Married with Children, becoming a love interest for Al in the episode The Proposition.
Al boasts that he once had a close and intimate relationship with Coco, but nobody he tells believes him, thinking her way out of Al’s league. Amazingly, Coco appears at the Bundy home, offering to buy Al from Peggy for a huge amount of money. Peggy initially agrees to the deal, but soon has big regrets as she catches Coco trying to seduce Al.
Vanna White – Today
Although she appeared in Married with Children, most TV viewers will know Vanna White from another show. She has been a hostess on TV game show Wheel of Fortune since 1983, amassing over 6600 episodes.
White signed a deal with the network to continue as a hostess on the show until at least 2020. White had a recent role in comedy show Fresh Off the Boat in 2017 but primarily appears on TV as herself on entertainment shows such as Good Morning America and Access Hollywood Live.
Shannon Tweed – Then
Shannon Tweed actually plays herself, although the character, is something of an exaggerated one. Tweed was a well-known Playboy model at the time and she manages to seduce Al enough to get him to do what she wants.
Al and Jefferson find some photos of Tweed that she doesn’t want to be shown to anyone else, and she charms Al into destroying the pictures. Al believes she loves him but is soon left disappointed when she tells him she was only acting that way to get what she wanted, the pictures destroyed.
Shannon Tweed – Today
Although famed for being a model, Tweed has over 100 acting credits to her name. She has appeared in sitcom Frasier and mystery show Republic of Doyle.
Tweed appeared on the cooking game show Hell’s Kitchen in 2017 and the entertainment show Today in 2015. Tweed has been a long-term partner of rock star Gene Simmons and appeared in the reality show following the Kiss star. The pair have been together since 1983 but waited until 2011 to get married. They also have two children together.
Traci Lords – Then
Traci Lords actually has multiple roles on Married with Children. She first appears as an airheaded dental assistant, which seems like an unlikely career for someone with such little common sense.
First, she was a dental assistant in season four and then in season six Lords appears as Vanessa Van Pelt. Van Pelt believes Al is a private investigator and soon she develops feelings for him. As things transpire, it becomes clear that Van Pelt is actually a criminal who is likely to be spending lots of time behind bars.
Traci Lords – Today
Lords had a controversial beginning to her career in front of the camera. She appeared in some adult movies but it later was revealed that she was, in fact, underage at the time.
Although this was a controversial beginning, her career has not suffered much and she has made several appearances in TV shows such as Roseanne, Will & Grace, and Gilmore Girls. Lords wasn’t content with just acting and has released her own music album, 1,000 Fires, which received positive reviews from critics.
Juliet Tablak – Then
Juliet Tablak appeared in Married with Children as the niece of the Bundy’s Neighbor, Marcy. Tablak played Amber and is another character that found herself to be the center of Bud’s attention for a while.
Amber has been sent to live with her aunt as she comes from a troubled part of the country and needs some stability in her life. She finds herself in Bud’s bed pretty quickly but later begins to reject him, much to Bud’s disappointment.
Juliet Tablak – Today
Playing Amber turned out to be the best role of Juliet Tablak’s acting career. She made several guest appearances on TV shows such as; Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Picket Fences, and Nowhere Man.
As a result of failing to make it big, Tablak quit the acting business and has since been teaching exercise from 1999. She works as a Pilates instructor and has qualified as a chiropractor after graduating with a human biology degree from the Palmer Chiropractic College.
Krista Allen – Then
Krista Allen plays Crystal Clark during season 10. Crystal was a young and attractive female, so for sure she was being lusted after by Bud.
Although she caught the eye of Bud, Crystal is a little different from the rest of the girls Bud normally falls for, she is actually an intelligent and independent woman. There was one final difference from the other girls that she left until the end of the episode to reveal to Bud, Crystal was, in fact, born a man.
Krista Allen – Today
Krista Allen found success as an actress following her role in Married with Children. She frequently appeared in soap opera Days of Our Lives and the beach drama Baywatch.
Allen has featured pretty much constantly on television since Married with Children and has had recent roles in sitcom Modern Family and comedy Significant Mother as Lydia Marlowe. She appeared in several movies including 2003 comedy Anger Management and 1997 comedy Liar Liar. In 2015 she appeared in Shakespeare-inspired romance movie Rodeo & Juliet.
Joey Lauren Adams – Then
Joey Lauren Adams was another actress to appear in the show several times as different characters.
First, she was introduced to fans of the show as Mona Mullins, who was actually a crossover character from a spin-off of Married with Children. Mona was really into Vinnie Verducci and she was persistent in her pursuit of him, despite Vinnie never taking her up on her offers. Later, Adams appeared as Cousin Effie, and she makes another appearance as Janey.
Joey Lauren Adams – Today
If you don’t recognize Joey Lauren Adams by her face, you’ll probably recognize her from her voice.
She has an unusual sounding voice which has led to several voice acting roles, she featured in Disney animation Hercules in 1999 as Electra and played the voice of a squirrel in Eddie Murphy comedy Dr. Dolittle 2 in 2001. Adams was most recently spotted in TV comedy Still the King, playing the main role of Debbie for the two seasons the show ran for.
Tami Roman – Then
Al convinces his friend Aaron Mitchell to end his relationship with Angie, something Al feels terrible about because it turns out that Angie is actually the perfect woman.
Aaron quickly finds a new partner, Meg, much to the horror of Al. Meg, played by Tami Roman, is a mirror of Al’s wife, Peggy. When Peggy and Meg meet they sync up, and every mannerism is the same. Al is horrified he has caused Aaron to shack up with such a woman, but Aaron doesn’t see the problem.
Tami Roman – Today
Tami Roman was pretty new to the acting scene when she got the role of Meg on Married with Children.
Roman first appeared on our TV screens on reality show The Real World: Los Angeles and returned to what she knew after failing to crack the acting business. Roman was a member of the cast on reality show Basketball Wives, following the lives of the wives and girlfriends of famous basketball stars. She would go on to star in a regional spinoff of the reality show that was solely based in LA.
Beth Broderick – Then
Beth Broderick appears as Miss Penza, a lawyer who tries to help the family make some money.
Al and Peggy are told if they can conceive a child in wedlock and call it Stymie Jr. they will inherit a small fortune from a deceased uncle related to the family. Al and Peggy start trying for a baby but have no success, and at the end of the episode, we meet Miss Panza once again. She has now married into the Bundy family to try and get the money for herself.
Beth Broderick – Today
One of Beth Broderick’s standout performances is her role as Zelda Spellman in the fantasy teen drama Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
She appears as Sabrina’s aunt throughout the first seasons before she returns for the final episode to attend Sabrina’s wedding. Although mainly known for her role in Sabrina, Broderick has appeared in several TV shows and movies since including a recurring role as Diane Janssen in drama Lost. In 2017 she appeared in Amazon Video crime drama Bosch and in 2017 Christmas TV movie Romance at Reindeer Lodge.
Teresa Parente – Then
Teresa Parente had a regular role on Married with Children from season nine to 11. She starred as Miranda Veracruz de la Jolla Cardinal, a news reporter for a local TV channel.
Her career has hit a big stumbling block, and she often is sent to report on the scuffles the Bundy family finds itself in. Miranda often openly states how sad she is that her career has taken such a wrong turn but does her best to try and provide her viewers with quality content, often unsuccessfully.
Teresa Parente – Today
Much like Miranda, Teresa Parente didn’t find much success working in television.
Parente’s part in Married with Children is considered to be her biggest to date, although she has had several guest appearances on shows such as Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Less Than Perfect, and Friends. Parente did have a small role in musical TV drama American Dreams and crime drama Without a Trace in the ‘00s. Her most recent role was as a vocal artist on children’s cartoon Spongebob Squarepants.
Katey Sagal – Then
Peggy Bundy is a loud and brash woman. Her huge hair and loud demeanor mean she is almost impossible to miss every time she enters a room, especially as she constantly demands all eyes on her.
She is driving Al crazy as she spends all of his money while barely lifting a finger to help the family out, instead preferring to sit on the couch and watch TV. Although Peggy and Al often take verbal swipes at each other, deep in their hearts they care very much for each other.
Katey Sagal – Today
She has had a successful career since Married with Children. Sagal provided the voice of Leela in animated comedy Futurama and recently could be seen starring in crime drama Sons of Anarchy as the matriarch of a gang of motorcycle bandits.
Her husband, Kurt Sutter, was actually the creator of Sons of Anarchy and he cast Sagal as he wrote a role specifically for her. Recently she has made appearances in comedy shows The Big Bang Theory and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
