This Is The Cast Of New Girl Today

Hey, girl! Whatcha doing? Are you in the middle of rewatching "New Girl" and wondering where the cast members of Fox's quirky hit sitcom are these days? Well, you've come to the right place.

"New Girl" first premiered in 2011 and quickly became a hit. Starring Zooey Deschanel as Jess, the eccentric, newly single girl in an apartment with three men, the show was a celebration of friendship and finding your way as a young Millennial. Other stars included Jake Johnson as the grumpy, loveable Nick, Max Greenfield as the uptight Schmidt, Lamorne Morris as oddball and prankster Winston Bishop, and Hannah Simone as Jess's model best friend, Cece. 

The show's last episode aired in 2018, giving viewers a glimpse of where the friends all ended up. Jess and Nick were together, Cece and Schmidt were raising their daughter, and Winston and his wife Aly were still going strong. And all of them were still playing their favorite game True American, because of course they were!

While you know what happened to the characters of "New Girl," you may not know what happened to the cast. Here's where they all are today.

Zooey Deschanel was already well-known as the OG manic pixie dream girl when "New Girl" began, having starred in "Elf" and "500 Days of Summer." Since the show ended, Deschanel has been focusing more on voice acting as Bridget in the "Trolls" franchise and singing with her band She & Him. In 2022, the band released a new album filled with Beach Boys covers. As of 2023, Deschanel is also engaged to Jonathan Scott of "Property Brothers" fame.

Even though "New Girl" may be over, it's clear that Deschanel remains incredibly proud of the show. "Concept has nothing to do with whether something is successful," she told Bustle in 2022. "'New Girl' has the most generic concept. It's in the writing and the chemistry of the actors. Not to pat myself on the back..."

These days, Deschanel hopes her fans can see past her 'manic pixie dream girl' persona — "I don't feel it's accurate," she told The Guardian. "I'm not a girl. I'm a woman. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but it's a way of making a woman one-dimensional and I'm not one-dimensional."

Prior to "New Girl," Jake Johnson had appeared in a number of comedic roles in films like "Get Him to the Greek," "No Strings Attached," and "21 Jump Street." Since the series ended, Johnson has stayed pretty busy with shows like "Stumptown," "Lost Ollie," and "Minx." However, he hasn't exactly catapulted further into Hollywood stardom. As it turns out, that's because he isn't interested in it. 

In fact, as the actor told Esquire, both "New Girl" and the pandemic taught him that working for the sake of working wasn't worth it. "When the pandemic hit and I wasn't able to work at all, I really missed it, and I was afraid that it was going away forever," he said to Esquire. "I made a promise to myself: 'If Hollywood opens up again, I'll only take jobs that I really want to do. I'm really going to try.'" 

Now, his main interest is directing. "I've tried to get things made for years, and they always go away," he said to The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that studios wanted him to also star in the project because of his name's recognition. "I simply had no idea how to get this movie made without me in it," he said. "At my age and in this time, I don't have a lot more shots at directing." So in 2023, he starred in his directorial debut, "Self Reliance."

Max Greenfield played Schmidt, the marketer with a taste for the finer things in life and some delightfully odd pronunciations. Greenfield got his start with a number of guest roles in comedic TV shows throughout the early 2000s, before landing a role as Nick Pepper on "Ugly Betty." However, "New Girl" was the role that sent him rocketing to fame. Since its finale episode, he has appeared in "A Series of Unfortunate Events," Emerald Fennell's "Promising Young Woman," and "The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus." 

However, his biggest role has been in the show "The Neighborhood" — Greenfield starred as Dave for over 100 episodes of the show between 2018 and 2023. "It's a very old-school sitcom," he told "Live with Kelly and Ryan." In fact, he noted that his own family watched it together during the pandemic.

These days, you can spot Greenfield on the small screen thanks to many viral TikTok videos, which he has made alongside his daughter. "She's not allowed to have an account, but has begged me to join and I finally gave in," he shared on the "Jennifer Hudson Show." 

The fourth roommate was the cat and prank-loving Winston Bishop, played by Lamorne Morris. The role was his first big break after an array of smaller parts. Although Winston proved to be a star-making role, Morris was eager to do something different after the show ended. "Initially, I just wanted to get away from the character of Winston a little bit, where people would only see me as that," he said to Men's Health. "I wanted to do something that was a little darker, and had more weight to it."

In the years that followed, he appeared in "The Crossover," a parody about LeBron James, "Valley of The Boom," a show about the tech boom of the early 2000s, and "10 Days," a basketball drama podcast series. He continued searching for more meaningful projects and, as he told The Ringer, turned down a few projects that weren't "necessarily saying anything." Then, he found "Woke," a show comedy that also tackled racism in America. 

Hannah Simone played Cece, Jess's no-nonsense bestie who often hung out in the loft and eventually tied the knot with Schmidt. It was Simone's first big role, but certainly not her last. After a few pilots that weren't picked up, she went on to star in "Not Dead Yet" in 2023, an ABC comedy in which she played Gina Rodriguez's character's best friend. 

As she told Salon, she was ultimately grateful for how things have turned out. "If any of those things that had happened in between 'New Girl' and now had been picked up, I never would have formed these friendships that now are so meaningful in my life," she said. "I wouldn't have gotten to tell so many of these great stories that 'Not Dead Yet' gets to tell."

Although "Not Dead Yet" was not renewed for a second season, as of 2023, Simone is set to star in yet another comedy series on ABC — we can't wait to see what her next project will be.

Damon Wayans Jr. played Coach, the roommate who left after the pilot (due to conflicts with the actor's schedule), before returning sporadically throughout the show. Wayans Jr. had previously appeared in comedies like "Dance Flick," "Marmaduke," and "The Other Guys." While appearing in "New Girl," he also starred in "Happy Endings," an ABC comedy about six friends in Chicago — in a way, it wasn't too different from "New Girl." As he told Vulture, he was sad that he couldn't do both shows full-time. "You know, it was a tough decision," he said. "But ultimately it's whatever contract you sign first. So, I pretty much didn't have a choice."

After "New Girl" ended, Wayans Jr. continued to star in "Happy Endings" for another two years. Since then, you might have spotted him in "Supercool," "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar," or "Long Weekend." He also voiced Arnold in "Bob's Burgers." In 2023, he announced his new game show with CBS, called "Raid the Cage." "It was a unique opportunity to not only host but also add something to my company Two Shakes," he said to Parade. "That's what excited me about it. And I knew they were going to give me a good amount of control and say, and they delivered on that."

Wayans Jr. is married to Samara Saraiva, and the pair have four children.

Nasim Pedrad played Aly, Winston's police partner and eventual wife. She was already a familiar face when she booked the gig, as she had appeared on "SNL" since 2009. After "New Girl" came to an end, Pedrad starred in films like "No Activity," "Aladdin," and "Desperados." In 2021, she created and starred in the TBS comedy "Chad," playing the titular character — a 14-year-old Persian boy.

"I wanted to create a character that I knew I could have a lot of fun playing," she explained to Lamorne Morris, her "New Girl" co-star, in a conversation for Interview Magazine. "In some ways I was chasing the joy we had working together on 'New Girl,' where you're laughing a lot and everyone shares a sensibility. When you're putting that many hours into something, you want it to be fun."

Although "Chad" only lasted for one season, Pedrad has stayed busy with voice roles in "Human Discoveries," "Big Mouth," and "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures."

You probably remember Nelson Franklin as the very sweet Robby, the man who first dated Cece before later dating Jess. Before joining "New Girl," Franklin had played Nick for a five-episode stint on "The Office" and had also appeared in "I Love You, Man" and "Scott Pilgrim vs the World." While in "New Girl," Franklin also landed roles in Julia Louis-Dreyfus' "Veep" and in the ABC comedy "Black-ish." Since then, you may have spotted him in "Being the Ricardos," "Ghosts," and "You People." He has certainly proven himself to be one of the funniest actors on TV today.

Nelson also has a young son. "It's been a pretty slow year for me, career-wise, in 2022, but I have this one-year-old baby, so the universe is in balance!" he told Will Harris in an interview. Let's hope we get to see more of Franklin soon!

In 2016, Megan Fox stepped in as Reagan, a new roommate who sublet Jess's room while she was doing jury duty. Zooey Deschanel was actually on maternity leave from the show at the time. Fox was already a well-known star, famous for roles in "Jennifer's Body" and "Transformers." Since "New Girl," she has continued acting in a number of B-list films, and in 2023 she voiced Nitara in the "Mortal Kombat 1" game.

Aside from acting, Fox is best known for her appearances at events, where she often causes a stir with daring fashion choices alongside her partner Machine Gun Kelly. After rising to fame as a sex symbol at a young age, it has taken Fox a long time to feel comfortable in the spotlight. "I'm so much better equipped now to deal with it and to experience it in a way where I can actually enjoy some of it and not be so self-conscious and afraid all the time," she told Glamour. And in 2023, Fox is releasing a book of poetry called "Pretty Boys Are Poisonous." 

It sounds like everything really is falling into place for Fox.

Another of Jess's exes was the handsome doctor, Sam, played by David Walton. Walton had previously appeared in "Cracking Up," "Perfect Couples," and "Heist," along with a number of guest TV roles. After "New Girl" he continued acting, appearing in a number of TV shows like "Grace and Frankie," "Council of Dads," Hulu's "A Million Little Things," and Starz's "Power Book II: Ghost." 

Over the years, Walton has starred in a few pilots that didn't get picked up. He also tried his hand at creating his own show with Tad Quill. "I know I can handle the disappointment now ... It's not for the faint of heart, but it's [a] really thrilling profession for that reason," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Walton has been married to actor Majandra Delfino since 2011 and the pair have two kids as of 2023. As he told People in 2020, having kids was "absolutely terrifying" but also "fascinating."

You may remember Curtis Armstong as Principal Foster, Jess's odd boss. Armstrong had had a long career, acting in films like "Risky Business" and "Revenge of the Nerds" in the '80s. In more recent years, he's cropped up in a number of TV shows, such as "Doom Patrol" and "Stumptown." He has also lent his voice to series like "Monsters at Work" and "Harriet the Spy." Since 2005, he's also been busy voice-acting on "American Dad!"

Even though Armstrong was already a well-known actor, he still had to audition for his part in "New Girl." "In the case of 'New Girl,' everybody who's on that show is very much in that world, which they have created, and there is a type of humor and type of character in a way, which is unique, which is one of the reasons the show is so popular," he gushed to AV Club. "First off, Zooey [Deschanel] is just marvelous and really, really a talented person. The other actors are — it's the same sort of deal." 

Armstong has been married to producer Elaine Aronson since 1994.

Steve Agee played Outside Dave, the homeless man who lived outside of the gang's loft. Agee began his career as a stand-up comic before finding fame on TV with dozens of roles throughout the 2000s, including appearances in sketch comedy shows like "Funny or Die Presents..." and "Drunk History." He also worked as a writer on Jimmy Kimmel's show. Since "New Girl," Agee has appeared in "The Suicide Squad," "Peacemaker," and "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," along with numerous other projects. 

More recently, Agee has also been exploring photography, which he often shares on Instagram. "I've always been into photography," he told Serial Optimist. "When I was writing at Kimmel I was able to buy my first serious camera and it was also a great place to take photos. I took a few classes in college, but it's really something I just kind of got into on my own. It's just a hobby/distraction for me."

You may recognize Rebecca Ballantine Reid as the Russian model, Nadia, who lived with Cece and (very) briefly dated Schmidt in Season 1. The role was one of Reid's first acting gigs — previously, she had worked mainly as a stand-up comedian in the UK and in LA, along with modeling. While Nadia may have seemed like one of the more unbelievable characters in the show, according to Reid, she was actually based on real people. "I've definitely met Russian models like that," Reid said to The Hollywood Reporter. "It's not a complete caricature. These people do exist. I like that Nadia has a little bit of an evil streak, but I think she does care. She's just a bit of an outsider." In 2015, Reid starred in a British show called "I Live With Models," which was filmed in front of a live audience. In 2020, she appeared in and produced a short film called "Soft." She was also the producer for another short in 2021 with her partner Lottie Finklaire.

Based on Reid's Instagram, when she's not producing and acting, she's still busy as a model. She has also written a series of short stories called "Back To You," which are available to listen to on Soundcloud.