What The Pretty Little Liars Stars Are Doing Now

Pretty Little Liars was a phenomenon. After all, no matter how old you are, there's just something so totally binge-able about TV shows centered around teenagers. For some reason, watching high schoolers go through all the mundane drama of everyday life makes you feel better about your own life. Of course, add in a missing person and a murder, and you've got yourself a hit. And such was the case with Pretty Little Liars. The hit series followed the "liars" as they tried to solve the mystery of who was anonymously torturing them following the disappearance of their best friend. Though the show came to an end in 2017, the series' seven seasons were so popular that fans can't help but wonder what the cast is up to now.

After all, Pretty Little Liars produced some pretty big stars. The actors who appeared on the show started out as being relatively unknown, and, throughout the shows' run, they all became pretty famous. Still, it's been a while since fans saw the pretty little liars on their screens every week, and the cast has changed quite a bit. Here's what they're up to. 

As one of the main pretty little liars, Shay Mitchell, who played Emily Fields in the teen drama, has grown quite the social media following. Boasting over 29 million Instagram followers, Mitchell also has an impressive YouTube presence, where she frequently posts videos. And after Pretty Little Liars ended, Mitchell went on to accomplish quite a lot. In 2018, Mitchell starred as Peach Salinger in the hit Lifetime-turned-Netflix drama You. Mitchell also landed a role in the 2019 Hulu original Dollface, in which she plays Stella Cole. Mitchell also started her own business, launching her own luggage company, Béis (via WWD).

Of course, Mitchell isn't just busy with her career. In October 2019, Mitchell welcomed her first child into the world, a daughter with boyfriend Matte Babel, as reported by People. Between her stellar acting career and her having become a new mom, Mitchell is definitely living her best life. 

Her time on Pretty Little Liars may be over, but there's no denying the fact that Mitchell is just getting started. 

Perhaps one of the most mysterious characters on Pretty Little Liars was Alison DiLaurentis, who was played by Sasha Pieterse. DiLaurentis was a central character of the show, presumed to be dead in the first episode — and in many more episodes that followed. Of course, that wasn't the case, and her presence on the show soon became necessary.

Basically, Pieterse became hugely popular on Pretty Little Liars, and she continued with her iconic role even after PLL came to an end. In 2018, the creators of PLL made a spinoff series, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, and Pieterse starred in that as well, once again playing DiLaurentis. The Perfectionists was canceled after one season, but, in an interview with Seventeen, Pieterse made it clear the role would always be a big part of her life. 

Pieterse, who competed on Dancing With the Stars in Season 25, tied the knot in 2018, marrying longtime boyfriend Hudson Scheaffer in a romantic ceremony, according to People. In November 2020, Pieterse and Scheaffer welcomed their first child, son Hendrix Wade, as People reported. In short, Pieterse is doing just fine. 

Another member of the original group on Pretty Little Liars was Lucy Hale, who played Aria Montgomery on the hit show. Hale may be familiar to you, even if you haven't seen Pretty Little Liars, because she's been involved in quite a few projects. In fact, even before Pretty Little Liars, Hale was acting and had appeared in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as Effie and in the CW's Privileged. 

Since Pretty Little Liars ended, Hale has stayed hustling. Hale had her own show on the CW, Life Sentence, which got canceled after one season. But that's not all she's been working on. Hale has gone on to act in several films, such as Truth or Dare and Dude, and she signed on to once again star in her own CW show Katy Keene in 2020, which exists in the same universe as the hit show Riverdale, though it was ultimately canceled after one season, too. In March 2021, Deadline reported that Hale was cast in a new crime drama on AMC, Ragdoll, playing a detective.

Hale's resume certainly isn't short on experience, and, since Pretty Little Liars ended, she's been hard at work. 

Pretty Little Liars lasted for seven years, so it would be totally understandable if some of the cast were a little burned out. Such appeared to be the case with Ashley Benson, who played Hanna Marin on PLL. Of course, Benson hasn't completely left acting behind, but, since her run on PLL came to an end, she has worked on only a few acting projects.

Benson signed on to star in 2020's Lapham Rising and The Birthday Cake, but Benson's biggest role since leaving PLL has been in the 2018 movie Her Smell, in which she starred alongside Elisabeth Moss and Cara Delevingne. Benson and Delevingne started a relationship, which they kept fairly quiet, with a few exceptions here and there. While giving a speech at an event in Beverly Hills, Delevingne couldn't help but gush over Benson. "It's so nice to have someone in my life that supports me so much and loves me," she said, according to E! News. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world." Sadly, these two split in 2020 (via People), and Benson later started dating rapper G-Eazy, though they'd later break up too.

Shay Mitchell isn't the only pretty little liar to have a pretty little baby. Troian Bellisario, who played the original perfectionist herself Spencer Hastings on Pretty Little Liars, welcomed her own child into the world. In 2018, Bellisario gave birth to a daughter with her husband, Suits actor Patrick Adams, according to People. 

Of course, Bellisario has also been occupied with pursuing her career, as well as raising a daughter. In 2019, Bellisario starred in the film Where'd You Go, Bernadette, alongside Cate Blanchett, and she told Variety at the time that she was excited about taking on more mature roles. "Particularly now, being a new mom, I'm just really excited to explore more about the relationship of a mother to a child, and taking on more responsibility and even meatier roles," she told the magazine. Bellisario has also started getting involved behind the camera and has directed episodes of the Freeform shows Good Trouble and Famous in Love. In short, Bellisario is living her best life after Pretty Little Liars, and she is thriving. 

One of the more interesting parts of Pretty Little Liars was how the villains were constantly changing. At one point in the series, the bad guy — the anonymous cyberbully who called themselves "A" — was revealed to be Mona Vanderwaal, played by Janel Parrish. 

Fans loved Parrish's character on the show, so it's no wonder that, after PLL came to an end, Parrish would go on to star in the spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. The series only lasted one season, but fans were still thrilled to see Parrish's Mona back in action. Of course, Parrish has found success outside of the PLL universe as well. She appeared in the hit Netflix original To All the Boys I've Loved Before, which landed two sequels in which Parrish will also star. 

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Parrish credited her husband, Chris Long, with keeping her grounded. "It takes a lot of pressure off of me, knowing that wherever I have to go, whatever I have to do for my job, I have somebody who is so understanding and on my side and the biggest cheerleader," she said.

Other than the four main pretty little liars and the show's so-called villains, more notable characters from the hit teen show Pretty Little Liars were the love interests of the main girls. For Aria Montgomery, that was Ezra Fitz, played by Ian Harding. Harding is definitely a heartthrob, and he had fans of Pretty Little Liars obsessed with him during his time on the show. But now that he's no longer playing Mr. Fitz, Harding has more time for other projects. 

Since Pretty Little Liars ended, Harding has gone on to regularly star on the TV show Chicago Med, where he plays Phillip Davis, and provide the voice of Harris for the animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. 

Ian Harding has stayed close with his former costars, especially Shay Mitchell, and has even appeared on her YouTube channel.

Another romantic interest of the pretty little liars was Paige McCullers, played by Lindsey Shaw. Paige had a relationship with Emily Fields, before dabbling in the dark side on Pretty Little Liars, as most characters do on the show. Still, fans really enjoyed Paige's romance with Emily, and, since the show came to an end, many can't help but wonder what has become of Shaw. And it turns out, the former Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide star has stayed busy and seems to be enjoying life.

Since her time on Pretty Little Liars, Shaw hasn't appeared in too much else, but she signed on to star as Maisey in the 2020 film Reboot Camp, a comedy about a man who starts a fake self-help group. Additionally, Shaw seems to be very into art, according to her Instagram page, and can even be booked for a Cameo, as well. 

On Pretty Little Liars, Tyler Blackburn played Caleb Rivers, the smoldering bad boy who swept Hanna Marin off her feet — and all the fans, too! Blackburn's character was definitely swoon-worthy, and there was no denying the fact that Blackburn was a super convincing bad boy.

Since Pretty Little Liars, Blackburn has since gone on to star in the 2019 reboot of Roswell — Roswell, New Mexico — as Alex Manes. He's also had some personal life changes since Pretty Little Liars ended. In an interview with The Advocate, Blackburn came out as queer. "I'm queer," he told the magazine. "I've identified as bisexual since a teenager." He continued, "I just want to feel powerful in my own skin, and my own mind, and in my own heart." Blackburn is being his true self since PLL ended, and that's pretty amazing. 

Every one of the Pretty Little Liars' main stars had a romantic interest (as tends to be the case with teenage dramas), and Spencer Hastings' boyfriend on Pretty Little Liars was Toby Cavanaugh, played by Keegan Allen. Spencer and Toby were one of the fan-favorite couples and were even adorned a couple's name: Spoby. But since PLL came to an end, Allen has been doing a lot to keep busy, including pursuing a new passion. 

In a 2018 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Allen spoke about his newest passions, design and photography. In fact, Allen released a photography book, Hollywood, that year as well. In his interview, Allen explained his work process. "I'd have a cup of hot tea and stay up all night and look at all my work in here, sometimes by candlelight," he said. Additionally, Allen appeared in the 2019 Netflix original series What/If, playing the role of Billy. In 2021, he began the role of Liam Walker in the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot, Walker, alongside Supernatural's Jared Padalecki.

Allen is doing what makes him happy now that PLL has ended, and that includes acting and photography. 

While Pretty Little Liars may have centered around four (and then five) teenage girls, the characters' parents still had pretty big roles in the series. Specifically, the moms of Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily, who had fans worried sick during the series finale when they were trapped in a basement. And one of the moms, Ashley Marin, who was played by Laura Leighton, has come a long way from her days on Pretty Little Liars. 

The former Melrose Place star hasn't appeared in too many other shows or movies since Pretty Little Liars, but she has starred in the Christmas movie Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, which premiered in 2018. Besides acting, Leighton seems completely content with her personal life. She is married to Doug Savant, who starred in ABC's Desperate Housewives, and the couple share four children. Basically, though PLL might have been Leighton's last big role, as of this writing, she is perfectly happy taking it slow these days. 

Perhaps one of the biggest stars to appear on Pretty Little Liars was Holly Marie Combs. Combs was a big name before PLL even began, as she starred on the hit television series Charmed for ten years, giving life to her character, Piper Halliwell. So, when Combs came on Pretty Little Liars as Ella Montgomery, Aria's mom, fans were excited to see her back in action. 

Since Pretty Little Liars ended, however, Combs has stayed relatively low key, going on to guest star on an episode of Grey's Anatomy in 2019. That same year, Combs got married, and she couldn't be happier. According to People, Combs met her now-husband, Mike Ryan, in 2016, and the two got engaged a year later. "Our connection was so immediate," Combs told the magazine. "Just when I stopped looking for the perfect person, the perfect person showed up." Combs really is just living her best life after Pretty Little Liars. 

Spencer Hasting's mom, Veronica Hastings, was definitely a force to be reckoned with on Pretty Little Liars. Just like Spencer herself, Veronica was fierce and hardworking, and she had a bit of a dark side to her. So it's no wonder that the actress who played Veronica, Lesley Fera, would be such a fan favorite, even after Pretty Little Liars ended. 

While Fera hasn't regularly appeared in another series as often as she appeared in PLL at the time of this writing, she's still acting. Not only has Fera gone on to guest star on hit shows such as American Horror Story and NCIS: Los Angeles, but she also signed on to star in Seven Days, so she clearly hasn't slowed down one bit. She also did a short-lived podcast with her fellow Pretty Little Liars moms called Pretty Little Wine Moms, in which they rewatched episodes and shared behind-the-scenes stories.

Just like her character on Pretty Little Liars, Fera likes to stay busy and work hard. Her acting skills are top-notch, so it makes sense that she would still be in high demand these days. 

As any fan of Pretty Little Liars knows, the relationship between Emily Fields and her mom, Pam Fields, was a rocky one. Pam, played by Nia Peeples, had a hard time accepting Emily's sexuality early on in the series, but, eventually, the two became as thick as thieves. And even though Peeples' time on Pretty Little Liars is over, the actress hasn't stopped working. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Peeples has quite an Instagram following at over 195,000 followers, and she is pretty active on the social media platform. 

On top of that, Peeples appeared in nine episodes of the Freeform show The Fosters, shortly after Pretty Little Liars came to an end, and that's only the beginning of what she's gone on to accomplish. Peeples has starred in several productions, including Badland Wives, a serious drama. With PLL behind her, there's no telling what she'll do next. 

After wrapping up her role on Pretty Little Liars as Jenna Marshall, Tammin Sursok continued working, starring in the TV show Aussie Girl. She also started a family of her own, marrying and having two children. 

Sursok amassed quite a large social media following on Instagram, where she has 1.4 million followers, and she launched the blog Bottle + Heels. Still, Sursok continues to pay tribute to her time on Pretty Little Liars from time to time, like when she reprised her character in a fun video in March 2021.

When Sursok looks back on her time as Jenna, it's likely that she feels a ton of nostalgia. In an interview with Teen Vogue before the final season of Pretty Little Liars, Sursok explained that she loved playing Jenna because she was such a controversial character. "But I feel like I've done my job if you love her or hate her," she said. "Because ... she's kind of supposed to be both. She fits somewhere in the middle. The fact that fans have any reactions so intensely one way or the other is a good thing."

On Pretty Little Liars, Dre Davis played Sara Harvey, a small but very significant character. After Sara left Pretty Little Liars in a pretty brutal fashion, Davis spoke with TV Guide about her own thoughts regarding the role and how her character wasn't really given a fair shot by the liars. "[Sara] was loyal and [they] should have believed [her]," Davis said. "I think that she was loyal to the Liars and finding out answers and protecting them. She just has very strange ways of going about it."

Davis herself has laid pretty low since PLL and doesn't appear to be on social media, but since her time on the drama came to an end, she's actually been doing pretty well for herself, especially in terms of her career. Davis landed quite a few roles, including a part in the series The Deleted and roles in films like Madame Hollywood, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and Stay.

Anyone who has watched Pretty Little Liars knows that the show's biggest reveal involved Vanessa Ray as CeCe Drake, who turned out to be the ultimate villain when she was unmasked as "A." And Ray totally nailed it in her role as CeCe, also known as Charlotte DiLaurentis, making her one of Pretty Little Liars' most iconic characters.

In an interview with Vulture, Ray explained that she had to film her big scenes when "A" was revealed the week before her wedding, which made the whole thing that much more surreal. "I actually think it turned out being good that way, having something to dive into, and I felt very present on set in a way that I hadn't ever felt before," she said. 

While acting on Pretty Little Liars in 2013, Ray began starring in Blue Bloods as Eddie Janko, a feisty police officer who has seen more than her fair share of trauma on the job, and she's appeared on the series ever since. Clearly, Ray has a knack for dramas, and there's no telling what she'll do next.

Perhaps the most perplexing character on Pretty Little Liars was Melissa Hastings, older sister of Spencer and constant enigma in the series. Melissa, played by Torrey DeVitto, was impossible to read, and that's kind of what made her so fun to watch.

While DeVitto was filming Pretty Little Liars, she even admitted that she was confused about her character. "I want to get a better grasp on Melissa," she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview. "I want to know how much of a hand she has in things and how good she really is. There are so many avenues to take her." 

When DeVitto eventually had to say goodbye to Melissa, she got to say hello to a fun new character that carried her through several different shows. DeVitto has played Natalie Manning, a widowed pediatric emergency medicine fellow, in Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med since 2015. DeVitto has made quite a life for herself outside of Pretty Little Liars, and if her Instagram is any indication, she couldn't be happier, as she's loving her career and her life in general. 

For most of Pretty Little Liars, Wren Kingston, played by Julian Morris, had a supporting role. But when he was in a scene, fans couldn't keep their eyes off him, especially when it came to his scenes with actress Troian Bellisario. In a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Morris explained that he had been wanting a stronger Wren and Spencer storyline for a while. "I would love to see how Spencer and Wren get along given the chance," he said. "They do have a good chemistry together and I'd love for the writers to explore that." 

Of course, as Pretty Little Liars fans know, Wren's role in Spencer's life was going to get more intense — it would just take a few years. That said, Morris' character, Wren, was an important part on Pretty Little Liars, and the show wouldn't have been the same without him.

While he would appear on Pretty Little Liars, Morris also acted in New Girl, Once Upon a Time, and Hand of God. He then went on to star in some pretty impressive shows like The Good Fight and The Morning Show, as well as the Little Women mini-series and the 2018 film Viper Club. Additionally, Morris has found quite a lot of joy in traveling, as he's proven his Instagram account.

Because of its dramatic nature, Pretty Little Liars had a pretty long list of characters who only made brief appearances, or only showed up to reveal their darker nature. Sydney was definitely one of those characters.

Though Sydney wasn't always on Pretty Little Liars, she played a pretty big role on the series, and Chloe Bridges did a fantastic job of bringing the mysterious character to life. "They're very secretive on that show," she told TVLine in an interview describing when she learned Sydney had a darker purpose than she originally thought. "When I signed on [at the beginning of Season 5], I was just a sweet girl on the swim team, and I 100-percent thought that's how she was going to stay. Now, I'm like, 'Oh, I've been up to some gnarly stuff!'" 

When Bridge's time on Pretty Little Liars came to an end, though, she didn't slow down. Bridges appeared in shows like Charmed, Schooled, and The Rookie, and she even starred in the Netflix series Insatiable. But that's not all. She also fell in love and got engaged to fellow actor Adam Devine, proving that she's been living her best life since Pretty Little Liars.

If there was one character on Pretty Little Liars who went through the most changes on the series, pledged allegiance to the widest variety of people, and managed to be both constantly suspicious and endearing all at the same time, it was Lucas Gottesman, played by Brendan Robinson.

Though Robinson has appeared in a few projects since wrapping up Pretty Little Liars, such as A Christmas Switch, Beerfest: Thirst for Victory, and DieRy, he's mostly laid pretty low. That said, Robinson has said that he would be down for a reboot of Pretty Little Liars, and that's not too much of a shock. "I'm curious if it would be a reboot, like a series reboot or if it would be in the form of like a two hour movie," Robinson told J-14. "I would totally be down for that. Any opportunity to work with people that I like to work with, and kind of 'go home' if you will, I'm totally up for that." While a Pretty Little Liars reboot was later announced, it's unclear if any of the original cast will return.

Clearly, Pretty Little Liars was an important part of Robinson's life, and since the show ended, he's seemingly been happy and healthy — with an Instagram official girlfriend and all.

Of all the characters on Pretty Little Liars, Jason DiLaurentis might have been one of the most misunderstood on the series. Brother of Alison DiLaurentis (and Spencer Hastings, as it would turn out), Jason was a pretty shady character for a while. And in an interview with TVLine, Acker actually explained that there was more to Jason than viewers saw. "Jason is not this monster that everyone makes him out to be," Acker said. "He's changed his life. In the beginning, everyone thought he was bad, and while no one knows either way just yet, you will see him opening up."

Perhaps playing someone more complex helped Acker prepare for his next big role. Since leaving his Jason DiLaurentis days behind, Acker has continued acting, and he actually landed a pretty cool role in DC's Titans as the character Aqualad in the show's second season. Additionally, Acker starred in Training Day and Spy Intervention. Clearly, Acker's star is continuing to rise after Pretty Little Liars, and he's practically become a certified Instagram hunk in the meantime, so good for him!

As anyone who watched Pretty Little Liars knows, Noel Kahn was a pretty intense character, basically always on the cusp of being caught doing something terrible. And when his character's time on the show was up, Noel, played by Brant Daugherty, also had a pretty memorable death. "It's probably the most spectacular death on the show," he told Variety in an interview. Though Noel was killed, Daugherty wished he had more time with his character. "I would always love to explore more of Noel so we'll see what happens, so keep your eye out," he added.

After his recurring role as Noel in Pretty Little Liars, Daugherty went on to have even more recurring roles in television series like Freakish, Relationship Status, and Dear White People, as well as in TV movies Mingle All the Way, A Christmas Movie Christmas, and Just for the Summer. Notably, he also had a role in Fifty Shades Freed.

To say that Bianca Lawson is a professional at playing high schoolers would be an understatement. As noted by Vulture, Lawson had been playing teens from the time she was 14 and cast in Saved By the Bell. She was 31 when she joined the cast of Pretty Little Liars. 

In an interview with Vulture, Lawson looked back on her time on Pretty Little Liars with nostalgia. "These characters, especially because she was a younger character or younger-skewing, sometimes aren't always fully fleshed out or super layered," she explained. "But I felt something different about her from what I was expecting and what you usually read in terms of younger kids."

After her character was killed on Pretty Little Liars, Lawson went on to enjoy even more impressive roles in The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, Witches of East End, Rogue, and Queen Sugar. Oh, and she became Beyoncé's stepsister in 2015 when her father married the singer's mom (via PopSugar).