Catch up with the cast of the iconic teen flick ‘Mean Girls,’ including Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert

Mean Girls was a bona fide box office hit when it was released on April 30, 2004, sparking dozens of quotable quotes and pop culture moments that have lasted for decades.

In the 20 years since its premiere, Mean Girls also spawned a TV movie sequel, a Broadway musical and a movie adaptation of the musical, which hits theaters on Jan. 12, 2024. We can’t help that it’s popular.

In November 2023, Mean Girls stars Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Daniel Franzese and Rajiv Surendra came together to film Walmart’s campaign supporting the brand’s holiday deals.

The commercial shows guidance counselor Cady Heron (Lohan), weather reporter Karen Smith (Seyfried), stage mom Gretchen Wieners (Chabert), proud dad Kevin Gnapoor (Surendra) and bestie Damian (Franzese) returning to North Shore High School, where a new crew of It girls rule the halls.

“Some things never change. On Wednesdays we wear pink, but now we shop Walmart Black Friday deals,” Cady says as Gretchen pulls up in a convertible filled with Walmart shopping bags.

In honor of the crew’s reunion and the film’s 20th anniversary in 2024, catch up with the full cast, then and now.

01of 19

Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron

Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron in ‘Mean Girls’; Lindsay Lohan at the Saint Laurent show in Paris, France on Sept. 25, 2018.Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock; Julien Hekimian/Getty

Cady Heron is the new girl from Africa at North Shore High School who breaks bad before going good again. In real life, Lindsay Lohan has had her own career and personal ups and downs with legal and substance abuse issues, but Mean Girls was what initially launched Lohan into mega-fame.

After Mean Girls, Lohan starred in films like Just My Luck (2006), Georgia Rule (2007), I Know Who Killed Me (2007), Machete (2010) and The Canyons (2013). On television, Lohan had recurring roles on Ugly Betty and the British series Sick Note and starred as Elizabeth Taylor in the 2012 Lifetime movie Liz & Dick (2012)

After an absence from the screen, Lohan returned in a 2022 Netflix holiday rom-com, Falling for Christmas, followed by another Netflix rom-com, Irish Wish (2023). She is set to reunite with Jamie Lee Curtis for the upcoming sequel of Disney’s 2003 flick Freaky Friday.

In 2022, Lohan married financier Bader Shammas. In March 2023, Lohan revealed that they were expecting their first baby; son Luai arrived that July.

02of 19

Rachel McAdams as Regina George

Rachel McAdams as Regina George in ‘Mean Girls’; Rachel McAdams at the N.Y.C. ‘Disobedience’ premiere during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.Paramount/courtesy Everett; Jim Spellman/WireImage

Regina George is the most popular, most terrifying girl in school; a half a virgin who wears pink on Wednesdays. It was a breakthrough role for Rachel McAdams, who actually turned 25 during the filming of Mean Girls despite playing a high school student.

After Mean Girls, McAdams’ career exploded. She starred in everything from The Notebook (2004) and Wedding Crashers (2005) to Midnight in Paris (2011) to Spotlight (2015), the latter for which she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. McAdams also starred in a lead role on the second season of HBO’s True Detective.

In 2022, McAdams reprised her role as Dr. Christine Palmer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She also starred in the film adaptation of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (2023), and made her Broadway debut in the play Mary Jane in April 2024.

McAdams has two children with screenwriter Jamie Linden.

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Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith

Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith in ‘Mean Girls’; Amanda Seyfried in the front row at the Givenchy show during Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 30, 2018.Paramount/courtesy Everett; Swan Gallet/WWD/REX/Shutterstock

As Karen Smith — she’s a mouse (duh) and has ESPN or something — Amanda Seyfried made a hilarious impression in her big-screen debut as the Plastics’ resident airhead.

The role paid off for Seyfried, who followed Mean Girls with a long run on Big Love, leading roles in the Mamma Mia! movies and landing the part of Cosette in Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Les Misérables (2012). Seyfried received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for playing Golden Age of Hollywood actress Marion Davies in Mank (2020). In September 2022, she won an Emmy for her portrayal of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout. The esteemed actress is also a Lancôme Ambassadress.

Seyfried is mom to a daughter and son with her husband, Thomas Sadoski.

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Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners

Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners in ‘Mean Girls’; Lacey Chabert at Hallmark’s ‘Home & Family’ celebrating ‘Christmas in July’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on July 18, 2018.Paramount/courtesy Everett; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Gretchen is probably best known for trying to make “fetch” happen. (It’s not going to happen.)

Before Mean Girls, Lacey Chabert already had a career as a child actor, primarily in voice roles in movies like Anastasia (1997) and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998) and on the Nickelodeon series The Wild Thornberrys. She also was a main cast member on Party of Five, playing Claudia Salinger for all six seasons of the series. After Mean Girls, Chabert continued her TV movie and voice-over work along with appearing in a few feature films like Black Christmas (2006) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). However, it’s clear that Chabert found her true calling when she began starring in Hallmark Channel movies, having appeared in more than 30 for the network.

She also became a mom; she and her husband, David Nehdar, had daughter Julia in 2016.

05of 19

Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury

Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury in ‘Mean Girls’; Tina Fey at the 72nd annual Tony Awards on June 10, 2018.Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock; Andrew H Walker/Shutterstock

Ms. Norbury is the empathetic teacher who asks her students to “stop calling each other sluts and whores.” Tina Fey not only nailed the role, but she also wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls.

Fey has continued to work both in front of and behind the camera. After concluding her groundbreaking run as a cast member and writer of Saturday Night Live in 2006, Fey created and starred on the sitcom 30 Rock. She’s kept busy writing, producing and/or acting on shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Only Murders in the Building and in films like Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) and Soul (2020). Her critically acclaimed work has garnered Fey many accolades, including nine Emmys, two Golden Globes and seven Writers Guild of America awards. Fey was also the youngest-ever recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The multihyphenate star also helped give Mean Girls a second life when she brought it to Broadway and scored a Tony nomination for outstanding book of a musical for her work (and cast herself as a lead in a hilarious SNL spoof). Fey reprised her role as Ms. Norbury for the 2024 film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical.

Fey has been married to composer-producer Jeff Richmond since 2001 and they have two daughters. The couple also works together — in addition to providing original music for television and film projects Fey has worked on, Richmond received a Tony nomination for writing the score for the Mean Girls musical.

06of 19

Amy Poehler as Mrs. George

Amy Poehler as Mrs. George in ‘Mean Girls’; Amy Poehler on stage during the NBC segment of the Television Critics Association Press Tour on Aug. 8, 2018.Michael Gibson/Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Mrs. George is remembered for not being like a regular mom, but a cool mom to Regina. And it’s no wonder why — though Amy Poehler played McAdams’ mom in Mean Girls, she is only seven years older than her.

Poehler remained on SNL through 2010, moving on to NBC’s beloved Parks and Recreation afterward and winning a Golden Globe for her performance as Leslie Knope. She appeared in films like Blades of Glory (2007) and Baby Mama and did memorable voice work for Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and Inside Out (2015), the latter of which she will reprise her role of Joy for the 2024 sequel. Poehler won an Emmy Award for hosting SNL and has been nominated more than 20 other times for Emmys in various categories. As if she wasn’t busy enough, Poehler also hosted the reality craft competition show Making It with Parks costar Nick Offerman, hosted the reality food competition show Baking It with SNL costars Andy Samberg (season 1) and Maya Rudolph (season 2) and wrote and directed the 2019 Netflix movie Wine Country. Poehler and frequent collaborator Fey went on a live comedy tour in 2023.

Poehler was married to fellow comedian Will Arnett from 2003 to 2016. They have two sons.

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Ana Gasteyer as Mrs. Heron

Ana Gasteyer as Mrs. Heron in ‘Mean Girls’; Ana Gasteyer at the ABC/Disney TCA Winter Press Tour Party at the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on Jan. 17, 2014.Paramount/courtesy Everett; JB Lacroix/WireImage

Mrs. Heron is the supportive, if not oblivious, mom to Cady, played by Fey and Poehler’s fellow SNL castmate Ana Gasteyer.

After Mean Girls, Gasteyer had a few movie roles, including in That’s My Boy (2012), Wine Country (2019) and Happiest Season (2020), though she has been much busier on television. Gasteyer had recurring roles on The Good Wife, The Goldbergs and Lady Dynamite and was a regular on Suburgatory. From 2021 to 2023, she starred in the lead role on the NBC sitcom American Auto. A talented musical theater actor, Gasteyer has also played Elphaba in the Chicago and Broadway productions of Wicked.

Gasteyer and her husband, Charlie McKittrick, have two children: daughter Frances Mary and son Ulysses.

08of 19

Tim Meadows as Mr. Duvall

Left: Tim Meadows as Principal Duvall in ‘Mean Girls’; Tim Meadows at the Disney/ABC/Freeform 2018 Upfront Party in New York on May 15, 2018.Michael Gibson/Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Yet another SNL veteran in the Mean Girls cast, Tim Meadows played Mr. Duvall, who mispronounces “Cady” as “Caddy” and tells Coach Carr to step away from the underage girls.

Meadows has kept busy since Mean Girls with films like The Benchwarmers (2006), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Semi-Pro (2008) and Trainwreck (2015). He also regularly appears in Adam Sandler’s projects, including Grown Ups (2010) and Hubie Halloween (2020). On TV, Meadows has credits for dozens of series such as Bob’s Burgers, Marry Me and The Goldbergs (and its short-lived spinoff, Schooled). Notably, Meadows was the only original Mean Girls cast member to appear in the 2011 ABC Family sequel, Mean Girls 2, reprising his role as Mr. Duvall. He also appears in the 2024 movie musical as the same character.

Meadows has two sons with his former wife, Michelle Taylor.

09of 19

Daniel Franzese as Damian

Daniel Franzese as Damian in ‘Mean Girls’; Daniel Franzese at the opening night of ‘Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage’ in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2016.Paramount/courtesy Everett; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Damian is memorably accused of being “too gay to function” (but it’s only okay when Janis says that). It should also be noted he makes an excellent Santa Claus and is the originator of “Four for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!”

Daniel Franzese went on to star on the TV series Looking, Recovery Road and Conviction. He has also appeared on RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race and the reality series Not So Straight in Silver Lake.

Franzese split from his fiancé, Joseph Bradley Phillips, in 2018.

10of 19

Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian

Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian in ‘Mean Girls’; Lizzy Caplan arrives at the L.A. premiere of ‘Ghostbusters’ on July 9, 2016.Paramount/courtesy Everett; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Janis was Regina George’s best friend up until eighth grade when Regina started spreading rumors that Janis was a lesbian. She is also the original choreographer for the “Jingle Bell Rock” performance, and her legacy lived on through numerous Winter Talent Shows.

Since Mean Girls, Lizzy Caplan is known for films like Cloverfield (2008), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and Now You See Me 2 (2016). Her most prominent television roles were as Casey Klein on Party Down, Virginia Johnson on Masters of Sex and Libby Epstein in Fleishman Is in Trouble — though she has also appeared on shows like True Blood, New Girl, The League, Castle Rock and Truth Be Told. She starred as Alex Forrest opposite Joshua Jackson’s Dan Gallagher in the 2023 Paramount+ miniseries adaptation of Fatal Attraction.

Caplan married actor Tom Riley in 2017. They have a son, Alfie, who was born in 2021.

11of 19

Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels

Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels in ‘Mean Girls’; Jonathan Bennett at the Primary Wave 10th Annual Pre-Grammy Party on Feb. 14, 2016.AF archive/Alamy; Jason Kempin/Getty

Aaron Samuels is Regina George’s man candy, who looks sexy with his hair pushed back.

Before Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett had recurring roles on shows like All My Children and Veronica Mars. His films since have included Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) and Van Wilder: Freshman Year (2009). Bennett also made it to week 6 on Dancing with the Stars season 19 and appeared on season 2 of Celebrity Big Brother. He was among Mean Girls‘ original stars who appeared in the epic tribute scene to the movie in the 2018 Ariana Grande music video for “thank u, next.” If that wasn’t enough already, Bennett has made himself a side career as a host of shows like Cupcake Wars and Halloween Wars. In 2022, Bennett made history as one of the stars of the Hallmark Channel’s first Christmas movie with a leading LGBTQ couple, The Holiday Sitter. Off-screen, he made his Broadway debut in January 2024 playing Sir Robin and other characters in the musical Spamalot.

In 2022, he wed his longtime love, Jaymes Vaughan.

12of 19

Jill Morrison as Crying Girl

Jill Morrison in ‘Mean Girls’; Jill Morrison at the Hollywood premiere of ‘To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You’ on Feb. 03, 2020.Paramount; JC Olivera/Getty

The unnamed crying girl is very upset that her classmates can’t just get along like they used to in middle school and wishes she could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles and we’d all eat and be happy.

Mean Girls was Jill Morrison’s first of more than 100 acting credits, which also includes the films 2012 (2009) and Big Eyes (2014) and TV series like iZombie, Project Blue Book, Supergirl and The Good Doctor. Morrison also regularly appears in the Hallmark Channel’s movie series Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

13of 19

Daniel DeSanto as Jason

Daniel DeSanto as Jason in ‘Mean Girls’; Daniel DeSanto at the 142nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7, 2016.Paramount; Joey Foley/FilmMagic

Jason is a member of the varsity jock clique who attends a party at Regina’s house with Gretchen Weiners, but then goes to the mall with Taylor Wedell. He also asks Cady Heron if her muffin is buttered, and ends up being told to shave his back. You know, typical high school things.

After Mean Girls, Daniel DeSanto made his biggest splash in animation and has had notable voice roles on The Magic School Bus, Arthur, the Beyblade series, Totally Spies and PAW Patrol. DeSanto has also appeared on TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Star Trek: Discovery and Titans and films like The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009) and Little Italy (2018).

14of 19

Stefanie Drummond as Bethany Byrd

Stefanie Drummond as Bethany Byrd in ‘Mean Girls’; Stefanie Drummond as Sheila in ‘Spotlight’ (2015).CBS/Getty; Fox Searchlight

Bethany is best known for that one time Regina punched her in the face (and it was awesome). She also saw Cady wearing army pants and flip-flops, so she bought army pants and flip-flops.

Stefanie Drummond, who played Bethany, made her big-screen debut in Mean Girls. She has since appeared in various TV series, including Fuller House, Blindspot, Bosch, Dollface and Gray. Drummond also reunited with her former Mean Girls costar Rachel McAdams in Spotlight. Hopefully, she still wears her army pants and flip-flops.

15of 19

Rajiv Surendra as Kevin Gnapoor

Rajiv Surendra as Kevin Gnapoor in ‘Mean Girls’; Rajiv Surendra posing for a portrait on Instagram.Paramount Pictures; Rajiv Surendra Instagram

Kevin G., Bad-Ass M.C., may be a mathlete, so nerd is inferred, but forget what you heard, he’s like James Bond the Third.

Rajiv Surendra, who played Kevin G, has shifted his focus from acting to art. He now has a calligraphy and graphic design company called Letters in Ink and a pretty cool career as a chalkboard artist. The actor/artist also dabbles in cooking and lifestyle guidance, launching a YouTube channel to share how to make Sri Lankan Tamil cuisine and do things around (and for) the home.

16of 19

Alisha Morrison as Lea Edwards

Alisha Morrison as Lea Edwards in ‘Mean Girls’; Alisha Morrison poses for a selfie on Instagram.Paramount; Alisha Morrison Instagram

Lea was impressed that Regina has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus. She also wore a skirt that was her mom’s in the ’80s — it’s vintage and so adorable, but in reality, the “ugliest f—— skirt” that Regina has ever seen. Getting her hair soaked by a sprinkler is the worst thing to ever happen to her.

Alisha Morrison had just three television roles after appearing in Mean Girls — Instant Star, ‘Da Kink in My Hair and The Listener. Her Instagram bio says she now works in human resources.

17of 19

Diego Klattenhoff as Shane Oman

Diego Klattenhoff as Shane Oman in ‘Mean Girls’; Diego Klattenhoff attends day 2 of the WIRED Cafe at Comic-Con on July 19, 2013.Paramount; Michael Kovac/WireImage

Shane was secretly hooking up with Regina while she was dating Aaron — and then becomes her rebound after they break up. He’s the Spring Fling King and also a Kälteen Bar truther.

Mean Girls was only the beginning for Diego Klattenhoff, who had roles on Homeland and Mercy, but he is likely best known now for starring as FBI Agent Donald Ressler on The Blacklist. He has appeared in a few films, including Lucky Number Slevin (2006), After Earth (2013) and Pacific Rim (2013).

18of 19

Jan Caruana as Emma Gerber

Jan Caruana as Emma Gerber in ‘Mean Girls’; Jan Caruana seen posing at a red carpet event.CBS/Getty; Jan Caruana Instagram

Emma is memorable for saying that Regina George is flawless, and later, being awarded a small chunk of the Spring Fling Queen crown (her hairdo must have taken hours and she looked really pretty). At lunch, she sits with “girls who eat their feelings.”

Actress and comedian Jan Caruana later reunited with Rachel McAdams when both were in the 2009 film The Time Traveler’s Wife, in which Caruana played a nurse. In addition to her award-winning comedy performances, Caruana was a writer for the Canadian sketch show Sunnyside and the teen dance series The Next Step, among other projects.

19of 19

Julia Chantrey as Amber D’Alessio

Julia Chantrey as Amber D’Alessio in ‘Mean Girls’; Julia Chantrey reading while sitting on a couch in a photo shared on Instagram.Paramount; Julia Chantrey Instagram

You may remember Amber as the student who made out with a hot dog, but it was only one time! She also heard that Regina does car commercials in Japan.

No longer sitting at the “burnouts” table in the cafeteria anymore, Julia Chantrey voiced Eva on the Canadian animated series Total Drama, appeared in Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 horror film Mama and has made guest appearances in several notable television series, including Flashpoint, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Umbrella Academy.