‘90s Stars: Then and Now: Melissa Joan Hart, Macaulay Culkin, Sarah Michelle Gellar and More

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‘90s Stars: Then and Now: Melissa Joan Hart, Macaulay Culkin, Sarah Michelle Gellar and More

Ugh, as if anyone would forget about the ‘90s! Alicia Silverstone, Macaulay Culkin and more stars from the decade caught fans attention with their iconic onscreen personas and continue to entertain Us decades later. Melissa Joan Hart’s roles in the ‘90s consisted of Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch — in addition to numerous teen movies. While reminiscing about her teenage years, the actress told Us Weekly exclusively which of her kisses from that era was the best — Adrian Grenier. “He was the most fun,” the Melissa & Joey alum said in September 2016. “We had a blast together on Drive Me Crazy. And he’s a good kisser!” The ‘90s gave TV viewers Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but also led the actress to her forever love with fellow ‘90s star, Freddie Prinze Jr. The couple, who wed in 2002, met on the 1997 set of I Know What You Did Last Summer and bonded on a road trip in North Carolina. [jwplayer 0AebP4Lw-zhNYySv2] “She didn’t have a driver’s license. She didn’t know how to drive,” the She’s All That star exclusively told Us in April 2020. “So, I started driving her, and that’s when her and I became friends. And we just would talk about life and stuff like that, and we had completely different philosophies on just about everything.” By the end of filming, the two had a friendship rooted in driving and food. “I just wanted to be friends with her because I thought she was too skinny and I wanted to cook for her,” the California native explained. “So, we started this weekly barbecue thing at her house, and me and my cousins would come over and cook food for her and her friends. And then we’d make sure everybody ate, and that was kind of how our friendship began.” The couple’s longtime pal, Selma Blair, is one of the many film stars from the era to continue to impress in Hollywood. Winona Ryder, Drew Barrymore and Christina Ricci have also evolved since their ‘90s hits.

“I mean there’s so many positives with both [film and TV] and a few negatives,” Ricci exclusively told Us in October 2022. “I like doing TV because you kind of get to spend a longer time with the character, and if you do like the character, then that’s fantastic and great. And then I do like movies as well because you do have this beginning and end and a really in-depth understanding of who it is you’re playing. And so that’s sort of like a warm security blanket, but TV’s not like that. I’m right now growing and learning and changing and developing new muscles. And I do like that about TV that even at my age when I’ve been doing this for 35 years, it’s forcing me to grow and develop new skills.”

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‘90s Stars: Then and Now: Melissa Joan Hart, Macaulay Culkin, Sarah Michelle Gellar and More

Ugh, as if anyone would forget about the ‘90s! Alicia Silverstone, Macaulay Culkin and more stars from the decade caught fans attention with their iconic onscreen personas and continue to entertain Us decades later. Melissa Joan Hart’s roles in the ‘90s consisted of Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch — in addition to numerous teen movies. While reminiscing about her teenage years, the actress told Us Weekly exclusively which of her kisses from that era was the best — Adrian Grenier. “He was the most fun,” the Melissa & Joey alum said in September 2016. “We had a blast together on Drive Me Crazy. And he’s a good kisser!” The ‘90s gave TV viewers Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but also led the actress to her forever love with fellow ‘90s star, Freddie Prinze Jr. The couple, who wed in 2002, met on the 1997 set of I Know What You Did Last Summer and bonded on a road trip in North Carolina. [jwplayer 0AebP4Lw-zhNYySv2] “She didn’t have a driver’s license. She didn’t know how to drive,” the She’s All That star exclusively told Us in April 2020. “So, I started driving her, and that’s when her and I became friends. And we just would talk about life and stuff like that, and we had completely different philosophies on just about everything.” By the end of filming, the two had a friendship rooted in driving and food. “I just wanted to be friends with her because I thought she was too skinny and I wanted to cook for her,” the California native explained. “So, we started this weekly barbecue thing at her house, and me and my cousins would come over and cook food for her and her friends. And then we’d make sure everybody ate, and that was kind of how our friendship began.” The couple’s longtime pal, Selma Blair, is one of the many film stars from the era to continue to impress in Hollywood. Winona Ryder, Drew Barrymore and Christina Ricci have also evolved since their ‘90s hits.

“I mean there’s so many positives with both [film and TV] and a few negatives,” Ricci exclusively told Us in October 2022. “I like doing TV because you kind of get to spend a longer time with the character, and if you do like the character, then that’s fantastic and great. And then I do like movies as well because you do have this beginning and end and a really in-depth understanding of who it is you’re playing. And so that’s sort of like a warm security blanket, but TV’s not like that. I’m right now growing and learning and changing and developing new muscles. And I do like that about TV that even at my age when I’ve been doing this for 35 years, it’s forcing me to grow and develop new skills.”

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Dwayne Johnson

The former WWE star, also known as The Rock, successfully transitioned into acting, starring in 2007’s The Game Plan, 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation and joining the Fast & Furious and Jumanji franchises. Johnson also starred in and produced HBO’s Ballers, which aired from 2015 to 2019. The Jungle Cruise actor cocreated and produced NBC’s Young Rock about his early beginnings, which premiered in February 2021.

The actor shares daughter Simone with ex-wife Dany Garcia. He also shares two daughters with wife Lauren Hashian.

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Kenan Thompson

The former All That star joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2003 and went on to become the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. Thompson’s eponymous sitcom, Kenan, premiered on NBC in 2021 before its cancelation one year later.

The Mighty Ducks actor and Christina Evangeline, who split in June 2022, share two children.

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Kel Mitchell

After starring alongside Thompson on Kenan & Kel and All That for several seasons, Mitchell and Thompson reunited with each other and Nickelodeon to produce an All That reboot in 2019. Mitchell is also a recurring cast member on the series. The Youth Pastor, who is a father of four, competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2019 and came in second with partner Witney Carson. He currently serves as a panelist for MTV's Ridiculousness spinoff, Deliciousness.

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Joey Lawrence

The Blossom star reunited with Hart for four seasons of Melissa & Joey from 2010 to 2015. Three years later, Us confirmed that the actor filed for bankruptcy. The court case was settled in 2018.

Lawrence and wife Chandie Lawrence (née Yawn-Nelson) split in July 2020 after 15 years of marriage.  The pair share two daughters, Charleston and Liberty. In May 2022, the Brotherly Love alum tied the knot with Samantha Cope and the twosome welcomed their first child together, daughter Dylan, in January 2023.

Lawrence competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2006 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2019. The Jumping Ship star and his younger brothers, Matthew and Andrew Lawrence, launched their “Brotherly Love Podcast” in 2023 to recap old episodes of their NBC sitcom.

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Jason Priestley

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star reunited with his cast members for a quasi-revival of the ‘90s drama in 2019 titled BH90210. The show, which featured Priestley, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Brian Austen Green, Shannen Doherty and Ian Ziering playing fictionalized versions of themselves, aired for six episodes on Fox.

Priestley, who stars on the Canadian series Private Eyes, shares two kids with wife Naomi Lowde-Priestley.

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Will Smith

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star has had major box-office success since the NBC series ended in 1996, starring in the Bad Boys and Men in Black franchises. Smith also earned Oscar nominations for his roles in 2001’s Ali and 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness.

The actor-musician and wife Jada Pinkett Smith share son Jaden and daughter Willow. Smith is also the father of son Trey with ex Sheree Zampino.

Smith won his first Academy Award in March 2021 for his leading role in King Richard. However, his Oscars victory was overshadowed by scandal after he smacked Chris Rock during the broadcast for joking about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The Bad Boys star, who later apologized for his outburst, has since withdrawn his Academy membership as the organization banned him from future events for 10 years.

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Melissa Joan Hart

TV queen! Hart rose to fame after starring on Clarissa Explains It All from 1991 to 1994 before becoming Sabrina Spellman on the late ‘90s series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Less than a decade later, Hart portrayed the lead on Melissa & Joey for four seasons and played Liz on No Good Nick in 2019. The actress is married to Mark Wilkerson and they share three children.

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Alicia Silverstone

Silverstone shot to super stardom after starring in Aerosmith’s “Cryin’” and “Amazing” music videos in the early ‘90s. She cemented herself as a Hollywood staple with the 1995 role of Cher in Clueless, followed by Batgirl in Batman & Robin. The actress has continued to stay relevant with roles on Braceface, Miss Match, American Woman and The Baby-Sitters Club. Off screen, Silverstone has been vocal about parenting and a vegan lifestyle, writing The Kind Diet and The Kind Mama and talking about her son Bear Blu.

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Macaulay Culkin

Kevin! The child star became a movie staple after playing Kevin McCallister in 1990’s Home Alone and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He was also seen in My Girl, The Good Son and Richie Rich before turning 15. After taking a break from the spotlight, and making headlines for his eccentric behavior, Culkin revived his career with a recurring role on The Jim Gaffigan Show in 2015. He went on to act in Changeland in 2019 and land a gig on season 10 of American Horror Story. The New York native has been dating Brenda Song since 2017.

Song gave birth to the couple’s first child, son Dakota, in April 2021. Us broke the news in March 2023 that the pair, who got engaged in January 2022, had secretly welcomed baby No. 2. Son Carson arrived before December 2022.

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Winona Ryder

Ryder’s late ‘80s films, including Beetlejuice and Heathers, set the tone for her ‘90s It Girl status. She appeared in Edward Scissorhands, Little Women, Reality Bites and Girl, Interrupted before having continued to success in the ‘00s and beyond. Her iconic actress hype was further fueled by her high-profile romance with Johnny Depp, which ended in 1993. Beginning in 2016, Ryder, became a TV hit as Joyce Byers on Stranger Things.

The Girl, Interrupted star and fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn have been dating since 2011.

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Drew Barrymore

The child star came onto the Hollywood scene in the ‘80s, but by the ‘90s she was a household name thanks to Scream, The Wedding Singer, Ever After: A Cinderella Story and Home Fries. The era also gave life to Barrymore’s production company, Flower Films, which began with 1999’s Never Been Kissed. The California native’s career hasn’t wavered with hits like Fever Pitch, Whip It and Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet. The Flower Beauty founder’s daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, premiered in 2020. 

She is the mother of two daughters — Frankie and Olive — whom she coparents with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

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Zachary Ty Bryan

Who can forget oldest brother, Brad Taylor, from Home Improvement? The Colorado native’s role made him a star, which he followed up with TV guest starring roles for a decade before stepping behind the camera as a producer on Skin, Heavy and more. The First Kid actor tied the knot in 2007 and is a father to three children.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar

Slay, girl. Gellar was everywhere in the '90s — on TV as the titular butt-kicking character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in movies ranging from Cruel Intentions to Scooby-Doo. In 2002, she married Freddie Prinze Jr. and they share two children, Charlotte and Rocky. Gellar launched Foodstirs, which sells baking kits for kids, in 2015. She has also starred on Ringer, The Crazy Ones and had a recurring role on Robot Chicken.

Gellar returned to TV in 2022, starring in the Teen Wolf spinoff, Wolf Pack.

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Freddie Prinze Jr.

Prinze Jr. has kept a low profile in Hollywood, despite playing heartthrobs in several hit '90s flicks, including She’s All That, Down to You and Boys and Girls. After meeting his future wife in 1997 on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the pair costarred in several other film projects, including Scooby-Doo and the animated flick Happily N’Ever After. They share two children and have since starred alongside one another in a 2020 Cascade dishwashing campaign.

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Candace Cameron Bure

Bure reprised her role as Full House’s eldest daughter, D.J. Tanner, in the Netflix update of the hit '90s show, Fuller House from 2016 to 2020. The California native has become a Hallmark Channel staple, leading the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries films and starring in a slew of the network’s Christmas movies. In addition to acting, Bure had a stint as a daytime talk show cohost on The View from 2015 to 2016. She is married to Valeri Bure and has three children.

The Make It Or Break It alum announced in 2022 that she ended her partnership with Hallmark Channel in favor of the then-new Great American Family. Her first GAF film, A Christmas … Present, premiered that November.

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Jodie Sweetin

Sweetin famously made headlines in the years following the end of Full House after she spiraled into a cycle of drug abuse before finally getting clean and sober in December 2008. She reprised her role as middle daughter, Stephanie Tanner, on the Netflix reboot, Fuller House for five seasons, beginning in 2016. She also starred on the reality series, Hollywood Darlings, for two seasons. 

The actress is mother of two daughters, whom she shares with exes Cody Herpin and Morty Coyle, respectively.

Sweetin married boyfriend Mescal Wasilewski in July 2022 after five years together.

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Following their joint role as Michelle Tanner on Full House, the Olsen twins launched an empire of goods in their name — a book series, dolls, posters, video games, and even CD players — along with their media company, Dualstar. The two walked away from acting in the mid-2000s, and have since become designers with their couture label, the Row, and contemporary collection, Elizabeth and James. Mary-Kate filed for divorce from her husband, Oliver Sarkozy, in May 2020. Their divorce was finalized in January 2021. Ashley tied the knot with longtime love Louis Eisner in 2022.

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Devon Sawa

From heartthrob to hero! The boy who launched his career as the real-life counterpart to animated ghost Casper starred in a slew of movies in the '90s that cemented his status as a Hollywood hunk: Little Giants, Now and Then, Wild America, and SLC Punk!

Now, the Canada is tackling more grown-up fare, like Nikita and NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2021, Sawa landed a lead role on USA's Chucky series, before appearing in a season 2 episode of Hacks in 2022. 

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Gaby Hoffmann

You couldn’t mistake those dark brows anywhere! Hoffman played young Samantha in 1995’s Now and Then, but these days, the actress is less about coming-of-age than she is about coming into her own. Hoffmann went on to play Ali Pfefferman opposite Jeffrey Tambor on Transparent from 2014 to 2019 after a stint on Girls as Caroline Sackler.

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Robin Tunney

Cult classic The Craft may have made costar Neve Campbell a household name, but Tunney was undoubtedly its star. The Chicago native kept a relatively low profile following the success of the 1996 teen thriller, later taking on bigger roles in Prison Break, The Mentalist and The Fix.

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Christina Ricci

America’s favorite wide-eyed goth girl got her start as Wednesday Addams in 1991’s The Addams Family, but since then, she’s diversified her repertoire with such films as Now and Then, The Ice Storm, Sleepy Hollow, Prozac Nation and the short-lived TV series Pan Am. She also starred on The Lizzie Borden Chronicles and Z: The Beginning of Everything. In June 2020, the Casper actress filed for divorce from her husband James Heerdegen. The pair shares son Freddie.

The Yellowjackets actress and Mark Hampton, who wed in October 2021, welcomed daughter Cleo the following December.

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Christine Taylor

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! Taylor played perfectly coiffed Marcia Brady in the 1995 big-screen version of the '70s series, The Brady Bunch, and went on to tackle a number of blonde bombshell roles in The Craft, The Wedding Singer, Friends (as bald-headed Bonnie) and later on, Zoolander, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development. 

The Pennsylvania native and husband Ben Stiller, who share two children, announced their separation in May 2017. After quarantining together amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, they ultimately reconciled.

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Skeet Ulrich

Ulrich, who played back-to-back brooding hunks in 1996’s The Craft and Scream, moved away from dark teen roles to dark adult roles, playing Jake Green on Jericho, Rex Winters on Law & Order: LA, and Shane on ABC Family’s Stay. In 2017, he began portraying FP Jones on The CW’s Riverdale.

Ulrich, who exited Riverdale in 2021, shares twins Jakob and Naiia with ex-wife Georgina Cates.

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Amy Jo Johnson

Pink Ranger, unmasked! Johnson first hit the silver screen as Kimberly Hart and her alter ego, the Pink Ranger, on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series back in 1993. But the versatile actress soon became a familiar face in '90s pop culture, making appearances on shows like Saved by the Bell: The New Class, ER, Felicity and The Division. She was later seen on Flashpoint, Covert Affairs and in The Space Between.

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Selma Blair

Perpetual villainess Blair starred opposite some of Hollywood’s hottest stars in the '90s and early 2000s, including Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Julia Stiles. In 2016, she appeared on Anger Management, and portrayed Kris Jenner on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The actress revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in October 2018 and continues to publicly battle the disease. She shares son Arthur with ex Jason Bleick.

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Patrick Renna

Renna may be best known as Ham from the 1993 classic The Sandlot, but he’s had roles in many of TV’s most popular series since then, including Boy Meets World, Home Improvement, The X-Files, ER and Boston Legal. In July 2020, he virtually reunited with his Sandlot costars to celebrate the film’s continued success.

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Ross Bagley

Little Buckwheat from The Little Rascals is all grown up! Bagley’s adorable baby face landed him parts opposite Will Smith in 1996’s Independence Day and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but these days, Bagley has turned his focus to other endeavors: namely, as a realtor and DJ, according to his Instagram profile.

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Bug Hall

Hall — better known as Alfalfa from The Little Rascals — is still acting in Hollywood. Since his lead role in the 1994 classic, Hall has gone on to take bit parts in such series as Charmed, Cold Case, The O.C., CSI, and Masters of Sex. The former child star was arrested in June 2020 for allegedly inhaling an air duster in Texas. He was released from police custody the following day after posting bail.

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Jonathan Taylor Thomas

The Home Improvement star became the quintessential '90s hunk by playing parts in everything from The Lion King (voicing young Simba), Man of the House and Wild America to I’ll Be Home for Christmas. TV-wise, he has appeared on 8 Simple Rules and reunited with his former TV dad, Tim Allen, for a stint on Last Man Standing.