‘Friday Night Lights’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

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'Friday Night Lights' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Texas forever! Friday Night Lights stole viewers' hearts for five seasons on NBC — and the cast has just as much love for the series as their fans do. The series was inspired by H.G. Bissinger's nonfiction book, which was later adapted into the 2004 film of the same name. From 2006 to 2011, the show followed the journeys of high school athletes and their families in a rural Texas town, picking up a Peabody Award, a Television Critics Association Award and several Emmy Award nominations along the way. Five years after the show went off the air, the cast reunited on the real-life Panther Field in Austin, Texas, at the 2016 ATX Television Festival. "Being back here is amazing," Scott Porter, who played revered athlete Jason Street, told Entertainment Weekly at the time. "We used to play flag football on this field and I think that, even more than shooting out here, means something to me in a special way and to be where those memories were made, where those friendships were really forged and ironed." [jwplayer 2sE0h11n-zhNYySv2] Two years later, Porter opened up about the possibility of a revival of the sports drama — but emphasized that he thought the series gave each character the right amount of "closure" by the end. "There’s a lot of shows that end too early and the fanbase and those involved never get the closure that they really need," he told Us Weekly. "I think a lot of us from Friday Night Lights all got the closure because it ended so well." Though fans have been holding out hope for a reboot, Adrianne Palicki, who played Tyra Collette, shut down all speculation in April 2020. "I don't know about you guys but I get this question every time I'm interviewed: Will there be a reunion episode or will there be a spinoff?" the actress asked her fellow costars, who reunited over Zoom for Global Citizen’s #TogetherAtHome special during the coronavirus pandemic. "The answer is no."

While the cast have remained mum about the chances of a Friday Night Lights reboot, costars Porter and Zach Gilford teamed up with longtime FNL fan Mae Whitman (who worked with showrunner Jason Katims on NBC’s Parenthood) for a rewatch podcast in November 2022.

“I called Zach and said, 'Yes, I have an opportunity for you,' to which he initially balked but then very quickly went, 'Oh dude, does that mean we get to hang out a couple of days a week?’” the Ginny & Georgia star told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “We brought Mae in because we wanted this podcast to be more than just about Friday Night Lights. We wanted it to be about life and about friendship and community."

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Connie Britton (Tami Taylor)

The Massachusetts native shined as Dillon High guidance counselor Tami Taylor and later moved on to star in gripping dramas like Nashville, American Horror Story, 9-1-1, Dirty John, White Lotus and Dear Edward. She is also mother to son Eyob, whom she adopted in November 2011 when he was nine months old.

Britton confirmed in January 2023 that she had been dating This Is Us writer and producer David E. Windsor since November 2019.

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Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor)

After taking his final bow as beloved high school football coach Eric Taylor, Chandler moved on to the big screen. He had roles in 2011's Super 8, 2012's Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, and later joined Millie Bobby Brown for the Godzilla franchise beginning in 2019. He returned to TV with 2019's Catch-22 and played Bill Gurey on 2022's Super Pumped. 

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Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)

For five seasons, Kitsch stole viewers' hearts as troubled heartthrob Tim Riggins. He's admitted to feeling “complete closure” with his character's end — and ruled out returning for a reunion movie — and has taken on big roles in Battleship, The Normal Heart and Waco. He later starred on The Defeated in 2020 and The Terminal List in 2022.

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Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen)

Shortly after his status was changed to recurring for seasons 4 and 5 of the sports drama, Gilford made his big screen debut in 2006's The Last Winter. The Illinois native has since gone on to star in a number of indie films and scored a recurring role on NBC’s Good Girls. He starred in horror hits Midnight Mass and There’s Something Wrong With the Children.

In December 2012, Gilford tied the knot with actress Kiele Sanchez, who he met while filming the pilot of The Matadors. The duo welcomed daughter Zeppelin Adele via surrogate in November 2017, two years after Sanchez suffered a devastating miscarriage.  

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Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity)

After leaving Dillon, Texas, in season 3, Kelly went on to appear on shows like Parenthood, Almost Human and DC's Titans. Though she tends to keep her personal life relatively private, she admitted during a 2016 radio interview on Power 106 that she didn't mind hearing rumors about who she was dating. "I think it comes with the territory. It's a small price to pay for the extraordinary life that I live," she said at the time. "You just have to find the comedy in all of it."

Us confirmed in September 2020 that the actress was officially dating Trevor Noah, and they’d been together since the beginning of that year. Following a brief breakup in May 2021, Us exclusively confirmed that they are “back together” after realizing that they are “happier being together than apart.”

One year later, Us confirmed that while there was “no ill will” between Kelly and Noah, the couple had called it quits again. “Everything is amicable between them,” the source said in May 2022. In December of that year, Kelly began seeing Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds.

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Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke)

The Texas native took on roles in Breaking Bad and Fargo following his breakthrough performance in Friday Night Lights. He also starred in The Irishman, Jungle Cruise and The Power of the Dog, which earned him his first Oscars nomination in 2022.

After popping the question to Fargo costar Kirsten Dunst in 2017, the duo sparked rumors of a secret wedding ceremony and welcomed their first child together, son Ennis, in May 2018. The Bring It On actress finally confirmed in September 2019 that they hadn’t walked down the aisle just yet. The Marie Antoinette star gave birth to the couple’s second son, James, in April 2021. Dunst's rep confirmed in July 2022 that the A-list couple had tied the knot.

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Scott Porter (Jason Street)

Porter made a switch to the big screen after Friday Night Lights, appearing in Bandslam, Dear John and Music and Lyrics. He later returned to TV alongside Rachel Bilson on Hart of Dixie before starring on Netflix's Ginny and Georgia. In 2023, he began playing Orson on Up Here.

In 2013, the Nebraska native tied the knot with casting director Kelsey Mayfield, whom he met on the set of the sports drama series.

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Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor)

The California native went on to star in 2011’s Scream 4 and Disney’s Prom the same year. Teegarden was named TV Actress of the Year by the Young Hollywood Awards for her work on Friday Night Lights before its final season. Since then, she’s become a vocal advocate for ocean conservation.

The Notorious alum has also found success on the Hallmark Channel, with starring roles in Once Upon a Christmas Miracle and A New Year’s Resolution. Teegarden starred in Hallmark’s Christmas Class Reunion in December 2022.

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Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette)

Palicki portrayed Dillon football hater Tyra Collette for the first three seasons of the show, but didn’t return until the final two episodes after leaving the series. The comic book fan later went on to star in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, where she met longtime boyfriend Scott Grimes. The pair announced their engagement in January 2019 and tied the knot four months later, only to file for divorce that July.

TMZ reported in November 2019 that Palicki requested to dismiss her divorce filing. In July 2020, they shared the news that she filed for divorce a second time. Her divorce from Grimes was finalized in April 2022.  

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Brad Leland (Buddy Garrity)

The Texas Tech graduate has made guest appearances on a number of popular series throughout his 40-year career, including Veep, Parks and Recreation, Last Man Standing and The Cleveland Show. He shares two daughters, Thea and Leah, with actress Freda Ramsey.

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Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty)

After leaving the East Dillon Lions behind, the Virginia native costarred in Parenthood and Shonda Rhimes' Gilded Lilys. In 2019, he joined Gina Rodriguez for the Catherine Hardwicke action-thriller Miss Bala. He has since appeared on TV shows including Dickinson and Tell Me a Story. He's been playing Josh Folsom on CSI: Vegas since 2021.

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Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard)

Jordan scored a breakout role as an up-and-coming quarterback on the final two seasons of Friday Night Lights. Two years after the series finale, he was dubbed "a young Denzel Washington" by The Hollywood Reporter for his performance in Fruitvale Station. The California native later starred in Creed, Black Panther and Just Mercy. He made his directorial debut with Creed III. 

Jordan began dating Steve Harvey’s daughter Lori Harvey in November 2020. They broke up in June 2022.

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Jurnee Smollett (Jess Merriweather)

From 2013 to 2014, the New York City native was a series regular on HBO's True Blood. She was on the critically-acclaimed series Underground and played Black Canary in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Us confirmed in March 2020 that the actress had split from husband Josiah Bell after nearly 10 years together. The former pair share son Hunter, who they welcomed in 2016.