Running from 1995 through to 2009, sketch comedy series MADtv had a long list of cast members throughout its 14-season run, including Taran Killam, who went on to appear on Saturday Night Live, Artie Lange, who most people know from The Howard Stern Radio Show, and Frank Caliendo, who impersonated everyone from John Madden to Rosie O’Donnell on the series.
Some cast members were on the series through its entire run, some joined later, and others came and went quickly.
While the series, which was taped in front of a live audience, was revived for a brief eight-episode run in 2016, the cast members have all, for the most part, moved on to pursue different projects. And they’ve all done pretty well for themselves.
Where are they now? Here’s a look at what some of the longest-running, and most memorable cast members, are doing today.
Michael McDonald
One of the most popular cast members, joining in the fourth season and remaining on until the end of the 13th, he not only created some of the most memorable characters but also served as a contributing writer and director for the show. Michael’s best known recurring characters is the overgrown man child Stuart, and one of his best impersonations and sketches were of the late Steve Jobs (seriously, Google it!)
After leaving MadTV, Michael did a lot of work behind the camera, serving as a writer, director, and producer for the ABC series Cougar Town, and directing episodes of series like Splitting Up Together, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mike & Molly. He also appeared in the series Nobodies and did voice work for The Loud House along with making minor TV appearances.
Debra Wilson
As the longest-serving original cast member on the series, Debra has also had a successful career in voice acting, lending her vocal talents to series like American Dad and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She played some of the most popular characters on the show, including the Latina bimbo Melina, Kappa Kappa Pappa sorority sister Hayden Brooks, and the fast-talking “Black American Princess” Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson.
She was also known for impersonating people like Oprah and Whitney Houston. She’s continued her voice work for both television and video games and has appeared on episodes of a number of TV series, including Lost in Oz and Man with a Plan. Her most notable project of late is appearing on the TV series My Sister Is So Gay from 2016 to 2018. With several projects in the works, this isn’t the last you’ve seen, or heard, from the funnywoman.
Aries Spears
As the second-longest-serving cast member, Aries was a master of impressions, able to imitate everyone from Jay-Z to LL Cool J, Sylvester Stallone, and Denzel Washington. Some of his most notable characters included Belma Buttons, co-host of a fictional BET show called Reality Check, and a controversial rapper named Emcee Esher.
Along with some voice work, including voicing Shaquille O’Neal and Eddie Murphy on Family Guy, he most recently appeared in the thriller Chase, and will next be seen in The 420 Movie: Mary & Jane.
Bobby Lee
A stand-out cast member for beloved roles like Johnny Gon and the Blind Kung Fu Master, Bobby now hosts his own successful podcast called TigerBelly, and has been a main cast member of ABC sitcom Splitting Up Together, though the series was just canceled after two seasons.
He’s also appeared in Love and NCIS: Los Angeles, and has several new projects at various stages of completion. Guest House, currently filming, also stars Billy Zane, Pauly Shore, Lou Ferrigno, and Lou Ferrigno Jr., and is about a newly engaged couple who move into the home of their dreams only to find out that the previous owner’s friend is squatting in the guest house.
Mo Collins
You might be surprised to hear that Mo has done a 180 from comedy and is appearing on Fear the Walking Dead, though she still manages to inject some humor into her role on the otherwise dramatic series. During her time on MadTV from 1998 through to 2004, some of Mo’s most popular characters were Lorraine Swanson, the unlucky Trina, and Doreen, mother of overgrown toddler character Stuart.
Her notable impressions included Pamela Anderson, Cher, and Penny Marshall. Prior to joining The Walking Dead family, she appeared on the sitcom Parks and Recreation, and on several seasons of F is for Family.
Nicole Sullivan
On the series for six seasons, Nicole went on to play Holly for five seasons on CBS sitcom The King of Queens and played a recurring character on Scrubs. One of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series, her most popular character creation was the mean Vancome Lady.
Today, you can see her playing the Johnsons’ nosy neighbor Janine on Black-ish, and hear her voicing Supergirl for the DC Super Hero Girls TV series.
Will Sasso
From 1997-2002, Will brought characters to life like the accident-prone handyman Paul Timberman and the Mexican luchador Senor Bag of Crap. He went on to star as Curly in the reboot of The Three Stooges in 2012 and has made appearances promoting pro wrestling, given that he’s a personal fan of the sport.
He went on to star in several TV series, including Less than Perfect, $h*! My Dad Says, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Orville. He has several new projects in the works, including an untitled Three Stooges sequel.
Alex Borstein
One of the actors on the series with the most memorable characters, Alex was best known for her character Ms. Swan, who’s lines like “you looka like a man” and “I tell you” were often quoted by fans. Her career has skyrocketed since the series.
She voices the character of Lois Griffin on animated series Family Guy, appeared in the medical comedy Getting On, and had supporting roles in numerous films. Today, you can see her acting opposite Rachel Brosnahan on the immensely popular Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which she won an Emmy.
Stephnie Weir
On the series from 2000-2006, Stephnie was known for characters like Dot Goddard and Angela Wright and impersonated everyone from Anna Nicole Smith to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
She’s made appearances on a number of TV series since leaving MadTV, including in 13 episodes of The Comedians back in 2015. Most recently, she was a supporting character on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Happy Together. She has an upcoming comedy project called Standby that also stars Army Wives’ Gigi Rice.
Ike Barinholtz
Ike has devised an impressive resume since leaving MadTV in 2007 after a five-year run on the sketch comedy show. He’s best known for appearing in movies like Neighbors, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Suicide Squad, and Blockers.
He is also credited with co-writing the comedy Central Intelligence, and stars in The Oath, which he also directed, wrote and produced. From 2012-2017, he also starred in The Mindy Project. On MadTV, he was known for playing Dutch, an Abercrombie & Fitch model, and for impersonating people like Ashton Kutcher and Mark Wahlberg. He was most recently part of Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family and The Jeffersons’ TV special and voiced the character of Lex Luthor in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
Keegan-Michael Key
After leaving the series in 2009, Keegan most famously went on to star in the popular Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele alongside another former MadTV castmate, Jordan Peele.
He’s also appeared in a number of movies, including Tomorrowland and Pitch Perfect, produced and starred in Keanu (2016) with Peele, and debuted on Broadway in 2017 in Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower. He was also in the recently canceled Netflix series Friends From College.
Jordan Peele
From MadTV to Oscar win? Jordan is arguably one of the most successful former cast members, having spent five seasons on the series from 2003-2008, after which he teamed up with former castmate Keegan-Michael Key to create and star in comedy sketch series Key & Peele.
But his biggest success of late is that of the horror film Get Out, which he directed and won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, along with nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. He was also nominated for Best Picture for producing BlacKkKlansman. This year, you can see him as host and producer of the reboot of The Twilight Zone, which is available through CBS All Access.