‘New Girl’: Where is the Cast Today?
New Girl aired for seven seasons on FOX from 2011 to 2018. The show follows a young woman named Jess (played by (Zooey Deschanel). After breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, she moves into an apartment with three guys – Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Winston (Lamorne Morris), and their former roommate Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.). Since the show ended, what has the cast been up to?
‘New Girl’ lead Zooey Deschanel returned to Hollywood films
Zooey Deschanel played the lead role in FOX’s New Girl. Before booking the part of Jessica Day, the actor starred in many popular films, including 500 Days of Summer (2009), Yes Man (2008), and more. After the comedy series ended, Deschanel returned to film. She voiced Bridget in Trolls World Tour.
In 2019, Deschanel made a special appearance on The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show. In 2020, she starred on Apple TV’s Carpool Karaoke alongside her sister Emily Deschanel and the Property Brother twins Drew and Jonathan Scott. Occasionally, she makes music with her band, She and Him.
Jake Johnson continues to act in movies and television shows
For all seven seasons, Jake Johnson is best known for playing Nick Miller in the comedy series. After New Girl concluded, Johnson landed a lead role in the 2018 film Tag. In that same year, he voiced Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Aside from movies, the actor returned to the small-screen as well. In the ABC crime series Stumptown, he played Grey McConnell. After one season, the network canceled the series due to delays caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Meanwhile, the actor was supposed to reprise the role of Lowery Cruthers in Jurassic World: Dominion. But, due to the pandemic, he was unable to return. In an interview with US Weekly, Johnson shared that he couldn’t return for the installment.
“The sad thing about the third one was, I was in it in [the] script, and I was going to go do it, but then the pandemic happened. I mean, it’s fine. It was really disappointing,” the actor said at the time. “[Director] Colin [Trevorrow] honestly tried everything in his power to make it work, but it was really tricky with the quarantines and leaving home at that time. It’s just, the math wasn’t adding up.”
Actor Lamorne Morris radiates on the big screen after ‘New Girl’ ended
Lamorne Morris joined the cast of New Girl shortly after actor and comedian Damon Wayans Jr. left. After the show ended, the actor starred alongside Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in the 2018 film Game Night. Also, he starred in the beloved Christmas movie The Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russell. In 2020, Morris reunited with his former New Girl co-star Nasim Pedrad in the romantic comedy Desperados. Aside from working in film, he starred in the television miniseries Valley of the Boom (2019), Human Discoveries, Woke (2020), and more.
Max Greenfield remained active on television once ‘New Girl’ ended
Once New Girl ended, Max Greenfield appeared in a few movies. He recently starred in the 2020 film Promising Young Woman. The movie received positive reviews, with a 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb.
Also, he made an appearance in the comedy film The Oath (2008), alongside Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz. In addition, he reprised his role as Leo D’Amato on Hulu’s Veronica Mars reboot. He made guest-spot appearances in A Series of Unfortunate Events and Netflix’s BoJack Horseman.
The actor has remained consistent on television. For instance, he reunited with Ryan Murphey to have a recurring role on FX’s American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He currently has a lead role in the CBS comedy series The Neighborhood, opposite Cedric the Entertainer.
Hannah Simone made several appearances in television shows
In New Girl, Hannah Simone played Cece – Jess’s best friend, and fashion model. Once the show ended, she played Dr. Monica Dewan on the now-canceled series, Single Parents. Then, the actor starred in the sci-fi comedy series Weird City (2019). In 2020, Simon joined the cast of Mira, Royal Detective. She voices Pinky in the show. The animated series currently airs on Disney Junior.
Damon Wayans Jr. has a prominent movie career in Hollywood
Actor and comedian Damon Wayans Jr. was a part of the New Girl original cast but left after the pilot. He played Coach, a fitness instructor that has a hard time talking to women. Shortly after leaving the FOX sitcom, the actor starred in several movies. He starred in films such as How to Be Single and Super Troopers 2. Additionally, he played a guest role in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Twilight Zone, and Bob’s Burgers. The actor recently starred in the 2021 crime film Cherry, which starred Marvel actor Tom Holland.
All seven seasons of New Girl are streaming now on Netflix.
