See Photos of 'The Breakfast Club' Cast Then and Now
Even after 40 years, don't you forget about them.
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When it comes to '80s movies, few are as time-honored and beloved as The Breakfast Club. John Hughes's enduring coming-of-age classic defined a generation (at least, according to Ree Drummond)! The Breakfast Club cast also taught a valuable lesson that can't be learned in a classroom: You should never judge a book by its cover.
After spending Saturday in detention with the Brat Pack, our lives were forever changed along with theirs. There are so many unforgettable moments from this movie, including the dance montage, the group therapy session, and, of course, all those '80s songs. And yes, we're always thinking about John Bender's triumphant fist pump set to the sound of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Even the movie poster is legendary. (Did you know it was photographed by the award-winning portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz?!)
This movie is so timeless, it's hard to believe it's been 40 years since it first hit theaters. As you watch it for what feels like the millionth time, you might find yourself wondering whatever happened to the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal? Keep reading to discover where your favorite The Breakfast Club characters are today. And seriously, don't. you. forget. about. them.
Check in on your other favorite casts:
Then: Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish
There's a lot more to Claire than just a clever lipstick trick. The Breakfast Club "princess" struggles with peer pressure and parental problems, just like everyone else in the group.
Now: Molly Ringwald
John Hughes's muse is best known for starring in his films The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. Now she's been discovered by a new generation of teens for her role as Archie's mom in Riverdale, as well as Noah and Lee's mother in The Kissing Booth movies.
Then: Judd Nelson as John Bender
The world's an imperfect place, and nobody knows this better than John Bender. The Breakfast Club's resident "criminal" may seem like a total tough guy, but even he shows his softer side by the end of Saturday detention.
Now: Judd Nelson
After starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire in the '80s, Judd went on to find success on the small screen with roles on Empire and Suddenly Susan.
Then: Ally Sheedy as Allison Reynolds
Like everyone else in the group, there's more to The Breakfast Club "basket case" than meets the eye. It's a little harder to separate fact from fiction with Allison, but by the end of the film, she comes out of her shell and opens up to Claire and Andrew in particular.
Now: Ally Sheedy
Ally is also known for starring in St. Elmo's Fire along with her Breakfast Club co-stars Judd and Emilio. She also had cameos in John Hughes's Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and X-Men: Apocalypse. More recently, she played Carol Fink in Freeform's Single Drunk Female.
Then: Emilio Estevez as Andrew Clark
Like Claire, Andrew seems like he has it all: money, popularity, and high status as the school sports hero. But like the others, he's under a lot of pressure from both his parents and his peers. And, yeah, he may be known as "the jock" but Andrew asks one of the most insightful questions of the movie when he ponders: “My God, are we gonna be like our parents?”
Now: Emilio Estevez
Perhaps the biggest star to graduate from The Breakfast Club, Emilio is also known for his roles in St. Elmo's Fire, The Outsiders, Repo Man, and The Mighty Ducks and its sequels. He also reprised his role as Gordon Bombay in the spiritual sequel series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+.
Then: Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson
He's the brain of the group, but he's also arguably the heart. Brian gave himself a pat on the back—but he deserves one from every Breakfast Club fan, too—for his heartfelt essay that starts and closes this amazing film.
Now: Anthony Michael Hall
Another Hughes muse, Anthony Michael Hall, is best known for his roles in John's teen classics Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science. At 17, he briefly joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. More recently, he starred in the USA Network series The Dead Zone. In 2020, he gave a nod to his roots by appearing on the '80s-set show The Goldbergs. Hall will also appear in Lee Child's hit series Reacher as Zachary Beck, which premieres in February 2025.
Tierney McAfee is a freelance writer and Country Living and The Pioneer Woman contributor who covers entertainment, holiday & entertaining, food & drinks, design ideas, DIY, and more.
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