The Brat Pack: Then and Now!

The Brat Pack: Then and Now!

New York magazine coined the nickname “Brat Pack” in 1985 to describe the era’s hot young actors — and the term still haunts the stars of those classic 1980s teen flicks: St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and The Outsiders. Find out what they’re up to now.

Emilio Estevez

Then: He nearly married St. Elmo’s Fire costar Demi Moore, but did marry (and later divorce) Paula Abdul.
Now: Still in showbiz, he wrote and directed The Way, starring his dad, Martin Sheen. He also runs a winery with his wife, Sonja Magdevski.

Ally Sheedy

Then: Played dandruff-shedding misfit in The Breakfast Club and stiff-jawed prepster in St. Elmo’s Fire; dated Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.
Now: A divorced New Yorker with a college-age daughter, teaches acting, performs on the stage.

Rob Lowe

Then: A heartbreaker in St. Elmo’s Fire, he was considered the sexiest of the Brat Pack men; dated Princess Stephanie of Monaco and Melissa Gilbert.
Now: A married dad of two and author of two best-selling memoirs. Wasn’t afraid to self-parody his image in this summer’s comedy Sex Tape. 

Molly Ringwald

Then: The pouty star of Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club appeared on a 1986 Time magazine cover with the headline “Ain’t She Sweet.”
Now: She is married with three kids, a writer and singer with a 2013 jazz album, Except Sometimes.

Judd Nelson

Then: Oldest of the Brat Packers, he played a shallow yuppie-to-be in St. Elmo’s Fire and a troubled tough kid in The Breakfast Club; engaged to Shannen Doherty.
Now: Writes e-books and acts in under-the-radar films such as Mayor Cupcake and Bigfoot Wars.

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C. Thomas Howell

Then: He became a big-time tween heartthrob after The Outsiders; briefly married to Soul Man costar Rae Dawn Chong.
Now: Remarried with three children, he starred in recent TNT police drama Southland and sci-fi movie Bigfoot Wars with Judd Nelson.

Demi Moore

Then: St. Elmo’s Fire basket case, Moore wed Bruce Willis and posed nude and pregnant for a Vanity Fair cover.
Now: Divorced from her third husband, Ashton Kutcher, she costars in the upcoming films Forsaken and Wild Oats.

Andrew McCarthy

Then: Lovelorn aspiring journalist in St. Elmo’s Fire and Molly Ringwald’s preppy crush in Pretty in Pink.
Now: A dad, travel writer and author of soul-searching 2012 memoir, The Longest Way Home. 

Anthony Michael Hall

Then: Hollywood’s go-to nerd from Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and The Breakfast Club; dated Molly Ringwald and has admitted to drinking problems as a teen.
Now: Unmarried, not so nerdy, soon to appear in the film Results. 

Ralph Macchio

Then: The Outsiders costar whose breakout role was as Daniel in The Karate Kid.
Now: Lives on Long Island, N.Y., with his wife of 25-plus years and two kids (his son’s name is Daniel); appeared on Ugly Betty, Dancing With the Stars and How I Met Your Mother.

James Spader

Then: Droll bully of uncool kids in Pretty in Pink and yuppie lawyer in Wall Street. 
Now: A dad to three sons, he’s drawn to quirky roles these days. Stars as an enigmatic criminal on NBC’s The Blacklist and the villainous robot Ultron in upcoming Avengers superhero sequel. 

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