What The Cast Of Girls Is Doing Today

The following article includes references to addiction.

When the HBO dramedy series "Girls" debuted in 2012, it arguably became, in Hannah Horvath's memorable words, "A voice of a generation." Created by and starring Lena Dunham, "Girls" chronicled the waxing and waning friendships of four twenty-something women as they navigate their creative aspirations and love lives while trying to pay the rent in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. 

The exploits of Hannah (Dunham), Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams), Shoshanna Shapiro (Zosia Mamet), and Jessa Johansson (Jemima Kirke) were hardly those of the New York City single gals on "Sex and the City" or the conniving rich kids of "Gossip Girl." Dunham was clear that "Girls" was different. The same year as the hit dramedy's debut, she told The Hollywood Reporter, "'Gossip Girl' was teens duking it out on the Upper East Side and 'Sex and the City' was women who figured out work and friends and now want to nail family life. There was this whole in between space that hadn't really been addressed."

"Girls" ran for six celebrated and controversial seasons before ending in 2017. The show became a cultural touchstone for a specific kind of millennial malaise, and with its stars being so identified with their characters, their post-"Girls" success wasn't guaranteed. Sure, actors like Adam Driver, who played Hannah's boyfriend Adam Sackler, took on blockbuster Hollywood roles in tandem with the series, but for other cast members, only the passing of time could reveal if their tenure on the show was a showbiz fluke or a Tinseltown launching pad. Let's see what the cast of "Girls" is doing today.

Lena Dunham launched into the pop culture zeitgeist with her unflinching portrayal of aspiring writer Hannah Horvath. Dunham literally bared it all. Her character's penchant for minimal clothing and awkward blunt talk polarized viewers, but as she said to The Wrap when asked about her character's nudity, "Yeah. It's because it's a realistic expression of what it's like to be alive, I think, and I totally get it. If you are not into me, that's your problem." 

When "Girls" concluded in 2017, Dunham maintained her career momentum. She continued to work alongside her "Girls" producing partner, Jenni Konner, on projects like Lenny (her feminist newsletter) and the HBO show "Camping." But a series of personal and professional issues soon found Dunham. In 2018, per The Hollywood Reporter, Dunham left "Camping" to enter rehab for Klonopin addiction, and soon after her creative relationship with Konner ended. That same year, Dunham detailed her hysterectomy and other health complications stemming from endometriosis, as well as her breakup with longtime boyfriend Jack Antonoff, in essays written for Vogue magazine. 

Since then, the writer-actor has spent extensive time in the UK for both business and pleasure, directing the pilot for the HBO series "Industry" and eventually marrying British-Peruvian singer Luis Felber in 2021. 2022 saw Dunham reenter the spotlight with the release of two films, as she wrote and directed the contemporary drama "Sharp Stick" and the medieval coming-of-age comedy "Catherine Called Birdy."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Allison Williams' art gallerist-turned-aspiring musician Marnie Michaels could never quite nail being Brooklyn cool. Rocking Ann Taylor separates and chunky statement necklaces while crooning earnest folk rock never made Marnie the darling of Greenpoint, but she sure tried. After "Girls," Williams subverted Marnie's over-polished persona by taking on roles in the thriller and horror genres. In 2017, Williams played Rose Armitage in director Jordan Peele's "Get Out." She told The Guardian of working on the film, "I learned that this element of Marnie-ness that I was having so much trouble shaking was something that I could actually use and weaponize and have fun with. It was so cathartic after years of people being like, that's who you are, that's who you are, that's who you are, I was like OK, you know who else that is? That could also be the most evil person that's ever lived."

Williams continued to thrill audiences in movies like "The Perfection" and "Horizon Line," but her career reached new, frightful heights with the success of 2023's "M3gan." Williams both starred in and executive produced the horror film about a murderous, artificially intelligent life-size doll, and per Variety, "M3gan" exceeded box office expectations. 

Williams' personal life has included some dramatic twists, as well. In 2019, she broke up with husband Ricky Van Veen. That same year, she and her "Horizon Line" co-star, Alexander Dreymon, started dating, and they publicly shared their engagement news in 2022. Williams and Dreymon are also parents to a son, Arlo.

Zosia Mamet played Shoshanna Shapiro, an enthusiastic, type-A NYU student who acts like "Sex and the City" is a documentary. But by the end of the series, she turns out to be the most pragmatic and level-headed of the series' titular ladies. Mamet, unlike her "Girls" counterpart, keeps things cool by working in independent films. Before "Girls" ended, she was already flexing her indie film cred with a supporting role in director Todd Solondz's 2016 film "Weiner-Dog." Mamet continued to act in small films like "The Boy Downstairs" and "Under the Silver Lake." By 2023, she pivoted into more mainstream fare by securing a role in the superhero flick "Madame Web."

On TV, Mamet has appeared in "Tales of the City," "Dickinson," and the hit HBO Max series "The Flight Attendant." On the latter, Mamet plays Annie Mouradian, attorney and best friend to Cassie Bowden (Kaley Cuoco) — and not only are Mamet and Cuoco fictional buddies, but these real-life besties took their friendship to the next level by getting matching tattoos. Perhaps best known for playing the main character's BFF, Mamet told Marie Claire of meeting fans, "They recognize me and think that we know each other on a personal level, and I think that's maybe part of it because I kind of fall into these characters."

In 2022, Mamet joined the cast of Netflix's dramedy "The Decameron." She's also pivoted into publishing, editing the food essay book "My First Popsicle." On the personal side, Mamet remains married to actor Evan Jonigkeit.

Jemima Kirke is rock and roll royalty — her dad is Free and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke — and certainly her transatlantic upbringing informed her performance as destructive bohemian Jessa Johansson. Jessa was forever cool and a free spirit, but Jemima is much more grounded in real life. Her acting work after "Girls" has been heavily informed by her personal life, keeping the focus on her two children with ex-husband Michael Mosberg, Rafella and Memphis. In a 2022 interview with The Telegraph, Jemima shared, "The kids are the priority and I have to make sacrifices around them." She added, "You'd think going away for months for a shoot would get easier, but it actually gets worse because I've already missed all that time with them and now I'm adding to it."

While Jemima has acted in mostly smaller projects, including films like "Wild Honey Pie!" "All These Small Moments," and "Untogether," her TV projects have remained more high profile, co-starring in the Netflix limited series "Maniac" and Season 3 of "Sex Education." In 2022, she took on the main role of Melissa Baines in the BBC and Hulu limited series adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel "Conversations with Friends." 

When Jemima Kirke isn't acting, she's painting. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she's an accomplished artist and has had her own solo exhibitions at the New York City art gallery Sargent's Daughters.

Since Adam Driver's turn as brooding Adam Sackler on "Girls," he's become a Hollywood leading man. Driver's movie career went into high gear while "Girls" was still in production, starring as Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 2015. When "Girls" ended, Driver's career only got hotter. He continued his "Star Wars" sequel trilogy work and starred in big-budget films like "The Last Duel" and "House of Gucci," while also taking on quirkier movies like the 2021 Cannes Film Festival opener "Annette" and director Jim Jarmusch's zombie flick "The Dead Don't Die." Driver has also been nominated for two Oscars: best supporting actor for his work in 2018's "BlacKkKlansman" and best actor for "Marriage Story" the following year. 2023 would see Driver star in the sci-fi thriller "65."

When he's not on the big screen, Driver takes to the stage. And like his film work, his stage acting has been deservedly celebrated. Driver received a Tony nomination for his performance in the 2019 play "Burn This." In 2021, he unlocked his movie star sex symbol-status by starring in the Burberry Hero fragrance campaign, which saw him transformed into an alluring centaur. 

Meanwhile, Driver stays mostly mum on his personal life. He's married to actor Joanne Tucker, with whom he shares a son. Of keeping his life private, Driver shared with The New Yorker, "My job is to be a spy — to be in public and live life and have experience. But, when you feel like you're the focus, it's really hard to do that."

On "Girls," Alex Karpovsky played Ray, a frustrated intellectual and coffee shop manager, and his career has been as quirky as Ray's traveling cardboard cutout of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman. In fact, Karpovsky revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in 2013 that his early performance work was influenced by the late comedian, but being a performer wasn't his initial career trajectory. Karpovsky shared with People that he directed before he acted, and he even had an opportunity to direct a "Girls" episode in 2016. He's since helmed episodes of the Netflix series "Love" and FX's miniseries "Oh Jerome, No."

Although Karpovsky spends time behind the camera, he hasn't ditched his acting career, continuing to land both film and television roles. His movie career has mostly been in the indie world, with parts in movies like "Rosy" and "The Sound of Silence." His TV work is more mainstream, scoring roles in Amazon Prime's Julia Roberts star vehicle "Homecoming" and the Hulu limited series "Angelyne." In 2017, he explained to Slant magazine that many of his performances are deeply personal. Of the characters he's played, Karpovsky said, "A lot of them are kind of different monsters from my own past, with different traits of my youth. ... I can just amplify different sets of things that are preexisting." 

So if you want to get to know Karpovsky, just watch his work — because this star unsurprisingly keeps his personal life under wraps. While he has an Instagram page, he keeps it private.

Andrew Rannells' character in "Girls," aspiring actor Elijah, could only dream of his real-life counterpart's success on stage and screen. After "Girls," the already two-time Tony nominee Rannells starred in the Netflix film adaptation of the hit musical "The Prom." Another Netflix stage adaptation, 2020's "The Boys in the Band," saw Rannells reprising the role of Larry, which he played in the 2018 Broadway revival. 

Starring in the play proved serendipitous for Rannells' love life, as he met his partner, Tuc Watkins, during its production. Rannells confessed to the Daily Beast, "I remember standing next to Tuc and not knowing him super well, but looking at him and thinking, 'Ah, f***. This is going to happen isn't it? We're going to be those two actors who have a showmance.'" Rannells found himself mixing the personal and professional yet again in 2021 when he wrote and directed an episode of the Amazon Prime series "Modern Love" that was based on the personal essay he penned in 2017 for The New York Times. 

Rannells has also continued to work in TV, co-starring with Don Cheadle on the Showtime series "Black Monday" and scoring roles on buzzy shows like "Welcome to Chippendales" and "Girls5eva." Not only is Rannells a sought-after actor on stage and screen, but he's also an in-demand voice actor. He has voiced characters on animated series like the family-friendly "Ridley Jones" and "Vampirina," as well as the definitely not-for-kids "Big Mouth" and "Invincible."

Ebon Moss-Bachrach's recurring character on "Girls," the tragically hip musician Desi, might not have seemed like a launchpad to acting success — but his career is only gaining momentum. After Desi, Moss-Bachrach dabbled in the Marvel universe, co-starring in Netflix's short-lived adaptation of "The Punisher" as Punisher's ally, David "Micro" Lieberman. His career then took a chilling turn with a main role in horror series "NOS4A2," which managed to scare up two seasons on AMC. At the movies, Moss-Bachrach's credits include roles in "Blow the Man Down," "Tesla," and "Lying and Stealing."

Even Moss-Bachrach himself couldn't have predicted how great his 2022 would be for his career. He started the year playing journalist John Carreyrou in the popular Hulu limited series "The Dropout." Then, he appeared in FX's hit "The Bear" as Cousin Richie, the chaotic and bombastic manager of The Original Beef of Chicagoland. He told Vanity Fair of the success of "The Bear," "This sounds so cliche, but we felt like we were making something really special. But you can never anticipate anything like this. You'd be insane to think that." Moss-Bachrach rounded out 2022 with a role in the critically acclaimed "Star Wars" series "Andor." To top it off, he reunited with Lena Dunham, taking a role in her film "Sharp Stick." 

On the personal side of things, Moss-Bachrach is married to photographer Yelena Yemchuck, and they have two daughters together. The family of four didn't seem to mind when the actor interrupted their European summer vacation to do an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Peter Scolari's Emmy-winning performance as Hannah's father, Tad Horvath, can be seen as a personal and professional renaissance. When he joined "Girls," Scolari was already an established television star. In the early 1980s, he — alongside pre-fame Tom Hanks — starred as one of the titular "Bosom Buddies." That ABC sitcom was short-lived, but he went on to land a main role in the sitcom "Newhart," scoring three Emmy nominations along the way. Decades later, Scolari spoke about how excessive substance use and his bipolar diagnosis affected his life, confessing on "Where Are They Now" that using drugs and alcohol as a form of self-medication stunted his growth as an actor. He became sober in his late '40s.

After "Girls," Scolari remained on television, mostly in guest roles on popular shows like "Blue Bloods," "Law & Order: SVU," and "Fosse/Verdon." He also appeared on the stage, with The New York Times reporting that he'd acted in the 2018 Off-Broadway drama "The True” with his wife, Tracy Shayne. His final onscreen role was a recurring gig in the Fox drama "Evil" as Bishop Thomas Marx, before his death in 2021 from cancer. 

Lena Dunham paid tribute to her late television dad on Instagram, writing in part, "The shyest extrovert, the most dramatic comedian, the most humble icon. You had lived enough life to know that a TV show was just a TV show, but also to appreciate just what it meant to be allowed to play pretend for a living — and you never let us forget that this job was a privilege."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Veteran character actor Becky Ann Baker has claimed playing Hannah's mother, Loreen Horvath, on "Girls" as a career highlight. She told Vulture of the part, "I have to say, I can't even imagine a better job on television. Definitely my best job on television ever." That's high praise considering Baker's TV acting resume has included roles in seminal shows like "Freaks and Geeks" and "Law and Order." Baker also praised the writing on "Girls" as some of the best, telling Yahoo! Entertainment, "The writers for 'Girls' were spectacular. I don't imagine I will ever see that kind of writing again in my lifetime, for me."

Just because "Girls" was a career high mark for Baker — whose performance in the episode "Gummies" was honored with an Emmy nomination — doesn't mean she isn't looking for the next great role. Since "Girls" wrapped, Baker has been working steadily on the big and small screens. She's continued her knack for great character work with roles in hit shows like "The Good Fight," "Billions," and "Big Little Lies." She also acted in the 2022 film "Alone Together" alongside former "Girls" co-star Zosia Mamet. 

Aling the way, Baker has remained married to fellow character actor Dylan Baker. She even shared the benefits of being married to a working actor with Yahoo! Entertainment: "I find being married to an actor really helpful, because if there's something that's upsetting or if I'm nervous about something we have each other's backs and each other's ear."

Christopher Abbott appeared as Marnie's smothering college boyfriend and startup bro, Charlie, in Seasons 1 and 2 of "Girls." After the show became a megahit, Abbott unceremoniously left. Rumors swirled that he and Lena Dunham were clashing over the character, with a source alleging to Page Six in 2013, "Chris is at odds with Lena. He didn't like the direction things are going in, which seems a bit odd since the show put him on the map." But Abbott came back in Season 5 with a one-off appearance closing up the Marnie-Charlie romance storyline.

Immediately after leaving "Girls," Abbott moved to theater work in plays like "Where We're Born." "I'm still learning how to be an actor in this world," he told The New York Times. "I just started to realize that there's a way to do it that you're not only just an actor playing parts — you're doing something for yourself, and for other people, that can feel bigger." While balancing work in Hollywood movies like "Whisky Tango Foxtrot" and "First Man" with independent films like "Possessor" and "Sanctuary," Abbott returned to TV, appearing in Season 1 of the USA crime anthology series "The Sinner." In 2019, he scored the lead role of Yossarian in George Clooney's Hulu limited series adaptation of "Catch-22." 

It seems like Abbott's taken career advice from Clooney, who's been known to take big Hollywood paydays to support his smaller passion projects. Abbott's even entering the superhero arena, playing villain The Foreigner in the 2023 Marvel movie "Kraven The Hunter." 

Jake Lacy made a name for himself in Hollywood playing decent dudes — and his role on "Girls" is no exception. He played Fran Parker during Seasons 5 and 6 of the series, an affable teacher who does his best to make his relationship with Hannah work. After "Girls," Lacy had prominent roles in the Showtime series "I'm Dying Up Here" and the Hulu series adaptation of "High Fidelity." He also acted in movies, such as the action blockbuster "Rampage" and award-season bait like "Being the Ricardos." 

It's only been in recent years that Lacy has subverted his amiable on-screen reputation in more dark and sinister roles. He told AV Club of being typecast, "If you do something relatively well in this business, people are often happy to hire you for that same thing. And that's great as an actor. I always want to have more and different opportunities." In Season 1 of HBO's hit series "The White Lotus," Lacy plays self-centered trust fund bro Shane, an exciting departure for Lacy. In 2022, Lacy definitely scored a different opportunity when he landed the role of real-life kidnapper and pedophile Bob Berchtold in the Peacock limited series "A Friend of the Family." 

Per The New York Times, Lacy and wife Lauren DeLeo moved from Brooklyn to Connecticut with their two kids during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this writing, Lacy's next project has yet to be announced, but as showrunner Nick Antosca told the outlet, "He has tremendous depth and this range that hasn't been fully used yet."

Gaby Hoffman was a showbiz pro when she took on the role of Adam's sister, Caroline, in "Girls," and was perhaps best known for her work as a child star in films like "Field of Dreams," "Uncle Buck," and "Sleepless in Seattle." On "Girls," she received lots of attention for her full-frontal nudity in the series, but for Hoffmann, it wasn't a big deal. On the topic, she told The New York Times in 2014, "It's one of those topics that unfortunately is a conversation that won't be over until we get over our weird puritanical obsessions with sex and the female figure."

After finishing "Girls" (which led to an Emmy nomination in 2015), Hoffmann wrapped up her work on another zeitgeist-capturing series, the Emmy Award-winning "Transparent," in 2019. Hoffmann has since continued to balance her acting career between smaller projects, like the 2021 independent film "C'mon, C'mon" with more mainstream fare. In 2022, Hoffmann played general manager and President of The Forum Claire Rothman in "Winning Time," HBO's series about the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I really love my job so much," Hoffmann, who shares two children with partner Chris Dapkins, told The Guardian of her acting career. "I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I get to do this for a living, but I don't want to do it that often."

Funnyman Jon Glaser played the recurring character of Laird, Hannah's downstairs neighbor, in Seasons 2 through 6 of "Girls." At first, it wasn't clear if Laird would become a staple on the show. Glaser told Vulture in 2013 he thought it would be a one-and-done performance, but Laird and his knit cap stuck around, eventually becoming Caroline's boyfriend and father of their child, Jessa-Hannah Bluebell Poem. A talented comedic writer and performer who had written for comedy hits like "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Inside Amy Schumer," Glaser's career didn't miss a beat when his time on "Girls" ended. He's continued to work with Amy Schumer not only on "Inside Amy Schumer," but also her Hulu dramedy series "Life & Beth." Glaser has also guest starred on shows like "Law & Order: SVU" and "Single Drunk Female."

On social media, Glaser has been keeping it weird, where he's done things like washing dishes on his Instagram Live, something he started in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He told Culture, "It really makes me laugh to think that someone might be out there thinking, 'What's he going to wear tonight? What music is he going to play?' I do try as much as I can to just treat it like I'm just washing the dishes, and not giving a 'performance.'" 

In late 2022, Glaser announced the end of "Office Hours East," a spin-off of comedian Tim Heidecker's internet call-in show "Office Hours Live," on Instagram.