Married with Children cast now — kung-fu, cancer, devastating diagnosis and weed arrest

It was 36 years ago today (April 5) that TV audiences were introduced to the Bundys and for 10 years viewers loved watching the antics the dysfunctional family got up to.

Married… with Children ran for 11 seasons over 250 episodes and during that time the audience became very familiar with the beloved cast

The show featured Ed O’Neill as cranky shoe salesman Al Bundy, Katey Sagal as his idle housewife Peggy Bundy and Christina Applegate and David Faustino as the couple’s kids, Kelly and Bud Bundy.

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But in June 1997 it aired its final episode and in the two decades that have passed since the cast has been through some big highs and lows.

From landing huge acting roles to arrests and devastating health battles, here’s what the cast of Married…with Children have been up to since the series came to an end.

Ed O’Neill

Ed O’Neill went on to see huge success after his role as Al Bundy.

The actor starred in several films, including Dutch and Little Giants and made appearances in commercials and TV series including Dragnet, The West Wing and John from Cincinnati.

But his most notable post-Married…with Children role came when he was cast as another family patriarch in the beloved sitcom Modern Family.

O’Neill’s role as Jay Pritchett saw him nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and he took home four Screen Actors Guild awards for being a part of the Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

But O’Neill believes his biggest achievement happened outside of the world of acting when he received a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2007.

In the 2012 documentary I am Bruce Lee, O’Neill said he considered getting the black belt “the greatest achievement of my life, apart from my children.”

Now 76, O’Neill is working on his first big role since Modern Family came to an end in 2020 and is set to star in the TV mini-series The Sterling Affairs.

Katey Sagal

Katey Sagal had been pursuing a musical career before rising to fame for her role as lazy housewife Peggy Bundy, and when the show ended she continued to make music, releasing her second solo album Room in 2004 and the album Covered in 2013.

But Sagal, 69, also continued to have a successful acting career and is well-known for voicing the character Leela on Futurama.

She also secured a lead role in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules and starred in the drama series Sons of Anarchy from 2008 to 2014, receiving a Golden Globe award for her role as Gemma Teller Morrow.

She’s made appearances in a number of other popular series, including The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Glee and lost as well as films such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Bleed for This.

In October 2021 Sagal’s career hit a small setback when she was injured after being struck by a car while crossing the road in Los Angeles.

The actress, who was starring in the sitcom The Conners at the time, was taken to hospital to receive treatment for her injuries and was spotted using crutches a month after the incident.

The Conners’ executive producers Bruce Helford confirmed she was able to make a full recovery, telling Popculture: “She’s tough, man. When she was on stage, I could see that she was in some discomfort still. I mean, she went through a lot.

“You don’t get hit by a car and just walk away from that, but she toughed it out…We’ve heard recently that she’s feeling that in January, she can be right back where she was.”

Christina Applegate

Following in the footsteps of the Married…with Children parents, Christina Applegate has had a long-running acting career since starring as Kelly Bundy at 15 years old.

The actress, 51, has received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, one of which she won for her role as Rachel’s sister in Friends, as well as nominations for four Golden Globes.

She’s best known for starring in films including Anchorman and Bad Moms and also continued her TV career with roles in Jesse, Samantha Who? and Dead to Me.

She’s also taken to the stage and received a Tony Award nomination for her Broadway performance in Sweet Charity.

But during her long-running career, Applegate has faced a series of devastating health issues.

In 2008 she announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 36 years old and underwent a double mastectomy.

In 2017 she then took an additional step to prevent cancer from returning and had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

But in 2021, Applegate received another devastating diagnosis, revealing she has Multiple Sclerosis, a condition that affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

Applegate had been filming for the final season of Netflix’s Dead to Me at the time and production halted for five months, but she was determined to finish the series.

She told the New York Times: “There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’

“And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”

She added: “This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am. I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”

David Faustino

David Faustino’s role as Bud Bundy is still the biggest role of his career so far but the actor has also gone on to make appearances in a number of films and TV series including Bones, Sharknado, Entourage and The Young and the Restless.

He’s also kept busy with an extensive amount of voice acting for series including The Legend of Korra, Winx Club and Cape Kids.

But in May 2007 Faustino got into some trouble with the law when he ironically lived up to his Bud Bundy name — getting caught with bud in his pocket.

Police said he had attempted to climb out of his car window when they spotted him and as officers approached he opened his door and tried to walk away.

Officers smelled alcohol on his breath and discovered a plastic bag with a gram of marijuana in his pocket.

He was arrested on charges of marijuana possession and disorderly intoxication.

However, later that month the charge for disorderly intoxication was dropped and in 2008 the marijuana charge was also dismissed after he agreed to complete a drug treatment program.

Despite the controversy, Faustino continued to focus on his career and in 2009 he launched his own web series Star-ving, which Married… with Children co-stars Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal and Ed O’Neill have all appeared on.

Amanda Bearse

After starring as Peggy’s best friend Marcy, Married…with Children’s Amanda Bearse gave up her acting career in favour of directing.

Bearse directed episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show, Jesse, Dharma & Greg, MADtv, Reba as well as many more series.

In 1993 she became one of the first primetime actresses to come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and adopted a child, Zoe, before going on to marry her wife, Carrie Schenken, in 2010.

David Garrison

David Garrison’s role as Steve Rhoades, the husband of Marcy, remains his most noteworthy acting job.

But his main career is in musical theatre and after the series ended he returned to the stage, appearing in Broadway productions of Wicked, Titanic and The Pirates of Penzance.

He also received a Tony Award nomination for this role in A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine.

He’s continued to make on-screen appearances on shows including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 30 Rock and Law & Order too.

Ted McGinley

Ted McGinley is best known for playing Marcy’s second husband Jefferson D’Arcy and has continued acting on TV since the series ended.

He’s had recurring roles on Sports Night, The West Wing and Hope & Faith as well as guest appearances on Mad Men, Mom, Shrinking and Castle

In 2008 he also competed on Dancing with the Stars but became the second celeb to be eliminated from the competition.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk