What Kat Dennings Has Been Up To Since 2 Broke Girls Ended
Kat Dennings has been a regular on our screens since 2000 when she played a precocious teenager on "Sex and the City." Since then, she's built a dextrous career, starring in everything from romantic comedies like 2008's "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" to Marvel Cinematic Universe entries like 2022's "Thor: Love & Thunder." Of course, many fans fell in love with Dennings when she played Max Black on the sitcom "2 Broke Girls," which ran from 2011 until 2017. Her turn as the sarcastic and scrappy waitress was a fan favorite. But what exactly has the star been up to since the show ended?
During a 2021 interview with Glamour, Dennings opened up about her life in the spotlight. "My life has been my job, my career, and work, work, work," she explained. "It's not necessarily the fun part of being an actress, but I really enjoy my work, I love to act and be on set."
From developments in her love life to exciting new roles, join us as we take a look at what Kat Dennings has been up to since "2 Broke Girls" ended.
She starred in Hulu's Dollface
Following the success of "2 Broke Girls," Kat Dennings scored a number of acting roles, the most prominent of which was as the lead character in Hulu's "Dollface." The series follows Jules (Dennings) as she attempts to reconnect with her girlfriends after being broken up with by her boyfriend. Infused with daydreams and imagination that sometimes break from reality, "Dollface" is an unusual look at female friendship, and it ran from 2019 until 2022.
In February 2022, Dennings spoke to Collider about the series, saying, "I'm really excited, personally, for people who liked [Season 1] to see all of the 'Dollface' girls going into the magical realism element of the show." Dennings also sang the praises of her cast mates, including Shay Mitchell and Brenda Song, telling Collider, "I love them all so much, and we really have a real friendship going on. Part of the magic of the show is seeing four real friends interacting because you really can't fake that chemistry." While "Dollface" was sadly canceled after just two seasons, it's clear that the cast became incredibly close during their short time making the show. "Brenda [Song] describes it as summer camp, and it was like that," Dennings said of filming Season 2.
She returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Kat Dennings made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2011's "Thor," in which she starred as Darcy Lewis, the assistant to Natalie Portman's scientist Jane Foster. She reprised the role in 2013's "Thor: The Dark World," then was mysteriously absent from the franchise for a number of years. After "2 Broke Girls" ended, Dennings finally returned to the MCU, playing Darcy Lewis in the TV miniseries "WandaVision," which was released in 2021.
In an interview with TVLine, Dennings discussed reprising the beloved character and explained what Darcy had been up to in the interim. "I'm so grateful to the writers for giving her this rich backstory because the last time we saw her, she was Jane Foster's intern," Dennings explained. She continued, "It's really fun to see that [the] influence Jane Foster had on her results in her actually becoming an astrophysicist ... She's the same girl, but now she has a bunch of degrees and a bunch of information. She's a boss now." Dennings returned to the role once again in 2022's "Thor: Love and Thunder," proving that she's far from done with being a part of the MCU.
She starred in comedy ensemble Friendsgiving
Although "2 Broke Girls" sadly came to an end in 2017, Kat Dennings' acting career continued to go from strong project to strong project afterward. In 2020's "Friendsgiving," Dennings was able to show off her comedic talents once again as part of a star-studded ensemble cast. Dennings starred alongside Malin Akerman, Chelsea Peretti, Wanda Sykes, Jane Seymour, and Aisha Tyler in the comedic flick, which follows a group of friends who decide to host what becomes quite a calamitous Thanksgiving dinner.
Discussing her experience filming "Friendsgiving," Dennings told Looper, "All these actors, these great comedians were all together in one house. Essentially the film takes place in one location. So there was an element of reality to making it where we were all crammed together in one place for a month or however long we filmed it. And it was just a really fun time." As for who she enjoyed working with the most, Dennings pointed to Seymour, revealing that she'd long admired the star and was thrilled to finally get the chance to work with her. "She's incredibly down to earth and she's incredibly willing to share, and you can really ask her anything," Dennings revealed.
She got engaged to musician Andrew W.K.
In May 2021, Kat Dennings surprised her fans when she announced her engagement to musician Andrew W.K. in an Instagram post: "Don't mind if I do," she wrote alongside a photo of her gorgeous diamond engagement ring. The couple had revealed their relationship the very same month, catching people off guard with their seemingly swift engagement. By June 2021, rumors that the couple had gotten married started to circulate after they were both spotted wearing wedding bands on their ring fingers, but this has never been confirmed.
During an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Dennings opened up about her engagement and dished about the magical moment that led to them getting engaged. "We had a special moment that makes me believe in magic," she told Barrymore. "We were [kissing], and we had, like, a shared feeling. I felt this intense ... thing that I was like, 'This is my person. This is it. I can't live without him. This is the man I'm supposed to be with.' And we looked at each other, and we both proposed at the same time." In June 2022, the couple hit the red carpet together for the premiere of "Thor: Love and Thunder," and it's safe to say they looked incredibly loved up.
She moved into producing
Having successfully worked in the entertainment industry since 2000 when she appeared on an episode of "Sex and the City," Kat Dennings has a wealth of experience behind her. As a result, it shouldn't be a surprise that she decided to move behind the camera to start producing. In 2019, Dennings opened up about her decision to become a producer during an interview with Marie Claire. "But after '2 Broke Girls,' I felt like I've had enough experience to lend something positive to the process," she told the publication. "The casting process felt especially rewarding because I know it can be brutal. I wanted to make the cast feel they could come to me with any issue."
To date, Dennings' producer credits include the TV series "Dollface," 2018's "How May We Hate You?" and the 2018 TV show "Dallas & Robo." In a 2022 interview with Buzzfeed, Dennings shared her delight about becoming an executive producer on "Dollface," on which she also starred. "The executive producer thing was SO exciting for me," she told the site. She also revealed, "You learn a lot as you go, just like in any job, but I felt really ready for that responsibility. I was very heavily involved and it felt really right." Hopefully, the "Drunk History" star will have many more opportunities in the future to work as a producer and bring her unique experience to the projects she works on.
She recorded an audiobook for Audible
As well as being an accomplished actor on the screen, Kat Dennings has moved into voice-over work by recording audiobooks. In 2020, Dennings took on an important role in Audible's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman," which saw her provide the voice of the character Death. Two more installments followed, and featured the talents of Riz Ahmed, James McAvoy, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Samantha Morton, alongside Dennings.
The experience of performing in adaptations of Gaiman's work has clearly been a thrill for Dennings. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the "Daydream Nation" star revealed how she scored her role after making friends with Gaiman himself. "We became Twitter friends through the miracle of the internet," she explained. "He'd always said, 'I hope we can work together,' and I would be like, 'uh, me too!' So one day he just texted and asked, 'would you like to be the voice of Death? We're making Sandman as an Audible original.' She was always my favorite character, I could not believe it and agreed without any further thought." It seems like the process was charmed from the start.
She got into gardening during the pandemic
Many people took up new hobbies during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as baking, hiking, and gardening. Kat Dennings found herself drawn to the latter during difficult lockdowns and social distancing, quickly finding a previously undiscovered passion for gardening. During a 2021 interview with Glamour, Dennings explained, "I started a garden and I had been wanting to do that ever since I moved here. I never had the time, or I never made the time before. I built the garden boxes myself and planted them last spring. I know it sounds like not a big deal, but for me it was."
As well as being a practical hobby that kept her busy, Dennings also found that gardening was an important form of self-care. "A nice thing to realize during this was that I wanted to feel better," she explained to Glamour. "Being sad is the worst. Obviously this is a horrible, sad time, but I found myself wanting to feel better which, again, sounds like not a big deal, but it's a good instinct to know that you have the want to improve your situation." Dennings has since shared the products of her garden on Instagram, revealing that she has grown poppies, strawberries, and various vegetables.
She defended Billie Eilish against body-shaming
In 2020, Kat Dennings took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to defend singer Billie Eilish against body shamers. "Anyone reacting to @billieeilish having a normal body has to take a hard look themselves," she wrote in a since-deleted post (via People). "As someone who looked exactly like that at her age, it'd be nice for this unhealthy nonsense to f*** right off. She's beautiful and normal goodbye!"
The actor wanted to make sure that the singer knew she was supported against any and all criticism regarding her body or the way she dressed. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dennings elaborated on her thoughts on the subject, saying, "I felt personally affronted by it because she's a beautifully young girl who is making unbelievable, earth-changing art." Dennings also blamed the anonymity of the internet for emboldening critics to make inappropriate comments about Eilish. The "Charlie Bartlett" star revealed that she faced intense body shaming when she was younger and that she hoped times had changed enough for people to recognize that commenting on other people's bodies was wrong. "Any woman in the spotlight is already under a tremendous amount of pressure and the internet is gross and awful and I hate it," she told Entertainment Tonight.
She fell in love with WWE
In July 2022, Kat Dennings revealed that she'd unexpectedly found a new passion, and fans were pretty excited about it. "Just watched my first #SummerSlam and I am unwell," she wrote in a since-deleted X post, via 411 Mania. She subsequently posted, "Oh no I think I love @WWE," much to the delight of fellow wrestling fans everywhere. In August 2022, Dennings confirmed that she was still a fan, posting to X (via Fightful) in all caps, "OF COURSE WE'RE WATCHING RAW."
It's also worth noting that Dennings had a prior connection to the WWE universe before declaring her love for it. In 2018, she voiced a character in the TV series "Dallas & Robo," on which she was also a producer. Her co-star on the show was none other than actor John Cena, who is recognized as a 16-time World Champion by the WWE. Regardless of how she became a fan, other fans celebrated Dennings' somewhat unexpected introduction to WWE.