Whatever Happened To Alyson Hannigan?

The acting career of film and TV star Alyson Hannigan began early in her life, with the talented youngster booking her first TV commercial at just four years of age. As she continued to experience success in TV commercials, her parents decided to relocate the family to Los Angeles when she was 11 — a move that paid off when, not long after, she was cast in her first movie, "My Stepmother Is an Alien." 

For the next few years, she landed guest spots on various TV shows (including such series as "Roseanne," "Picket Fences," and "Touched By an Angel") and became a series regular on the short-lived sitcom "Free Spirit." Her big break arrived in 1997, when she was cast as Willow Rosenberg in beloved cult hit "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which aired until 2003. During that series' run, she hit it big in the movies as a nerdy band camp enthusiast in 1999's "American Pie," which turned out to be a blockbuster teen comedy that launched the careers of its young stars (and sent her into a few sequels).

Further success arrived in 2005 with "How I Met Your Mother," part of an ensemble cast in the hit sitcom that ran for nine successful seasons until concluding in 2014. Since then, she's remained a fixture on television screens while experiencing some big changes in her personal life. Read on to discover what happened to Alyson Hannigan.

After a few seasons playing sidekick to a vampire slayer, and then several more as a sitcom kindergarten teacher, when "How I Met Your Mother" concluded, Alyson Hannigan apparently felt it was time to start being herself. Or at least that's the assumption that can be drawn from her first major post-"HIMYM" project, serving as host on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us." 

The show's premise featured magicians performing illusions for the famed magic duo Penn & Teller, who would then use their vast knowledge to try to figure out how those illusions were done. "My oldest daughter and I are huge fans of the show, so I am so excited to be hosting a program our whole family can watch together," Hannigan said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Not to mention, Penn & Teller are genius entertainers, so any opportunity to work with them is amazing."

Discussing the experience with Zap2it (via KDAF CW33), Hannigan explained that the show was filmed in Las Vegas, within a compressed period during her kids' spring break, so the timing was ideal. "It pretty much was just a little gift," she said, also expressing her excitement at tackling a hosting gig, something she'd never done before. "It was a wonderful phone call to get, because it's a completely new arena for me." Hannigan stuck with the show for a few years, until her exit in 2023. She was replaced by former "Baywatch" star Brooke Burke.

The same year she began hosting "Fool Us," Alyson Hannigan appeared as part of the ensemble cast in the 2016 comedy "Do You Take This Man," about a gay wedding that goes haywire. Then, in 2018, she starred opposite Fran Kranz in "You Might Be the Killer," a parody of slasher movies, playing the horror movie-obsessed friend of a camp counselor who comes to believe he's been murdering people during the frequent blackouts he begins experiencing. 

Interestingly, the film's origins come from a social media exchange between writers Chuck Wendig and Sam Sykes, which wound up going viral. That online conversation was then transformed into the script for "You Might Be the Killer." When the producers sent that script to Hannigan, they were far from certain that she'd agree to do the movie. "What was funny was we sent her the script and her agent warned us ahead of time, like, look, Alyson has a family and she doesn't really like to do horror movies anymore, I wouldn't hold your breath," the film's director, Brett Simmons, told iHorror. "I was just a fan and it felt like an inspired choice, so we just took a gamble."

Simmons needn't have worried. Hannigan loved the script so much that she signed on — and brought a lot of ideas to the table when she did. "And she does love the genre, so she herself is so knowledgeable," Simmons said. "She was just perfect."

In addition to all the on-camera work she's done, Alyson Hannigan has also proven to be a prolific voice actor. In 2018, she joined the voice cast of "Fancy Nancy," an animated children's series airing on the Disney Junior channel. Hannigan provided the voice of Claire Clancy, mother of the series' young heroine, Nancy Clancy. 

As it happened, Hannigan had been a fan of the book series that inspired the series; when she found out Disney was adapting the books for TV, she told her agent she had to be part of it. "I love the books, and I'm so incredibly happy and proud to be a part of the TV show, which is just so wonderful," she told Paste. "It's everything I wanted from the book, and more." According to Hannigan — who shares two daughters with her husband, "Buffy" co-star Alexis Denisof — her daughters fell in love with the "Fancy Nancy" books. "Oh yeah, they are so excited, they just cannot wait for it to air," she said. 

Interestingly, lending her voice to an animated series had been a long time coming. "I have always wanted to do cartoons," she told the Associated Press. "Joss Whedon, the creator of 'Buffy,' once said, 'I think if we just cut you open a cartoon would pop out.'"

In 2018, Alyson Hannigan was cast in the leading role in a TV pilot for the ABC network. Titled "Man of the House," Hannigan starred alongside Leslie Bibb as a pair of sisters who move in together, with the two recently divorced single moms raising their respective kids under the same roof. Produced by "Scandal" star Kerry Washington, the cast included future "Wednesday" star Jenna Ortega, and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who'd provide narration. Kimmel would inhabit the grown-up version of the siblings' oldest kid — and only son — Bradley, who must navigate his burgeoning manhood while surrounded by females. "I've often thought of myself as an 'Older Bradley' so that works out well," Kimmel quipped to Variety.

Despite all the talent assembled, both in front of and behind the camera, "Man of the House" did not impress ABC executives enough to be ordered to series. Instead, it joined the zillions of never-seen failed pilots on television's trash heap, quashing Hannigan's hopes for a television comeback after the dual success of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "How I Met Your Mother."

While "Man of the House" never saw the light of day, her next project brought her in front of fans of a beloved animated Disney franchise. In 2018, she joined the cast of "Kim Possible," a live-action TV movie based on the animated hit, playing the teenage super-spy's mother, Dr. Ann Possible. 

The film debuted on Disney Channel in 2019, and Hannigan was on the red carpet for the official premiere. Interviewed by "Afterbuzz TV," where she shared details about the character she played. "She's a brain surgeon," Hannigan explained, "but she's also a mom who worries about Kim, even though Kim can save the world."

During that same premiere, she was also interviewed by Red Carpet Report. In that interview, Hannigan revealed that her daughters were big "Kim Possible" fans, so taking the role was a no-brainer. "They love it, they're catching up on all the cartoons now, so they're so excited that I'm a part of it," she said. As Hannigan explained, the depiction of Kim Possible as a strong, smart, and highly capable young woman was just the kind of role model she enjoyed seeing her two daughters emulate. "I want them to role-play, like, the strong female character that can save the world," she said. "Yeah, that's who I want them to pretend to be."

Alyson Hannigan's skills at hosting TV had evolved and eventually came to be in demand by other networks. That was the case when, in 2020, she was tapped to host a four-part competition series for Food Network, the squeaky-clean "Girl Scout Cookie Championship."

Once again, Hannigan landed herself within a project that proved to be an excellent fit, given that she was once a Girl Scout herself. "I was so excited to be a part of this because I've eaten my way through a large amount of Girl Scout Cookies," she joked in an interview with TV Insider. As for the show's premise, five top bakers were tasked with creating an awe-inspiring dessert from Girl Scout Cookies and then using that dessert as the key ingredient in a whole other dessert.

Interestingly, Hannigan's tenure in her Girl Scout troop was not great, mostly because she wound up losing the list of who'd bought which cookies from her. "So when the Girl Scout Cookies came and arrived, we couldn't find the list," Hannigan told reporters during a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour, as reported by E! News. "And then I had to go to every neighbor and say, 'I'm so sorry. I lost the list. Could you tell me what cookies you ordered?" That, she explained, pretty much slammed the door on her future with the troop. "I was a very short-lived Girl Scout," she admitted.

"Ridiculousness" has become ubiquitous on MTV, cranking out episode after episode of Rob Dyrdek introducing hilarious videos of unexpected incidents and flat-out fails that real-life people have posted online. As the series' Sterling "Steelo" Brim told CBS News in 2021, he envisioned the show continuing in perpetuity, with no end in sight. "People will never stop doing stupid things and filming it," he observed

That same year, MTV greenlit a spinoff/companion series with a similar format but featuring a different type of video. As its title would suggest, "Adorableness" focused on the cutest, most adorable videos to be found online. Alyson Hannigan was tapped as host, joined by a panel including standup comic James Davis, TV personality Ross Matthews, and "The Daily Show" correspondent Dulcé Sloan.

"I am very excited for 'Adorableness' because it was basically made to entertain me and my children," said Hannigan when interviewed by CBS News. "The moment I heard the name I was in. As a mom who is always looking for something to watch with my girls, this is the perfect show." The show fit her like a glove, because those were precisely the type of videos that she sought out whenever scrolling through social media. "I could not have been happier," she said of her new gig. "It was everything I could have wanted and more." Unlike its predecessor, though, "Adorableness" did not stand the test of time and was canceled after its first season.

Like most successful Hollywood actors, Alyson Hannigan lives in a luxurious home, along with husband Alexis Denisof and their two daughters. That home was featured in a television series, albeit one that Hannigan had nothing to do with, beloved family drama "This Is Us." As Hannigan explained in an interview with Sirius XM's "The Michelle Collins Show," she and Denisof had recently purchased the home, which had previously been used extensively as a location for film and television projects. "I think my house's résumé is longer than mine," she joked. 

The couple vowed they wouldn't follow suit, even though she estimated they regularly received inquiries about renting their place to a production, about twice a month. However, their resolve was tested when they were approached by a neighbor, who just happened to be a director on "This Is Us," about using their home as a location for the show. Because of that neighborly connection, and the fact that she and Denisof were already fans of the show, they relented. "We were like, 'If we are ever going to do it, we would do it for that show 'cause it's so good,'" she added. 

The crew left her home in great condition after filming concluded, in fact, even better off than it had been before. "Not only did they give us our house back in wonderful shape, they fixed things that I had damaged," she recalled. "I was like 'You guys!'"

In 2021, Alyson Hannigan's association with Disney expanded beyond "Fancy Nancy" and "Kim Possible" when she starred in "Flora & Ulysses," a movie for the Disney+ streaming service. The film follows a young girl, Flora, who rescues a squirrel, only to discover the creature is Ulysses, who can speak English and possesses some singularly unique superpowers. 

Agreeing to play Flora's mom was not a tough choice, given that she and her daughters were already fans of the book upon which the film had been based. "And it was just really exciting to do something that my kids already were familiar with. So it was kind of a no brainer," she said in an interview with Screen Rant. 

Of all the kid-friendly projects that she'd worked on, "Flora & Ulysses" held a special place in the hearts of her children, which, she confirmed, had little to do with the fact that she was in it. "Oh, this is absolutely their favorite," said Hannigan. "They just loved it."

For those who aren't regular viewers, it could be that Alyson Hannigan is one of the celebrities you forgot were on "Dancing With the Stars." Nevertheless, she ticked that particular item off her showbiz bucket list in 2023, when she was part of the 32nd season alongside a cast that included such fellow celebs as "Vanderpump Rules" alum Ariana Madix, social media star Lele Pons, and Barry Williams of "The Brady Bunch."

Hannigan was partnered with pro dancer Sasha Farber, with the two tripping the light fantastic all the way to the season finale. Sadly, they didn't dance off with the Mirrorball Trophy (that honor went to 17-year-old Marvel star Xochitl Gomez and dance partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy), but Hannigan had no regrets about her weeks on the show. Accompanying photos of herself before and after "DWTS," she posted on Instagram, Hannigan wrote, "The before and after says it all. I lost 20 pounds of both weight and emotional baggage during my time on @dancingwiththestars. I can't thank @sashafarber1 enough for helping me shed my insecurities and getting me to the confident and strong place I am today!"

While her body transformation was indeed impressive, Hannigan admitted she had a few tough moments along the way that she had to overcome, particularly during Jive Week. "My body's falling apart, my knee wants to leave my leg and the jive is just a mean dance," she complained to Entertainment Tonight. "It's really awful, it's awful."

As the years passed, it was understandable that fans would wonder what the cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" looks like today. There was no wondering in 2025, however, when "Buffy" star Sarah Michelle Gellar reunited with former co-star Alyson Hannigan for a special project. 

Speaking with People, the two actors discussed the oddness of having met when they were both teenagers and now being mothers of teenage daughters themselves. "I think what's amusing to my daughters is that because people always come up to them and they're like, 'Oh, you look just like your mom.' Now they actually have the proof. They can see footage of me at their age," she said. That was even more so with Gellar's daughter, Charlotte, who resembled her younger self so much that she offered a joking suggestion. "I have a whole plan: just sneak Charlotte in to replace me," she quipped. "When I get old and tired, just put her in there. They'll never notice."

But on a serious note, the reason for their reunion was to partner with pharmaceutical company GSK for the Ask2BSure campaign, encouraging parents to open a dialogue with their teenage kids and their doctors about meningitis and vaccination. When the two appeared together on Today for a joint interview about the new initiative, Gellar credited Hannigan with guiding her in the right direction. "To be honest, I learned a lot about this from Alyson," she said, prompting Hannigan to respond, "Which is so rare because she's usually the one I go to. She knows everything."