Whatever Happened To The Cast Of 90210?

The following article includes a reference to sexual assault.

Teen drama "902010" premiered on The CW in September 2008. As a spinoff of the iconic '90s show, "Beverly Hills, 90210," it took viewers back to the halls of West Beverly Hills High School, but this time with a whole new generation of students. The series followed siblings Annie and Dixon, played by Shenae Grimes-Beech and Tristan Wilds, whose family had just moved to California from Kansas. They were joined in the West Bev's hallowed halls by the likes of AnnaLynne McCord, Matt Lanter, Jessica Stroup, Trevor Donovan, Jessica Lowndes, and Michael Steger. "90210" followed this close-knit group of friends as they survived high school and started making their way in the world.

The spinoff also offered a few Easter eggs for "Beverly Hills, 90210" fans with former cast members Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty, and Tori Spelling all making appearances during the newer show's first or second season. Though their appearances were brief, the trio had enough screen time to reveal what happened to them since they were on the original show, with the biggest shock being that Kelly (Garth) and Dylan (Luke Perry) had a son together.

However, their characters were promptly phased out so "90210" could focus on the new generation of L.A. teens. The show ran for five seasons and aired its final episode in May 2013, with the cast all moving on in their own directions. From career success and domestic bliss, to fitness goals and legal troubles, this is what the cast of "90210" has been up to since the series ended.

AnnaLynne McCord

AnnaLynne McCord played spoiled trust fund teen Naomi Clark in "90210." But, over the course of five seasons, Naomi grew out of her spoiled teenage shell and developed into a kind, caring, and well-rounded character. McCord has had quite the transformation off-screen, too. She started out modeling, then turned to acting, and since "90210" ended, she's been a very vocal activist.

McCord's public activism journey began in 2014 when she wrote a candid personal essay for Cosmopolitan revealing that she was raped by someone she had considered a friend. The "90210" actor discussed confronting what happened to her in Naomi's rape storyline and explained, "It was a little too close to real life..." She was motivated to speak out about her experience and find her voice in activism. Since breaking her silence, McCord has gotten involved with many women's rights and human rights campaigns, like Somaly Mam. "Working with charitable organizations and giving back has been my saving grace as it has taught me how to rescue myself," she said ahead of the AIM Youth Mental Health Gala in 2020.

The "Nip/Tuck" star's acting career has also been flourishing in the years since "90210." McCord was in a string of dark thrillers and guest-starred on "Dallas" and "Lucifer" before nabbing a main role in "Let's Get Physical." She also appeared in an episode of her on-off beau Dominic Purcell's TV series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Shenae Grimes-Beech

Shenae Grimes-Beech, better known as Annie Wilson to "90210" fans, continued acting when the series ended in 2013. Viewers might have spotted her in films including "Empire State" and "Christmas Incorporated." However, as of July 2022, Grimes-Beech's last acting credits were in 2018. She appeared in the police procedural "The Details" and horror film "The Rake," before giving birth to her first child, Bowie Scarlett Beech, later the same year, per People. The actor and her husband, musician Josh Beech, welcomed their second child, Kingsley Taylor Beech, in 2021.

The following year, the couple celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their relationship. Grimes-Beech publicly acknowledged the occasion by posting a sweet message to her husband on Instagram. "Happy 10 years since you opened the door (literally) to the rest of my life," she said. "I'm usually one who pours her heart out into words, as you know but celebrating this milestone with you has me speechless ... My soulmate, I love you more than words. Forever isn't long enough."

With her busy family life, the "90210" star has been focusing her attention on creating online content. She posts weekly lifestyle vlogs on YouTube and shares a TikTok account with her husband where the pair create content documenting their personal lives. Grimes-Beech also co-hosts a podcast with her "90210" co-star AnnaLynne McCord. Despite feuding while they filmed the show, the two rekindled their friendship after it went off the air and laid everything bare in the first episode of their podcast, "Unzipped."

Matt Lanter

Matt Lanter played brooding hunk Liam Court in "90210." Liam was initially introduced as a love interest for Naomi, before he formed a deeper connection with Annie. The couple had a complicated on-off relationship for most of the series, but eventually realized they were meant to be together, which culminated in them getting engaged in the series finale.

When "90210" ended, Lanter swapped teen dramas for action and superheroes, starring in the shows "Timeless" alongside Abigail Spencer, and "Jupiter's Legacy" with Josh Duhamel and Ben Daniels. Lanter has also had significant success in voiceover roles. He voiced several characters in "Ultimate Spider-Man," as well the popular "Star Wars" character Anakin Skywalker in a variety of animated films and TV series, including "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Speaking to Looper after the series ended in 2020, the actor explained that this definitely isn't the end of his journey with Anakin. "We're always doing 'Star Wars' projects. We're always doing games and shows and movies or whatever it is. I'd never really put Anakin down ... So it's not like I'm never voicing Anakin again," he said, adding, "That character is living with me all the time now."

Lanter also joined the "90210" parent club in 2017, after he welcomed his first child with his wife, Angela. The couple named their daughter MacKenlee Faire "Kenny" Lanter. Celebrating her first birthday on Instagram, Lanter called his daughter "the greatest gift of all."

Tristan Wilds

"90210" attempted to recreate the tone of "Beverly Hills, 90210" with a brother-sister duo to emulate Brandon and Brenda. Annie was essentially the spinoff's Brenda, while Tristan "Mack" Wilds played her adopted brother Dixon Wilson. Following in Brandon's footsteps, Dixon dated several of the show's main characters, including Adrianna, Ivy, and Silver, although the character was single when the show ended.

Since 2013, the New York-born actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer has racked up a string of acting credits in projects including series "The Breaks," Netflix film "Really Love," and miniseries "Shots Fired." Wilds has also released two studio albums which he says he couldn't have done without a certain industry legend. "Jay-Z is a constant support system and inspiration because of everything that he has done in his career and everything that he allows me to do creatively," Wilds told People. As the outlet noted, their friendship dates back years, with Wilds starring in the rapper's music video for "Roc Boys" in 2007.

Wilds has only appeared in one other music video since "90210," but being in Adele's "Hello" video in 2015 meant the world to him. "Having an opportunity to be able to be in the room with these people and play with them and to create something that was as phenomenal as that video was, it meant a lot," he told People. Wilds is still in touch with the singer, too, saying they check in occasionally. In 2020, Wilds welcomed his first child, Tristyn Naomi Wilds, with his childhood sweetheart Christina Hammond. The couple tied the knot the following year.

Jessica Stroup

One of the other ways the reboot connected to the original series was through Jessica Stroup's character Erin Silver, better known as Silver. She's the half-sister of Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and David Silver (Brian Austin Green) and was born during the original series. When "90210" ended, Stroup continued acting, notably appearing in the crime thriller "The Following" and the action film "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back."

Stroup has curated a varied filmography, starring in everything from comedy to psychological thrillers. However, there is one genre she loves the most: horror. "Sometimes they are a fun escape, an excuse to cuddle up to your mate. Plus, the filming usually involves stunts of some sort, and I love getting physical in a scene," she told The Untitled Magazine. Despite her love of horror, Stroup didn't appear in anything too gory or psychological as the years went on. Other credits include Marvel's superhero series "Iron Fist," which she starred in from 2017 to 2018, and the 2019 TV movie "Heart of Life."

The "90210" alum loves to share her fitness journey on social media, which included 18 weeks of training for the Los Angeles Rose Bowl Half Marathon and the Los Angeles Marathon, both of which she completed in 2021. After finishing the latter, she told her Instagram followers, "I knew I'd probably cry out of sheer exhaustion but I was flooded with so much joy, so much pride, so much gratitude and SO MUCH RELIEF that I'm still blurry eyed today."  Stroup has been lying low since completing the marathons, but she may return to the screen one day.

Michael Steger

Former Disney Channel star Michael Steger played Navid Shirazi in "90210." Similarly to "Beverly Hills, 90210's" Steve Sanders, Navid immediately befriends the new students, and he becomes Dixon's best friend. Navid has a complicated romantic history but finally gets his happy ending in the series finale when he and his first high school sweetheart Adrianna admit their feelings to one another. Fans were thrilled with this final pairing, but Steger might have been a little disappointed at who his character ended up with in "90210." Before the final season premiered, he told Smashing Interviews Magazine that he believed Navid belonged with his ex-girlfriend Silver, who was still in the picture when Season 5 began.

When "90210" ended, Steger moved on to a steady acting career and has spent time focusing on other pursuits within the entertainment industry. He scored his directorial debut in 2015 with the TV movie "Brandee Built on Crazee" which stars his wife Brandee Tucker and is loosely based on her life. Steger also co-wrote the film with his wife and fellow actor-producer Sean Hankinson.

Steger went on to write and direct the dark comedy web series "Not So Union," which he also starred in alongside his wife. Producing the show for YouTube gave him "a lot of creative freedom," he told Pacific Rim Video Press. Speaking about the rise in web series, he added, "It happens to be like a new landscape, a lot of people are launching shows online."

Jessica Lowndes

Navid's on and off (but mostly on) love interest Adrianna Tate-Duncan was played by Jessica Lowndes. The actor made her musical debut in the pilot of "90210" singing "Mama Who Bore Me" from West Bev's school musical "Spring Awakening." She then performed the duet "One More Time" with Diego Boneta and sang covers of popular songs, including Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Music was a big part of Adrianna's character arc, and she even dropped out of high school before her senior year to focus on her career.

Following in her character's footsteps, Lowndes has been busy forging a musical career, but she's been more successful than her on-screen counterpart. She's released several EPs and singles and had her music featured in Hallmark movies. Alongside singing, Lowndes has appeared in a string of made-for-TV movies, notably starring alongside Chad Michael Murray in "Too Close for Christmas" and "Angel Falls Christmas," which both of the actors also co-produced. The "90210" alum turned her hand to writing. In 2022, she wrote and co-starred in GAC Family's "Harmony from the Heart" opposite Jesse Metcalfe (per Deadline).

Lowndes admitted to Sidewalks Entertainment that her life and career have been very busy ever since she booked "90210" at the age of 19. She said, "But to me it doesn't feel like work 'cause it's my passion; it's what I love, and I love creating, whether that's movies or any kind of art, and then I also am a musician so I'm always writing music, so to me it doesn't feel like work at all." 

Dustin Milligan

When "90210" began, most of the show's central characters were the teenagers attending West Beverly Hills High School. They were a close-knit group of friends, and like "Beverly Hills, 90210" before them, they all pretty much dated their way around the group. That was certainly the case for Dustin Milligan's character Ethan Ward, who, despite leaving the show at the end of Season 1, had serious relationships with Naomi and Annie, and a brief affair with Silver.

Following his departure from the series, Milligan found success playing Ted Mullins on "Schitt's Creek." Ted became known for his love of puns, which is something Milligan brought to the character, telling BuzzFeed that the writers went with it. Now, fans can't stop sharing their own puns with him. "It is something nice that they've appreciated what I brought to that character in that way," he said. But, there's a caveat: "I'm a real hard-a** about the quality of puns, so let people be warned, only bring me the good stuff!"

Ted's biggest storylines revolved around his relationship with Annie Murphy's character Alexis Rose, but the couple parted ways in the show's final season. Both Ethan and Ted were unlucky in love, but Milligan has had better luck off screen. He has been dating Canadian actor Amanda Crew since 2010. The couple frequently collaborate on acting projects together, starring opposite each other in "Repeaters," "Ferocious," and "Bad City."

Trevor Donovan

To replace the hole that Dustin Milligan's exit left, "90210" brought in Trevor Donovan as the teen heartthrob and tennis star Teddy Montgomery. He began as a recurring character in Season 2, but became a permanent fixture in Season 3. Teddy quickly forms a serious relationship with Sliver, but as the series progresses, viewers see Teddy come to terms with his sexuality. Donovan previously told Nicki Swift that he thought this was a really important story to tell. "That was kind of my launching pad and I got to play a character and tell [this] coming out story, which I thought the CW announcement handled very, very well. They handled it delicately and showed the struggle of coming out and coming to terms with it."

Donovan came on "90210" as the handsome love interest, and while he might have had a varied filmography since, this is still a stereotype he tends to portray a lot. After "90210," Donovan played Melissa Joan Hart's love interest on "Melissa and Joey." Following guest roles on "NCIS" and "Lucifer," he's appeared in a string of romantic comedies for the Hallmark Channel and GAC.

He's also used his platform to give back, championing an anti-bullying campaign with GAC and its president, Bill Abbott. "I'm gonna be visiting two to three schools in the coming year to host assemblies, do skits with the kids, and promote sort of a social support network [that] inspires kids to stand up to other kids," he explained to Heavy.

Gillian Zinser

Free spirit Ivy Sullivan, played by Gillian Zinser, had a tumultuous time on "90210," and initially she didn't fit in with the West Bev crowd. Her parental relationships were complicated, but she finally thought she'd found a home with Raj, whom she married at the end of Season 3. However, Ivy was soon left heartbroken when her husband Raj died from cancer. Eventually, though, she found a stable relationship with Diego, and left the show ahead of Season 5 to live with him in Mexico.

Like Ivy, Zinser doesn't subscribe to popularity or have a desire for great celebrity. She prefers to be as grounded and authentic as possible with true friendships and makes an effort to cut out any toxic or negative relationships. "The people in my life are friends I have by choice," she told Seventeen in 2011, adding, "I only have the time and energy for so many people ... I'm so much happier with fewer good people, who really do know me."

Since her days on "90210," Zinser has continued to work in media. Her website notes, "Zinser is a visual artist working across documentary and experimental modes of filmmaking and photography. Focused on social impact storytelling around marginalized and fringe cultures..." Ivy's bohemian, indie style is reflected in Zinser's filmography, which is full of independent short films including "End of Babes" and "It Lives Below."

Arielle Kebbel

Arielle Kebbel was a guest star on "90210," but her character was certainly memorable. She played Liam's crazy (ex) girlfriend Vanessa Shaw in a recurring capacity from 2011 to 2013. During and after her stint on "90210," Kebbel recurred on "The Vampire Diaries" and "The League," before nabbing main roles in "Ballers" and "Fifty Shades Freed."

Kebbel plays Stephan Salvatore's (Paul Wesley) best friend Lexi in "The Vampire Diaries," who was a fan-favorite character. "I will forever be grateful for the amount of love the fans have given and continue to give to Lexi. I tell them time and time again that the character died in Season 1, but their love for Lexi kept her alive for the next five seasons," she said to Smashing Interviews Magazine. Kebbel added, "I got to have more Lexi time because of everyone else's love for her."

Kebbel has balanced acting in TV shows and films like "9-1-1" and the "After" franchise. Her love for action thrillers and crime dramas meant her interest was piqued when she came across the script for "9-1-1" in November 2021. "As I was turning each page, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is like 'Speed.' Oh my gosh, I love this.' 'Speed' was one of my favorite movies growing up, so immediately, I was hooked," she told Decider.

Josh Zuckerman

Josh Zuckerman played Max Miller, who was arguably Naomi's most notable love interest. The pair married at the beginning of Season 5 but divorced ahead of the series finale. According to AnnaLynne McCord, "90210" did Naomi and Max fans a disservice when the duo didn't end up together. To rectify that, she made a spoof ending of the series which showed them getting their happily ever after.

Zuckerman has appeared in a variety of films and TV shows since his days on "90210," including "Useless Humans" and "The Bellman." However, he says it's voice acting which has sustained him during the pandemic, although it's something he just fell into while working. "I only got into it because of this Nickelodeon show called 'It's Pony' that I auditioned for probably five or six years ago," he said on the "Funny in Failure" podcast. When "It's Pony" got renewed for a second season, Zuckerman met a voiceover agent through his co-star, which led to him doing more voiceover projects, since he could work from home during quarantine.

By 2022, he'd returned to acting on set with "The Offer" for Paramount+ alongside Miles Teller, Matthew Goode, and Dan Fogler. The series premiered in April. In the same month, Deadline reported Zuckerman had joined the cast of Christopher Nolan's star-studded biopic "Oppenheimer." The film's large ensemble cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Matt Damon, and Gary Oldman.

Rob Estes

Rob Estes played Annie and Dixon's dad Harry Wilson for the first two seasons of "90210." Estes was no stranger to teen drama when he scored the role, though. One of his most notable early career roles was playing Kyle McBride on "Melrose Place," a spinoff of "Beverly Hills, 90210," from 1996 to 1999. Then, in the mid-noughts, Estes had a recurring role on Amy Sherman-Palladino's comedy-drama "Gilmore Girls," and he's continued appearing in similar genres in the years since he left "90210."

He currently stars in the "After" film franchise, based on the book series by Anna Todd. Estes took over the role of Ken Scott from Peter Gallagher, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Estes stars in the teen dramas alongside "90210" alum Arielle Kebbel, who took over the role of Kimberly from Candice Accola King. In 2021, Estes announced that he'd be reuniting with his "After We Collided" co-star Dylan Sprouse for "Beautiful Disaster." "Looking forward to working with one of the best directors @rogerkumble and teams again," Estes wrote as he shared the announcement on Instagram. Estes and Sprouse will be joined in the film by "Runaways" star Virginia Gardner.

Per ET, Estes reunited with his "90210" co-star Lori Loughlin when he signed on to play Theodore Richardson in "When Calls the Heart," before Loughlin's exit from the series.

Lori Loughlin

"Full House" alum Lori Loughlin played Annie and Dixon's mom Debbie Wilson — or Deb, as she was often called. She and Harry were happily married when the show premiered, but by the end of Season 2, it was pretty clear that their relationship was doomed. Rob Estes, who played her husband Harry, exited the series and was never to be seen there again. Loughlin remained, though, and her character had to navigate being a single mom to teenagers while dipping her toe back into the dating pool.

Loughlin was eventually downgraded from series regular to semi-recurring character when Annie and Dixon started college and moved out of the family home. This gave her time to pursue other roles, like playing Abigail Stanton in "When Calls the Heart." Then, in 2015, she reunited with her "Full House" family for the reunion spinoff series "Fuller House," which she told Glamour was an "amazing" experience. "In some ways it felt like we never left. We sort of picked right back up where we left off. We do stay in touch with one another, so maybe that's why it felt so familiar," she said.

However, Loughlin ended up just being a recurring guest on the Netflix show because of her other commitments. She was later written out of the series altogether before its fifth season because she was accused of bribery during the 2019 college admissions scandal. Per BBC, Loughlin served two months in prison after admitting she and her husband Mossimo Giannulli paid $500,000 to secure their daughters' places at USC.

Ryan Eggold

After Debbie divorces Harry, she eventually begins dating Ryan Eggold's character, Ryan Matthews, who also happens to be her kids' teacher at West Bev, making their relationship interesting, to say the least. Deb and Ryan are serious about each other, and they eventually move to Paris with Ryan's young son Jack at the end of Season 3.

After leaving "90210," the actor starred in "The Blacklist" from 2013 to 2018, and appeared alongside John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace in the biographical crime film "BlacKkKlansman" in 2018. Eggold then found another home on NBC's "New Amsterdam" later the same year. "When I heard it was a medical drama, I went, 'Oh, we've all seen that. I don't know if I'm interested,'" he told Who Australia

We get it, "Grey's Anatomy" is a pretty tough act to follow. But after reading the script, Eggold knew he was hooked and wanted to pursue the project. He told Who, "It was such a kinetic script that combined a lot into a short period of time and at its core had real people, not one-dimensional characters. And it was looking at healthcare in a way I hadn't seen a medical drama do before." The series has been praised by critics for its timely social commentary and the way it deals with subjects like racism and gun violence.

Sara Foster

Ryan Matthews' tumultuous love life culminated in an unexpected pregnancy with Jen Clark, Naomi's older sister, who's played by Sara Foster. The couple have an intense on-off relationship during the early seasons of "90210" until Jen officially leaves him and the baby midway through Season 3, and Ryan begins dating Deb. Before that, though, Jen causes a lot of drama on the show by sleeping with her sister's teenage boyfriend (Liam) and then blackmailing him about it. Jen eventually gets a redemption arc when she returns to make amends with Ryan and Naomi.

Foster recurred on "90210" until the end of Season 4. After leaving, she co-created, executive produced, and starred in the series "Barely Famous" with her sister Erin Foster from 2015 to 2016. The show, which is a satirical, exaggerated reality series, ran for two seasons and had guest appearances from celebs including Ashley Benson, Courteney Cox, Nicole Richie, Kate Upton, and Chace Crawford.

In the years since, Foster has established herself as a "Mommy Influencer" on social media. She also created a clothing line with her sister, called Favorite Daughter. This means Foster wears many hats, and she often gets asked how she manages it all. She admitted to Metro that sometimes you don't. You'll miss things. "That's just sort of how it goes, but at the end of the day I have daughters who look at their mom and I think they respect what I do."