Where are the stars of the 2004 Mean Girls movie now? From Lindsay Lohan's WILD scandals and dramatic transformation to Lizzy Caplan's tragic romance with Matthew Perry, FEMAIL lifts the lid on roller
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As the world prepares for a new adaptation of the flick, FEMAIL uncovered what all the stars of the 2004 version are doing now - and revealed the many controversies the cast has faced.
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Nearly two decades after it hit theaters, many cast members from the iconic movie Mean Girls reunited at the premiere for the upcoming musical version of the flick earlier this week.

The 2004 comedy, which was created by Saturday Night Live star Tina Fey, was a huge part of many people's childhoods, so it was certainly emotional to see stars Lindsay Lohan, Daniel Franzese, Rajiv Surendra, and Tina all in one place again.

20 years on, a whole new generation will get to see Cady Heron's epic takedown of the plastics in a brand new movie, also entitled Mean Girls, which will premiere on Friday and is based of Tina's Broadway stage adaptation of the original film.

But while a whole new cast of 'mean girls' are now set to step into the spotlight - what happened to the stars who originally portrayed the high schoolers that we know and love?

As some of the OG cast members come together to celebrate the release of the new film, FEMAIL went ahead and uncovered what all the stars of the 2004 version of Mean Girls are doing now.

The beloved flick followed a girl named Cady who was in for a shock when she attended a US high school for the first time after being home-schooled in Africa her entire life.

But after her new friends hatched a plan for her to secretly infiltrate the clique of popular girl and split them apart, all hell broke loose.

It also starred Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan, Jonathan Bennett, Tim Meadows, and Amy Poehler.

Whether they already had massive careers or if they were just starting out, it's safe to say that the movie, which grossed a whopping $131 million worldwide, propelled the entire cast even further into the spotlight.

Most landed tons of other big roles afterwards, and some of them were even linked to other top Hollywood stars in the years that followed - like Lizzy, who famously dated Friends star Matthew Perry for six years in the late 2000s.

But some of the cast members crumbled and faced a slew of controversies in the years after Mean Girls premiered.

Most notably, Lindsay descended on a downward spiral that involved substance abuse issues, drug use, and multiple run-ins with the law. But she's not the only one.

One of them even stopped acting all together after he was left heartbroken over not receiving his dream role, and he now runs his own calligraphy business.

In preparation for the new film, take a look at everything the cast has been up to since the beloved flick came out 19 years ago, from their impressive careers and accomplishments to their personal lives and romances - as well as the many scandals that the stars have endured, which includes multiple arrests, drug use, and numerous failed marriages.

Lindsay Lohan played Cady Heron

While Lindsay, now 37, was already a big name - thanks to her previous roles in The Parent Trap, Life-Size, Get a Clue, Freaky Friday, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, among others - the success of Mean Girls propelled her even further into the spotlight and cemented her status as a top star in Hollywood.

She portrayed Cady Heron in the 2004 flick, the new girl from Africa who ultimately took down the plastics.

Lindsay went on to star in the Disney comedy Herbie: Fully Loaded, the rom-com Just My Luck (opposite Chris Pine), the independent movie A Prairie Home Companion (which also starred Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), and the drama Bobby in the years that followed.

While her acting career flourished, she also jumped into the music industry, and released her debut album, Speak, in 2004.

It peaked at number four on the Billboard chart, and sold one million units across the US. Her second LP, called A Little More Personal (Raw), came out in December 2005.

But as her popularity soared, Lindsay began to crumble under the pressure, and she descended on a downward spiral during the mid-2000s that eventually resulted in her getting arrested more than 20 times and spending 250 days in rehab.

The entire world seemed to watch on as the former child star tarnished her reputation with wild nights out, public outbursts, and continued run-ins with the law.

During this time, she also struggled to hold jobs - she withdrew from the movie A Woman of No Importance to 'focus on getting better,' was replaced in The Edge of Love due to 'insurance reasons,' was let go from the movie The Other Side after being described as 'not bankable' by the director, and pulled out of her scheduled appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with no explanation.

Lindsay later told Oprah that moving away from home to live by herself as a teen to pursue a career in acting contributed to her problems - since she didn't have any 'guidance.'

'I wasted so much money. I wasn't really being guided ... And I didn't listen to my family when they would say, "Come move back to New York,"' she explained.

At the time, she admitted that she had struggled with Ambien and Adderall addictions, and confessed to using cocaine '10 to 15 times.'

In a 2013 interview with CNN, she called her actions during those years of her life 'stupid' and 'totally irresponsible' - but insisted that she never considered herself an 'alcoholic' or 'junkie.'

'I just like going out late to clubs with friends and listening to music. Always have done. It’s not that unusual for girls of 26,' she said.

Lindsay's last run-in with the law came in November 2011, and after that, she seemed to step away from the party scene.

With her rambunctious years behind her, she tried to enter back into the world of acting - however, it was easier said than done.

She landed a slew of small roles - including a guest appearance in Glee, the made-for-TV movie Liz & Dick, the comedy flick Scary Movie 5 (in which she played herself), the independent erotic thriller The Canyons (which she also co-produced), and one episode of 2 Broke Girls - but she struggled to get casted in a leading part.

She also released an eight-part docu-series on Oprah's cable network, OWN, in April 2014, which showcased her life after rehab and attempt to break back into acting.

However, the show was far from a success - getting only 406,000 viewers during the finale - and was described by Variety as 'boring.'

While her acting career appeared to be failing, Lindsay decided to pursue other endeavors instead.

She opened a nightclub in Athens, Greece, in 2016, followed by a successful beach resort on the Greek island Mykonos.

Around that time, she also decided to give up her life in Hollywood and relocate to Dubai, which she described as a 'fresh start' to Emirates Women in a 2018 interview.

Lindsay all but fell off the grid after making her move to Dubai, but in 2019, after spending years living a quiet life in Europe, Lindsay officially returned back to the spotlight when she teamed up with MTV to launch a reality series called Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club.

The show followed her and her partner at the time, Panos Spentzos, while they worked together to run the Mykonos establishment.

The show only went on for one season, as she ultimately decided to sell the beachside resort - but it helped put Lindsay back on the map.

She then served as the judge on the Australian edition of the Masked Singer in the fall of 2019, and in April 2020, she released her first musical single in 12 years, Back to Me, which was a delight to her long-lasting fans.

She also served as the narrator for Amazon Prime Video's reality dating show, Lovestruck High, and hosted her own podcast, called The Lohdown with Lindsay Lohan, throughout 2022.

She officially returned to acting in late 2022, starring as the lead role in the Netflix holiday movie Falling for Christmas.

She is now set to act in another upcoming Netflix rom-com called Irish Wish, which will premiere later this year.

As for her love life, she has been linked to a slew of famous faces over the years - including actor Wilmer Valderrama and DJ Samantha Ronson.

She married financier Bader Shammas in April 2022, and together, they welcomed a baby boy named Luai in July 2023.

Rachel McAdams played Regina George

Much like Lindsay, starring in Mean Girls launched a major career for Rachel, now 45. She played the head of the plastics, Regina George, in the flick.

She did not slow down afterwards, starring in the beloved love story The Notebook, the comedy Wedding Crashers (alongside Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Bradley Cooper), the psychological thriller Red Eye, and The Family Stone (with Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton).

Despite being hailed as 'Hollywood's new it girl,' she then took a two-year break from acting.

It's been said she turned down a slew of roles during that tine, including parts in The Devil Wears Prada, Casino Royale, Mission: Impossible III, Iron Man, and Get Smart.

She returned to the big screen in the 2008 flick Married Life. After that, she acted in the comedy-drama The Lucky Ones, the thriller State of Play, the romantic drama The Time Traveler's Wife, Sherlock Holmes (opposite Robert Downey, Jr.), the comedy Morning Glory, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, The Vow (with Channing Tatum), To the Wonder (alongside Ben Affleck), and Spotlight, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Her more recent acting credits include the boxing drama Southpaw, the James Franco-lead flick Every Thing Will Be Fine, HBO's True Detective, Marvel's Doctor Strange movies, the comedy Game Night, the Netflix flick Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and the movie adaptation of Judy Blume's novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

She's currently gearing up to make her Broadway debut in the play Mary Jane this April.

She started dating screenwriter Jamie Linden in 2016 and they've been together ever since.

They welcomed welcomed a son together in 2018 and a daughter in 2020, however, they have remained incredibly private about their kids and have never even shared their names.

Rachel was one of 200 women to accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment. James has denied all allegations.

In a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair, she claimed that she met James when she was 21 and still in theater school during an audition, and he then invited her to his hotel to 'talk about it.'

She said, 'Pretty quickly the conversation turned quite sexual and he said, "You know, I just have to tell you. I have masturbated countless times today thinking about you since we met at your audition."

'He started that kind of manipulative talk of, "How brave are you? How far you are willing to go as an actress? I want to build some intimacy between us because we have to have a very trusting relationship and this is a very difficult part."

'It was all so confusing. I kept thinking, "When are we getting to the rehearsal part?" Then he went to the bathroom and left me with some literature to read about him.

'When he came back he said, "I just jerked off in the bathroom thinking about you. Will you show me your pubic hair?" I said no.

'Eventually, I just excused myself. I can’t remember how long I was there. I felt like I was there forever.

'This has been such a source of shame for me - that I didn’t have the wherewithal to get up and leave.

'I kept thinking, "This is going to become normal any minute now. This is going to all make sense. This is all above board somehow."

'Eventually I just realized that it wasn’t. I was very lucky that I left and he didn’t actually physically assault me in any way.'

Lacey Chabert played Gretchen Wieners

Playing Regina's right-hand woman Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls was just the beginning for Lacey, now 41.

She continued to act afterwards, landing roles in the ABC Family TV movie Hello Sister, Goodbye Life, the 2006 remake of Black Christmas, and the sitcom Baby Daddy.

She also voiced Gwen Stacy in the animated show The Spectacular Spider-Man.

But her main focus has seemed to be Hallmark movies, as she's now starred in over 30 titles from the channel.

In addition, it was announced last year that she'd be starring in the network's first ever unscripted program, entitled Celebrations with Lacey Chabert.

As for her other endeavors, she briefly wrote a column for People magazine in 2016, and has released her own clothing collection with the Home Shopping Network.

She tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend, David Nehdar, in 2013. She gave birth to their daughter, Julia Mimi Bella Nehdar, in September 2016.

Amanda Seyfried played Karen Smith

Amanda, now 38, has certainly come a long way since she portrayed fellow plastic Karen Smith in Mean Girls.

She then acted in the HBO drama series Big Love, the film Solstice, the movie adaptation of the musical Mamma Mia!, the comedy horror Jennifer's Body, the film version of the John Green novel Dear John, and the rom-com Letters of Juliet.

Then, throughout the 2010s, she starred in Red Riding Hood, the sci-fi flick In Time, the thriller Gone, the film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, the comedy Ted 2 (alongside Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg), Pan, the Mamma Mia! sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the psychological horror You Should Have Left (opposite Kevin Bacon), and David Fincher's Mank, for which she received a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination.

She also recently acted in the Hulu series The Dropout, which she also produced - and she earned an Emmy and Golden Globe for the show.

Amanda is also a successful model. She starred in Givenchy's Very Irresistible fragrance campaign in 2013, and became the face of Miu Miu in 2016.

The actress dated actor Dominic Cooper, Jeepers Creepers alum Justin Long, and Dexter star Desmond Harrington over the years.

She started a relationship with her The Last World costar Thomas Sadoski in 2016, and they tied the knot one year later.

They now share two kids - daughter Nina, born in 2017, and son Thomas, born in 2020.

In 2017, the actress was the victim of a nude photo scandal after hackers allegedly leaked intimate pictures of her and Thomas.

Lizzy Caplan played Janis Ian

Lizzy, now 41, played Cady's friend and co-conspirator in her infiltration of the plastics, Janis Ian, in Mean Girls.

She continued to act afterwards, starring in the WB drama Related, the thriller film Love is the Drug, the CBS sitcom The Class, the horror film Cloverfield, the rom-com My Best Friend's Girl, the HBO show True Blood, the ensemble comedy Party Down, the biographical survival drama 127 Hours, Bachelorette (with Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher), Fox's sitcom New Girl, the 2014 film The Interview, horror series Castle Rock, the Apple TV+ show Truth Be Told, and the 2023 series Fatal Attraction.

Arguably her biggest role was in the Showtime series Masters of Sex, for which she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Lizzy was famously linked to Friends star Matthew in the late 2000s and early 2010s, after they starred in Mr. Sunshine together, but the relationship raised eyebrows due to their immense age gap - she was only 23 and he was 36 when they first got together.

While they stayed tight-lipped about their romance at the time, Matthew later wrote in his memoir that they had 'two years of record-breaking amounts of sexual intercourse with no strings attached.'

He wrote, 'We were on the same page. We never went to dinner, we never talked about each other’s families.

'We never discussed what went on in each other’s lives regarding other people. Instead, it was texting, and saying things like, "How about Thursday night at 7?"'

He explained that after two years of being 'friends with benefits' it 'morphed into love.'

'The relationship had deepened to the point where there was now a question I urgently needed to ask her,' he continued.

'One day, I said, "I think we should stop kidding ourselves. We love each other," and she didn’t disagree. I did love her, very much.

'That said, our intimacy issues are being sidestepped by the fact that we were both really into working.

'My fear of her leaving was still deeply in place, too, and who knows, perhaps she was scared of me leaving her.'

The relationship reportedly lasted for six years before they ultimately split in 2012.

She went on to marry actor Tom Riley, in 2017, and became a mom when she gave birth to their son, Alfie, in 2021.

Daniel Franzese played Damien

Daniel, now 45, was launched into stardom after playing Cady's other partner in crime Damien in Mean Girls.

He has since had massive success as an actor - and as a comedian.

He starred in the alien movie War of the Worlds, the 2006 flick Bristol Boys, the horror comedy Killer Pad, the remake of the controversial cult film I Spit on Your Grave, HBO's Looking, the ABC Family teen drama series Recovery Road, and the ABC legal drama Conviction.

He has also performed as a stand-up comedian for years, and has embarked on a slew of comedy tours around the globe.

In addition, he created the 2011 rock opera Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera, and launched his own one-man off-Boradway show in 2013, called I've Never Really Made the Kind of Money to Become a Mess.

Damien came out as gay publicly in 2014 by writing a letter to his Mean Girls character, Damien.

He was briefly engaged to stylist Joseph Bradley Phillips but they went their separate ways in 2018.

The Mean Girls star accused his Bully costar Bijou Phillips of 'harassment, body shaming, and physical assault' in 2017.

He wrote in a Facebook post that she also made fun of him due to his sexuality while they were filming the 2001 movie.

'I was harassed by Bijou Phillips the entire shoot. She body shamed me and ridiculed me about my sexuality‬ and physically assaulted me,' he wrote. 'I was scared and closeted and feared for my job.'

He said she continuously asked him 'Are you gay?' loudly 'while laughing,' and when he told her he was bi - 'which at the time, was how he was choosing to‪ ‬identify' - she 'cackled.'

'When I showed up to work the next day in front of the crew she was screaming, "Oh look! The Bi guy is here!"' he alleged.

He also claimed she called him 'gross' when he had to take his shirt off for a scene, adding, 'She laughed and pointed at me and continued to berate me.'

In addition, he alleged that the actress 'grabbed his nipple and twisted it hard through his shirt' at one point.

Jonathan Bennett played Aaron Samuels

Jonathan, now 42, stole everyone's hearts as Aaron Samuels, Cady's love interest and Regina's boy toy, in Mean Girls.

And since then, the roles have come pouring in. He acted in Cheaper By the Dozen 2, the rom-com Lovewrecked, the prequel to the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, called The Beginning, the comedy Van Wilder: Freshman Year, and the Hallmark flicks Elevator Girl and The Holiday Sitter (which made history for being the network's first movie to star and LGBTQ+ couple).

He competed on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars, where he came in ninth place.

He also hosted the cooking competition show Cake Wars on Food Network from 2015 to 2017, and teamed up with celebrity chef Nikki Martin to release a cookbook called The Burn CookBook in 2018 - a reference to the Burn Book in Mean Girls.

The actor is openly gay, and announced his engagement to Amazing Race contestant Jaymes Vaughan in 2020. They tied the knot in March 2022 in Mexico.

Rajiv Surendra played Kevin Gnapoor

Rajiv, now 34, portrayed math whiz Kevin Gnapoor in Mean Girls, but he stepped largely out of the spotlight afterwards.

He actually didn't act in any other major roles following the movie, and he has said that losing out on the main role of the 2012 film Life of Pi lead to him quitting acting.

He went on to pursue various careers - he worked as an au pair, and launched his own calligraphy and graphic design company.

He also released his own memoir, called The Elephants in My Backyard, in 2016.

He is now a YouTuber and often shares videos of himself working on various arts and crafts projects.

Kevin is extremely passionate about ceramics, and most of his clips feature him making impressive dishes out of clay.

He came out as gay in 2018 and currently lives in New York City.

Tina Fey played Ms. Norbury

Tina, now 53, who actually wrote Mean Girls, starred as Cady's teacher, Ms. Norbury, in the film.

The Saturday Night Live alum had already achieved a lot before the success of Mean Girls as a prominent member of the late night comedy sketch show, but in the years that followed, she accomplished a lot more.

She continued to star in SNL before departing from the show in 2006. She then created and acted in the immensely popular NBC comedy series 30 Rock.

It ran from 2006 until 2013 and earned an impressive 103 Emmy nominations - winning 16 of them - during the years it was on air.

She also co-wrote and produced the show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which got its own fair share of Emmy noms - 20, to be exact. It premiered in 2015 and went on for four seasons before ending in 2016.

All the while, Tina continued to act in feature films as well. She starred in the 2008 comedy Baby Mama alongside her SNL and Mean Girls costar Amy, the rom-com The Invention of Lying, the 2010 comedy Date Night, Admission (opposite Paul Rudd), the comedy drama This Is Where I Leave You, the 2015 flick Sisters, Netflix's Wine Country (which was Amy's directorial debut), the Disney-Pixar animated film Soul, and the mystery film A Haunting in Venice.

She also helped adapt Mean Girls into a Broadway musical, which opened in 2018 but closed in 2020 during the pandemic and never re-opened.

She wrote the screenplay for the upcoming movie version of the Broadway musical, and will reprise her role as Ms. Norbury in it.

In addition to all of that, the prominent actress, writer, and comedian has also released her own autobiography, called Bossypants, narrated a slew of documentaries, and served as the executive producer on a series of shows and movies.

She's racked up an impressive list of accolades for her work - including nine Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards.

She has been married to pianist Jeff Richmond since 2001, and they have two daughters, Alice Zenobia, born in 2005, and Penelope Athena, born in 2011.

Tim Meadows played Mr. Duvall

Tina's Saturday Night Live costar Tim, now 62, joined the cast as Mean Girls as Mr. Duvall, the principle of the school.

He has acted in a lot since then, starring in the 2006 film The Benchwarmers, the comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, NBC's Marry Me, the ABC show The Goldbergs, Son of Zorn (alongside Cheryl Hines and Jason Sudeikis), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

He also frequently performs improv on stage as part of the Los Angeles-based comedy show Heather, Miles, and Tim.

In addition to Tina, he is the only other original Mean Girls cast member that will be in the new musical, as he is set to return as Mr. Duvall.

He married a woman named Michelle Taylor in 1997 and they welcomed two sons together, Julian and Isaiah, before divorcing in 2005.

Amy Poehler played Mrs. George

Amy, now 52, portrayed Regina's 'cool' mom, Mrs. George, in Mean Girls.

Before starring in the film, she was already well known as a prominent member of Saturday Night Live, and continued to partake in the show until she left in 2009 to star in Parks and Recreation.

Amy produced and played the lead role of Leslie Knope in the beloved sitcom for seven seasons, before it concluded in 2015.

She has also acted in Baby Mama, the comedy thriller Southland Tales, Blades of Glory, the comedy Spring Breakdown, They Came Together in 2014, Sisters, and The House (opposite Will Ferrell).

In addition, she is a successful voice actress and has provided her voice for a slew of big movies and shows including Shrek the Third, Horton Hears a Who!, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Inside Out.

She made her directorial debut with the 2019 Netflix film Wine Country. She also directed the documentary film Lucy and Desi in 2022.

He launched her own production company, called Paper Kite Productions, in 2011 which has been behind some major titles, including the Nickelodeon series The Mighty B!, the Hulu series Difficult People, and Netflix's Russian Doll, among others.

She served as the co-host of the NBC crafting series Making It from 2018 to 2021, cofounded an online community dedicated to 'empowering girls' called Smart Girls at the Party, and released a memoir, called Yes Please, in 2014.

She tied the knot with actor Will Arnett in 2003, and they welcomed two baby boys together - Archie, in 2008, and Abel, in 2010 - but they split in 2012.

The SNL star was then linked to comedian Nick Kroll from 2013 to 2015.