The History Channel's shows have stars that hail from all walks of life.
Some of them are small business owners and residents of rural towns.
Others are big household names from Hollywood.
All of them are beloved by legions of loyal viewers.
Here's where these History Channel stars are today.
The 1977 miniseries Roots is still remembered today for its unflinching portrayal of America’s
history of slavery.
Based on Alex Haley's book Roots: The Saga of an American Family, it told the story of
Kunta Kinte, a Gambian man sold to Virginian slave owners, and his descendants.
When The History Channel decided to remake the series in 2016, British newcomer Malachi
Kirby was cast in the lead role.
Kirby blew the critics away with his talent: The Telegraph called him "exceptional," and
Vanity Fair declared him "a new star."
"I'm Kunta Kinte."
"That's not your name!"
Since introducing Kunta Kinte to modern audiences, Kirby has had a few high-profile roles on
other TV shows.
In 2016, he starred in "Men Against Fire," an episode of sci-fi anthology series Black
Mirror.
Once again, he received rave reviews, this time for his performance as Stripe, a soldier
who finds himself hunting down strange mutants in a dystopian future.
More recently, Malachi Kirby appeared on Curfew, a 2019 British TV series about an illegal
street race that takes place in a pandemic-ravaged society.
He also scored a supporting role on Devils, an Italian TV series about a financial conspiracy.
It looks as if he has a long, successful career in dramas ahead of him.
Alone has been one of The History Channel's most popular reality TV programs since it
premiered in 2015.
The competition drops 10 intrepid souls in the middle of the frigid wilderness, isolated
from all other humans (including filming crews, all footage is self-taped).
Whoever can last the longest without tapping out wins, a process which can last for months.
The show's first champion was Alan Kay, a retired law enforcement officer who taught
wilderness survival lessons as a passion project.
"I’ve been wiping my backside with a pinecone."
What has Kay been up to since his big victory?
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he's still passing down his survivalist wisdom
as a private instructor, giving lessons across America.
His website, Alan Kay Survival, outlines all his areas of expertise.
His students can learn how to stay calm in the face of danger, fend for themselves in
the woods, and prepare for natural disasters and other large-scale catastrophes.
They can also become experts in various forms of self-defense, and learn how to administer
emergency medical procedures.
Who knows, maybe one of Kay's pupils will become Alone's next star.
Reality show Ice Road Truckers, which ran from 2007 to 2017, chronicled the adventures
of truck drivers in Arctic regions as they traversed through treacherous weather conditions.
The series' mainstay was Alex Debogorski, a trucker from Canada's Northwest Territories.
Debogorski appeared on all eleven seasons, facing countless trials and tribulations in
the midst of harsh Northern winters.
According to his Facebook bio, Debogorski is still living the same thrilling life in
Yellowknife, Alaska, but he's, quote, "so much more than just an 'ice road trucker.'"
He often writes articles for his local newspaper, The Yellowknifer.
He travels to conferences and conventions to meet fans, mines for gold and diamonds,
and makes appearances to promote healthy living, as well.
His website, Ice Road Alex, reveals that he also sells a variety of vehicles, ranging
from classic cars to passenger buses to a Zamboni.
Debogorski is a big family man with a big family.
When he's not at work, he spends his downtime with his wife, Louise, his 11 children, and
his 14 grandchildren.
He also posts photographs of his family and Alaskan horizons to his Instagram profile.
He may live in a freezing climate, but he definitely has a warm heart.
Lisa Kelly is one of the most memorable Ice Road Truckers stars.
She was the first female trucker to be featured on the show, and it's only female trucker
until season 5.
Not to be underestimated, she was every bit as bold and fearless as the guys, if not more
so.
On seasons 3 to 5, and then again on seasons 7 to 11, she braved dangerous conditions while
driving down Dalton Highway, once named one of the "World's Deadliest Roads" by The BBC.
Ever the thrill-seeker, Kelly has continued to lead an adventurous life since the show's
end.
According to an interview with Truck News, she still hauls loads across Alaska.
Her Facebook page shows that she stays busy outside of work, too.
A former motocross champion, she frequently participates in bike races.
She also greets fans at trucking conventions.
She spends her downtime with her husband Traves Kelly, as well several adorable animal friends,
including cats, horses, dogs, goats, and a big pig named Bikes.
It seems that Kelly has also remained connected with her Ice Road Truckers family over the
past few years.
In March 2019, Alex Debogorski posted a photo of the two of them to Instagram, captioned
"Hanging out with Lisa."
A few months later, she appeared in the music video for "Black Coffee and White Lines,"
a single by Australian country artist Jayne Denham, alongside some of her fellow IRT stars.
As its name suggests, Alaska Off-Road Warriors takes place in one of America's most wild
and wonderful states.
The reality show, which premiered in 2014, followed five teams of two as they embarked
on a grueling race from the Pacific to the Arctic.
Fans of the show will recall contestant Jason Beard, a former Marine and fisherman with
a penchant for zooming across the tundra in Land Rovers.
Since his stint as a reality TV star, various news reporters have checked in with him to
see what he's been up to.
An article in The Morning Sun reveals that he currently resides in Wasilla, Alaska with
his wife and two daughters, who are always eager to go for drives with him.
He works at Steadfast Offroad, a shop that modifies vehicles to prep them for off-road
adventures.
Alloy and Grit, a magazine that focuses on Land Rover culture, claims that he's, quote,
"locally famous for leading off-road groups into the area's wilderness trails and abandoned
mining roads."
According to his Instagram profile, Beard is steadily adding to a collection of vintage
lanterns and chainsaws: perfect tools for a wilderness lover.
Since 2008, Ax Men has given History Channel viewers an inside look at the adventures of
logging crews across America.
Season 3 of the reality show introduced viewers to Shelby Stanga, an amiable New Orleans logger
also known as "the Swamp Man."
Fans were so enamored by Stanga's escapades that he scored not one, but two spin-off series.
The Legend of Shelby the Swamp Man showed Stanga taking on various odd jobs as he saved
up for a new houseboat, while The Return of Shelby the Swamp Man chronicled his attempts
to help his friends and neighbors recover from a severe bayou flood.
Where is the legendary Swamp Man today?
According to his official Facebook fan page, he's still in Louisiana, doing what he loves
with a unique skill set and personality:
"He still hunts and fishes, [and] he still has a strong presence in the swamps, creeks,
and rivers that he grew up on."
"Here we go!
Ho ho!
You better…"
On the thrilling game show Top Shot, teams of expert marksmen competed in sharpshooting
challenges to vie for a $100,000 grand prize.
Colby Donaldson, actor and former Survivor runner-up, hosted the show for all four years
of its run.
It turns out that Top Shot was only the beginning of Donaldson's career with The History Channel.
Since the show's conclusion, he has hosted not one, not two, but three shows for the
network.
On 2012's Top Guns, a Top Shot spin-off, he delved into the history of various firearms
before testing them out in marksmanship competitions with special guest stars.
On 2019's The Butcher, another game show, he led several "Master Butchers" in history-inspired
butchery challenges.
Most recently, he was named the host of Season 7 of Alone, The History Channel's famous wilderness
survival show.
Donaldson frequently updates his Instagram profile with details about his personal life.
He's married to makeup and skincare spokeswoman Britt Bailey, and the two of them have one
daughter, a girl named Brinley Reese.
He sells luxury ranches and condos as a real estate agent in his home state of Texas.
He also designs fascinating pieces of metalwork as a welder, ranging from ornate boxes to
furniture.
In 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett's miniseries The Bible brought the story of Christianity
to the small screen.
The final episodes of the show focused on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, played by Brazilian
actor Diogo Morgado.
Morgado was praised by outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter for his smiling, benevolent
portrayal of the religious figure.
As E! recounts, he also went viral for his looks, gaining the nickname "Hot Jesus" from
fans across the Internet.
Since his big break, Morgado has continued to stay busy as an actor.
Not the type to restrict himself to one genre, he's appeared in a wide variety of films and
television programs, according to his IMDb page.
He starred in Portuguese telenovela Ouro Verde and swept a ranch owner off her feet in American
romance film Love Finds You in Valentine.
He also searched for a long-lost father in Brazilian Western O Matador and, in a major
departure from his most famous role, he even starred in The CW's miniseries The Messengers
as a mysterious character known as "The Man," eventually revealed to be the devil.
Fans of History Channel drama Vikings, which premiered in 2013, will remember Travis Fimmel.
The Australian model-turned-actor starred in the first four seasons of the series as
Ragnar Lothbrok, a warrior, farmer, and king.
He turned a lot of heads playing the Norse legend, and not just because of his past with
Calvin Klein.
The Huffington Post called the part his "breakout role," and The Washington Post praised his
"relatable complexity" onscreen.
Since departing from Vikings in 2017, Fimmel has starred in several films.
According to IMDb, he played a big-time criminal in American heist movie Finding Steve McQueen,
a soldier in Vietnam in the Australian war film Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan,
and as Dave on the Quibi horror short “The Golden Arm (Michigan”.
More recently, he scored the lead role in Raised by Wolves, an HBO Max series about
androids.
His bio reveals that he stays humble by making frequent visits to his family's farm and enjoying
Australian rules football.
He's also kept in touch with Alexander Ludwig, who starred in Vikings with him as Bjorn Ironside.
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos has carved out an interesting niche for himself.
In 2009, the self-proclaimed ufologist made his major network debut as an expert
on Ancient Aliens, The History Channel's popular show about potential human-extraterrestrial
interaction.
Now, he's recognized as one of the world's most well-known alien conspiracy theorists.
"It’s a giant mystery, what happened there."
If you haven't tuned into Ancient Aliens in a while, you may be wondering what Tsoukalos
has been up to lately.
It turns out he's just as immersed in Ancient Astronaut Theory as ever.
Ancient Aliens is still on as of 2020, and he's still the show's go-to guy.
He has appeared as an extraterrestrial consultant on various other TV series and talk shows
as well.
His IMDb profile boasts quite the filmography: he's shared knowledge with America's Book
of Secrets, and BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural.
He also served as the host of In Search of Aliens, another History Channel series that
searched for proof of early contact between Earthlings and alien civilizations.
When he's not being interviewed about the alien travelers of yesteryear, Tsoukalos is
all about interacting with fans.
He's a regular at AlienCons — gatherings of extraterrestrial enthusiasts that take
place all across America, sponsored by The History Channel itself.
He's also active on both Instagram and Twitter, where he frequently posts fanart and memes.
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