A couch potato turned legal advocate. A misogynistic shoe salesman now a ‘Modern
Family’ patriarch. A quirky dog turned writer and producer. What really happened
to the dysfunctional characters on “Married… With Children”? Keep watching to find out!
Actor Katey Sagal portrayed Al Bundy's wife, Peggy, a character that was fresh
and unusual for '90s sitcoms. No other show portrayed a wife as a couch potato,
watching Oprah and eating bonbons while stealing her husband's money to buy whatever she pleases.
"I could really use some motherly advice right now."
"Shut up, Bud. Oprah is doing a show on mothers who don't pay attention to their sons."
For the show's 30th anniversary in 2017, Sagal shared with ABC News
that she never believed “Married... With Children” would become such a hit, saying:
"I remember reading the script and thinking, 'This is hysterically funny,
but no one will watch it because it's just too outside the box. We'll get canceled immediately.'"
The show ended up lasting eleven seasons, which, at the time, was one of the longest-running
primetime shows on television. Following “Married… With Children”, Sagal's most notable roles include
Cate Hennessy on “8 Simple Rules”, Leela on the animated comedy “Futurama”, and Gemma Teller
Morrow on FX's “Son of Anarchy”, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. In 2021,
Sagal has kept herself busy with her lead role as Annie ‘Rebel’ Bello in the 2021 TV drama “Rebel”.
When it comes to her personal life, Sagal has been married to her third husband Kurt Sutter
since 2004. He is best known for creating “Sons of Anarchy” and stars alongside Sagal
in the popular series. The couple welcomed a daughter named Esme via surrogate in 2007.
Sagal is also the mother of two children from her second marriage to drummer Jack White.
David Faustino starred as Al and Peg's son Bud in “Married... With Children”. Unlike the rest of the
family, Bud was smart and excelled in school, but his grades didn't help him with the ladies.
"Mommy, I'm cool. You're ruining it for me. I'm cool!"
“Married… With Children” was Faustino's big break. Thanks to the sitcom, he landed multiple acting
gigs, making appearances in “The X-Files”, “The Bernie Mac Show”, and “Bad Samaritans”.
Faustino’s also best known for voicing the animated Nickelodeon characters of Mako
on “The Legend of Korra” and Helia in the revival of “Winx Club”.
When it comes to a potential reboot of “Married… With Children”, Faustino’s on board. In 2016,
he told E! the cast was all in – but some legal difficulties were in the way, adding:
"Some of the jokes we couldn't get away with today. There's a rumor that it could
end up on Netflix. You could really have some fun then. You could tell Kelly to
f*** off, a lot of fun things like that."
As of this video, a reboot has yet to happen. In other, more personal news,
in 2015, Faustino and fiancée Lindsay Bronson welcomed a daughter named Ava Marie.
“Married... With Children” depicted Kelly, the Bundys' teenage daughter,
as a promiscuous "dumb blonde" whose lack of intelligence was often mocked by her family.
"I know what today is. It's the bright sunny part before tonight.”
Portrayed by actor Christina Applegate, the character would be heavily criticized today.
During taping, the men in the live audience were known to hoot and holler
at Applegate every time she entered a scene in barely-there clothing.
Applegate has had one of the most thriving careers out of the “Married... With Children” cast.
Her most notable roles include appearances in television shows like “Friends”, where she played
Rachel Green's sister, Amy. She’s also starred in sitcoms like “Samantha Who?” and “Up All
Night”. Her most recent work includes Netflix's “Dead to Me” where she stars as Jen Harding.
Applegate's most recognized movie roles include “The Sweetest Thing”, “Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy”, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”, and “Bad Moms”.
When asked about a potential reboot for “Married… With Children”, Applegate told Variety magazine:
"I'm 20 pounds bigger and 40 years older than I was.
I'm not going to put a Lycra dress on me at this point. No, it's not going to happen."
In her personal life, Applegate married musician Martyn LeNoble in 2013.
The couple welcomed a daughter named Sadie Grace two years prior. In 2021, Applegate
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has often tweeted about her experience with her fans.
There has never been a TV character quite like Al Bundy…
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but, unlike your mouth, we occasionally close."
Actor Ed O'Neill played the grumpy, misogynistic shoe salesman who objectified women,
was a regular at a local strip club, and even created an anti-feminist group called
NO MA'AM – The National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood. He
ironically did it all while married to Peg and raising two teenagers.
Al wasn’t the perfect father and husband like his TV show peers at the time.
But, that just made Married... With Children more of a hit with viewers.
In an interview with the Archive of American Television, O'Neill said he
enjoyed playing the role of Al and even related to certain aspects of his character, saying:
"I came from a family that had a kind of a mean sense of humor."
After the show's cancellation, O'Neill landed numerous roles. One of his best known-roles
include Jay Pritchett on “Modern Family” for which he took home four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He's also appeared in films like “Little Giants”, “The Bone Collector”, and “Sun Dogs”.
O'Neill’s also done voice overs for Disney's “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Finding Dory”.
O'Neill's had an on-again off-again relationship with his wife, Catherine Rusoff,
since they tied the knot in 1986. They also have two daughters, Sophie and Claire.
Amanda Bearse starred as the Bundys' next-door neighbor Marcy D'Arcy,
who is best pals with Peg but Al's biggest nemesis.
"You, Al Bundy, are a pig."
In 1993, Bearse came out as a lesbian, becoming the first actor in primetime television to do so.
She told The Advocate magazine at the time that coming out was "liberating”, adding:
"It was important for me to do this for myself and for our community. … The more
people who come out, the safer it will be for even more people to come out."
At the time that she came out, Bearse had adopted a daughter with her partner Amy Shomer.
Before “Married... With Children” Bearse starred in “All My Children” and later landed roles in
television shows like “Anger Management” and “Drop Dead Diva”. Bearse also directed 31 episodes of
“Married... With Children” as well as popular shows like “Reba” and “The Jamie Foxx Show”.
Bearse strayed away from acting for a bit, however,
she's since made a return to the big screen. As of this video, Bearse will star in 2022’s “Bros”,
a film that will feature an entire cast of LGBTQ+ actors.
Bearse will also star in the comedy "Tapawingo," which features
"Napoleon Dynamite'' actor Jon Heder. Currently, there is no set release date
for the film. When asked about her return to acting, she shared with The Advocate:
"I'm just having a good time acting again. It's really been such a very long time,
and I didn't realize how much I'd miss it."
Actor Ted McGinley starred as the Bundys' pretty boy
next-door neighbor Jefferson D'Arcy in “Married... With Children”.
"It's not really work. It's acting!"
McGinley was already a top Hollywood star,
having had roles in classic television shows like “The Love Boat”, “Happy Days”, and “Dynasty”.
Since “Married… With Children”, McGinley has acted in several made-for-TV films
and made guest appearances on multiple shows.
In 2003, he landed the role of Charley Shanowski in “Hope & Faith” which also starred Kelly Ripa
and Faith Ford. In an interview with AV Club, he called his “Married... With Children” role:
"Another one of the greatest gigs of all time. Amazing cast, super fun. I mean,
I’d have to say that, looking back on the jobs I’ve had, I’ve been so lucky.”
In 2019, McGinley acted in the Netflix show “No Good Nick” and in 2021 on Lifetime's
“Keeping Up With the Joneses”, in which he appears alongside Vivica A. Fox.
When it comes to his personal life, the actor has been married to his
wife actor Gigi Rice since 1991. They have two sons, Beau and Quinn.
David Garrison portrayed Steve Rhoades, the Bundys' original neighbor, for just
four seasons of the sitcom, after which he left the Fox series to return to his theater roots.
"You don't understand. We're married. Not to each other. To women."
He spoke to Get TV about making the change, saying:
"I missed my life in Manhattan, as well as my theater career. The first rule of show
business is 'leave them wanting more,’ so after four seasons I felt it was time to exercise some
other muscles. I left on good terms and returned as a guest on the show in subsequent seasons."
Garrison's theater credits include “Titanic”, “Wicked”, and several off-Broadway shows.
That doesn’t mean Garrison ditched TV acting for good.
Since “Married… With Children'', he's appeared in popular shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”,
“The Practice”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “Law & Order”, and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”.
When asked about his time on “Married… With Children”, Garrison spoke proudly to Get TV, saying:
"The show had (and continues to have) fans because the humor, although exaggerated,
was fundamentally based in recognizable behavior and real, if dysfunctional, family dynamics."
“Married... With Children” wouldn't be complete without Buck the dog.
The Bundys' family pet would often express his disappointment,
in his own mind, with Al and the rest of the family for habitually neglecting him.
"The secret of attracting the opposite sex is in the mutual sniffing of butt."
Buck was voiced by Kevin Curran who also produced and wrote for the show.
Curran also produced and wrote for “Late Night with David Letterman”,
“Hardball”, “Unhappily Ever After”, and even “The Simpsons”.
He actually won three Emmy Awards for “The Simpsons” and was nominated for a
Humanitas Prize for Season 21's episode titled The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed.
The episode showed the Simpson family on a pilgrimage to Israel.
Curran died in October 2016 at the age of 59 after a long illness.
After his death, Al Jean, the executive producer and writer for “The Simpsons”, told The Wrap:
"Kevin Curran was a sweet, brilliant man who said many hilarious things,
some unprintable. Others will live forever in a children's cartoon."
According to The New York Times,
Curran is survived by two children with his wife, author Helen Fielding.
Actor Harold Sylvester played Griff, Al Bundy's best friend and co-worker
at the shoe store from Seasons 9 through 11. Although he wasn't a big part of the show,
he did bring tons of laughter and was one of the funniest sidekicks on television.
"We ask you to protect us as we stare into the Valley of the Shadow of Thighs. Amen."
Sylvester’s had a prolific acting career since then. He’s starred in films like “Uncommon Valor”,
and “Corrina, Corrina”. His television resumé is also extensive, with notable appearances
in shows like “NYPD Blue”, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, and “CSI: Miami”.
In addition to acting, Sylvester has produced and written for the television shows “NYPD
Blue” and “City of Angels”, which was known for its predominantly African-American cast
that included Blair Underwood, Viola Davis, and Gabrielle Union.
Before going into acting, Sylvester, who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, made history as the
first Black American to receive a scholarship to play basketball for Tulane University.
Actor E.E. Bell starred as Bob Rooney, Al Bundy's high school friend, butcher,
and member of Al's NO MA'AM club, from Season 8 through Season 11.
"Well, we can't go back to the bowling alley. Those women are too strong."
Although he came in late to the show, Bell has a long list of acting credits that began in the
early '80s with appearances in “Diff'rent Strokes”, “Cheers”, and “Don’t Tell Mom
the Babysitter's Dead”, which also starred Christina Applegate. Throughout the '90s,
Bell also worked in films including “Air Force One”, and “Forget Paris” among others.
After “Married...With Children” came to an end in 1997, Bell also acted in television shows
with one of his most memorable characters being Barney, a security guard on “The Amanda Show”.
He continued to work throughout the 2000s, with appearances in “How I Met Your Mother”,
“Glee”, “The Mentalist”, and “Raising Hope”. In recent ventures,
Bell starred in the comedy “The Swing of Things” in 2020.
When asked about his successful and long career in Hollywood,
Bell had this to share with Long Beach City College:
“I really enjoy what I do. When I do it and people see it and like it and then
laugh and are entertained, then that feeds me. That’s what gets me through the negative times.
The positive feedback is what pays off.”
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