I Have Taken The Time To Compare The "New Girl" Stars When We First Met Them To Now, And I'm Here To Report That All Of Jess's Love Interests Are Still Hot — Including And Especially Nick Miller
It's bittersweet to break it to you kids, but it's been exactly 10 years since the premiere of the beloved sitcom New Girl.
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Yup, the first episode of the hit Fox show debuted on Sept. 20, 2011 — which is when we first saw the lovable and wholesome loft dynamic between the quirky Jess and besties Nick, Schmidt, and Winston blossom.
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In honor of this jubilant occasion and cause for celebration, here's a list of all of the show's stars then vs. now. Ready? OK. 1, 2, 3, 4, JFK!
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Say "FDR." No, seriously, say it.
1.Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day
Jess is, naturally, the first character we meet in the loft. The opening scene of the pilot episode begins with her recounting the story of how and why she needs a new apartment.
Zooey now — still rocking her culture-shifting bangs.
She's currently a cohost on Celebrity Dating Game. You'll also recognize the actor-singer from her roles in (500) Days of Summer, Yes Man, Elf, Almost Famous, and Bridge to Terabithia.
2.Jake Johnson as Nick Miller
Ah yes, one of the best characters on television in existence — Nick Miller, Nick Miller, from the streets of Chicago.
Jake now — looking hot as ever with his full beard.
The 43-year-old actor sat down with BuzzFeed to talk about his first times just last month. He recently wrote and starred in Ride the Eagle, and you've probably seen him in Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World, or recognized his voice in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
3.Max Greenfield as (Winston) Schmidt
After Jess admits she thought the Craigslist ad for the loft was written by a woman because of the use of the words "beige-y" and "sun-soaked," Schmidt flails for his masculinity by taking off his shirt.
4.Max now — by all accounts, he's still besties with Jake.
You may have seen his recent chilling portrayal of a not-so-nice "nice guy" in Promising Young Woman. He was also in The Big Short, Veronica Mars, and The Glass Castle. Currently, he's starring alongside Cedric the Entertainer on the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood — the fourth season of which premieres tonight.
5.Lamorne Morris as Winston Bishop
We're first introduced to Winston in the second episode of Season 1, as his character returns from playing pro basketball in Latvia. Things begin on the wrong foot with Jess, who surprises him with breakfast in bed — and a song announcing who she is.
Lamorne now — seemingly without having aged a day.
You may have seen Lamorne in Game Night or in his recent role on the Fox series Call Me Kat. He's also busy with The Proud Family revival.
6.Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach
This particular screencap was taken right after Schmidt takes off his shirt in the opening scene of the pilot and says, "This is LLS, 'Ladies love Schmidt.'" And, just like that, we get introduced to the iconic Douchebag Jar.
Damon now — just booked and busy in all sorts of ways.
The actor and writer is currently filming for Players, a movie he costars in with Lucifer's Tom Ellis and Gina Rodriguez. You've also seen him in Let's Be Cops (where he costars with Jake), Happy Endings, and, most recently, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
7.Hannah Simone as Cece Parekh
Jess's badass model bestie, Cece is with her through thick and thin (including a boob fight and yellow purse debacle).
Hannah now — as radiant as when we first saw her in Loft 4D.
Sorry, I just have to take a moment to comment on the fact that she's literally glowing! Anyway, Hannah has a lot of projects in the works, including an untitled ABC TV movie. She's currently in pre-production for the comedy movie Welcome to Georgia and is set to star in a rom-com called Lemonade opposite Insecure's Jay Ellis.
8.Megan Fox as Reagan Lucas
Reagan is first introduced after Jess leaves for jury duty in the sixth episode of Season 5. She's openly bi, definitely a girl boss, and absolutely wrong for Nick! (But you love her because, duh, it's Megan Fox.)
9.Megan now — serving looks at the Met Gala and with her beau, Machine Gun Kelly.
She has a score of projects — currently in various stages of production — in the works. And, of course, you know her from the cult classic Jennifer's Body.
10.Nasim Pedrad as Aly Nelson
We're first introduced to Aly in the middle of Season 4, in an episode entitled "Shark." Nick and Coach are the first residents of the loft (aside from Winston) to meet her, and their worries about her being "so small" lead to a hilarious scene where Aly (rightfully) kicks their asses.
Nasim now — looking as gorgeous as ever.
You've recently seen Nasim in the 2019 live-action Aladdin, Netflix's Desperados, and TBS sitcom Chad, which she created. Prior to joining New Girl, she was also a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live.
11.David Walton as Dr. Sam Sweeney
Sam is first introduced as a no-strings type of guy in the aptly named Season 2 episode "Katie," where he mistakes Jess for his blind date named Katie. He sticks around for a while, then leaves, and then does the whole thing over in Season 5. Was he right for Jess? Def not, but he was hot and his throat punch of Nick was hilarious — so I'll allow it.
David now — looking the same as he did nearly 10 years ago, with maybe darker hair.
Since his New Girl days, the 42-year-old has been in a handful of projects — including the comedy film Later Days, Bad Moms, and assorted episodes in Grace and Frankie, Parenthood, and more.
12.Dermot Mulroney as "the only man we both loved" Russell
This '90s heartthrob needs no introduction! Russell appears fairly early on in the series, in a two-part Season 1 episode called "Fancyman." He's the parent of one of Jess's students and is a more mature and put-together type than what she's used to (ahem, Nick, ahem). After their fling, he disappears for a bit, later popping up at some pretty inconvenient times.
Dermot now — looking snazzy and sharp at 57.
Of course, you'll recognize Dermot as the leading man in both My Best Friend's Wedding and The Wedding Date. Most recently, he was in Prodigal Son and The Purge TV series.
13.Nelson Franklin as Robby McFerrin
Introduced in the first episode of Season 2 as Cece's boring beau, he appears on the show occasionally — eventually forming an unlikely friendship with Schmidt. He's brought back for Season 6, where he briefly dates Jess, until — blegh — they're revealed to be third cousins.
Nelson now — playing all sorts of parts, including a regular stint on Black-ish before the show's finale.
As we've established, the New Girl cast has STAYED busy. Nelson has had recurring roles on Veep and Black-ish, and avid watchers of The Office will recognize him from there too. More recently, he had a cameo on the Emmy-winning series Hacks.
14.Julian Morris as Ryan Geauxinue
Ah yes, the British hottie! We first meet Ryan Geauxinue (pronounced goes-in-you) in Season 4. His appearance is ironic, as Jess instantly becomes infatuated with him just as she's beginning to crack down on teacher romances. While I do not condone ghosting and maltreating your partner, he was hot and fun and cute, so I wish we got to see more of him on the series.
Julian now — just looking mighty fine, as per usual.
15.Linda Cardellini as Abby Day
As is often pointed out, aside from a three-episode stint in Season 3, Jess's wild sister is never seen or heard from again! Granted, Linda Cardellini is an icon and was probably extremely busy being Linda Cardellini, but it would have been great to see her character incorporated more into the series!
Linda now — being one half of the iconic duo in Dead to Me, alongside Christina Applegate.
To spare you the five-paragraph essay I could write on her résumé, I'll just include Linda's most recent roles as Laura Barton in the MCU and Judy Hale on Dead to Me. Speaking of which, just WHERE exactly is the third season, Linda? When will Netflix allow us to know peace?
16.Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Caroline
Nick's terrible ex who causes him to short-circuit and spiral without fail each time she's around is introduced right off the bat in the pilot episode. She pops up every now and again, and while she irks me, she helps bring about an important scene in the show — when Nick confesses that he fell in love with Jess the moment she walked through the loft door.
Mary now — looking cute in teal at the Season 14 premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
As mentioned above, Mary has had a longstanding role on the FX comedy series. She's also been in a personal favorite show of mine (which was canceled WAY too early), the Drew Barrymore–starring Santa Clarita Diet.
17.Rob Reiner as Bob Day
Jess's dad is first introduced in the Season 2 Thanksgiving episode, where Jess tries to Parent Trap her divorced parents. At first, Bob doesn't like Nick because he used to be him, which makes him giving Nick his blessing for Jess's proposal in Season 7 all the more heartwarming.
Rob now — hopefully retired because he has done so much in his career.
No, he's not retired, but I hope he's getting his well-deserved rest! I wouldn't even know where to begin with the legendary actor, director, writer, and producer. He's the filmmaking genius behind some of your fave classics — including When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride, among countless others.
18.And last but not least, Jamie Lee Curtis as Joan
It's hard to believe it, but Joan is somehow even more upbeat and in tune with her emotions than Jess. We meet her in the same Season 2 episode as Bob, the most memorable moment of which is when Nick is forced to flirt with her — only to later become slightly confused about his feelings for Joan.
Jamie now — getting back to where it all began with the Halloween franchise.
The actor, producer, and director is going back to her roots by reprising her role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise sequels — Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. The former movie will release this October, while the latter is in pre-production.
