The cast of Step Brothers : Where are they now?

"Did we just become best friends?" Step Brothers is one of the most beloved — and the most quotable — comedies of the 2000s. The third feature film written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, this goofball hangout movie is about two oversized kids named Brennan Huff (Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) who become mortal enemies, and then BFFs, when their parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get married. Along the way, they clear out some room for activities, save the f—ing Catalina wine mixer, and get sweet revenge on a gang of preteen bullies. Now, join EW as we follow up with the Step Brothers cast 15 years after its premiere in 2008.

Will Ferrell (Brennan Huff)

Will Ferrell was already an established comedian by the time he made Step Brothers, which came midway through a series of film comedy vehicles for the former Saturday Night Live star. (Specifically, between the sports comedy Semi-Pro and the big-budget flop Land of the Lost.) Step Brothers also came hot on the heels of Ferrell and McKay founding Funny or Die — the comedy website that launched the careers of Zach Galifianakis, Billy Eichner, and Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness — in 2007.

Ferrell is known for acting in off-the-wall comedies, including Elf (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), its sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Blades of Glory (2006), and The Other Guys (2010) among others. And although he's endured a few commercial and critical flops since 2008, his status as a comedy icon has only grown. In 2011, Ferrell won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a prestigious annual award given by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Among the presenters? His Step Brothers costar, John C. Reilly. Ferrell also snagged a Tony nomination for his 2009 one-man show You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W Bush, in which he played the 43rd president, and has won four Emmys, including an award in 2020 for producing the HBO hit series Succession.

He continued to act in and produce comedies for TV and film with his Step Brothers co-writer Adam McKay through their production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. In 2019, the pair reportedly had a falling out when McKay cast Step Brothers alumn Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss in Winning Time without telling Ferrell, who wanted to play that role himself. Gary Sanchez then shut down, leading Ferrell to focus on its sister label, Gloria Sanchez Productions, soon afterward. The company has produced works such as Olivia Wilde's Booksmart (2019), Netflix's Dead to Me, the Kristen Wiig comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021).

Ferrell's latest role is in one of the biggest movies of summer 2023, Barbie, in which he plays the CEO of Mattel.

John C. Reilly (Dale Doback)

Lovable goofball John C. Reilly began his career as a serious character actor in films by big-name directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese. Among his earlier credits, Reilly starred in Boogie Nights (1997) and Chicago (2002), the latter of which earned him Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscars and Golden Globes. His industry cred thus established, Reilly turned to looser, more comedic projects in the mid-2000s like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), which snagged him another Golden Golden nom and led to his casting as dopey Dale Doback in Step Brothers.

Around that same time, Reilly also began appearing on episodes of Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as the dim-witted Dr. Steve Brule. In 2010, the character got his own spinoff series, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, which Reilly also wrote and produced for four seasons. Meanwhile, Reilly continued working on an eclectic mix of independent films (We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Lobster), theatrical productions (a Tony-nominated turn in True West), and silly comedies (Talladega Nights, opposite Ferrell). He also launched a music career, releasing two songs produced by Jack White on White's Third Man Records label in 2011.

Reilly soon added blockbusters and voice acting to his résumé, appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and voicing the lead character in Pixar's Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). He earned yet another Golden Globe nomination in 2019 for Stan & Ollie. In 2020, he created the Showtime comedy series Moonbase, wherein he starred opposite Tim Heidecker and Fred Armisen.

Mary Steenburgen (Nancy Huff)

Although she's only 14 years older than him, Mary Steenburgen has played Ferrell's mom twice. (Technically she's his stepmother in Elf, but close enough.) Like her costar Reilly, Steenburgen was already a respected actor when she joined the cast of Step Brothers, with notable credits in Time After Time (1979), Ragtime (1981), Back to the Future Part III (1990), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), and Philadelphia (1993). She even won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her lead role in 1980's Melvin and Howard, followed by an Emmy nom for The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988) and a SAG nod for About Sarah (1999).

Steenburgen's next film after Step Brothers was the romantic comedy Four Christmases (2008), in which she played another mom role opposite Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. She's been in a dozen films since, notably Best Picture-winner The Help (2011), Last Vegas (2013), and the Book Club movies with Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Candice Bergen.

But she also has a lesser-known talent: Following a surgery on her arm in 2007, Steenburgen started writing music. She eventually signed with Universal Music as a songwriter and composed "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)" for the 2019 movie Wild Rose. All the while, she's been married to Ted Danson since 1995.

Richard Jenkins (Dr. Robert Doback)

Richard Jenkins gives a very convincing performance as exasperated dad Dr. Robert Doback, whose son Dale drives him to drink and eventually divorce his wife Nancy in Step Brothers. But before playing Reilly's father, Jenkins worked for the actor's real father as a truck driver decades prior. He's since built quite the acting career, notably playing the deceased funeral home director in HBO's Six Feet Under and securing a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his turn in The Visitor (2007).

The same year as Step Brothers, Jenkins appeared in the Coen brothers comedy Burn After Reading (2008) opposite Brad Pitt. Two years later, he played Channing Tatum's dad in the movie Dear John (2010). His other memorable works include the meta-horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods (2012), the Tom Cruise action movie Jack Reacher (2012), and Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017), for which Jenkins earned his second Oscar nomination.

The actor has since reunited with two of his Step Brothers castmates in very different movies: He acted opposite Reilly in Kong: Skull Island (2017) and shared the screen with Steenburgen in del Toro's remake of Nightmare Alley (2021). Most recently, he played the guilt-ridden father of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in Ryan Murphy's Netflix controversial series Monster — The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Adam Scott (Derek)

Step Brothers was a major turning point for Adam Scott, who credits acting in scenes with Ferrell, Reilly, and Kathryn Hahn for teaching him how to perform improv. And the pivot to comedy has served Scott well: Since his breakout role as Brennan's uber-douche brother Derek, he's become one of the most popular comedians in Hollywood.

Scott then turned his attention towards the cult classic Party Down on Starz, a woefully underseen show that EW declared to be his best work to date. (He's since reprised the role of a bewildered caterer in the 2023 revival.) His next big break was on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2010–2015), in which he played Ben Wyatt, a former "boy mayor" who ends up marrying protagonist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). After that, Scott was everywhere, appearing in numerous Adult Swim series — including the '80s style mockumentary The Greatest Event in Television History, which he co-created with his wife Naomi — as well as episodes of Veep, The Good Place, and Drunk History. 

Scott received further praise from critics and audiences alike for his turn as Reese Witherspoon's husband in HBO's Big Little Lies (2017–2019). In 2017, Scott co-created and starred in the paranormal comedy series Ghosted opposite The Office's Craig Robinson. Sadly, the show only lasted for one season. More recently, Scott was a star and producer of the AppleTV+ sci-fi thriller series Severance, earning multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations in the process.

Kathryn Hahn (Alice)

Her role as Alice, Derek's sexually dissatisfied wife who has an affair with Dale in Step Brothers, was Kathryn Hahn's second time working with Ferrell. She had previously played Helen, the best friend of TV newscaster Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). Since the release of Step Brothers, however, she's spent more time with her onscreen husband Adam Scott. The two have acted in several projects together, including 10 episodes of Parks and Recreation and the films Our Idiot Brother (2011) with Paul Rudd and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) with Ben Stiller.

Hahn is a prolific comedic performer, and although she often plays supporting roles, she's also led two premium-cable shows: I Love Dick (2016–2017) and the miniseries Mrs. Fletcher (2019). Both works featured Hahn playing a cougar-type character seeking sexual satisfaction with younger men, not too far off from her character in Step Brothers. Her other noteworthy projects include an Emmy-nominated turn in Transparent (2014–2019), Free Agents (2011–2012), and the 2013 rom-com Afternoon Delight.

In recent years, Hahn's most recognizable role has been playing the villainous witch Agatha Harkness in Marvel's hit series WandaVision (2021), which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. She'll soon have her own spin-off series, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, in 2024. She's since appeared in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) and received yet another Emmy nom for starring in the Hulu miniseries Tiny Beautiful Things (2023).

Rob Riggle (Randy)

Rob Riggle was very busy the year he filmed Step Brothers, splitting his time between being a correspondent on The Daily Show and performing on the MTV sketch comedy series Human Giant with Aziz Ansari and Paul Scheer. But after his scene-stealing turn as Derek's obnoxious sidekick Randy, he was about to get even busier.

While on The Daily Show, Riggle's colleague John Oliver encouraged him to try stand-up, which led to his own special on Comedy Central in 2010. Riggle and Scheer also filmed a series of sketches for the HBO series Funny or Die Presents in 2010 and 2011. In addition to more roles in Ferrell/McKay films like Talladega Nights (2006) and The Other Guys (2010), his most notable credits include The Hangover (2009), 21 Jump Street (2012), and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

Beyond TV and film, Riggle has built quite an eclectic résumé, from playing Colonel Sanders in Kentucky Fried Chicken ads to filming sketches for his favorite football team, the Kansas City Chiefs. He's also a retired United States Marine, an experience he's talked about in interviews and in segments on The Daily Show. You can hear him next in the talking-dog movie Strays, opposite his old pal Ferrell.

Lurie Poston (Tommy)

Given his angelic voice, you may not be surprised to learn that Lurie Poston, who plays Derek's son Tommy, is now a singer. Though Poston was just 12-years-old when he appeared in Step Brothers, it was actually his second time working with Reilly, given his role as one of Dewey Cox's kids in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story the year before.

After Step Brothers, Poston appeared in the comedy Knucklehead (2010), which was an attempt to launch the acting career of WWE wrestler Paul "The Big Show" Wight. (The effort failed.) As for Poston, he appeared in a couple more small roles before quitting acting to focus on school and music. In 2019, he graduated from the University of Southern California, and in 2022, he released his first single, the bluesy country song "Southern Heat."

Logan Manus (Chris Gardocki)

Logan Manus spent his entire acting career playing a brat. Born in Georgia, Manus and his family moved to California when he was 9-years-old so he could pursue acting. After a voiceover part in The Triangle (2005) and a walk-on role in Zoey 101 in 2007, Manus landed his first onscreen speaking gig as Chris Gardocki, the leader of a pack of kids who made Brennan lick dried-up dog poop in Step Brothers.

Ferrell was a good sport about the onscreen bullying, and Gardocki appeared in another small role in Ferrell's film Land of the Lost a year later. After that, Gardocki costarred in the raunchy comedy Stacy's Mom (2010), followed by a few more walk-on appearances on iCarly and the Laura Dern HBO series Enlightened. He now competes as a professional go-kart racer.

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