The cast of "MADtv": Where are they now?

Part of the original cast, Bryan Callen was probably known best for his Pool Boy character from “Cabana Chat” or for his impressions of Robert DeNiro, Steven Seagal, Jim Carrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Callen would stick around for two seasons before leaving in 1997 for guest roles on a number of sitcoms as well as short stints on “Oz,” “Inside Schwartz,” “7th Heaven,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Death Valley.” His experience isn’t limited to TV, as Callen can also be seen in comedy movies like “Old School,” “Bad Santa,” “The Hangover” and “The Hangover II.” Since 2014 he had a recurring role as Coach Mellor on the family sitcom “The Goldbergs” but left in Season 6 for the show’s spin-off series, “Schooled.” Additionally, Callen and Brendan Schaub co-host the podcast “The Fighter and the Kid."

Most people don’t even remember David Herman from the first three seasons of “MADtv,” from 1994-1997. They instead know him for his role as Initech employee Michael Bolton in the 1999 Mike Judge comedy, “Office Space.” A talented impressionist on MADtv, Herman got himself fired from the show to void his contract and pursue other projects and has subsequently put together an incredibly successful voice acting career. You might know him from his various voices on “King of the Hill,” “Futurama” and “Brickleberry”— especially since he does multiple voices on every one of those shows — and currently on both “Bob’s Burgers” and “Disenchantment.”

Already a sitcom writer and master impressionist, Orlando Jones was hired as an original “MADtv” cast member and remained on the show for two seasons (during which time he was probably best known for his Reverend LaMont Nixon Fatback character) before departing in 1997. Jones would eventually become even more famous for being a 7Up TV commercial spokesman, most memorably as part of the “Make 7Up Yours” campaign. The actor also appeared in “Office Space” (and shared a scene with David Herman) and “Magnolia” in 1999, as well as “The Replacements” (2000), “Bedazzled” (2001), “Runaway Jury” (2003) and “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (2009). In addition to short stints on various shows, Jones regularly appeared as Frank Irving on “Sleepy Hollow” and more recently as Mr. Nancy on “American Gods,” which just finished its second season on Starz.

We’ll always remember Phil LaMarr’s time on “MADtv” for his high-energy UBS delivery man character and also his impersonations of Michael Jackson, Prince and countless others. An original cast member, LaMarr left after Season 5, in 2000, having already appeared on a number of other TV shows as well as in movies like “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Bio-Dome” (1996). Also having worked as a voice actor during his “MADtv” years (you may have heard him on Nickelodeon’s “The Wild Thornberrys” and “Hey Arnold”), LaMarr has since established himself primarily as such, regularly lending his pipes to “Family Guy,” “Futurama,” “King of the Hill,” “Jimmy Neutron” and “The Proud Family” as well as animated superhero series including “Justice League,” “The Avengers” and “Ultimate Spider-Man” and a couple of dozen others.

The legendary Artie Lange was an original cast member on “MADtv,” but he had the shortest tenure — mostly because he was addicted to cocaine and got arrested at his own intervention held by his co-stars. Since then Lange has struggled to stay clean but has still managed to put together a solid career of stand-up, with regular appearances on “The Howard Stern Show,” stints on series like “Norm” and “Rescue Me,” and co-starring roles in the cult comedies “Dirty Work” (1998) and “Beer League” (2006), the latter of which he also co-wrote. Despite some recent substance abuse lapses, Lange has maintained a recurring role on the HBO comedy “Crashing,” which just wrapped up its third season.

A former member of the Groundlings and an original MADtv cast member, Mary Scheer stuck around for its first three seasons, playing characters like Dixie Wetsworth, the host of “Cabana Chat” and the chainsmoking Mrs. Barone. During and following her stint on “MADtv,” Scheer found occasional voice work on “Hey Arnold,” “Invader Zim,” “King of the Hill” and “Family Guy” and was one of the primary voice actors on “The Penguins of Madagascar” and “Most Extreme Elimination Show.” In live-action roles, Scheer played Freddie’s mom on “iCarly” and more recently, Gladys on “Bunk’d” and Lotty on “Ave 43.”

After making her Vancome Lady character a staple on “MADtv” for six seasons (not to mention the dumb and/or awkward characters of Antonia, Lida and Darlene McBride), Nicole Sullivan spent time on a seemingly endless number of TV shows. Most significantly she played Holly on “The King of Queens” and the titular character on the short-lived “Rita Rocks,” and she voiced regular characters on shows like “Family Guy,” “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command,” “Kim Possible,” “The Secret Saturdays” and “The Penguins of Madagascar.” Sullivan can currently be seen on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish.”

Debra Wilson had the longest tenure of any original cast member, delighting viewers with impressions of Oprah, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg — as well as her signature original character, Bunifa Latifah Halifah Sharifa Jackson — for the initial eight seasons of “MADtv.” Even after leaving the show in 2003, Wilson would often guest star in sketches and she also took her impressions to other shows like “The Proud Family,” “Family Guy” and “American Dad!” and films like “Scary Movie 4.” Although Wilson has steady work in TV and film, nowadays you’re most likely to hear her voice in a video game, as she appears in the “Call of Duty,” “Halo,” “Metal Gear Solid,” Starcraft,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “The Walking Dead” franchises. Next up for Wilson are the yet-to-be released games “Wolfenstein: Youngblood” and “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”

The final original cast member on this list, Craig Anton stayed through the third season of “MADtv” while playing characters like Clorox in the “Star Trek: Deep Stain Nine” sketches. He also gained notoriety for an angry, shirtless (and hilarious) monologue in which he ranted about little things in life that he hates. Since leaving the sketch show, Anton has appeared in small roles on shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The King of Queens,” “The Office,” “Workaholics,” “Mad Men” and “Comedy Bang! Bang!” Those who came of age in the mid 2000s might know Anton best as Phil’s dad, Lloyd Diffy, on the Disney Channel comedy “Phil of the Future.” Anton is currently also employed as a performing arts professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Based on some TV voice acting experience, Borstein was hired in the third season of “MADtv” as a featured player and received a promotion to cast regular before the end of the year. During her time on the series, Borstein found a hit with her Ms. Swan character, a woman of Icelandic or Asian descent who belittles characters, struggles with common sense and says the catchphrase, “he look-a like-a man.” Three years before leaving “MADtv,” Borstein had already started playing Lois on the animated sitcom “Family Guy,” which was recently renewed for its 18th season. Borstein won an Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Emmy for that role just last year, and it wasn’t the only award she’d take home. Borstein also won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for playing Susie Myerson on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” In addition to acting on TV and in films, Borstein has also written and produced episodes of “Family Guy” and “Shameless.”

Remember Bizarro Kramer from the “Seinfeld” episode “The Bizarro Jerry”? That was Pat Kilbane a year before he was cast in the third season of “MADtv.” During his three years on the sketch show, Kilbane was most notable for his “Stan the Java Man” character, who constantly drank coffee and was depicted with cartoonish, bulging eyes, as well as performing an enormous amount of impressions, including Howard Stern and Lyle Lovett. Since leaving in 2000, Kilbane has appeared in various minor films, TV and video games roles. He also recently worked in development for DreamWorks and as a writer and director for the TV series “Dark Secrets.”

Will Sasso was such an important part of “MADtv” and its success that you might think he was always on the show, but he actually joined in the third season and stayed for seven years. This was more than enough time for Sasso to make a name for himself, impersonating Randy Newman, Robert DeNiro, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more. Since his 2002 departure, Sasso has appeared in movies (including a starring role as Curly in the 2012 film “The Three Stooges” and most recently in “Super Troopers 2”), on TV shows as both an actor and voice actor, at numerous wrestling events and even in some dramatic roles. After a stint as one of the original hosts of the “Ten Minute Podcast” alongside Bryan Callen and Chris D'Elia, Sasso has regularly appeared on podcasts and social media with both comedians.

The second longest-termed cast member in “MADtv” history (eight seasons and just short of 200 episodes), Aries Spears was consistently praised by the show’s fans for his impressions of various celebrities including Eddie Murphy, Shaq, Mike Tyson and the original character Dollar Bill Montgomery. He even went viral back in the day for doing four flawless impressions of LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX and Jay-Z in one video clip. Spears has since reprised some of these parodies for shows like “Family Guy” and “American Dad!” and can still be found routinely performing stand-up — something he has been doing since he was 14. 

Michael McDonald stayed on “MADtv” for a whopping 10 seasons (more than any other cast member), yet he is almost exclusively remembered for just one character: Stuart Larkin. Larkin — the junk-food-loving, cross-eyed toddler who kicks people away from him, recites odd sayings he heard from his mother and shouts, “Look what I can do!”— was introduced in Season 4 and appeared every year up until Season 13, a total of 38 times. Outside of “MADtv,” you might remember McDonald getting flattened by a steamroller in “Austin Powers” (1997) and for his small parts in “The Heat” (2013), “Spy” (2015), “Ghostbusters” (2016) and “The Happytime Murders” (2018). Nowadays, he’s more likely to be behind the camera, having directed episodes of “Scrubs,” “Cougar Town,” “Mike & Molly,” “Nobodies” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

Mo Collins spent six seasons as a “MADtv” cast member beginning in Season 4, and she popularized characters like Doreen (Stuart’s mother) and Lorraine (the annoying Midwestern old lady) in addition to doing a multitude of impressions. Since then she has had regular roles on the shows “Invader Zim,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Lady Dynamite” and “F is for Family"; however, her short stints and small movie roles might be even better. She played Starla, the Bluth family’s attorney, on “Arrested Development.” She was Gina the speedddater in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005). She played a nurse and former flame of Jeff Garlin on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” She was the not-so-careful doctor in “Knocked Up” (2007). She played a buzz-killing motivation speaker on the final season of “Workaholics.” However, if you want to see her in something currently, you’ll have to turn on “Fear the Walking Dead,” a show Collins joined in its fourth season.

One of the biggest scene-stealers in the show’s history, Stephnie Weir was added to the “MADtv” lineup in Season 6. During her five-plus seasons, Weir played Dot (the mitten-loving, neglected, imaginative 7-year-old girl), the elderly Mrs. Leona Campbell and numerous celebrities, including the late Anna Nicole Smith. Since her 2006 departure, Weir has appeared briefly in episodes of “Weeds,” “Modern Family,” “Veep” and “Lady Dynamite,” as well as longer stints on “Big Day,” “The Comedians,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Happy Together.” 

Every cast member on “MADtv” was expected to do multiple impressions, but few had the dead-ringer expertise of Frank Caliendo. His impersonations of George W. Bush, John Madden, Al Michaels, Charles Barkley and so many others not only got him attention on “MADtv,” but they also earned him a never-ending supply of comedy specials, radio guest spots and appearances on late-night and other TV shows. Before he even left “MADtv,” Caliendo and his many personalities were occasional guests on “Fox NFL Sunday” and eventually earned him a regular role on the program. Although he stayed on “MADtv” for almost five years, his tenure on “Fox NFL Sunday” was twice that. Caliendo also had his own show, “Frank TV,” for one season, from 2007-08, and since then has appeared in bit parts on a number of series — most recently the Netflix comedy “Disjointed” in 2018.

Bobby Lee was easily one of the most beloved cast members to ever appear on “MADtv.” He came aboard for Season 7 and stuck around until the show got axed in 2009. In addition to being the only Asian cast member, Lee brought a genial energy to every character, every impression and every skit. (His most famous impressions included Kim Jong-Il and Connie Chung.) Outside of “MADtv,” Lee memorably appeared in the movies “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004) and “Pineapple Express” (2008), as well as episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Awesomes,” “Love” and “Splitting Up Together.” Lee is the creator and host of the TigerBelly podcast and can frequently be heard palling around with the likes of Joe Rogan, Chris D’Elia and other comedians.

You might recall Ike Barinholtz for his Abercrombie model or Principal Lankenstein characters, or maybe his impressions of Dane Cook and Mark Wahlberg,or some other skit from the five seasons he was on “MADtv” from 2002-2007. After choosing not to renew his contract, the comedian appeared in a handful of movies and shows, eventually landing recurring roles on “The League,” “Eastbound & Down,” “The Awesomes” and “The Mindy Project.” In the last few years, Barinholtz has also been featured in a number of big-budget films, including “Neighbors” (2014), “Sisters” (2015), “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Snatched” (2017), “Blockers” (2018) and “The Lego Movie 2” (2019), as well as in an episode of the rebooted “Twilight Zone.”

We’ll always remember Paul Vogt’s three seasons on “MADtv,” from 2002-2005, for his Edna Garrett impression, which may have had something to do with Vogt getting cast as Edna Turnblad in a number of “Hairspray” productions — including the Broadway version! After ”MADtv,” Vogt appeared on “Arrested Development,” “The Big Gay Sketch Show,” “Hannah Montana," “Glee” and “Raising Hope.” The actor took some time off from 2013-2015 to beat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but has since appeared on the TV series “The Orville” and “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn,” as well as in the films “Mother’s Day” (2016) and “My Babysitter the Superhero” (2018).

For six seasons, Nicole Parker appeared on “MADtv” doing original characters like “The Disney Girl” or impressions of singers like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion and Paula Abdul. Concurrent with her time on the show, from 2003-2009, Parker appeared alongside Martin Short in his comedy musical production “Fame Becomes Me,” which was her first of three Broadway credits prior to “Wicked” in 2009 and “The People in the Picture” in 2011. In addition to numerous other theater roles, Parker also owns a handful of film and TV credits and a GLAAD Media Award for her part in the star-studded, viral video short “Prop 8: The Musical.” Recently, Parker lent her voice to the Hanna-Barbera series reboot “Wacky Races” and can be seen in the upcoming Pamela Fryman film “Friends-In-Law.”

Keegan-Michael Key is so famous now that a lot people might have forgotten that he spent six seasons on “MADtv.” After the expert impressionist (and creator of original characters like coach Hines) left his mark on the show, he picked up work in various films and TV shows, most notably extended stays on “Reno 911!” and “Gary Unmarried.” However, Key’s career took off when he teamed up with Jordan Peele on the popular Comedy Central sketch series “Key and Peele.” Though his only recurring roles on TV after that were Netflix’s “Friends from College,” Crackle’s “SuperMansion” and USA’s “Playing House,” Key started appearing (and still appears!) everywhere you look. This includes in films like “Let’s be Cops” (2014), “Pitch Perfect 2” (2015), “Keanu” (2016)  and “The Predator” (2018), voice work in “The Angry Birds Movie” (2016) and the “Hotel Transylvania” films and bit parts on TV shows from “Archer” and “Bob’s Burgers” to “Parks & Recreation” and “Modern Family” — not to mention hosting duties and commercial spots!

Jordan Peele’s story is similar to Keegan-Michael Key’s, except Peele stayed on “MADtv” for one season fewer than Key. Also, after the success of “Key and Peele,” he is as likely to be found behind a camera as in front of one. He wrote and directed the 2017 thriller “Get Out” (which won him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar) and the 2019 horror film “Us.” He’s the mind behind the shows “The Last O.G.” and the reboot of “The Twilight Zone.” He also had roles on “Fargo,” “Robot Chicken,” “Bob’s Burgers” and still voices various characters on Netflix’s “Big Mouth.” Currently, Peele is also co-writing and producing a sequel to the classic 1992 horror film “Candyman,” which is slated for a 2020 release, and he can be heard in the upcoming sequel “Toy Story 4” later this year.

Crista Flanagan didn’t join the “MADtv” cast until Season 10, but she stayed for five seasons, right up until the show’s 2009 cancellation. Flanagan’s original characters, like depressed stand-up comic Luann Lockhart, as well as her wide array of impressions on “MADtv” earned the actress side work in Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer’s series of spoof movies, including 2007’s “Epic Movie” and 2008’s “Disaster Movie” and also a three-season stint on “Mad Men.” Since then Flanagan has appeared on shows like “Cougar Town,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Hello Ladies,” “Clipped,” “The News Tank” and “The Resident” and is the star of the satirical “Hope is Emo” podcast.

Arden Myrin came onto “MADtv” in 2005 with some notoriety, as she had a major role on the Fred Savage NBC sitcom “Working” for two seasons from, 1997-1999, and she appeared in episodes of “Just Shoot Me” and “Friends”as well as films like “Bubble Boy” (2001) and “Christmas with the Kranks” (2004). During and following her four seasons on “MADtv,” from 2005-2009, Myrin continued her film career with credits in “Evan Almighty” (2007), “Morning Glory” (2010), “Bachelorette” (2012) and “I Hate Kids” (2019), as well as a veritable who’s-who of TV series. You might have spotted Myrin on “Psych,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Orange is the New Black.” Or maybe it was “Anger Management,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “W/ Bob and David,” “Shameless,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Teachers” or “Insatiable”?