Ever since the finale of One Tree Hill in 2012, our daily lives have been significantly more boring. Even though the show drastically changed after season four, every character – OG and latecomers alike – added a little extra to the dramatic teen drama. If you think you’re alone in your need to rewatch the entire series every few months, you’re not. We still cry watching Haley give birth and watching Peyton say no to Lucas’s proposal on a biannual basis. That show just gives us all the emotions.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with all our faves in the past few years, most of the main characters that cycled in and out of One Tree Hill have been acting, singing, writing books, and more since they left the CW. They might be best known as OTH actors, but now they are also so much more.
Chad Michael Murray
As one of the main characters on One Tree Hill, Chad Michael Murray starred in nearly every episode of the first six seasons, and it’s hard to imagine him as anyone other character besides Lucas Scott. But since his premature departure from One Tree Hill, CMM has had stints on other popular shows, including Scream Queens and Agent Carter. He’s also done several movies, including Fruitvale Station and A Madea Christmas. Perhaps most notably, in the years since OTH, Chad channeled his inner Lucas Scott and wrote a book called American Drifter with author Heather Graham about a war veteran trying to grapple with his PTSD who escapes to Brazil to do so (the audiobook is also narrated by CMM himself, BTW). The 36-year-old is married to actress Sarah Roemer, and the couple has a son and a daughter together. They’re pretty private about the kids — who are 3 and 1, respectively — and haven’t even released their names to the public.
Sophia Bush
If you don’t follow Sophia Bush on social media, you should definitely get on that. She’s extremely active, especially on Instagram, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind about hot button issues. She’s an activist for human rights, animal rights, and equality, and she’s made it her mission to empower her followers. It’s like having Brooke Davis at your fingertips every day. In addition to growing a social media presence since OTH, Bush scored a recurring role as Erin Lindsay on Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Law & Order: SVU (which she left in 2017). She can also be heard as the voice of Voyd, the villain in Incredibles 2. Sophia and her female OTH co-stars and crew members came together to accuse showrunner Mark Shwahn of sexual misconduct on the set of their show, and she’s been very vocal about how awful he was during their years working together. That said, she and her castmates are still super close and stand side-by-side, no matter what.
Hilarie Burton
If you felt like you were missing some Peyton Sawyer in your life, have no fear because Hilarie Burton is about to star alongside other OTH alums in a Lifetime Christmas movie to be released later in 2018 called The Christmas Contract. Since OTH, Hilarie also guest starred in various TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Extant, and Lethal Weapon, as well as a ton of other TV movies. She’s currently married to actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan — most recently known for his role as Negan on The Walking Dead — and they have two kids together.
Bethany Joy Lenz
We all hoped that our favorite TV teen mom would continue her music career after the show ended (“When the Stars Go Blue” is still a jam), but unfortunately for us, the music didn’t last long past the finale of OTH. Bethany Joy Lenz‘s last full-length album, titled Your Woman, was released in 2013, and she released two EPs in 2014 and 2015. She’s continued to score recurring roles in TV shows like American Gothic, Colony and Dexter. Her film career has been mostly limited to TV movies, including multiple Christmas movies (because why not?). Although her and her husband, Michael Galeotti split up in 2012, they continue to raise their 7-year-old daughter, Maria, together.
James Lafferty
It only seems right that we talk about our favorite TV teen dad next. Right after closing his chapter as Nathan Scott, James Lafferty scored a few roles in TV dramas between 2013 and 2015 before moving toward directing. He directed multiple episodes on E!’s The Royals between seasons two and three. In 2017, he began working with co-star Stephen Colletti on a project called Everyone is Doing Great, which is currently being crowdfunded on an IndieGogo campaign after releasing the TV pilot. James has been open about how his agent told him that people were refusing to audition “CW actors” after his time on One Tree Hill, but it looks like he made his way around those restrictions.
Paul Johansson
Paul Johansson already had an impressive acting career before he took on the role of Dan Scott on One Tree Hill, so it’s no surprise that he continued that momentum when his time on the show came to an end. He’s made appearances in various shows including Mad Men, Once Upon a Time, and CSI. Since 2016, he has starred as Dimitri in the SyFy series Van Helsing, a show about the distant relative of vampire slayer Abraham Van Helsing. He continues to support the OTH community, and he frequently attends the annual convention in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they shot the show. Looks like he’s just as nostalgic for the good old days as the rest of us. We feel you, Paul. We really do.
Lee Norris
Mouth McFadden was the most pure character on One Tree Hill, so it only seems right that we root for him to be successful after the show. Most notably, he reprised his role as Stuart Minkus on Boy Meets World for the Disney Channel spin off, Girl Meets World, becoming a recurring character on the first two seasons. Also spot him with a role in the 2014 thriller Gone Girl and as a guest character on The Walking Dead. He’s been married to wife Andrea Norris since 2011 — a wedding that a ton of his One Tree Hill co-stars attended. No word on what’s happening kiddo-wise for the couple, but either way we’d say they’re doing pretty great post-OTH.
Moira Kelly
Ah, Karen Roe. Honestly, didn’t we all want her to be our mom at some point? Well, it’s easy to keep up the illusion of Moira Kelly as Karen, because she’s kept her acting to a minimum since she stopped being a series regular on One Tree Hill in 2009. Two small appearances in Numb3rs and Drop Dead Diva, as well as a few TV movies make up her entire filmography between then and now. However, she’s been married to her husband Steve Hewitt since 2000 and they have two children together who are now teenagers. We’re sure she’s focusing on her family and being just as much of a rockstar mom as she was on OTH.
Antwon Tanner
Remember that Lifetime Christmas movie starring Hilarie Burton? Well, Antwon Tanner is another (but not the only other!) OTH alum who is taking part in the flick. Peyton and Skills together again? What more could we ask for (besides an entire OTH reunion episode *sigh*)? He also has other projects in the works, including a film called Prey Before We Eat Divided We Fall and The Leash. Even before One Tree Hill, his career as an actor and producer had taken off, and he didn’t let his momentum stop after. Producing and starring in shows such as Black Jesus and Get Shorty have kept him busy, as he’s had recurring roles in both. According to his social media, he has two sons and two daughters, and he’s loving life.
Barbara Alyn Woods
Like many of the parent actors on One Tree Hill, Barbara Alyn Woods’s career had already taken off before her time on The WB drama. After the show wrapped up, Barbara appeared on a few TV shows taking up guest roles on shows like Desperate Housewives. Like her TV husband, Paul Johansson, she’s attended a number of One Tree Hill conventions and loves feeding into fans’ love for the show. She’s been married since 1999, well before OTH came to be, and all three of her daughters — Natalie, Emily, and Alyvia — are film and TV actresses as well.
Jackson Brundage
Quite possibly the most adorable kid actor on television, Jackson Brundage stole our hearts at 7 years old as Jamie Scott. Now, he’s just like any other 17-year-old entering his senior year of high school and posting about it for all 113,000 of his followers to see. After One Tree Hill, he appeared on the show See Dad Run on Nickelodeon at Nite and was a voice actor on Nick’s Harvey Beaks. He hasn’t hit the acting scene since 2015 when both of those roles ended, but it’s clear that he’s focusing on growing up and being a normal teenager with all of his friends. Maybe we’ll see him take on acting again in the future to steal our hearts all over again.
Barry Corbin
Honestly, who didn’t love Whitey – aka Barry Corbin? He was like everyone’s grandpa who always gave the best advice and stood by the team in the toughest of times – even when that means giving some tough love. Are you seeing that cowboy hat? We can’t even deal. Since his time on The WB, he’s been in multiple TV shows, like Blood & Oil, The Ranch, and Anger Management. According to IMDB, he has several movies in the works too, in addition to those he’s done in the past. In his 77 years, he’s racked up quite a number of roles and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. He doesn’t appear to have settled down with anyone since his divorce in 1992, but he has a daughter and three sons, one of whom followed in his footsteps and became an actor, as well.
Austin Nichols
Ladies and gentleman, the man we always knew was just around the corner for B.Davis: Julian Baker. Since he’s one of the sweetest (and hottest) characters from the show, we don’t blame you for wondering what he’s been up to since One Tree Hill ended. His most notable role since then has been playing Stephen Monroe on The Walking Dead (we won’t spoil anything for you). He also appeared on a few episodes of Bates Motel and The Mob Doctor. You can also see Austin in the 2016 film Lawless Range. He’s single, as of now (ladies, get on that), but he’s also besties with Jake Gyllenhaal, so we feel like that’s the only relationship of his we really need to focus on.
Craig Sheffer
THAT. HAIR. Though Craig Sheffer’s time on One Tree Hill was short-lived (THANKS, DAN), he was incredibly beloved and his acting career has been storied. He’s been acting since the ‘80s, and most of his career-defining roles came before the one he snagged as Keith Scott. Since getting killed by his brother on OTH, the IRL Keith Scott has been in a few TV movies as well as a multi-episode arc on CSI. In 2016, he was an associate producer for the film Code of Honor starring Steven Seagal. He has one daughter named Willow with his former partner Gabrielle Anwar. The 24-year-old has followed in her parents’ footsteps and pursued the TV and film industry for a career.
Robert Buckley
Add yet another OTH alum to the cast of The Christmas Contract. Robert Buckley, aka Clay Evans, will star alongside Hilarie Burton and Antwon Tanner in the upcoming film. Buckley came onto the series for the later seasons as a love interest for Haley’s sister, Quinn (Shantel VanSanten), and while we have MANY questions about one of his main arc, there’s no denying he’s a TOTAL cutie. Since One Tree Hill, his major role has been as Major Lilywhite on iZombie, keeping it in the CW family. He also starred on 666 Park Avenue and had smaller roles on Hart of Dixie and Play It Again, Dick. In May 2018, he married actress Jenny Wade and things seem to be going strong. He’s even mentioned the idea of having kids with her in the near future!
Shantel VanSanten
Just like Buckley, Shantel VanSanten joined the cast of One Tree Hill as Quinn for seasons seven through nine, but that didn’t stop us from loving her like she’d been there since the beginning. The actress started out as a model, but it seems like she’s focused on acting ever since her time as Haley’s sister in Tree Hill. In 2015, she had a recurring role as Patty Spivot on The Flash (another CW show!), and in 2016, she starred on the show Shooter. Although it was filmed in 2009 and during her time on OTH, her film Something Wicked with Brittany Murphy was released in 2014. You can usually find her replying to fans on Twitter and posting super aesthetically pleasing photos on Instagram.
Stephen Colletti
Quite possibly the sweetest character of them all was Chase Adams, the Clean Teen. We loved him as Brooke’s love interest, and we’d be lying if we said we weren’t excited when he returned to One Tree Hill for seasons eight and nine. After his role as Chase came to a close, Stephen Colletti took another recurring role as Teddy Reynolds on Hit the Floor and appeared on The Hills. His films include The Suicide Note and Summer Forever. He’s also got that series in the works with James Lafferty, so it’s safe to say we have no shortage of content from him to watch if we’re feeling nostalgic.
Danneel Ackles
We’ve been blessed with not three, but four former OTH actors for this new Lifetime Christmas movie, and we’re living for it. Danneel Ackles (formerly Danneel Harris) will reunite with her co-stars for this probably cheesy flick, and you better believe that we’ll be watching. Besides her role as Rachel Gatina — probably the most hated character on the show at times — Ackles had a lead role on the TV show Friends With Benefits and made appearances in a few movies, including one called I Hate That I Love You. She also married Jensen Ackles from Supernatural in 2010, and they have the most adorable kids together. Seriously, we cry every time she posts about them.
Tyler Hilton
Okay, so maybe Rachel is tied with Chris Keller for the most hated character on One Tree Hill. We have to admit, though, that Tyler Hilton really made us want to love his character, even at his worst. If you’ve missed his beautiful, raspy voice, then you’re in luck because he’s still making music. In 2017, he released a cover of Rihanna’s “Stay” and his own single called, “Overtime.” After One Tree Hill, he starred in the award-winning film Walk the Line as a young Elvis Presley, and had a recurring role on the show Extant as Charlie Arthurs. If you’re looking to see him IRL, he tours from time to time with former co-star Kate Voegele, so keep an eye out if you’re in the mood to relive the glory years (aka the days of OTH).
Kate Voegele
When Kate Voegele joined the One Tree Hill cast as Mia Catalano, she formed a perfect musical trio with Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hilton (once he came back to Tree Hill). Since the show, she’s continued to pursue music more than acting, which makes total sense she was basically born to be a rockstar. She released her newest single in December 2017, called “Shoot This Arrow,” which addresses sexual assault — including the sexual assault allegations against OTH creator Mark Schwahn. We’re happy that One Tree Hill could help launch her music career because she deserves the spotlight.
Bevin Prince
Oh, Bevin. It was pretty impossible not to love her and her naive little ways. She added a necessary lightheartedness to the character dynamic of OTH (which was pretty doom and gloom a lot of the time). After One Tree Hill, it seems she took a break from acting before jumping back into things in 2016 with appearances on the shows Sublets and Power. From her Instagram, it looks like she’s living her best life, and we love to see it. As of 2021, she’s also a New-York based SoulCycle instructor, so get yourself into that class ASAP if you want an autograph. (On second thought, maybe don’t, because we’re sure it’s annoying AF.)
Lisa Goldstein Kirsch
Ugh, who didn’t love Millie? When she joined the show as Brooke’s assistant, we knew she’d easily be a favorite. However, soon after One Tree Hill Lisa Goldstein quit acting (*cries*). She married Brendan Kirsch, a basketball coordinator on the set of OTH (*swoon*), and they had their first child in 2014. Since then, they’ve had another child and live in Florida. We might be upset that Kirsch gave up acting, but it seems like her family is fulfilling her more than her on-screen roles, so we’re happy that she’s happy. But also, Millie and Mouth forever, are we right?