"Community" Stars: Where Are They Now?

Since the series first aired on NBC in 2009, Community has become one of the most beloved shows in sitcom history. Armed with a loyal fanbase who followed the series from cancellation to revival, to a late-game streaming pivot, to another, more permanent cancellation, Community has maintained cultural relevancy in recent years by moving their entire library to Netflix.

Series creator Dan Harmon has been diligently reassembling the team for the upcoming Community movie, scheduled to stream on Peacock. Of course, since the series aired its final episode in 2015, each of the core seven actors who comprised Greendale Community College's illustrious study group have moved on to other projects.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 09: Joel McHale attends the BoxLunch Holiday Gala 2023 celebrating Feeding America on November 09, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for BoxLunch)

Joel McHale led Community's ensemble cast as Jeff Winger, the slick-talking conman attending Greendale to regain his status as a lawyer after being outed as a fraud. Since Community aired its final episode, McHale has starred in his own Netflix series The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale, as well as the Netflix original film A Futile And Stupid Gesture. In the latter, he portrayed his Community co-star Chevy Chase. Though McHale has appeared in a handful of other network shows, including CBS's The Great Indoors and Fox's Animal Control, none have seen as much success and cult-like admiration as Community.

PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 26: Alison Brie of 'Horse Girl' attends the IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village on location at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival – Day 3 on January 26, 2020 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)

Since Alison Brie concluded her stint as Community's studious do-gooder, Annie Eddison, she has gone on to lead a number of other television shows, including Mad Men, Bojack Horseman, and Glow. Alison Brie has also starred in several feature films, including romantic comedies like Sleeping with Other People, Somebody I Used To Know and Spin Me Round. Brie also appears in psychological thrillers like Horse Girl and Promising Young Woman, and even an action-adventure film alongside John Cena titled Freelance.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 14: Danny Pudi attends the Red Carpet of the 2nd Annual HCA TV Awards - Streaming at The Beverly Hilton on August 14, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

Community served as something of a big break for Danny Pudi, putting his incredible talent on display for the masses in the role of Abed Nadir. In the time since the show concluded, Pudi has lent his voice to animated works. Some of his credits include Duck Tales, Smurfs: The Lost Village, Harvey Girls Forever, Transformers: Earthspark, and Strange Planet. Pudi also reunited with Community writer Megan Ganz in the Rob McElhenney-created series Mythic Quest.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 22: Gillian Jacobs discusses "Ibiza" with the Build Series at Build Studio on May 22, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

After moving on from her role as well-intentioned but perpetually air-headed Britta Perry, Gillian Jacobs has appeared in a wide array of other projects. Her post-Community credits include Don't Think Twice, Lemon, Winning Time: The Rise of the Laker's Dynasty, Invincible, and the Judd Apatow-created Netflix series Love. Like many of her Community co-stars, Jacobs' also appeared in a cameo voice role in Rick and Morty. Jacobs' Rick and Morty character, Supernova, led a web-based spin-off series of the adult cartoon called The Vindicators.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Member of EMILY’s List Board of Directors, Yvette Nicole Brown attends the EMILY's List Oscars Week Discussion on March 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for EMILY's List)

Since her final hour as Shirley, the god-fearing family woman on Community, Yvette Nicole Brown has stacked up many credits. Beside small cameo appearances in Avengers: Endgame and DC League of Super-Pets, Nicole Brown has also frequented series such as Talking Dead and Hollywood Game Night. The Drake and Josh alumni also secured an Emmy nomination in 2021 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She received a nomination for her recurring role as Judge Harper in A Black Lady Sketch Show.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Chevy Chase attends the Global Green 2019 Pre-Oscar Gala at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on February 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/FilmMagic)

Unlike his co-stars, Chevy Chase was a certified A-lister long before he starred as Pierce Hawthorne in Community. With a career which spans over 5 decades, Chase's credits have been few and far between since the sitcom went off the air. Chase went on to star in projects including Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The Last Laugh, and Panda Vs. Aliens. Chevy Chase also courted controversy during his tenure on Community, prompting many of the cast and crew to refuse to work with him again. The show killed off Chase's character in its fifth season, suggesting he probably won't make a return for the upcoming Community film.

LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: Childish Gambino performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

In the years following Donald Glover's tenure as Troy Barnes on Community, the multi-hyphenate star has truly hit his creative stride. Though Glover was hailed as one of the best performers on the show, his post-Community career is arguably more prolific than any of his co-stars combined. Glover performed stand-up comedy for Comedy Central, created and starred in the hit FX series Atlanta, and launched a multi-platinum music career under the alias Childish Gambino. Glover has also starred as young Lando Calrissian in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story.

For the upcoming Community movie, Donald Glover was widely regarded as the hardest member of the original cast to bring back due to his busy schedule. Glover previously let it slip in an interview with GQ that he had signed on to appear in the film, though the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have caused massive scheduling changes, calling his participation into question.

About The Author

TeeJay Small is a professional humorist, pop culture columnist, and an avid enjoyer of all things hip hop. When he's not compiling dozens of monologue-style jokes about the most absurd news headlines, or furiously scribbling rewrites for his television pilot, you can find him carefully analyzing the lyrics to the latest Griselda or Dreamville releases, or digging in the crates to find the hottest up-and-coming rappers. After receiving his bachelor's degree in English/Communications from UMASS Boston, TeeJay set out on a journey to travel the world and develop a culturally diverse media career. He has been personally assured by both members of EARTHGANG that he is, in fact, part of the culture.

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