Before Charli XCX made it a cool-girl identifier, being labelled a ‘Brat’ was less than complimentary.
Nonetheless, it was the exact title given to a group of up-and-coming Hollywood stars in the 1980s, who garnered a reputation for their fantastic on-screen performances and controversial off-screen behaviour. The circle of young actors—which included stars of The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink—would have the course of their careers changed forever when they were dubbed ‘the Brat Pack’ by David Blum in a 1985 New Yorker article.
Nearly four decades on, actor Andrew McCarthy has brought the gang back together for a documentary. Titled Brats, the film features cameos from some members of the crew and has been dubbed “a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction and expectations of masculinity.”
So who exactly was in the Brat Pack—and where are they now?
Who Was In The Brat Pack?
While the term ‘Brat Pack’ referred to a group of hard-partying, relatively poorly-mannered young actors who starred onscreen together in the 1980s, which individuals, exactly it encompassed is up for debate. In fact, in the documentary, several stars say they could not fully define who was in the group.
However, it is largely agreed to include Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall.
Other connected names include Melissa Gilbert, Jon Cryer and Tom Cruise.
Where Are The Brat Pack Now?
Rob Lowe
After making his name in St. Elmos’ Fire, About Last Night and The Outsiders, Lowe’s career and public image took a hit in 1988 thanks to a sex tape scandal.
After a hiatus, he returned to Hollywood in 1992 with Wayne’s World. He has starred in 9-1-1: Lone Star since 2020 and most recently, fronted Dog Gone in 2023.
On a personal note, following relationships with actress Melissa Gilbert and Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Lowe married Sheryl Berkoff in 1991. They are still together and share two sons.
Molly Ringwald
After starring as a high schooler in flicks like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, Ringwald continued to act in mainstream films before stepping into on-screen parental roles, instead. She has played mum in The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and Riverdale, and appeared in The Kissing Booth films, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and All These Small Moments.
She is a mum in real life, too. Ringwald shares three children with author Panio Gianopoulos, who she has been married to since 2007.
Demi Moore
Moore starred in several hit films in the decade following St. Elmo’s Fire, including Ghost and A Few Good Men, as well as Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003.
She has continued to act and briefly hosted a podcast, Dirty Diana in 2020.
Famously, Moore was married to Bruce Willis, with whom she shares three daughters, who she split from in 2000 before marrying Ashton Kutcher. She and Kutcher divorced in 2013.
Judd Nelson
After making it big in the ’80s thanks to St. Elmos Fire and The Breakfast Club, Nelson went on to act opoisite Brooke Shields for three seasons of Suddenly Susan, and had a recurring role on Empire.
Nelson declined to be in the Brat Pack documentary, telling Us Weekly, ““It seems strange to have that subject matter be something for edited entertainment.”
Ally Sheedy
Following her breakout role in The Breakfast Club, Sheedy starred in Short Circuit in 1986 and High Art in 1998, and has continued to act in various film and television projects.
She married David Lansbury in 1992 but they split in 2008. The pair share one son.
Andrew McCarthy
Since starring in Pretty in Pink, Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie’s McCarthy has mainly been behind the camera.
Before he helmed the Brat Pack documentary, MCarthy directed episodes of Orange Is the New Black, The Blacklist and more.
He released his memoir, Brat: An ’80s Story in 2021, which is what the doco is based on.
MCarthy shares a son with his first wife Carol Schneider, and two children with Delores Rice, who he married in 2011.
Anthony Michael Hall
When he was just 17 years old, Hall joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 1985–1986 season, and would go on to appear in classics like Weird Science and Edward Scissorhands, as well as several television roles.
Hall starred in Halloween Kills in 2021, four years after he was sentenced to three years probation for assaulting his neighbour during an argument.
He married Lucia Oskerova in a private ceremony in 2020 and they share one son.
Emilio Estevez
Following roles in The Outsiders, St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club, Esteves enjoyed a string of successful projects including Young Guns and The Mighty Ducks. He has also written, directed and acted in two of his own films; The Way and The Public.
In 2021 he reprised his role in the reboot series of The Mighty Ducks, but was replaced in season two.
After dating Moore from 1984-86, Estevez married Paula Abdul in 1992. They divorced two years later.
The actor has two children from a separate relationship with model Carey Salley.
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