The TV sitcom “Step by Step,” which was created by TV sitcom heavyweights Thomas L. Miller and Robert Boyett with the help of producers Michael Warren and William Bickley, focused on a blended family and showed the drama and humour that come with adjusting to new family structures. The wedding parents were portrayed by television legends Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers, and the show bore all the hallmarks of a family-friendly sitcom from the 1990s: it was a little cheesy, but in a cute way.
Along with the Miller-Boyett sitcoms “Full House” and “Family Matters,” which are perhaps more ingrained in popular culture than “Step by Step,” the series was a part of ABC’s “TGIF” lineup. Followers may recall “Family Matters” icon Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) making an appearance on the second episode of “Step by Step” in an effort to draw his fans to the nascent comedy. Crossover episodes were common on the “TGIF” comedies. “Step by Step” ran for seven seasons, from 1991 to 1998, and quickly established itself as a hit of its own. You might be curious about what happened to the cast of the show decades later. Let’s examine what the former sitcom stars have been doing since 1998 and the reasons you might not be hearing about them any longer.
Angela Watson
On “Step by Step,” Angela Watson played Karen, the second-oldest model daughter of the Foster-Lambert family. She lost touch with her co-stars for 20 years after the show ended, and after battling her parents for stealing her “Step by Step” funds, she founded the nonprofit CAST (Child Actors Supporting Themselves). When kid actors discover that their parents have taken all of their money and they are unable to pay for lawyers, detectives, or accountants to find out what has happened, she said, “Our purpose is to give monies for child performers.”
However, Watson admitted that the decision to sue her parents had not truly been her idea when she made an appearance on her former co-star Christine Lakin’s “Worst Ever Podcast” in 2020. She asserted that for 20 years she had endured narcissistic abuse from a boyfriend who had led her to believe that everyone was out to get her. “I’m aware that a lot of information online is false. There are truths, thus I’m attempting to right the record. I did, in fact, sue my parents. That is true, but I was really sort of brainwashed by a certain person, who caused me to turn against my entire family, my entire cast, and my friends “She spoke up.
She managed to escape the toxic relationship, and she now resides in Florida close to her family. In addition to advancing her singing career, Watson concentrates on minor gigs with regional modelling agencies.
Brandon Call
A popular kid actor who now leads a private life is Brandon Call. He won two Young Artist Awards for his work on the 1980s soap opera “Santa Barbara,” and in the early 1990s, he had an appearance on “The All New Mickey Mouse Club.” He appeared on a number of television programmes, including “Step by Step,” where he played J.T. Lambert, Frank Lambert’s son, as well as “Magnum P.I.,” “Baywatch,” and “The Charmings.” However, the ABC/CBS series was his last acting role, and according to IMDb, he hasn’t appeared on screen since 1998. Call was the target of an armed assault in 1996. According to AP News, he was being pursued down in his automobile by a driver who was firing shots at it. The actor was hurt, although not seriously. “I feel great, and no surgery is necessary for my wounds. With my family at home, I’m recovering “he declared at the time in a statement.
Christine Lakin, Call’s co-star, had an appearance on “Pod Meets World” in 2022, which was hosted by Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and Danielle Fishel. Lakin was questioned about Brandon Call’s attack in 1996 after saying that they shared a classroom on set. “He drove to a police station, where he essentially just exited the vehicle and collapsed on the stairs. It was crazy “Lakin recalled. She made a guess: “I will admit that although I am unsure, I strongly believe that a horrific occurrence of that nature will alter you on some level. He seemed to have lost interest in the limelight as well, in my opinion.”
Bronson Pinchot
The iconic sitcom “Perfect Strangers,” on which Bronson Pinchot played Balki, helped launch his TGIF career in the 1980s. He was introduced to the “Step by Step” family after the fact. According to South Coast Today, Pinchot played Jean-Luc, a “wacky beautician,” who worked with Carol in the show’s last season. He has continued acting in modest films and has played Principal George Hawthorn on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” although he left Hollywood to concentrate on remodelling jobs.
“When I was in New York City performing a Broadway production and using a computer, I stumbled onto country homes with property surrounding them that cost the equivalent of half a studio apartment in the Big Apple. In an interview with “Good Morning America,” he said, “I just got it into my head that I had to have one, and then I got another one and another one ” (via People). He discovered a new interest for restoring and reselling properties after buying houses. The Bronson Pinchot Project, a short-lived reality series on the DIY network that is currently available to watch on Discovery+, was ironically Pinchot’s return to television thanks to his newfound pastime. Since then, he has made appearances on other shows, such as “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “NCIS: Hawaii.”
Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin has continued to be one of the most active former Foster-Lambert children in the “Step by Step” family. Lakin’s stint on the show, where she portrayed spunky tomboy Al Lambert, had a profound effect on her life. “Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers played a huge role in my childhood. They were genuinely two of the most amazing, kind, and wonderful individuals, and I believe that’s why I’m such a well-adjusted former child actress “She spoke to Today.
After the series concluded, Lakin kept performing and began developing her own projects. She co-wrote, co-directed, and appeared in the comedy miniseries mockumentary “Lovin’ Lakin” (2012) about a fictionalised version of herself attempting to make a comeback in Hollywood. “Over the years, I’ve encountered a lot of folks who really believe that, for lack of a better expression, their s*** doesn’t stink. People who believe they have reached a particular stage in their careers and are immune to outside distractions make me laugh. I got this notion from there, “To Entertainment Weekly, she spoke. In 2017, Lakin teamed up with Jodie Sweetin and Beverley Mitchell to create the Pop TV comedy series “Hollywood Darlings,” which exaggerated the lifestyle of former child stars in Los Angeles.
Now that he is married and has two kids, Lakin focuses on his profession as a director, working on shows like Disney’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and ABC’s “The Goldbergs.” Her latest project is “Keanan and Lakin,” a “Step by Step” rerun show with Staci Keanan. She is a skilled choreographer and podcaster who spent years co-hosting “Worst Ever Podcast” with Alaa Khaled.
Christopher Castile
Mark, the youngest and most geeky of the Foster siblings, was portrayed by Christopher Castile. In an interview with The Downey Legend, Castile claimed, “Most of the time I played that nerdy kid.” The young actor provided Eugene Horowitz’s voice for Nickelodeon’s “Hey Arnold!” in 1996 and 1997. He ultimately made the decision to give up performing and lead a more sedate life. “I merely desired to be ordinary. I lacked the time to use my free time like any other typical adolescent would have.” He met his future wife in high school, attended college, and started a career in teaching. Castile is a member of the Downey High School social studies department. He teaches political science as a professor at Biola University.
Online, Castile appears to be rather secretive, but he may have created a Twitter account in 2011, and one of his first tweets was addressed to his old “Step by Step” co-stars. He wrote, “Tagging” Suzanne Somers, Christine Lakin, and Jason Marsden “Hello everyone! I’m Chris, and I’m pleased to see that you all are already tweeting.” It’s nice to see that the Foster-Lambert family is still in touch, and maybe one day Castile and the cast will come back together.
Jason Marsden
If you’re a fan of ’90s pop culture, you probably recognise Jason Marsden not only as Rich Halke, J.T. Lambert’s closest friend from “Step by Step,” but also as Thackery Binx, everyone’s favourite talking cat (sorry, Salem). Since the beginning of his career, Marsden has primarily performed as a voice actor. Therefore, even though you might not have seen him in a while, it’s likely that you have heard of him.
He now now has a YouTube programme called “Mars Presents.” He detailed the series in an interview with M Live, adding, “It draws inspiration from popular variety shows from the 1960s and 1970s. Independent comedians and musicians are featured. In Nashville, I reside. There is so much incredible ability here.” He continues to perform on the comic book and fan convention circuit, frequently sharing the stage with his “Hocus Pocus” cast mates. “I used to do appearances at conventions; we get to do this frequently since “Hocus Pocus” is so popular. People watch it and show their children, “In the interview, he said.
Patrick Duffy
In the 1980s, Patrick Duffy was a huge TV star, especially since he played Bobby Ewing in the venerable primetime serial opera “Dallas.” Some people questioned whether he could be a comic actor before he made the switch to sitcoms with “Step by Step.” Because she had only ever seen Duffy on “Dallas,” Suzanne Somers admitted to having her misgivings when she found out he would be her co-star. But such reservations were swiftly dispelled. She remarked, “He’s got this innate wit and the sort of physical comedy skills of a John Ritter.
He returned to acting in drama after seven years as the Foster-Lambert family patriarch, primarily appearing in Hallmark films and the daytime serial “The Bold and the Beautiful.” But Duffy has spent a significant portion of his time since “Step by Step” on his $14 million Oregon ranch, which he listed for sale in 2022. (per People). And since his wife tragically passed away in 2017, Duffy has discovered love once more with “Happy Days” star Linda Purl. In an interview with People in 2020, he said, “I’m in an unbelievably wonderful relationship…. I never thought I’d feel this way again.” The actor also comes from a line of bartenders. The Broadwater Plunge in Los Angeles was inaugurated by Duffy, his son, and his daughter-in-law in 2018.
Sasha Mitchell
In “Step by Step,” Sasha Mitchell portrayed Cody Lambert. He also had an appearance in the “Kickboxer” series while he was on the show. According to ABC News, he actually holds a black belt in tae kwon do. He appeared to be quite involved in martial arts as of 2019 based on his Instagram.
Mitchell was detained for domestic abuse in 1995, which may explain why he avoided the spotlight after “Step by Step” ended. He entered a not guilty plea and refuted all charges. According to E! News, the actor was sentenced to three years of probation and counselling, but he disobeyed these requirements. Mitchell spent 30 days in jail before being sentenced to an additional 60 days for violating his probation and continuing to do violent actions while he was allowed to film “Step by Step” (according to the Los Angeles Times).
According to his IMDb website, he didn’t completely retire from acting and has made sporadic cameo appearances in films including the independent 2016 film “I Love You Both” and the 2019 film “Drunk Parents,” which stars Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek.
Staci Keanan
Originally known as Anastasia Sagorsky, the performer changed it to Staci Love and then to Staci Keanan when she began getting jobs, according to People. Keanan rose to fame as a child performer on the series “My Two Dads,” where she shared a role with Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan. Keanan was cast as Dana Foster on “Step by Step” after the show ran for three seasons. She left the entertainment business after that.
According to Southwestern Law School, Keanan completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA where she majored in art history. She subsequently continued on to law school and graduated in 2013. Since then, she has established a successful legal profession and uses her birth name when practising law in Los Angeles. She is currently an adjunct professor of law and a deputy district attorney for the Los Angeles District. “She has prosecuted a broad range of offences, including domestic violence, sex crimes, gang crimes, and homicide, from the charge appraisal stage through jury trial,” according to the website of Southwestern Law School.
The fact that Keanan gave abandoned the Hollywood lifestyle is not totally unexpected. She was never really absorbed in the child star lifestyle, not even as a child. She stated to People in a 1987 story, “I made an effort to avoid being Hollywood. It seems that when children or anyone else becomes egotistical, they develop an inflated self-image, therefore you should consider this and try to prevent it from happening.” wisdom from a 12-year-old at the time.
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers rose to fame in the 1970s as Chrissy Snow on “Three’s Company,” and in the 1990s she reinvented herself as the queen of the infomercial, hawking the ThighMaster. In “Step by Step,” where she played Carol Foster Lambert for all seven seasons, she made a comeback to the world of TV sitcoms. But Somers’ final significant on-screen role was in “Step by Step.” She has been married to husband Alan Hamel for about 50 years and has since left that role to concentrate on other career undertakings. The camera operator for “The Suzanne Somers Podcast” is him.
According to Yahoo! News, Somers showcased her talents on the Las Vegas stage in the early 2000s, but her career was put on hold when she was given the news of her breast cancer diagnosis in 2001. Somers turned to alternative medicine after being diagnosed and having the tumour removed. She has written several books on the topic, however some of her opinions have been deemed controversial. With more than 13 novels to her credit, writing is now her main source of income. According to her website, “Writing is my biggest pleasure since I can share the things that matter most to me with all of you.”
According to Desert Sun, she also performed in a short-lived “Suzanne Sizzles” show Las Vegas in 2015. She also owns her own organic brand, which sells cosmetics, hair products, and supplements, and is motivated by her personal experiences and excitement for organic products. Of course, she continues to market the ThighMaster.