"Glee" Ended In 2015, Here's What All Of The Main Cast Have Been Up To Since Then

Rachel is, in many ways, the face of Glee, and Lea has certainly seen her fair share of success since the series ended. Currently starring as Fanny Brice on Broadway in the musical revival of Funny Girl, Lea has also released three studio albums and authored two books. She reunited with the team behind Glee when she appeared on Scream Queens, and also starred in the ABC TV series, The Mayor.

It's also worth noting that Lea has been the subject of numerous controversial allegations since the show ended. In 2020, former co-star Samantha Ware accused her of racist bullying, and season four actor Dabier Snell also shared that Lea exhibited exclusionary behaviour on set. Several Glee alumni – including Heather Morris, Amber Riley, and the late Naya Rivera – have supported Samantha and Dabier's accounts that Lea was "unpleasant" to work with.

Will was the earnest, Justin Timberlake-esque teacher behind the New Directions (the glee club) at William McKinley High. Shortly after appearing in the series, Matthew joined the original Broadway cast of Finding Neverland as J.M. Barrie until 2016, and appeared as the Grinch in NBC's 2020 production Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live!. He has been a judge on The Greatest Dancer, released three studio albums, and also reunited with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk when he starred in season nine of American Horror Story.

Last year, Matthew was one of the judges on So You Think You Can Dance before he was fired for sending text messages to a contestant, which she said made her uncomfortable. 

Mercedes is best known for her spectacular voice and her long-standing rivalry with Rachel. After Glee, Amber went on to originate the lead role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls, for which she won several awards. She also briefly became part of a supergroup called the Leading Ladies with fellow West End performers Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson. Amber's debut album Songs from the Stage was released in 2017, which she followed up with an EP under the name of RILEY in 2020. She has also appeared on the musical theatre talent show Let It Shine as a judge, and last year she won The Masked Singer US.

Most recently, Amber was a judge on the musical talent competition Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream and will star in the upcoming NBC musical comedy Dream.

Another breakout Glee star is Darren. After joining the series in season two, fans became enamoured with his voice and acting and... Face, to be honest. Darren has continued to collaborate with the creators of Glee on the likes of American Crime Story and Hollywood, which he also executive produced. He was also an executive producer and star on the musical comedy series ROYALTiES, and has released a solo album and three EPs. In 2015, Darren played the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and last year he performed in the Broadway revival of American Buffalo.

His most acclaimed role has been Andrew Cunanan in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, for which he won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award. He has been voicing Clark Kent/Superman in DC's Tomorrowverse movies since 2020.

Let's be honest, Brittany was the best character on the show, and a comedic character for the ages! Since Glee, Heather has continued with her comedy on the likes of Comedy Bang! Bang! and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as well as her dancing, which she has showed off on GLOW, Dancing with the Stars, and The Masked Dancer. Heather has also appeared in Most Likely to Die, Ice Age: Continental Drift, I.R.L., and Folk Hero & Funny Guy.

Chris's portrayal of Kurt on Glee was both iconic and important. Since the show ended, Chris has been busy appearing in the likes of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Hot in Cleveland. He has also been working on several unreleased projects, including a TV show called Indigo and a biopic about Noël Coward. Chris's biggest endeavour since Glee is undoubtedly his work as an author. He has penned a whopping 18 books, including several novels in his bestselling YA series, The Land of Stories.

Artie is an OG member of the New Directions known for his vulnerable yet resilient personality. An amazing singer, Kevin released his debut EP in 2019, and also continued acting post-Glee, appearing in the docudrama When We Rise, as well as Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's AHS spin-off series, American Horror Stories. From 2014 to 2016, he hosted British panel show Virtually Famous, and in 2019, he began a Glee-oriented podcast with former co-star Jenna Ushkowitz. It began as Showmance, but has since been retitled as And That’s What You Really Missed.

Jenna played perpetual wallflower Tina in Glee. Besides her podcast with Kevin, Jenna has been busy with all sorts of projects, including founding a podcast network and appearing on Broadway in Waitress and The 24 Hour Plays. Jenna has won two Tonys for her work as a theatre producer – once in 2018 for Once on This Island and again in 2020 for The Inheritance. She has also appeared in movies like Hello Again and 1 Night in San Diego. An adoptee herself, Jenna co-founded Kindred: The Foundation in 2014, which aims to provide support to adoptees and their families.

Quinn was the bitchy cheerleader who stole all our hearts with her vulnerability. Since Glee, Dianna has worked primarily in film (mostly indie movies), appearing in The Family opposite Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, as well as Bare, Shiva Baby, The Laureate, and As They Made Us, to widespread acclaim. She starred in McQueen on the West End, and has also done several residencies as a singer at the Café Carlyle in New York.

Dancer extraordinaire Mike started off as a background character but made his way to the front of the class with the rest. After Glee, Harry has taken on more TV roles in the likes of Shadowhunters and Grey's Anatomy. He has also appeared in movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, All My Life, Love Hard, and Crazy Rich Asians. Regarding the latter, Harry will play the lead in a follow-up film focussing on his and Gemma Chan's characters.

Jayma played Emma, a guidance counselor who was struggling with mysophobia. Known for her acting in a variety of popular series, Jayma continued working in TV after Glee, appearing in Trial & Error, Getting On, Great News, and The Millers. She has also appeared in movies like Disenchanted, American Made, the Paul Blart movies, and The Smurfs movies during and after her tenure in Glee.

Chord became a part of the main cast of Glee from season two, playing adorable jock, Sam. He briefly considering leaving the show to pursue music in 2011, but ended up staying through until the show's end. After Glee, he toured with Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas and released several singles before dropping his debut EP in 2017. Chord has also continued acting, appearing in The Bold Type, ROYALTiES, and Acapulco. Last year, he starred opposite Lindsay Lohan in Falling for Christmas for Netflix.

Melissa ushered in a new crop of William McKinley High students when she began appearing as Marley Rose in season four of Glee. After leaving the series before the final season, Melissa starred in Supergirl as Kara/Supergirl, also appearing in several Arrowverse shows such as The Flash and Arrow. She has also starred in films like Whiplash, Danny Collins, and Patriots Day, and made her Broadway debut in 2018 in the jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Kitty first appeared in season four of Glee as a sort of Quinn 2.0. She was featured until the series end in 2015, and since then has continued acting in shows like Drop Dead Diva, Mystery Girls, NCIS: Los Angeles, Turner & Hooch, and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Becca has yet to return to Broadway post-Glee, but she does host a podcast called The Lady Gang with Keltie Knight and Jac Vanek, which premiered as a talk show on the E! network in 2018.

Jacob also joined the cast of Glee in season four as the younger half-brother of Noah "Puck" Puckerman. After exiting the series, Jacob joined the cast of Quantico in the role of Brandon Fletcher. He reunited with the creators of Glee when he appeared in American Horror Story: Roanoke, and has also had guest spots in The Arrangement and Now Apocalypse. Jacob's film work includes Blood Money, Haunting on Fraternity Row, and The Get Together.

Blasting onto our screens in season three after coming up through The Glee Project, Alex made his presence known thanks to his incredible voice and acting ability. They appeared until the series end, after which Alex began performing live at everything from Governors Ball Music Festival to Coachella! She has been featured on singles from the likes of Clean Bandit, The Knocks, and Sigma, and released her debut album in 2016. Alex also made his Broadway debut playing the role of Asaka in Once on This Island, and is starred in the NBC musical dramedy Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

Alex can currently be seen in Shucked on Broadway as Lulu, for which he won a Tony Award.

The character of Sheldon debuted in the second season of Glee. Dot-Marie appeared as Sheldon until the final series, during which the character came out as transgender and received gender-affirming surgery. Initially an athlete, Dot-Marie continued acting after Glee in shows such as The Resident and Modern Family, before reuniting with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk to appear in several seasons of American Horror Story. Dot-Marie has also appeared in movies such as Hurricane Bianca 2, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and Bros.

And who could forget, the glee club's perennial nemesis, Sue Sylvester! Jane has continued to show off her amazing comedy chops since departing Glee in the likes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Final Space, and Dropping the Soap, and has also lent her voice to the Wreck-It Ralph films. She's scooped up several Emmys – including for her work hosting Hollywood Game Night – and is truly the queen of cameos!

Jane also appears as Sazz Pataki, the stunt double for Steve Martin's character Charles (LOL), in Only Murders in the Building.