Where Is the “Family Ties” Cast Now? Inside the Stars' Lives Today, 37 Years After the Show Ended

The NBC sitcom, which starred Michael J. Fox, aired its last episode in May 1989

NEED TO KNOW

• Family Ties premiered in September 1982 and aired for seven seasons until its series finale in May 1989
• The sitcom follows liberal ex-hippie parents raising their suburban kids, including a conservative son
• Michael J. Fox — in his breakout role as Alex P. Keaton — won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

It's been over 40 years since the Keatons were first introduced in Family Ties.

The NBC sitcom premiered on Sept. 22, 1982, and became the breakout vehicle for Michael J. Fox. He portrayed Alex P. Keaton, a young Republican with different values from those of his former hippie parents, Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter), who were raising him and his siblings in the Ohio suburbs.

"I just want to say one thing, and that is, I loved the time that we were together," Gross said when the cast of Family Ties reunited in November 2020. "I think, as you'll all agree, a kinder, gentler politics, when … Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan could sit down over a glass of Irish Whiskey, and these two guys could hammer out compromises … was a great time."

He continued, "In the same way, we hammered out our compromises in the family, and I think that's one of the things that people loved about us."

Alex's siblings — sisters Mallory (Justine Bateman) and Jennifer (Tina Yothers) and brother Andy (Brian Bonsall) — rounded out the Keaton family.

So, where is the Family Ties cast now? Here's what the stars have been up to.

01 of 06

Michael Gross as Steven Keaton

Gross had a handful of credits under his belt when he landed the role of dad Steven Keaton on Family Ties. His progressive character managed a local TV station while dealing with the ups and downs of marriage and fatherhood.

In the years since, he has worked steadily on both the small and big screens, notably in the 1990 film Tremors and its sequels, as well as on ER and The Young and the Restless. He appeared in the 2024 Netflix film The Merry Gentleman, starring Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray.

Gross spoke of Family Ties' lasting legacy, telling ET in June 2022, "You live in fear that you're going to be canceled after the first 13 [episodes], or the pilot won't even get picked up … and then it got picked up for 13, and then you live in fear that it won't be picked up for the back 13, and then it did. And then you think, 'Okay, it'll be canceled after a year.' And then it wasn't. And then seven years later, we had done about 175 episodes."

Gross wed casting director Elza Bergeron on June 2, 1984, and became stepfather to her children.

02 of 06

Meredith Baxter as Elyse Keaton

Baxter was over a decade into her Emmy-nominated acting career when she stepped into the shoes of family matriarch Elyse Keaton.

Gross and Baxter actually share the same birthday and remain close to this day.

"Meredith and I were both 35 when we met … We've known each other for 40 years, and we're still friends," Gross told ET. "We love working together. We adore each other."

Since the series wrapped in 1989, she's had several TV credits, including roles on The Faculty, The Young and the Restless and Finding Carter, as well as guest spots on Brothers & Sisters, Cold Case and Glee. She's even joined the holiday movie universe, appearing in 2020's Christmas on the Vine.

Baxter has reunited with her Family Ties castmates over the years, joining Gross in a 2022 play and playing Fox's mom again for a few episodes on his sitcom Spin City.

The mom of five has been married to partner Nancy Locke since 2013.

03 of 06

Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton

Relative newcomer Fox stole the show as young Republican Alex P. Keaton, earning five Emmy nominations and three consecutive wins for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1986, 1987 and 1988.

"I remember walking into the mail room and finding just these gobs of mail from pre-teens going, 'This is our guy,' " Gross recalled to ET. "You just said, 'Oh, this is a phenomenon … This is exciting. [He's a] young, lovely, funny, handsome, non-threatening guy that girls are gonna fall in love with.' And they did."

The show was a launching pad for another iconic role in Fox's career: Marty McFly in the Back to the Future franchise. He continued to nab big roles in films like 1991's Doc Hollywood and the Stuart Little franchise and on shows such as Spin City, Boston Legal and The Good Wife, earning another 13 Emmy nominations and two additional wins in the process.

As of late, Parkinson's disease activism has been Fox's focus. Since his diagnosis in 1991, which he kept private until 1998, he's been raising funds and building awareness through his namesake foundation. The 2023 Apple TV documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie chronicles his journey with the disease.

Though he had retired from acting, Fox returned to Hollywood for a poignant guest spot as Gerry, a patient of Dr. Rhoades (Harrison Ford) with Parkinson's on season 3 of Shrinking.

The actor has four adult children — son Sam and daughters Aquinnah, Schuyler and Esmé — with his wife of over 35 years, Tracy Pollan. The two met on the set of Family Ties, when Pollan played Alex's first serious girlfriend, Ellen Reed.

04 of 06

Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton

Bateman was 16 when Family Ties premiered. She took on the role of somewhat ditzy Mallory Keaton, earning two Emmy nominations for her work.

As she told PEOPLE in October 2018, the show's massive success had its downsides.

"We were at the level of fame where you just can't go anywhere," she said. "You just try to keep your head above water … [and] stay alive. I found it frustrating having no control over what people thought of [me]. I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for fame at all. I'm just saying it's a crazy emotional experience."

Following Family Ties, Bateman continued acting, with roles on Men Behaving Badly, Easy to Assemble and Men in Trees. A filmmaker, she made her directorial debut with 2021's Violet and starred in 2023's The Allnighter and 2025's Feel.

Off-screen, she's an anti-AI advocate through her nonprofit Credo23. The actress has also been an outspoken advocate for aging naturally in Hollywood. Batemon has spoken to PEOPLE multiple times about her decision to skip plastic surgery and released two books, 2018's Fame: The Hijacking of Reality and 2021's Face: One Square Foot of Skin.

Bateman, who is the sister of actor Jason Bateman, has been married to Mark Fluent since 2001. They have two adult children together, son Duke and daughter Gianetta.

05 of 06

Tina Yothers as Jennifer Keaton

Yothers was 9 when she took on the part of wise-beyond-her-years sister Jennifer Keaton.

"I was just a kid being a kid," she said of her audition during the 2020 reunion.

"Behind the scenes, we had so much fun," Yothers added. "I mean, seriously, the water gun fights. The wrestling matches. We got in a lot of trouble; we weren't the most well-disciplined cast because we would have so much fun together."

She followed Family Ties with a handful of other roles, including a single-episode appearance on Married… with Children, before leaving acting behind in the late '90s. She later appeared on reality shows like Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Wife Swap.

She and her husband, Robert Kaiser, have four children.

06 of 06

Marc Price as Irwin "Skippy" Handelman

Price played Irwin "Skippy" Handelman, the Keatons' neighbor who was hopelessly in love with Mallory.

He appeared in a handful of other projects following Family Ties, though his true passion is stand-up. Despite being recognized more for the sitcom than his comedy work for a time, he told the Los Angeles Times in February 1991, "Family Ties helped me. It helped me introduce Marc Price to people."

In October 2017, Price revealed during an interview with 101.5 WPDH Radio that he was still close with his castmates and had donated proceeds from merch sales on his comedy tour to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

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