Where Is the Parks and Recreation Cast Now? See How the Stars Have Kept Pawnee in Their Lives 10 Years After the Finale — and Who’s ‘Down’ for a Reunion

It’s been 10 years since fans said goodbye to Leslie Knope and her quirky group of coworkers on Parks and Recreation.

Following the massive success of sitcoms like 30 Rock and The Office, NBC premiered Parks and Recreation in 2009 — a mockumentary series that followed the chronically underfunded and underperforming Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind.

The show attracted massive talent, including Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler and former The Office cast member Rashida Jones. Everwood star Chris Pratt also signed on and soon became one of Hollywood’s leading men.

Since the show ended in 2015, several cast members went on to find lasting success: Aubrey Plaza appeared in season 2 of HBO’s hit show The White Lotus and Adam Scott currently stars in the Emmy-winning series Severance on Apple TV+.

Amid their busy schedules, the Parks and Recreation alums stay in touch via group chat, known to the cast as “Parks Family Text.” Jim O’Heir told NPR’s Book of the Day that “to this day, [we] are good friends, and we love each other.”

To celebrate the show ending a decade ago, here’s where the cast of Parks and Recreation is now.

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope

Amy Poehler starred as Leslie Knope, a paper-pushing bureaucrat at the Parks and Recreation Department in her hometown of Pawnee.

Before starring in Parks and Recreation, Poehler had already established herself as a comedian after being a cast member on SNL from 2001 to 2008.

During her time on Parks and Rec, Poehler’s fame continued to grow; she voice-acted in the animated movies Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and Inside Out (2015) and starred in Sisters (2015). After the show ended, Poehler reteamed with her costar Nick Offerman to host the reality competition series Making It, which featured skilled craftspeople trying to create the best handmade projects. The show ran from 2018 to 2021.

More recently, Poehler starred alongside comedic powerhouses like Megan Mullally, Andy Richter and Chelsea Peretti in the comedy First Time Female Director (2023) and reprised her role in Inside Out 2 (2024).

Poehler has also worked behind the camera as a director and producer, including notable titles like Broad City and Russian Doll. In 2022, she directed and produced the Emmy-winning documentary Lucy and Desi, which chronicled the life and relationship of comedians Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

That same year, at the premiere of Russian Doll’s second season, Poehler told PEOPLE that she was open to doing a Parks and Rec reboot, saying, “Anytime anybody gives me the word, and I’m down.”

Off-screen, Poehler was married to fellow actor Will Arnett from 2003 to 2016. The couple met when Arnett went to see one of her improv shows in New York City in 1996. During their time together, the couple had two children, sons Archie and Abel.

Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins

Rashida Jones played Ann Perkins, a nurse who, thanks to a giant pit that people keep falling into, gradually becomes more involved in local government — more specifically, the Parks and Recreation Department.

Before joining the cast of Parks and Rec, Jones was already a recognizable face due to her previous television work. She had a recurring role in Boston Public (2000-2002) and starred as Karen Filippelli on The Office from (2006-2009; 2011).

While appearing on Parks and Rec, she had some other notable performances, including The Social Network (2010) and The Muppets (2011). Jones also held a voice role on the Hulu animated comedy The Awesomes (2013-2015).

After the Parks and Rec finale, Jones was cast in films like The Grinch (2018) and Spies in Disguise (2019), as well as the film On the Rocks (2020), in which she starred opposite Bill Murray. Most recently, Jones was featured in an Apple TV+ mystery series titled Sunny (2024) about a woman living in Japan who must investigate her husband’s disappearance with the help of an AI companion.

In her personal life, Jones has been dating Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig since at least 2016, and in 2018 they welcomed their first son, Isaiah.

During a recent interview with Gold Derby, Jones reflected on the show ending a decade ago. “Wait, were we in 2025 in the end?” she said. “That’s crazy!”

The actress also shared her thoughts on a possible reunion. “Oh man, I hope sometime soon,” she said of a revival, noting: “I know [co-creator] Mike Schur was like, ‘There has to be a reason for us to do it. We can’t just do it.’ But I would love that.”

Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford

Aziz Ansari played Tom Haverford, a disinterested and underachieving city employee under Leslie’s watch.

Parks and Recreation was one of Ansari’s first major roles. He was previously best known for his short-lived sketch comedy series on MTV, Human Giant, which aired from 2007 to 2008.

During his seven seasons on Parks and Rec, Ansari took on numerous other projects, holding recurring roles in series like Bob’s Burgers, The League and Adventure Time. He also gained fame as a stand-up comedian, landing his first major special on Comedy Central in 2010. He has since released four more specials on Netflix.

In 2015, just a few months after Parks and Rec aired its finale episode, Ansari created, produced and starred in Master of None — a hit Netflix comedy that aired three seasons and earned the actor an Emmy for outstanding writing and a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV series.

In 2022, Ansari married Serena Skov Campbell, per Vanity Fair.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson

Nick Offerman played Ron Swanson, a libertarian government employee who believes in “small government” and therefore wants the Parks and Recreation Department to be as small, underfunded and useless as possible.

Parks and Recreation was one of Offerman’s first major roles. During his time on Parks and Rec, Offerman landed numerous stand-up specials and starred in movies like 21 Jump Street (2012), We’re the Millers (2013) and The Lego Movie (2014).

After the series concluded, he joined costar Poehler in hosting Making It and had a role in Hulu’s Emmy-nominated miniseries Pam & Tommy (2022). Offerman also starred in the now-memorable third episode of The Last of Us (2023), in which he played a reclusive survivalist during the zombie apocalypse who ends up falling in love with a stranger (Murray Bartlett).

When appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Offerman admitted that he almost turned down the role until his wife Megan Mullally forced him to take it. “I didn’t have time on the calendar to say ‘yes’ to this job,” Offerman said. “And my incredible goddess of a wife read [the script] — and she said ‘You’re going to Calgary, buddy. Have fun! You have to do this.’ ”

Offerman and Mullally have been married since 2003 and have appeared in numerous projects together. Offerman held a guest spot in Mullally’s Will & Grace, and she, in turn, guest-starred in Parks and Rec as his on-screen ex-wife, Tammy Swanson.

The actor is also open to a Parks and Rec reboot, telling PEOPLE in 2020, “The last we saw him [his character, Ron Swanson], he took a job as a park ranger, so I imagine he’s befriended some bears and is teaching them to play Liverpool rummy.”

Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate

Aubrey Plaza played April Ludgate, a disinterested intern who ends up becoming Ron’s assistant, thanks to her aloof demeanor and subpar work ethic.

Before starring on Parks and Rec, Plaza’s first major TV appearance was a guest spot on an episode of 30 Rock (2006), in which she also played an intern. She’s also starred in hits like Dirty Grandpa (2016), Child’s Play (2019) and the second season of The White Lotus (2022), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress in a limited series.

That same year, Plaza told Digital Spy that, while she loved the reputation she developed from Parks and Rec, she felt like she was typecast.

“I feel like there was a time when I was on Parks and Rec and right after where it was a little bit hard to get myself out of that box and show people like no, that’s not all I can do, you’ve just been seeing me do it for seven years. It was my job,” Plaza explained.

In her personal life, Plaza was married to director and screenwriter Jeff Baena from 2021 until his unexpected death on Jan. 3, 2025. Baena died by suicide at age 47.

Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer

Chris Pratt played Andy Dwyer, a dimwitted slacker who ends up working at the Parks and Recreation Department despite being unqualified and uninterested.

Before starring in Parks and Recreation, Pratt had already held a leading role in the WB drama Everwood, which ran for four seasons (2002-2006). After that, he landed a recurring role in season 4 of The O.C. in 2006.

During his time on Parks and Rec, Pratt transitioned from a TV star to a Hollywood leading man. He had roles in movies like Moneyball (2011) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012) before skyrocketing to fame, thanks to his work in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

In January 2015, Pratt appeared on Ellen a few weeks before the Parks and Rec finale, telling the host, “I feel a little sad, it’s been seven amazing seasons.”

The actor also added that he didn’t originally have a starring role in the show. “I was just a guest star that came on for six episodes,” Pratt said, “and then they ended up keeping me on and putting me in every episode all seven seasons.”

Since the show has ended, Pratt has only added to his acting credits. In 2023, Pratt voiced Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which became the second highest-grossing animated movie of all time (behind Frozen II). He went on to voice Garfield in the 2024 film adaptation of the classic comic.

From 2009 to 2018, Pratt was married to actress Anna Faris, and they had a son, Jack, in 2012. Pratt later married Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019 (making Arnold Schwarzenegger his father-in-law), and the couple have three children: Lyla Maria, born in 2020, Eloise Christina, born in 2022, and son Ford, who arrived in 2024.

Pratt’s next project will be reprising his role as James Reece in season 2 of the Amazon Prime military drama The Terminal List.

Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt

Adam Scott played Ben Wyatt, an awkward city official who’s running away from his past life in Minnesota where, at just 18 years old, he became mayor of a small town and had a disastrous term.

Before joining Parks and Rec at the end of season 2 and becoming a series regular the next season, Scott starred in the STARZ comedy Party Down, which premiered in 2009. Scott learned the series might not get renewed for a third season, so when the opportunity to join Parks and Rec presented itself, he took it.

He recalled the moment to Entertainment Weekly, saying, “We were waiting to hear whether we would get a season 3 for Party Down, and the wait became longer and longer … Then the Parks and Rec opportunity comes up, so I needed to try and find out if there’s a chance that Party Down‘s going to get picked up.”

Scott reached out to an executive at STARZ to see if he should take the role and was told, “If you have an opportunity in front of you, you should take it.”

After Parks and Rec ended, Scott landed a recurring role on The Good Place in 2016 before starring in the popular HBO show Big Little Lies (2017-2019). He currently stars in and produces the Apple TV+ drama Severance, which earned the actor an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for outstanding lead actor.

Off-screen, Scott has been married to his wife, producer Naomi Scott, since 2005. The couple have two children: son Graham and daughter Frankie.

Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger

Rob Lowe portrayed Chris Traeger, an auditor from the state who comes in to help the city of Pawnee with its crippling budget issues. He’s known for his over-the-top positivity and healthy lifestyle.

Long before joining Parks and Rec, Lowe had already been a well-known Hollywood actor for decades, starring in films like The Outsiders (1983) and St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) and holding a lead role in the political drama The West Wing (1999-2003; 2006).

A few months after Parks and Rec ended, Lowe spoke with PEOPLE about when fans can expect a reunion, saying, “You’ve never met a group of actors who are more busy. The reunions are going to be many decades off.”

Lowe then joined the cast of Marcia Gay Harden’s hospital drama Code Black (2016-2018) and worked on 9-1-1: Lone Star for five seasons before Fox announced its cancellation in September 2024. However, the actor might count starring alongside his son John Owen in the Netflix series Unstable as his biggest accomplishment since Parks and Rec.

“Neither one of us could have made this show without the other. I couldn’t have gone off and said, ‘Hey, I wanna do a father-son show,’ without John Owen,” Lowe told Men’s Health in 2023.

The actor has been married to makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff since 1991, and the couple have two sons: Matthew Edward and actor John Owen.

Retta as Donna Meagle

Marietta Sirleaf, better known as Retta, played Donna Meagle, the Parks and Recreation Department’s office manager. Like much of the staff, she’s completely uninterested in her job.

Before joining Parks and Rec, Retta was already an accomplished stand-up comedian. After the series concluded, she continued performing and also joined the cast of the dramedy Good Girls (2018-2021). Since 2022, she’s been the host of the HGTV series Ugliest House in America, and in 2023, she appeared in Hit Man opposite Glen Powell.

Jim O’Heir as Jerry Gergich

Jim O’Heir played Jerry Gergich, a longtime employee of the Parks and Rec department who, like most of the other employees, focuses on his home life more than putting in a hard day’s work at the office.

Starring in Parks and Rec remains O’Heir’s biggest role to date. Before joining the show, he held guest spots on series like ER (1996) and Ally McBeal (1999). Since the show’s finale, he has appeared in other shows like Call Me Kat (2021) and Better Call Saul (2022). He also co-hosted the Parks and Rec fan podcast, Parks and Recollection, and published Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles and Parks and Recreation in November 2024.

In 2018, O’Heir sat down with PEOPLE and shared his thoughts about his Parks and Rec costars, saying, “Nick [Offerman], I don’t know what he’s saying all the time because he speaks in words that are just too smart for me. Aubrey [Plaza] is just scary. Amy [Poehler] is pretty much loving.”

He also revealed that Pratt had a tendency to share spoilers for his upcoming movies. “I got some good stuff about Avengers,” O’Heir said. “And then I saw it and I went, ‘Yeah, he told me that would happen.’ ”