What Jon Hamm and the stars of the critically acclaimed series have been up to since they left Madison Avenue.

The cast of Mad Men, then and now: See the actors behind AMC’s Emmy-winning drama today

What Jon Hamm and the stars of the critically acclaimed series have been up to since they left Madison Avenue.

By Andrew Walsh

and Kevin Jacobsen

July 19, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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(Back row, from left to right): Rich Sommer as Harry Crane, Michael Gladis as Paul Kinsey, Bryan Batt as Sal Romano, Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway, John Slattery as Roger Sterling, Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell, and Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson; (Front row, from left to right): Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove, Robert Morse as Bert Cooper, Jon Hamm as Don Draper, and January Jones as Betty Draper on ‘Mad Men’. Credit:

AMC/Courtesy Everett Collection

“Nostalgia...a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone.” Don Draper (Jon Hamm) explains this to a group of clients in the season 1 finale of *Mad Men*, doing what he does best — connecting a product to an intangible emotional feeling within the prospective customer. Almost 20 years since that pilot aired, the drama now evokes that same nostalgic feeling in its diehard fans.

Masterfully penned by series creator Matthew Weiner, *Mad Men* transported viewers to America’s turbulent ‘60s, a time when the conservative values of the ‘50s bumped up against emerging social change. Like a great American novel, the show unraveled with distinct, complex characters like brilliant yet troubled ad man Don Draper, his long-suffering wife Betty (January Jones), and trailblazing secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss). The series marked a turning point for nearly all of its main cast members, who owe much of their further success in the industry to their roles on the period drama.

Now, on the 19th anniversary of *Mad Men*‘s 2007 premiere, we’re looking back on what the cast has been doing since pitching their last ads in 2015.**

Jon Hamm (Don Draper)

Jon Hamm as Don Draper on ‘Mad Men’; Jon Hamm attends the U.K. screening of ‘Landman’ on Nov. 8, 2024, in London, England.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC; Dave Benett/WireImage

Jon Hamm struggled for years to book parts in Hollywood, but it paid off when he landed the role of suave ad man Don Draper, catapulting him to stardom and earning him an Emmy.

“People ask, ‘How are you like Don Draper?’” Hamm told EW in 2015. “I’m like, ‘We wear the same suit size. We go to the same hair cutter.’ That’s pretty much it. It’s a character… ‘Hey, you want a drink?’ It’s like, ‘It’s 8 in the morning, no!’ [*Laughs*] If I drank as much as people were giving me, I’d be dead.”

Since Don’s final moment of zen-induced inspiration, Hamm has popped up all over the comedy world, including *Curb Your Enthusiasm* and *The Last Man on Earth*, where he reunited with January Jones. He also played cult leader Richard Wayne Gary Wayne on Tina Fey’s *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*.

Meanwhile, he’s become a regular presence on the big screen. After going up against Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner in 2010’s heist thriller *The Town*, he showed a dangerous side in *Baby Driver *(2017), a stone-cold authoritative side in *Top Gun: Maverick* (2022), and a laidback gumshoe side in *Confess, Fletch *(2022). He re-teamed with Fey for the crime comedy *Maggie Moore(s)*, directed by *Mad Men* costar John Slattery, as well as her musical remake of *Mean Girls* (2024). In addition to frequent cameos on *Saturday Night Live*, his voice is in high demand, contributing audio-only performances for projects like *Grimsburg*,* Hoppers* (2026), and *The Simpsons*. He’s also returned to prestige TV, joining the casts of *The Morning Show*, *Fargo*, and Taylor Sheridan’s *Landman*, and leading Apple TV’s *Your Friends & Neighbors*.

In 2015, he and actor-screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt separated after 18 years together. He later married actress Anna Osceola, who guest-starred in the *Mad Men *series finale, in 2023.

Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson)

Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on ‘Mad Men’; Elisabeth Moss arrives at the season 5 finale event of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Nov. 7, 2022, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Before she went toe-to-toe with Don as pioneering secretary-turned-copywriter Peggy Olson, Elisabeth Moss was best known as First Daughter Zoey Bartlet on *The West Wing*.

“I was happy that she found [happiness] in the end because I liked the statement that you can have personal happiness and work happiness. They’re not mutually exclusive,” Moss told EW in 2015 about Peggy’s triumphant fate. “I liked that. I thought it was actually kind of a very feminist statement.”

After Peggy’s last creative pitch, Moss was nominated for a Tony in 2015 for *The Heidi Chronicles. *She played another trailblazer on Hulu’s *The Handmaid’s Tale*, for which she won two Emmys in 2017 (for acting and producing). She went on to star on such limited series as *Shining Girls*, *The Veil*, and *Imperfect Women*,* *and reprised her *Handmaid’s Tale* role of June Osbourne for Hulu’s sequel series, *The Testaments*.

Moss has been in demand on the big screen, too, starring in *The Square* (2015), *Shirley* (2020), and horror hits *Us* (2019) and *The Invisible Man* (2020).

Moss was married to actor and comedian Fred Armisen from 2009 to 2011. She gave birth to her first child in 2024.

January Jones (Betty Draper-Francis)

January Jones as Betty Draper on ‘Mad Men’; January Jones attends as Net-A-Porter and Erdem host an intimate poolside dinner at Chateau Marmont to celebrate exclusive Vacation Collection on April 25, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC; Stefanie Keenan/Getty

January Jones chain-smoked her way through seven seasons as repressed suburban housewife Betty.

“I loved her storyline. I thought that I really got a very well-rounded ending for her,” she told Deadline in 2015. “[A]nd to see the very last scene at the end of the series when she has a phone call with Don, that’s actually the strongest you’ve ever seen her, and the letter to Sally, her excitement for the adventures Sally will have that she didn’t get to have — I loved every moment of it.”

After *Mad Men* made her a household name, Jones landed a series of higher-profile film roles. She was Liam Neeson’s wife in the twisty thriller *Unknown* (2011), brought Marvel supervillain Emma Frost to life in *X-Men: First Class* (2011), headlined the bloody revenge thriller *Sweetwater* (2013), and costarred in Nick Cassevetes’ crime actioner *God Is a Bullet* (2023).

Jones joined the cast of *The Last Man on Earth* before appearing in Ryan Murphy’s *The Politician* and the figure skating drama *Spinning Out*.

In 2011, she gave birth to a son, Xander.

John Slattery (Roger Sterling)

John Slattery as Roger Sterling on ‘Mad Men’; John Slattery attends the ‘Maggie Moore(s)’ premiere during the 2023 Tribeca Festival at Spring Studios on June 12, 2023, in New York City.

Craig Blankenhorn/AMC; Theo Wargo/Getty

Before donning the tailored suits of wealthy account executive Roger Sterling, John Slattery was a longtime character actor known for his recurring roles on such shows as *Sex and the City* and *Desperate Housewives*.

“It was the best,” Slattery told EW in 2020 about his time on *Mad Men*. “It’s hard to top that one as far… as everything about it. The writing, the cast. It was the experience of a lifetime.”

After sipping his last martini at Sterling Cooper, he reteamed with *Mad Men* creator Matthew Weiner for Amazon Prime Video’s *The Romanoffs* and earned critical acclaim for his turn as Ben Bradlee Jr. in Best Picture winner *Spotlight* (2015). Part of the MCU, Slattery played Howard Stark in a handful of Marvel films and voiced the role on *What If…?*. He returned to a familiar milieu by narrating the 2017 docuseries *The Real Mad Men of Advertising*, which chronicled the contributions of the real-life people of the post-WWII advertising world.

Since the dissolution of their ad agency, he and Jon Hamm have collaborated frequently, including for Jerry Seinfeld’s *Unfrosted *(2024), in which the two parody their *Mad Men* personas.

Slattery has been married to Talia Balsam since 1998. The actress played his onscreen spouse, Mona, on *Mad Men*.

Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway-Harris)

Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway on ‘Mad Men’; Christina Hendricks at the Fashion Trust U.S. 2024 Awards held on April 9, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Frank W. Ockenfels 3/AMC; Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty

Christina Hendricks was a working model and actress long before she sauntered into Sterling Cooper as no-nonsense secretary-turned-executive Joan. In fact, she was the hand model in the iconic poster for *American Beauty* (1999).

“It was the time of my life. It changed my whole life, it was amazing, and some of the most extraordinary writing,” Hendricks told *Entertainment Tonight* in 2025 of her experience being on *Mad Men*. “People daily come up and talk to me about it. It doesn’t feel like any time has passed.”

While Joan made Hendricks a small-screen star, the actress gained traction on the big screen in *Drive *(2011), the Adrien Brody-led public school drama *Detachment *(2011), and the thriller *Dark Places *(2015), opposite Charlize Theron. She had a starring role in John Slattery’s feature directorial debut, *God’s Pocket *(2014), and played the lead in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, *Lost River* (2014).

Since leaving the boardroom behind, Hendricks has stayed busy with roles on *Another Period*, *Good Girls*, and *The Buccaneers* while racking up credits for movies like *The Neon Demon* (2016), *The Strangers: Prey at Night* (2018), and *Toy Story 4* (2019). Like Slattery, she also reunited with Matthew Weiner for *The Romanoffs*.

Hendricks and her husband of 10 years, actor Geoffrey Arend, divorced in 2019. In 2024, she married camera operator George Bianchini.

Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell)

Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on ‘Mad Men’; Vincent Kartheiser poses during a photocall for ‘Das Boot’ as part of the 59th Monte-Carlo Television Festival on June 18, 2019, in Monaco.

AMC; Valery Hache/AFP via Getty

Before *Mad Men, *Vincent Kartheiser, the actor behind smarmy, ambitious ad exec Pete Campbell, was best known as Connor, the wayward son of David Boreanaz’s titular vampire on the *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* spinoff *Angel*.

That Pete was one of the least likable characters was not lost on Kartheiser. “I’m glad that we have a show where there’s a lot of gray area for everyone to play in. I think the audience chose who the good guys were and the bad guys were for themselves,” he told Vulture in 2015. “We just gave them…the most truthful version of each person that they could…and they chose to individually despise or adore us.”

Post–*Mad Men*, Kartheiser has recurred on *Casual*, *The OA*, and the TV remake of *Das Boot*. He also played Batman villain Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. the Scarecrow, on *Titans*, and starred in the 2026 drama *Go On*.

In 2022, he filed for divorce from actress Alexis Bledel, whom he met on the set of *Mad Men* during season 5. The couple shares a son.

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Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper)

Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper on ‘Mad Men’; Kiernan Shipka attends the 2024 ‘GQ’ Men of the Year on Nov. 14, 2024, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC; Charley Gallay/Getty

Kiernan Shipka made her acting debut at just 5 months old on *ER*. A series of small parts followed before she eventually landed the role of the eldest Draper child, Sally.

On the *Dinner’s on Me* podcast in 2024, Shipka said that finally watching the show gave her new insight into her character: “At the time, I think I understood her as much as she understood herself. As I get older, I understand her the way that I hope she would understand herself one day with therapy.”

After *Mad Men*, Shipka starred in Oz Perkins’ haunting *The Blackcoat’s Daughter *(2015), then stepped into the witchy world of *Chilling Adventures of Sabrina* as the title character before reprising the teenage sorceress in a pair of *Riverdale *episodes. Her other TV credits include *Feud: Bette and Joan* and *Industry*.

In two of her highest-profile roles to date, Shipka starred in the hit sequel *Twisters* (2024) and took on a villainous role in the Christmas actioner *Red One* (2024), opposite Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. She also had a memorable appearance in Perkins’ horror hit *Longlegs *(2024) and led the commune crime thriller *Stone Cold Fox* (2025).

Robert Morse (Bertram Cooper)

Robert Morse as Bert Cooper on ‘Mad Men’; Robert Morse attends a ‘Mad Men’ live read and series event at The Theater at the Ace Hotel on May 17, 2015, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Ron Jaffe/AMC; Todd Williamson/Getty

Robert Morse was a celebrated performer long before he played wealthy, eccentric senior partner Bert Cooper. During his 50-year career before *Mad Men*, he won two Tonys and an Emmy. He notably originated the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the stage version of *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying* and returned for the 1967 film adaptation.

Morse was 82 when Bert danced his way out of Don Draper’s life. “I’ve watched the episode a couple of times, and I don’t mean to be silly, but it’s an absolute love letter from creator Matt Weiner,” Morse told EW in 2014 about his character’s final appearance. “You couldn’t ask for a nicer send off.”

The legendary actor continued to work after *Mad Men*, joining the cast of *The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story* as journalist Dominick Dunne. He partnered with John Slattery for one more Broadway turn in 2016 for a revival of *The Front Page*.

In 2022, Morse died after a short illness at age 90. He had been married twice, first to Carole D’Andrea and then to Elizabeth Cosby Roberts, until his death. He had five children.

Aaron Staton (Ken Cosgrove)

Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove on ‘Mad Men’; Aaron Staton attends the premiere for ‘Based on a True Story’ at Pacific Design Center on June 1, 2023, in West Hollywood, Calif.

AMC; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Aaron Staton only had a handful of credits to his name before he played account executive Ken Cosgrove, who moonlights as a fiction writer.

After being something of a whipping boy for Roger Sterling and the other bosses, Ken ultimately turned the tables and became a client, insisting he would be “hard to please.” That arc suited Staton just fine, telling EW in 2015, “What I want for Ken is…he’s a guy who always has his happiness sort of come to him, so I hope that continues to be the case. But I feel pretty satisfied for the guy!”

Thanks to *Mad Men*, Staton has added a long list of television roles to his résumé, recurring on *Ray Donovan*, *Narcos: Mexico*, and *Castle Rock*.

Staton returned to the ‘60s, sans eye patch, for NatGeo’s 2000 miniseries adaptation of *The Right Stuff*, playing NASA astronaut Wally Schirra. More recently, he popped up on *Based on a True Story*, starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, and joined Netflix’s *Everyone Is Doing Great* for its second season.

The actor has been married to Connie Fletcher since 2006.

Rich Sommer (Harry Crane)

Rich Sommer as Harry Crane on ‘Mad Men’; Rich Sommer attends ‘White House Plumbers’ New York premiere at 92nd Street Y on April 17, 2023, in New York City.

AMC; Michael Loccisano/Getty

Rich Sommer found himself in Manhattan as mild-mannered account man (and cheating husband) Harry Crane.

In a 2011 sitdown with EW, Sommer said the secretive nature of the show’s production turned many actors into de facto fans. “We get the script the day before the table read, and we do the table read the day before we start shooting… We’re constantly like, ‘What’s going to happen?! What’s going to happen?!’ We actors talk about the show like I imagine viewers do around the water cooler. We have a little more insight, but really not that much.”

Sommer wasn’t apart from his SCDP bosses for long after *Mad Men *ended; he appeared alongside Jon Hamm and John Slattery in *Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp* just two months later. Scattered guest work followed before he reteamed with Alison Brie on *GLOW*, playing another philandering husband.

Sommer was a regular on *In the Dark* and had supporting roles in *Summer of 84 *(2018), *King Richard *(2021), *BlackBerry* (2023), and *Fair Play* (2023). He will next appear as Anthony Bourdain’s father in the 2026 biopic *Tony*.

He and his wife, Virginia, have two children.

Jared Harris (Lane Pryce)

Jared Harris as Lane Pryce on ‘Mad Men’; Jared Harris at the Newport Beach Film Festival opening night at Fashion Island on Oct. 12, 2023, in Newport Beach, Calif.

Michael Yarish/AMC; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

A respected veteran of stage and screen, Jared Harris joined the show’s ensemble in season 3 as stuffy financial officer Lane Pryce.

Harris talked to EW in 2012 about the bittersweetness of his character’s shocking departure from Sterling Cooper: “It’s an incredible place to work. It’s one of those Catch-22 things, the fact that [Weiner] decided to let Lane go meant that I got two seasons worth of storylines this year. But on the other hand, it really has been the best place to go and work, and I won’t be working there anymore. I’m going to miss them all.”

Always in high demand, Harris has played everyone from Ulysses S. Grant in Steven Spielberg’s *Lincoln* (2012) to Moriarty himself in *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows* (2011). On the small screen, he starred on *The Crown* as King George VI and the horror-tinged maritime thriller *The Terror*, and won a BAFTA for *Chernobyl*. He can currently be seen on Apple TV’s *Foundation*.

Harris is the son of legendary actor Richard Harris, a.k.a. the original Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise.

Jessica Paré (Megan Draper)

Jessica Paré as Megan Draper on ‘Mad Men’; Jessica Paré attends the screening of ‘SEAL Team’ at ArcLight Hollywood on Feb. 25, 2020, in Hollywood, Calif.

Jordin Althaus/AMC; Paul Archuleta/Getty

Montreal actor Jessica Paré arrived midway through *Mad Men*’s run as Megan, a receptionist and the future Mrs. Draper. She captured the hearts of both Don and the audience — especially after her famed rendition of “Zou Bisou Bisou.”

“I never heard ‘Zou Bisou Bisou,’” Pare admitted to EW in 2014 about filming the now-iconic song and dance. “I loved it. I think it’s so of that time and that place. It’s really a very French, very silly song, which was so en vogue at that point. And I loved that it was in French because I like using that part of my brain.”

After leaving Don (and the fictional soap *To Have and to Hold*)* *behind, Paré was a series regular on the action drama *SEAL Team* with David Boreanaz. She starred alongside Kathleen Turner in the family comedy *Another Kind of Wedding *(2017), had a supporting role in Best Picture-nominated *Brooklyn *(2015), and voiced a killer debt collector on *The Simpsons*.

In 2019, she announced on Instagram that after “16 years of cohabitation” between the U.S. and Canada, she was officially an American citizen. Paré has a son, Blues Anthony, with musician John Kastner.

Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell)

Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell on ‘Mad Men’; Alison Brie attends GLSEN’s annual Rise Up LA Benefit honoring Sheryl Lee Ralph at NeueHouse Hollywood on Oct. 18, 2024 in Hollywood, Calif.

Carin Baer/AMC; Monica Schipper/Getty

*Community* star Alison Brie played Pete’s wife, prim and proper daddy’s girl Trudy. She appeared on the two series simultaneously, rocketing her into the public consciousness.

“People have referred to Trudy as a Lady Macbeth-type character, and that, I love,” Brie said in a 2015 interview on NPR’s *Fresh Air*. “I love that analogy, and I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s very true that she has some of that to her, where she wants to be the one steering the ship behind the scenes, but she’s really the one in charge. But we also see, over the seasons, the power kind of shift back and forth between [her and Pete].”

Beyond voicing Diane on *BoJack Horseman*, Brie hopped into the ring as an actress-turned-wrestler on *GLOW*, which earned her nominations at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She later had supporting roles in the films *Promising Young Woman* (2020) and *Happiest Season* (2020) before pairing with John Cena for the action-comedy *Freelance *(2023) and costarring in *Masters of the Universe* (2026).

Brie has written three films: *Horse Girl *(2020), *Spin Me Round *(2022), and *Somebody I Used to Know *(2023), the latter being directed by her husband, actor Dave Franco. She also starred in Franco’s directorial debut, *The Rental *(2020), and costarred with him in the 2025 horror film *Together*.

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