Where Is the “Coyote Ugly” Cast Now? See the Stars Today, 26 Years After the Drama Premiered
Where Is the “Coyote Ugly” Cast Now? See the Stars Today, 26 Years After the Drama Premiered
Kate Hogan, Samantha Stutsman, Emily KrauserTue, August 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
1
From left: Maria Bello as Lil, Piper Perabo as Violet Sanford, Izabella Miko as Cammie, Tyra Banks as Zoe and Bridget Moynahan as Rachel in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’Credit: United Archives GmbH/Alamy -
Coyote Ugly premiered on Aug. 4, 2000
Loosely based on the real-life N.Y.C. saloon of the same name, the beloved film starred Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan and Melanie Lynskey, among others
Over the years, many of the Coyote Ugly cast members have expressed interest in returning for a sequel
Once a coyote, always a coyote!
Coyote Ugly hit theaters 26 years ago on Aug. 4, 2000. The beloved millennial drama tells the story of Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo), who, after bidding farewell to her New Jersey hometown to pursue her songwriting dreams in New York City, takes a job at a high-energy bar called Coyote Ugly to help pay the bills.
Directed by David McNally, the film also stars Maria Bello, Tyra Banks, Bridget Moynahan and Melanie Lynskey. Coyote Ugly was a raucous hit, grossing more than $113 million globally, per Box Office Mojo, and remains a cultural touchstone.
Which is why fans have been clamoring for a Coyote Ugly sequel — and the cast members are more than ready to saddle up for round two.
“There has been some discussion about [a sequel],” Perabo told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2025, adding, “I will say that people that were integral to making it are in communication about how to do something more.”
No official announcements have been made, so until then, here’s everything to know about where the Coyote Ugly cast is now.
01 of 08
Piper Perabo as Violet Sanford
From left: Piper Perabo as Violet Sanford in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; Piper Perabo attends Emily’s List’s third annual pre-Oscars event at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2020Credit: Everett Collection; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Perabo burst onto the scene as wannabe singer Violet Sanford, who moves from a small town in New Jersey to N.Y.C. to pursue her dreams — and ends up joining the Coyote Ugly crew.
After the movie hit theaters, Perabo found steady film work before scoring her role on Covert Affairs, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She then appeared on Notorious, Turn Up Charlie, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, The Big Leap and Billions. In 2021, she joined the cast of Yellowstone as Summer Higgins, an animal rights activist. Since 2025, she’s guest-starred on Grey’s Anatomy, Butterfly and The Hunting Party.
In July 2014, Perabo wed director-producer Stephen Kay and became stepmother to his daughter, actress Lilli Kay.
02 of 08
Tyra Banks as Zoe
From left: Tyra Banks as Zoe in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; Tyra Banks hosts a Nine West campaign launch event in celebration of International Women’s Day at ABG West Style Studio in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 5, 2020Credit: Everett Collection; Amy Sussman/Getty
Already one of the world’s most famous models when Coyote Ugly came out, Banks made her mark in the film as bartender Zoe.
Banks told PEOPLE in December 2018 that she’s “dying” to do a sequel.
“I want to produce it — I just need to get the rights from Mr. Jerry Bruckheimer or work with him.”
Since Coyote Ugly, Banks helmed her show, America’s Next Top Model, for 15 years from 2003 to 2018. She received backlash after Netflix’s 2026 documentaryReality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.
The California native also hosted Dancing with the Starsfrom 2020 to 2023 and has had guest appearances on series such as Shake It Up, Black-ish, Insecure, I Love That For You and Bel-Air. She also starred in the iconic 2000 film franchise Life-Size and its 2018 sequel.
Banks is currently dating businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin. She shares one child — son Yorks Bank Asla, born in 2016 and raised by Banks in Australia — with ex-boyfriend Erik Asla.
03 of 08
Maria Bello as Lil
From left: Maria Bello as Lil in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; Maria Bello attends the premiere of ‘Goliath’ at the London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills in West Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2016Credit: Everett Collection; Amanda Edwards/WireImage
As the bar’s tough but fair owner, Bello’s Lil gave Violet her chance, then took it away before giving her another opportunity.
Best known for her work on Mr. & Mrs. Smith and ER, Bello has also appeared in films such as A History of Violence (2005), Grown Ups (2010) and Lights Out (2016), as well as on shows like Prime Suspect, Touch, Goliath,NCIS, BeefandThe Waterfront.
The Emmy-nominated actress, who shares a son with ex-boyfriend Dan McDermott, wed chef Dominique Crenn in April 2024 and filed for divorce a year later.
04 of 08
Advertisement
Izabella Miko as Cammie
From left: Izabella Miko as Cammie in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; Izabella Miko attends the premiere of ‘Kill ‘Em All’ at Harmony Gold in L.A. on June 6, 2017Credit: Everett Collection; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
Coyote Ugly marked Izabella Miko‘s first role in Hollywood. She portrayed Cammie, the bar’s flirty, highly skilled dancer who describes herself as “the Russian tease.”
“A year before Coyote, I was selling batteries in Times Square and going to AA meetings. I didn’t have a drinking problem, but I wanted the free cookies and milk in the back,” Miko told PEOPLE at the 25th anniversary screening of Coyote Ugly in L.A. in May 2025.
The film opened doors for the Polish actress, and she went on to land parts in 2006’s Save the Last Dance 2 and 2014’s Step Up: All In. She’s also had guest spots on shows like Deadwood, Chicago Fire, Hunters, The Flight Attendant and NCIS: Hawai’i.
In March 2026, Miko became a contestant on the 18th season of Taniec z Gwiazdami, the Polish version of Dancing with the Stars.
05 of 08
Bridget Moynahan as Rachel
From left: Bridget Moynahan as Rachel in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; Bridget Moynahan attends the premiere of ‘Before the Flood’ at United Nations Headquarters in N.Y.C. on Oct. 20, 2016Credit: Everett Collection; Andrew Toth/WireImage
Coyote Ugly was also Moynahan’s first major film role. She played Rachel, the bar’s experienced, fiercely protective assistant manager who becomes a mentor to Violet.
The movie hit theaters right around the time Moynahan joined the cast of Sex and the City as Mr. Big’s wife, Natasha. She later reprised her role on an episode of And Just Like That...
She’s since starred on series such as Six Degrees and Blue Bloods and in films like I, Robot (2004), Battle Los Angeles (2011), John Wick (2014) and John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). The actress also appeared on the Blue Bloods procedural spinoff Boston Blue.
Moynahan has one child, son Jack, with her ex, Tom Brady. In October 2015, she tied the knot with N.Y.C. businessman Andrew Frankel.
06 of 08
John Goodman as Bill Sanford
From left: John Goodman as Bill Sanford in 2000’s ‘Coyote Ugly’; John Goodman attends SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations: ‘Black Earth Rising’ at the Robin Williams Center in N.Y.C. on Jan. 22, 2019Credit: Everett Collection; Theo Wargo/Getty
A huge name in Hollywood after a long stint on Roseanne, John Goodman starred as Violet’s loving, overprotective father, who discouraged his daughter’s new career path after seeing a racy photo of her in the newspaper.
Goodman’s career hasn’t slowed down, with roles in a myriad of films and on TV shows, including Argo (2012), Flight (2012), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Righteous Gemstones and The Conners. He has voiced Sully in the Monsters, Inc.franchise and Fat Freddy Freekowtski on The Freak Brothers since 2020.
He’s been married to Anna Beth Goodman since November 1989. They share one daughter, Molly.
07 of 08
Adam Garcia as Kevin O’Donnell
Adam Garcia in ‘Coyote Ugly’ (2000); Adam Garcia at the 2017 Olivier Awards at Royal Albert Hall in London on April 9, 2017Credit: Everett Collection; Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Adam Garcia played Kevin, Violet’s supportive yet initially mysterious boyfriend who encourages her to pursue her songwriting dreams.
The Australian actor, who was asked to audition after the casting director saw him in the Saturday Night Fever musical on London’s West End, went on to appear in films like Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Death on the Nile(2022) and My Eyes (2024).
Garcia shares two children with his wife, Nathalia Chubin, whom he wed in March 2015.
08 of 08
Melanie Lynskey as Gloria
From left: Melanie Lynskey attends the premiere of ‘Coyote Ugly’ at the Ziegfeld Theatre in N.Y.C. on July 31, 2000; Melanie Lynskey attends ‘Elle’ Magazine’s sixth annual Women in Television Dinner at Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, Calif., on Jan. 20, 2016Credit: George De Sota/Liaison/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Lynskey had a handful of roles under her belt before Coyote Ugly, in which she played Violet’s New Jersey-based BFF Gloria.
The New Zealand-born actress has appeared in multiple films and on TV series, including Two and a Half Men, Togetherness,Mrs. America,Candyand The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Since 2021, she’s starred on the hit Showtime series Yellowjackets, which earned her Emmy nominations in 2022 and 2023 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She also appeared on The Last of Us in 2023 as the brutal Kathleen, earning another Emmy nomination, and had a guest spot on Poker Face and Matlock in 2025.
Lynskey has been married to actor Jason Ritter since 2020, and the pair share one daughter.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
