Hint: The Winchesters are plenty busy on another Eric Kripke drama.

The cast of Supernatural, then and now: See what Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and their costars are doing today

Hint: The Winchesters are plenty busy on another Eric Kripke drama.

By Sara Netzley

Sara Netzley

Sara Netzley has over 25 years of experience covering media, pop culture, and breaking news. She has been writing for * *since 2014.

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April 29, 2026 4:00 p.m. ET

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Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, and Misha Collins as Castiel on 'Supernatural'. Credit:

Jack Rowand/The CW/Everett Collection

Before Huntr/x of *KPop Demon Hunters *(2025), there were the demon-hunting Winchester brothers of *Supernatural*. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) fought paranormal creatures of all shapes and sizes through 15 seasons, in a quest that began with them trying to locate their father and ended with an epic battle against God Himself.

Padalecki, Ackles, and their castmates have kept plenty busy following *Supernatural*'s conclusion in 2020. While each has gone in a different direction with their respective careers, many have found their way back together on *The Boys*, *Supernatural *creator Eric Kripke's popular Amazon series. Ahead, find out the latest on what the Winchester boys and their costars are up to lately.

**Warning: This article contains spoilers for *Supernatural*.**

Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester)

Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester on 'Supernatural'; Jared Padalecki attends the CW Network 2019 Upfronts at New York City Center on May 16, 2019, in New York City.

Jack Rowand/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Jared Padalecki was best known as Rory Gilmore's floppy-haired high-school boyfriend, Dean, on *Gilmore Girls*, when he stepped into the role of floppy-haired hunter turned law student turned hunter again, Sam Winchester. For 15 seasons, audiences watched Sam deal with loss, possession, and a demon blood addiction before his joyful reunion with Dean in the afterlife at the show’s end.

“The series finale is my favorite episode of all-time,” Padalecki told EW. “[I] couldn't be more pleased with the way it turned out.” (We won’t talk about the wig.) Off-screen, *Supernatural *handed Padalecki his own happy ending when his future wife, Genevieve Cortese, was cast as the demon Ruby in 2008, taking over the role from Katie Cassidy. The couple married in 2010 and has three children.

When *Supernatural *ended, Padalecki swapped hunting demons for chasing lawbreakers on *Walker*, the reimagining of *Walker, Texas Ranger* that ran for four seasons on the CW before being canceled in May 2024. The show, which Padalecki executive-produced and starred on, reunited him professionally with Cortese, who played his late wife, as well as his *Supernatural* grandfather, Mitch Pileggi. He also appears in the fifth and final season of *The Boys*.

Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester)

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester on 'Supernatural'; Jensen Ackles attends the CW Network 2019 Upfronts at New York City Center on May 16, 2019, in New York City.

Bettina Strauss/CW/Courtesy Everett; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Before he died in the series finale while taking out a nest of vampires, Dean Winchester loved rock music, aliases inspired by rock musicians, and erotic print publications. In less capable hands, he would’ve been a buffoonish caricature, but not on Jensen Ackles' watch.

“There was a reason why I think we all stuck around though, because we just truly enjoyed it,” Ackles said on *Late Night With Seth Meyers* in 2022. “It was a family.” The family connection was literally true for Ackles, whose wife, Danneel, made her *Supernatural *debut in season 13 as faith healer Sister Jo, the human vessel of the angel Anael. The pair married in 2010 and have three children.

Since the end of *Supernatural*, he carried a (legitimate) badge as Sheriff Beau Arlen on *Big Sky*; reprised his role as Dean for *The Winchesters*, the single-season *Supernatural *spinoff that he and his wife executive-produced; fondly patted a classic Impala in season 1 of *Tracker*; and starred on the short-lived crime drama series *Countdown*.

He also notably stepped into some familiar shoes as Soldier Boy on *The Boys* and its spinoff,* Gen V*. "I somehow managed to end with the same kind of boots for Soldier Boy that I wore as Dean Winchester," Ackles told EW in 2020. "Different color but same boot."

Misha Collins (Castiel)

Misha Collins as Castiel on 'Supernatural'; Misha Collins attends the CW Network 2019 Upfronts at New York City Center on May 16, 2019, in New York City.

Sergei Bachlakov/The CW/Courtesy Everett; Kevin Mazur/Getty

After Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins clocked the most minutes on *Supernatural* as the angel Castiel, beginning in season 4 when he received one of the show’s most memorable character introductions.

“When you're coming onto a show as a guest star, it can be a little bit nerve-racking,” Collins told EW in the run-up to the show’s final episodes in 2020. “Coming to this set, it was an immediately different vibe. Thinking about working on other shows in the future, that's something that I aspire to bring with me.”

As Cas slowly became the Winchesters’ biggest advocate, ally, accomplice, and source of fish-out-of-water humor, his relationship with Dean often set the internet ablaze. “For years, fans would ask, ‘How do you see Cas ending on the show?’ And I've always said in some heroic sacrifice,” Collins told EW in 2020. “If he can sacrifice himself for the greater good and for his little cabal of humans who have become his family, I think that Cas will have served his purpose as far as he's concerned.” And that’s just what he did, with a first (and final) “I love you” to Dean.

Collins has since taken on the role of Harvey Dent on the CW’s *Gotham Knights.* lent his vocal talents to the spooky podcast *Bridgewater*, and appears in the final season of *The Boys*. He also launched the nonprofit Random Acts.

He was married to producer and writer Victoria Vantoch from 2001 to 2022. They share two children.

Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer)

Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer on 'Supernatural'; Jim Beaver attends Pasadena Playhouse presents opening night red carpet of 'Uncle Vanya' at Pasadena Playhouse on June 5, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif.

Jack Rowand/The CW/Courtesy: Everett; Albert L. Ortega/Getty

You weren’t a true member of the *Supernatural *family until Uncle Bobby called you an “idjit.” Thankfully, the Winchesters’ father figure did just that, firmly and frequently. "I didn’t count the idjits, but we know there’s always at least two," Jim Beaver told EW in 2015 about one of his character’s many postmortem appearances.

After *Supernatural’s *conclusion, Beaver played another Robert Singer on Kripke’s *The Boys*, and he brought Bobby back yet again on *The Winchesters.*

"I love the character, I love how he has fit into the show over the last 12 to 13 years, and I also love being there with that group of people," Beaver said in 2018. "It’s such a joyous experience every time for me."

Beaver was married to singer-actress Sarah Spiegel from 2019 to 2024. He has a daughter from his previous marriage to Cecily Adams.**

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (John Winchester)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester on 'Supernatural'; Jeffrey Dean Morgan attends 'The Walking Dead: Dead City' premiere during the 2023 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on June 13, 2023, in New York City.

CW/Courtesy: Everett; Manny Carabel/WireImage

John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is perhaps most notable for his absence on *Supernatural*. After all, “Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days” is the line that brought Sam and Dean back together in the pilot. It was John’s unique combination of training and neglect that turned his sons into the battle-hardened demon-slayers audiences met at the beginning of the road.

“Like a father would be, I'm very proud of the guys,” Morgan told EW in 2019. “It makes me get choked up because they've done so well here.” In fact, Morgan’s bond with his *Supernatural* sons is more than skin deep; the trio got matching tattoos at Morgan's 2019 wedding (which Ackles officiated) to *One Tree Hill* star Hilarie Burton. The couple shares two children.

Much of Morgan’s time on *Supernatural* overlapped with his turn as the doomed Denny Duquette on *Grey's Anatomy*. He also played the final-season love interest for Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) on *The Good Wife* before landing the role of love-to-hate-him, hate-to-love-him Negan Smith on *The Walking Dead* and its spinoff, *The Walking Dead: Dead City*. The latter two projects paired him with fellow *Supernatural *alum Lauren Cohan, who played posh con artist Bela Talbot in season 2. Morgan joined *The Boys* in season 4.**

Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester)

Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester on 'Supernatural'; Samantha Smith on the red carpet at the 'Supernatural' 300th episode celebration at Pratt Hall on Nov. 16, 2018, in Vancouver, Canada.

Jack Rowland/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Phillip Chin/Getty

The death of Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) left an indelible mark on both of her sons, and her shocking return in the season 11 finale launched the show in a new direction as the famously motherless boys suddenly had their mom again.

While there were more than a few bumps along the way as Mary adjusted to life on Earth years after her death, this narrative twist gave fans the bone-deep satisfaction of watching Sam and Dean sit down to dinner with their parents. (SPN fan challenge: get through that clip without tearing up.) “Everything's right in the world in this bubble of time,” Smith told EW in 2019. “It's very romantic.”

Since her time on *Supernatural*, Smith has appeared on *9-1-1*, *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds*, *Star Trek: Prodigy*, and *FBI: Most Wanted*. She and her husband, Cory, have a son.

Mark Sheppard (Crowley)

Mark Sheppard as Crowley on 'Supernatural'; Mark Sheppard attends the Hollywood Collector's Convention on July 1, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan.

Diyah Pera/The CW/Courtesy: Everett; Jun Sato/WireImage

Crowley (Mark Sheppard) was a crafty antagonist and a slippery frenemy of the Winchesters for eight seasons, but his best contribution might just be his nickname for Sam. (For some reason, "Moose" stuck, but "Squirrel" never quite caught on for Dean.) Fittingly, the King of Hell was played by an actor with ample genre TV creds, including *Firefly, Doctor Who*, *Battlestar Galactica*, *Doom Patrol*, and* The X-Files.*

"I've been so lucky with *Battlestar *and *Firefly *and *Supernatural *to work with people, behind and in front of the camera, trying to make the best entertainment possible," Sheppard told EW in 2023, when he reprised his role on *Walker: Independence. "*And you know, hey, I get to work with the Moose again, so it's kind of cool."

In December 2023, Sheppard revealed that he had a series of heart attacks, writing on Instagram that his chances of survival "were virtually nil" without the efforts of the medical staff at Providence St. Joseph Hospital, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and his wife, Sarah Louise Fudge.

Sheppard has two children from a previous marriage and one with Fudge, whom he married in 2015.

Inside the 'Supernatural' reunion on 'The Boys' season 5 and its 'cameo-palooza'

Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins share untold stories as show turns 20

Ruth Connell (Rowena MacLeod)

Ruth Connell as Rowena MacLeod on 'Supernatural'; Ruth Connell attends the 'Dead Boy Detectives' reception at Seven24 Collective on April 24, 2024, in New York City.

Diyah Pera/The CW/Courtesy Everett; Kevin Mazur/Getty

We love a baddie with style, and Ruth Connell’s Rowena MacLeod had that in spades. Sharp, sexy, and Scottish, Rowena was a powerful, hard-to-kill witch and the mother of Crowley (original name: Fergus). Even after her final, world-saving sacrifice, Rowena works her way up to Queen of Hell. But Connell never shied away from exposing a bit of her character’s soft underbelly.

“I have a lot of empathy for Rowena,” she told EW in 2015. “I almost see her from her point of view sometimes, and there’s a reason she’s as tough as that because at some point, she felt vulnerable, and I hope that that comes through.”

Connell reprised her witchy role on *The Winchesters *in 2023, and she appeared on Netflix’s *Dead Boy Detectives*, overseen by showrunner Steve Yockey, a former *Supernatural *writer and co-producer. She has also voiced Merida, the main character of Disney's *Brave *(2012), in various video games and on the show *Sofia the First*. Connell and her fiancé, Rob Benedict (keep reading!), have one daughter.

Rob Benedict (Chuck Shurley)

Rob Benedict as Chuck Shurley on 'Supernatural'; Rob Benedict attends the Los Angeles season 2 premiere of 'The Flight Attendant' at Pacific Design Center on April 12, 2022, in West Hollywood, Calif.

Katie Yu/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Amy Sussman/Getty

Chuck is God? Surely you’re joking. But Rob Benedict’s hapless writer character, introduced in season 4, turned out to be a much, much, *much* bigger part of the *Supernatural* plan — the biggest, baddest part, you might even say.

The *Felicity* alum delivered one of *Supernatural’s* biggest twists before becoming one of the show’s most enthusiastic promoters thanks to his rewatch podcast, *Supernatural Then and Now*, which he hosts with fellow show alum Richard Speight Jr. "This is a great way for the cast, crew and producers to continue and deepen their relationship with the fans," Benedict told EW when the podcast launched in 2022. "Even though the series has come to an end, the fans continue to be an incredibly tight and supportive community."

He and Speight also host the *Kings of Con* podcast. Like many of his former castmates, Benedict turned up in *The Winchesters *and appeared in a season 4 episode of *The Boys*.

Before his relationship with Ruth Connell, Benedict had two children with his ex-wife, Molly Benedict.

Richard Speight Jr. (Gabriel/Loki/the Trickster)

Richard Speight Jr. as Gabriel on 'Supernatural'; Richard Speight Jr. attends EW's Comic-Con Bash held at FLOAT, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 20, 2019, in San Diego, Calif.

Dean Buscher/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Amy Sussman/Getty

Richard Speight Jr.’s character went by several names on *Supernatural*: Trickster, Loki, Ed Coleman, Dr. Sexy, and finally Gabriel, the last of God's archangels to be revealed. Speight also appeared in some of the show’s funniest episodes, including "Mystery Spot" (season 3, episode 11) and "Changing Channels" (season 5, episode 8). He even directed 11 episodes, notably helming the third-to-last episode that brought the death of Castiel.

“I did everything in my power to be sure I was leaving no stone unturned and telling the story the best way I knew how,” Speight told EW in 2020. “[*Supernatural*] was unique. It won't happen again because TV has changed dramatically. And I think it's cool that it's being celebrated and they got to finish their season and I got to be a part of it and tell as many stories as I got to tell.”

Speight also directed episodes of *Dead Boy Detectives*, *Walker*,* *and *The Winchesters*,* *reprising his role as Loki in the latter.

He has three sons with his wife, Jaci Hays.

Osric Chau (Kevin Tran)

Osric Chau as Kevin Tran on 'Supernatural'; Osric Chau at the world premiere of 'Doctor Sleep' at Regency Village Theatre on Oct. 29, 2019, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Dean Buscher/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Stewart Cook

Poor, Kevin. This high school honors student just wanted to do well in classes and be good to his mother, but instead, he got stuck deciphering the Word of God — and got killed for his trouble. Even after escaping hell, he was barred from entering heaven, and as far as we know, he’s still wandering the earth as a ghost to this day.

Actor Osric Chau played a different kind of hero in the Arrowverse’s "Crisis on Infinite Earths" five-part crossover, taking on the role of Ryan Choi, who assumes the mantle of the Atom from its previous holder, Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh). He also appeared in Roland Emmerich’s disaster film *2012* (2009), BBC America’s gently trippy Douglas Adams adaptation of *Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency*, *Worth the Wait* (2025), and *Influencers *(2025).

Kim Rhodes (Sheriff Jody Mills)

Kim Rhodes as Sheriff Jody Mills on 'Supernatural'; Kim Rhodes arrives at the 16th annual Grace Rose Foundation Fashion Show Fundraiser at SLS Hotel on Sept. 7, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Bettina Strauss/CW/Courtesy Everett; Morgan Lieberman/Getty

Sheriff Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes) is another civilian who became a Winchester ally after tragedy struck. (In Jody’s case, it was her husband and son’s deaths.) But by the end of the show, Sheriff Mills had built a new life for herself, became a friend to Sheriff Donna Hanscum (Briana Buckmaster), and an adoptive mother to Claire (Kathryn Newton) and Alex (Katherine Ramdeen).

To the disappointment of many fans, the season 13 backdoor pilot for a potential all-women hunter spinoff series didn’t come to fruition. CW President Mark Pedowitz instead opted to move forward with a different spinoff of a spinoff. (*The Vampire Diaries* begat *The* *Originals*,* *which begat *Legacies, *leaving *Wayward Sisters *dead on arrival despite fan attempts to save it.)

Nevertheless, Rhodes and Buckmaster persisted with *The Wayward* *Podcast*. “We actually don’t see it as our consolation prize; we see it as more than a TV show because humanity and connection is so much bigger than a television show,” Rhodes told EW in 2018. “And now we have an opportunity to do that."

Rhodes is married to actor Travis Hodges. They have one daughter.

Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer)

Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer on 'Supernatural'; Mark Pellegrino attends the world premiere of 'Underdeveloped' at Lumiere Music Hall on Sept. 5, 2023 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Jack Rowland/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty

All great heroes need great villains, and Mark Pelligrino's silver-tongued Lucifer was one of the best at bedeviling the Winchesters. In fact, bad guys are something of a specialty for Pelligrino, who also played the heel on shows like *Dexter*, *Lost,* *Being Human*, *Revolution*, and *The Tomorrow People*.

“The fun part about being the quote-unquote bad guy is you get to explore parts of yourself that you could never do in real life,” Pellegrino told EW in 2013. “You could be that full-on narcissist in a sense without concern necessarily for the consequences of the actions, and [you] experience no consequences of your actions and that’s very liberating.”

Pellegrino later starred with Jeff Daniels on *American Rust*, the adaptation of Philipp Meyer’s novel that aired on Showtime before hopping to Amazon Prime Video for its second season. He then recurred in the 2025 Hulu miniseries *Murdaugh: Death in the Family *and popped up in the second season of Apple TV’s* The Last Thing He Told Me*.

He and his wife Tracy, a director, have two children.

Felicia Day (Charlie Bradbury)

Felicia Day as Charlie Bradbury on 'Supernatural'; Felicia Day at the U.S. premiere of 'Doctor Who' at NeueHouse Hollywood on May 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, Calif.

Katie Yu/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Disney/PictureGroup

When *Supernatural* needed an endearingly nerdy hacker in season 7, who better to answer the call than geek queen Felicia Day? Charlie Bradbury became a surrogate little sister for the show’s main men, and her death in season 10 was perhaps the most controversial indignity visited on the women of the show. (And no, an alt-reality version of Charlie doesn’t ease the sting.)

"I love being a part of fandom," Day told EW in 2013. "I love that fans have a sense of ownership in a world and the characters and their lives. I met a lot of Charlie cosplayers over this past year. I've seen fan art. I just love interacting with the fans. They're so supportive and interested in the lore and the world of *Supernatural*."

But the CW show isn’t the only fandom Day belongs to, thanks to her appearances on the *Mystery Science Theater 3000* reboot, *The Magicians, The Guild*,* Buffy the Vampire Slayer*,* Eureka*,* *and *Dollhouse*.* *She founded the multimedia production company Geek & Sundry, which launched the D&D web series *Critical Role*.

Day has a daughter, Calliope.

Alexander Calvert (Jack)

Alexander Calvert as Jack on 'Supernatural'; Alexanader Calvert attends a special screening of 'The Mandela Effect' at Arena Cinelounge on Dec. 6, 2019, in Hollywood, Calif.

Jack Rowand/The CW Network/Courtesy Everett; Robin L Marshall/Getty

Half-angel and half-human, Jack (Alexander Calvert) had some prejudice to overcome thanks to his father, Lucifer. But with a little (okay, a *lot*) of help from his surrogate dad, Castiel, and mentors Sam and Dean, Jack figures out how to be good. And thank Chuck he did, because by the show’s end, he takes over as God.

Calvert was aware of *Supernatural*’s legacy when he made his debut in the season 12 finale. “I wanted to be as respectful and delicate as possible, just because people have grown up with these characters, you know? They’ve gone on just this massive journey,” he told *ELLE *in 2017 when he was upped to a series regular. “It’s just nice to be a part of something that people are so passionate about.”

Calvert, who appeared on A&E’s *The Returned *with his future *Supernatural *dad Pelligrino in 2015, also appears in *Gen V* as a college kid with a deeply unsettling power. His other acting credits include stints on *Bates Motel* and *Arrow*, and in the films *The Edge of Seventeen* (2016), *Good Boys* (2019), and *Lowlifes* (2024).

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