The biggest TV mothers of the 1980s – where are they now?

Married... with Children paired Katey Sagal and Ed O'Neill in the role of husband and wife, Al and Peggy Bundy, who try to balance their lives with two children. 

The American sitcom quickly became Katey's breakout role. Her performance as Peggy, the lazy wife of a shoe salesman, earned the star three Golden Globe nominations. 

Katey has had much success over the decades as an actress, as well as a singer. She's done notable voice acting for Futurama and has credits in hit shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Shameless. 

Among her most recent project was the 2021 ABC legal drama series Rebel and the 2022 series Tell Me Lies, which she stars in alongside her real-life son, Jackson White. 

Katey plays Jackson's character Stephen DeMarco's manipulative on-screen mother on the hit series, which came to an end after three seasons at the start of this year. 

For eight seasons, viewers tuned in to watch the lives of the Huxtable family in Brooklyn on The Cosby Show.

The series followed the everyday parenting challenges and lives of obstetrician Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and his wife, attorney Clair (Phylicia Rashad) who were raising five children. 

After finishing up her role as lovable matriarch and strong-willed attorney Clair Huxtable in 1992, Phylicia Rashad kept acting. 

Her most notable projects include the 2015 hit Creed, The Beekeeper and The Gilded Age. In 2025 she starred in the Netflix romance film Ruth and Boaz. 

Along with acting, Rashad was previously the dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. 

Fans might also be surprised to learn the star has a famous relative in Hollywood. Her sister is Grey's Anatomy actress Debbie Allen. 

Meredith Baxter starred as successful architect Elyse Keaton, who was the wife to Steven and the mother of Alex, Mallory, Jennifer and Andy in Family Ties. 

With a hippie background, Elyse parented her children with liberal 60s views.

Meredith Baxter has largely stepped away from the limelight since starring on the popular 80s sitcom, which came to an end in 1989. 

She's made the occasional TV appearance since, having small guest roles on Switched at Birth and Finding Carter. These days, she lives with her wife Nancy Locke in California and focuses on advocacy work. 

Maggie Seaver, played by Joanna Kerns, was the wife of Jason and a working-mother of four who balanced parenting with her career as a journalist on Growing Pains. 

The sitcom came to an end in 1992, but what has the on-screen matriarch been up to since?

These days, Joanna has pursued a career behind the camera as a director, contributing to major drama shows like Dawson's Creek, Pretty Little Liars and Grey's Anatomy. 

"When I was acting, I was always fascinated by the difference in the quality of work by what director I had. With certain directors, I felt safe — I knew it was going to look fabulous," Joanna told Variety.

"They would have not just a great storytelling sense, but also a great cinematic sense. That's when I started to say, that's what the camera can do." 

Smart, successful and career-driven, Angela Bower, played by Judith Light, navigated being a single mother and an advertising executive while looking effortlessly chic on Who's the Boss?. 

The long-running sitcom followed retired baseball player Tony Micelli, played by Tony Danza, who becomes a live-in housekeeper for Angela and her son, moving in alongside his daughter Samantha, played by Alyssa Milano.

Judith Light is still acting, most recently starring on the horror anthology series, The Terror: Devil in Silver. 

Her other notable credits include Ugly Betty, The Menu and Escaping The Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story.

She's been married to actor and author Robert Desiderio since 1985.