What happened to The Cheetah Girls cast with sequel announced 23 years after original
If you grew up in the 2000s, chances are The Cheetah Girls soundtrack was permanently in your CD player.
The Disney Channel hit, which starred Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan, graced our screens decades back in 2003 and turned its four leading stars into household names.
After the first movie musical, fans were treated to The Cheetah Girls 2 in 2006 before The Cheetah Girls: One World in 2008.
And now, 23 years later, the original cast is heading back to the franchise for The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen, which has now officially been greenlit by Disney.
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According to an official Disney press release, the story picks up when Cheetah Girls Galleria (Symoné) and Chanel (Bailon), alongside Galleria's daughter Faith (Jeffries) and her three friends, travel to Africa to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary.
"Along the way, these four teen girls test their friendship, find their voice, and discover the true Cheetah spirit as they save the preserve and ultimately take the stage as the new Cheetah Girls," the synopsis adds.
But what have the celebrity cast been up to in the meantime?
Raven-Symoné
Raven-Symoné, 40, played group leader Galleria Garibaldi and was already a Disney favourite thanks to That's So Raven.
She returned for The Cheetah Girls 2 before stepping away from the third film and the group's live tour.
Since then, she's starred in Raven's Home, continued acting and launched the Tea Time podcast with wife Miranda Pearman-Maday, whom she married in 2020.
She's now set to reprise her role in The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen, with Leah Sava Jeffries playing Galleria's daughter.
Adrienne Bailon-Houghton
Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, 42, played fashion icon Chanel Simmons and balanced the films alongside her music career with girl group 3LW.
After The Cheetah Girls, she appeared in projects including Lovestruck: The Musical, Chef's Kiss and Raven's Home. She also became a familiar face on daytime TV as a co-host of The Real between 2013 and 2022.
She married gospel singer Israel Houghton in 2016, and the couple welcomed son Ever via surrogate in 2022.
Kiely Williams
Kiely Williams, 40, starred as fan favourite Aqua Walker to life and, like Bailon-Houghton, was also a member of 3LW.
Following her Disney days, she appeared in films including The House Bunny, Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming and Holla II.
Away from the spotlight, Williams married Brandon Cox in 2016, and they share two children: daughter Rowan and son Archer.
Sabrina Bryan
Sabrina Bryan, 41, starred as dancer Dorinda Thomas and kept that passion going long after The Cheetah Girls wrapped up.
She competed on Dancing With the Stars twice before landing roles in The Next Dance, I Think My Babysitter Is an Alien and A Deadly Dance.
Bryan also launched the Magical Rewind podcast in 2024 alongside Boy Meets World star Will Friedle, where the pair revisit classic Disney Channel Original Movies.
She's also returning for Next Gen.
She married Jordan Lundberg in 2018, and they're now parents to daughter Comillia and son Ledger Grey.
Lynn Whitfield
Lynn Whitfield, 73, played Galleria's supportive mum Dorothea Garibaldi in the first two films.
The award-winning actress has stayed booked ever since, with roles in The Chi, Nappily Ever After, Vacation Friends, Mistresses and Hit the Floor.
Whitfield is also set to return as Dorothea in The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen.
Lori Anne Alter
Lori Anne Alter played Chanel's mum, Juanita Simmons, and is also making her return to the franchise.
Since her Disney days, she's appeared in House at the End of the Street, Family Biz, She's the Mayor and Make Your Move.
Alter has been married to William Laurin since 2003, and the couple have two children.
Kyle Schmid
Fans will definitely remember Derek, Galleria's love interest in the first film, played by Kyle Schmid, 41.
Since then, he's built a successful TV career with roles in Blood Ties, Copper, Being Human, Six, Big Sky and, most recently, NCIS: Origins.
Schmid married actor Caity Lotz in 2023, and the pair are now parents to two children.
Topics: Celebrity, Music, US News, TV And Film, Disney
Rhiannon Ingle