Whatever Happened To The Cast Of WKRP In Cincinnati?

"Baby, have you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me? I'm living on the air in Cincinnati — Cincinnati, WKRP." That now-iconic theme song was heard for the first time in the fall of 1978, introducing viewers to a workplace sitcom set in the world of rock radio. From the clueless but good-hearted station manager to the zonked-out deejay to the femme fatale receptionist to the garishly attired, loudmouthed sales guy, "WKRP in Cincinnati" was bursting with authenticity, and with good reason: the series' creator, Hugh Wilson, drew from his own real-life experience as a sales rep for a top-40 station in Atlanta. 

The series made television history pretty early on its run with an episode that remains one of TV's all-time funniest (and is rated as the best Thanksgiving TV episode ever), involving a Thanksgiving promotion that goes horribly wrong when live turkeys are flung from an airplane above a supermarket parking lot — and crash to the ground like bombs. In the episode's final line, just before the end credits roll, station owner Arthur Carlson, disheveled and covered with feathers, delivers the ultimate punchline by gravely intoning, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

The series ended after four seasons, going on to become one of TV's all-time most beloved comedies. The cast went their separate ways, moving on to other projects — although a few of them reunited for a short-lived revival series, "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," which only lasted half as long as the original. But baby, if you've ever wondered whatever became of the cast of "WKRP in Cincinnati," then keep reading to find out.

Viewers entered the world of "WKRP in Cincinnati" via Andy Travis, the newly hired program director at the struggling radio station. The role was the first major one for actor Gary Sandy, who at the time was best known for the daytime soap "Somerset." "It was really the role of a lifetime. It was just fantastic," Sandy told Radio Ink, reminding that when he was in his 20s, acting in soap operas, he was typically cast as the bad guy. "So when it came to this KRP thing, I thought, 'Okay, now here's a chance for me to play the straight man, the good guy.' It was really fun ... It was a great, great show."

After "WKRP" ended, Sandy continued to appear in television guest spots, in series ranging from "Murder, She Wrote" to "L.A. Law." Television, however, was more of a sideline for Sandy, who focused primarily on theatrical roles. These included a 1981 Broadway production of "The Pirates of Penzance" and a 1986 Broadway revival of "Arsenic and Old Lace," as well as several Off-Broadway and touring productions — including a Los Angeles production of "Chicago," starring alongside Broadway star/"Cheers" alum Bebe Neuwirth (just in case anyone was wondering what the cast of "Cheers" is up to today). 

More recently, Sandy has been touring with "Encore for Murder," playing Mickey Spillane's fictional PI Mike Hammer in a stage play performed like an old-timey radio drama. And despite the success he's experienced in Hollywood, the stage remains his first love. "There's something kind of honest about theater," he told the Los Angeles Times. 

It didn't take long for Loni Anderson to become the breakout star of "WKRP in Cincinnati." As glamorous and mysterious receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, Anderson became an instant sex symbol, with a 1978 poster in which she's wearing a white bikini competing with Farrah Fawcett for space on teenage boys' bedroom walls. In fact, during her hiatus between seasons, she landed the starring role in a 1980 made-for-TV movie, "The Jayne Mansfield Story" (which also marked one of the earliest major acting roles for bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, who lives an incredibly lavish life these days). 

Anderson envisioned a career in the movies after "WKRP," beginning with the 1983 big-screen comedy "Stroker Ace." Unfortunately, the movie flopped, sending her back to television roles. However, her on-set romance with co-star Burt Reynolds continued, leading to the couple's wedding in 1988. Just five years later, Reynolds filed for divorce. Not only was the split nasty, it also played out in public while dragging on for 22 years, ultimately becoming one of Hollywood's messy divorces that left celebs nearly penniless.

Through it all, Anderson continued to act, a staple in made-for-TV movies and numerous series over the years. Anderson's final role was in "Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas," a Lifetime TV movie that aired in 2023. Sadly, Anderson died in August of 2025, aged 79, among the celebrity deaths that flew under the radar in 2025.

Another fan favorite character on "WKRP in Cincinnati" was deejay Dr. Johnny Fever, played to a tee by actor Howard Hesseman. Hesseman's services continued to be in high demand after "WKRP" ended, in both film and television — which led to him joining the cast of "One Day at a Time" during that series' eighth and ninth seasons. In 1986, he was tapped to star in his own sitcom, "Head of the Class," playing a hipster schoolteacher entrusted with the education of a class full of exceptionally gifted students. 

While the show became beloved by viewers, Hesseman did not feel the same way, and quit after the fourth season. "We're not doing the show that I was led to believe I'd do, and it's difficult for me to get off that," he complained in a 1989 interview with the Chicago Tribune, just ahead of what was to be his swan-song season on the show. "I don't want to air dirty laundry in public," he continued, but went ahead and did just that by expressing his dissatisfaction with the show, and with television in general. "Part of me says, 'Is that all there is? A television series?' Obviously not," he said. "I could go on stage or scratch my way into the movies. But how many movies are made that you want to be a part of? And how many want you? There is a certain kind of 'for-rent' sign on my forehead. I'm an actor and I like to work."

Despite those misgivings, Hesseman continued to be a familiar face on television until his death in 2022. He was 81.

It's tough to imagine anyone other than Gordon Jump portraying perpetually befuddled WKRP station manager Gordon Carlson, a.k.a. "the big guy." As viewers recognized, his heart was in the right place even if his own ineptitude often got in the way of his good intentions. Prior to "WKRP in Cincinnati," Jump had already enjoyed a long career as a character actor that began back in the mid-1960s, and he continued acting as a frequent TV guest star, appearing in series ranging from "Baywatch" to "Seinfeld." 

In 1989, Jump was hired to play Ol' Lonely in a series of TV commercials for Maytag, the repairman who's bored out of his mind because the company's washing machines and other appliances are so reliable that they never break down. Replacing original repairman Jesse White, Jump remained the company's forlorn spokesman until retiring in July 2003.

Weeks after his retirement, Jump passed away at the age of 71 from pulmonary fibrosis. "Gordon Jump was one of the nicest men that ever lived, really, he truly was, and I think his humanity, who the man was — he got by with a lot of stuff because he was just a great human being," his former co-star Gary Sandy recalled in an interview for Classic TV History.

To "WKRP in Cincinnati" fans, Tim Reid will always be flamboyant deejay Venus Flytrap. After the series wrapped, he didn't have to wait long to find his next gig, starring in his own short-lived sitcom, "Teachers Only," before joining "Simon & Simon" as Lt. Marcel "Downtown" Brown.

In 1987, Reid became executive producer and star of "Frank's Place," a critically acclaimed sitcom set within a New Orleans bar, created for him by "WKRP" creator Hugh Wilson. Featuring a largely African American cast, the inventive series ended its first season with nine Emmy nominations and three wins. Despite those accolades, the show's ratings were as low as its production costs were high, and CBS pulled the plug. "Looks to me that we just didn't please the Nielsen monster," Wilson told the Los Angeles Times. "It was unique and different and troublesome for the network, to say the least," Reid told New Orleans' Times-Picayune. Disappointed but undeterred, Reid continued producing, on projects including the 1989 whodunit series "Snoops" (in which he co-starred, as he had in "Frank's Place," with wife Daphne Reid). He was also an actor for hire, becoming a series regular on "Sister Sister." 

In 1997, the Reids opened New Millennium Studios, a 57-acre TV and film production facility in Virginia. While some big-budget films were shot there — including "Lincoln" and "Hearts in Atlantis" — the state's lack of incentives to bring productions to Virginia led them to sell New Millennium in 2015. Reid continues to be active as an actor, producer, and director; his documentary, "Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall," was released in 2024.

Bumbling newsman Les Nessman may have been a five-time winner of the Buckeye Newshawk Award and the proud owner of the coveted Silver Sow Award, but he also delivered a steady stream of laughs to "WKRP in Cincinnati" viewers, be it the imaginary office walls he demanded his co-workers respect or his inability to pronounce the name of golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez (or, as he mangled it, Chai Chai Rod-ri-gweez). Les, of course, was played by Richard Sanders, who reprised the role in the reboot series, "The New WKRP in Cincinnati." 

Sanders remained a frequent guest star on TV, in addition to making regular appearances in some series that didn't last long, including "Berrenger's," "Spencer," and "You Can't Take It With You." Sanders' final screen credits were back in 2006, at which point he retired from showbiz and moved to the Pacific Northwest, settling in Woodinville, Washington. 

He's kept a low profile, but did speak to the Seattle Times in 2007. As sharp-eyed viewers may recall, Les was never seen without a Band-Aid or some type of bandage affixed to part of his body, and Sanders revealed that ongoing running gag came about because he'd injured himself on the set while shooting the series pilot and appeared onscreen with a large bandage on his forehead. "So it wasn't explained," Sanders said. "So we had this pilot with the guy with the bandage on with no explanation. So I said, 'That's perfect! Every week I'll come out with a different injury.'"

In 2021, fans of "WKRP in Cincinnati" were saddened to learn of the heartbreaking death of Frank Bonner at age 79. Bonner, of course, played WKRP salesman Herb Tarlek, whose brash obnoxiousness was equaled only by the garish, eyeball-melting designs of the leisure suits he favored. 

While Herb remained the role for which Bonner was most associated (and which he also reprised in "The New WKRP in Cincinnati), he maintained his acting career (including such series as "Evening Shade," "Night Court," and a recurring role on "Saved By the Bell: The Next Class") while also carving out a whole other career as a director. It all started when he directed an episode of "WKRP," which went so well that he directed five more. Among the other series that Bonner directed were "Family Ties," "Who's the Boss?" and "Harry and the Hendersons." In addition to directing seven episodes of "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," Bonner also reunited with co-stars Tim Reid and Howard Hesseman to direct episodes of "Frank's Place" and "Head of the Class," respectively.

"He loved his fans and was still signing autograph requests up until the last few weeks of his illness," Bonner's daughter, Desiree Boers-Kort, wrote in a Facebook post announcing his passing. "Thank you to all who followed his career."

Rounding out the cast of "WKRP in Cincinnati" was Jan Smithers, who played mild-mannered Bailey Quarters. Initially relegated to handling traffic and billing, Bailey was later promoted to an on-air position as a news reporter. 

Smithers went on to appear in a wide variety of TV series, ranging from "The Fall Guy" to "Murder, She Wrote" to "The Love Boat," appearing an impressive five times in the latter. However, it was a guest spot in a 1984 episode of the TV drama "Hotel" that changed her life; she and the series' star, James Brolin, were married in 1986. They divorced in 1995, with Brolin going on to marry Barbra Streisand, who's undergone quite the transformation over the years. 

Smithers' final screen appearance was way back in 1987. As she told Newsweek in 2016, it was the arrival of her daughter, Molly, that led her to give up acting. "I loved having a career, but when I met Molly, I just looked at her and told her, 'You need me.' And she looked at me so innocently. I thought, I have to stay! She changed my life. I really longed to be her mom." What was intended to become a six-month break to look after her new baby eventually became full-fledged retirement while she focused on being a full-time mom. These days, Smithers lives quietly in Southern California, well out of the limelight. "People don't even know I'm an actor!" she said. "If I ever let them know, they're so surprised. I'm very private about my personal life."

Carol Bruce was never a full-fledged member of the "WKRP in Cincinnati" cast, but she certainly made an impression on viewers. All told, she appeared in 10 episodes, in the recurring role of Lillian "Mama" Carlson, imperious mother of Arthur Carlson and owner of the radio station. 

Bruce was no neophyte to Hollywood. She began as a singer before segueing into the movies in the 1930s. She also performed extensively on Broadway, most notably in the 1946 revival of the hit musical "Show Boat." After a decade-plus gap in film and TV work, she re-emerged in the late 1970s; her first role upon her return, in fact, was in "WKRP." After that, Bruce embarked on an impressive roll, appearing in popular films ("American Gigolo," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles") and umpteen TV series, ranging from "Golden Girls" to "Party of Five" to her final screen credit, in a 1999 episode 'of "Profiler."

Bruce died in 2007, brought about by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 87 years old.

Sam Anderson was a familiar face to viewers of "WKRP," in that he appeared in four episodes, portraying a different character in each. At the time, Anderson's career was just starting out, and his "WKRP" journey began in the first season as deejay Mason Noble, brought in as a potential replacement for Johnny Fever. He returned in the second season to play the cleverly named Mr. Anderson, a government bureaucrat. In the third season, he played an FBI agent named Berwick, and in the fourth portrayed a different deejay than the one he'd played in Season 1, this one named Rex Erhardt. His association with the show didn't stop there — two decades later, he appeared on "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," again as a different character, an FCC inspector.

After his guest spots on the original "WKRP," it's fair to say that Anderson's acting career exploded. As of late 2025, he's racked up more than 170 screen credits, including such TV hits as "ER," "Friends," and "Lost," playing a significant recurring role in the latter. More recently, he was cast to portray the husband of Kathy Bates' Maddy Matlock in the CBS legal drama "Matlock." In his mid-70s, Anderson has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. "It's starting to feel like 75 is the new 50," he told Variety.

Hamilton Camp was another "WKRP in Cincinnati" guest star to play more than one character on the show. In the first season, he guest-starred as Del Murdock, owner of Del Murdock's Stereo and Sound. He returned in the third season as Buddy Gravers, the new beau of Johnny Fever's ex-wife. He reprised Del in an episode of "The New WKRP in Cincinnati." 

Camp, who had been a successful folk singer before turning to acting, followed his "WKRP" appearances with an array of guest spots in numerous TV shows, a lengthy list that included "Three's Company," "Two Close for Comfort," "M*A*S*H," "Desperate Housewives," and dozens more. He was also a prolific voice actor, with numerous animated series under his belt. 

Prior to his death in 2005 at the age of 70, Camp had also appeared in numerous films, one of which he discussed during a TV appearance on "Art Fein's Poker Party." According to Camp, the Italian-shot sci-fi flick "Arena" was seen by about "30 people," and is remembered primarily for its terrible production values. There was, however, one perk. "Three months in Rome, man!" Camp declared. "It was worth all the three months of suffering and labor just to have that three months in Rome."