The Stunning Career Transformation Of Janel Parrish, From Pretty Little Liars To Hallmark Leading Lady

When the showbiz bug first bit "Pretty Little Liars" fan-favorite Janel Parrish, she did not waste any time. Not only did she dive headfirst into honing her craft, but she actually launched her career when she was still a child. And her multihyphenate's career only continues to evolve.

Reflecting on her success on the stage and screen, Parrish told Broadway World in 2017 that years of hard work and dedication played a major part. "I would say that if you have the passion for [the performing arts] — train," she said. "Get into dance classes, you'll need them even if you think you don't. If you like being on stage, a lot of these productions will have movement in them, so it helps to know the basics. Take vocal lessons, acting lessons. Familiarize yourself with productions that you love. Make it your art and your craft — dedicate yourself to it. I did that and it became my life."

Of course, "Pretty Little Liars" is but one of her many credits. From Broadway star to reality TV competitor to Hallmark Channel fixture, here is the stunning transformation of Janel Parrish's career.

Janel Parrish was born on October 30, 1988, in Oahu. Though she was a long way from Tinseltown and the Great White Way, the performing arts came calling early on. Her father, Mark Parrish, first noticed her talent while dropping her off at preschool one day. They were listening to "The Phantom of the Opera" soundtrack in the car, and Mark was floored by his young daughter's natural vocal ability. "She was singing along in perfect pitch," he told the Honolulu Advertiser in 2007. "At 4, (I knew) she wanted to perform, but at 5, I realized that she had a pretty good singing voice for such a young age." And with that, Janel began taking singing and acting lessons while performing in her hometown. 

While reminiscing on her upbringing in Hawaii, Janel shared with Civilian that she not only had the space to thrive and but felt accepted there. Her mother is Chinese and her father is of European descent, and that shaped a lot of her identity and career trajectory. Starting her path to success in Hawaii was an important stepping stone for her in showing what representation across the arts could look like. "Growing up in a very diverse place, you see how wonderful it is when people are truly colorblind," she said.

Janel Parrish's "Phantom of the Opera" singalong was just the beginning. Carol Nishita, her music teacher at Moanalua Elementary School, told Honolulu Advertiser that she recalls Parrish's enthusiasm for musical theatre during kindergarten. "You could tell she was exposed to a lot of music at home, and she had some training with her voice," she said. "She kinda stood out with her personality and charisma." Parrish landed her first major stage role at the age of 6 after winning a contest. That role? The part of Little Cosette in "Les Misérables," touring in Honolulu before making her Broadway debut. 

Parrish's deep-seated love of Broadway has only continued to flourish. She's starred in the off-Broadway run of "Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical" and other stage productions over the years, including "Grease" and "Spring Awakening." In March 2026, the actor told Popculture Planet that she hopes to return to Broadway in the future. "I always love heading back to the stage whenever I can," she said. "I would love to manifest that. Let's manifest Broadway. I would love to do that."

When Janel Parrish was 14, she moved to Los Angeles with her family to further her career, but it took her a while to find her footing. "Moving at 14 was very difficult. I didn't have any friends," she said in an interview with ET Style in 2019. "Work wasn't coming easily to me. I would audition a lot and constantly hear 'no, we're going in a different direction.' I struggled a lot going to auditions and getting feedback that I wasn't quite what they were looking for." She kept at it, however, and she eventually got some guest spots in TV hits like "The O.C." and "Zoey 101," as well as a recurring role in "Heroes." Those minor onscreen appearances helped her get her foot in the door. 

She also used her performing arts skills to her advantage by joining the 2003 remake of "Star Search." On the reality competition series, she went with the "Les Misérables" ballad "On My Own." Although she didn't move past the first round, Parrish dusted herself off and continued to pursue her dreams.

When she first started auditioning in Hollywood, Janel Parrish was told by a number of casting directors that she wasn't what they were looking for, due in part to her biracial heritage. "They didn't quite know how to place me in a family because I was diverse," she recounted to ET Style. "I wasn't quite Asian enough to fit the Asian families, and I wasn't quite Caucasian enough to fit the Caucasian families."

Her trajectory changed in a major way when she was brought on to play Jade in "Bratz: The Movie." The character inspired by the fashion doll is of white and Asian descent, and boasts a distinctive, edgy-chic style. "I was most like my character, which is amazing," she told The Oklahoman before the film's release in 2007. "I am very creative like she is, and I come from a biracial family like hers. She's very outgoing and opinionated, and I definitely like that."

In addition to starring in "Bratz: The Movie," Parrish also contributed to the film's soundtrack. She wrote "Rainy Day" and performed it for Geffen Records chairman Ron Fair, who later approached her about including the song in the film. Although the live-action didn't garner the critical acclaim or box office success that Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" did, it ended up having a cult following. In a conversation with Sasha Pieterse on her podcast "Women in the Nude," Parrish spoke about how the film was in many ways ahead of its time. "We were so proud of the movie that we were making, but then it just fell flat," she said. "There's a newfound appreciation with this generation of women that I'm like, 'you guys get it.'"

Janel Parrish's career took off with the TV adaptation of "Pretty Little Liars." The Freeform series follows a group of friends who begin receiving menacing text messages after one of their pals disappears and is reported dead. Parrish played Mona Vanderwaal, a supporting character who becomes more prominent throughout the series' seven-season run. "When I got the role, I was told it was as a guest star, possibly recurring. So, I was just happy every time they called," Parrish shared with BuzzFeed. She originally auditioned for Spencer Hastings, one of the main characters who was played by Troian Bellisario. When Parrish didn't book the part, she received a surprising callback for Mona instead. 

It all worked out. Parrish ended up winning four Teen Choice Awards for TV villain and Mona became a fan-favorite character thanks to her involvement in some of the biggest twists on "Pretty Little Liars." And while she is the villain for a good portion of the teen drama, she does go through a redemptive arc that allows her to regain the trust of the Liars. Once the series wrapped in June of 2017, it got a short-lived spinoff called "Pretty Little Liars: Perfectionists," in which Parrish reprised her iconic role. 

In 2014, Janel Parrish joined Season 19 of "Dancing With the Stars," where she got to showcase her dance skills on live TV week after week. The "Pretty Little Liars" alum was partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy, and she quickly became one of the frontrunners to win the Mirrorball Trophy. Parrish's jazz number, inspired by "West Side Story" during Week 3 of the competition, led her to break the record for the earliest perfect score in "Dancing With the Stars" history. 

Although she ultimately landed in third place during the finals, Parrish continues to be remembered for her technical skill and fiery chemistry with Chmerkovskiy on the dance floor. The actor has fond memories of her "DWTS" experience. "I was challenged every day, I was terrified every day," she told The List in 2021. "But I overcame it, and afterwards, I was like, 'You can do anything now. You did that? That was terrifying. And you did it. Live.'" 

After "DWTS," Parrish joined another reality TV show that gave her a chance to showcase her powerful pipes. She competed on Season 10 of "The Masked Singer" as Gazelle. Once again, she made it to the finals, and once again, she ended in third place. After she was unmasked, Parrish did an exit interview with Nick Cannon, where she spoke about what it meant to her to reconnect with her passion for singing. "It was the first thing I ever did when I was a kid. Somewhere along my journey, singing became my biggest fear and my biggest insecurity," she said. "To come out here as this gorgeous Gazelle and nobody knows who I am, I got to tap into my voice, and now I feel like a singer!"

After "Pretty Little Liars" ended, Janel Parrish joined the cast of what would become a beloved Netflix trilogy. She scored a role in "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," playing Lara Jean's (Lana Condor) older sister, Margot. Tensions rise between the siblings in the first film after Lara's secret love letter to Margot's ex is delivered to him by their younger sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart). The YA romance became a huge hit for the streaming service.

The film's success was especially significant given its thoughtful representation of characters who are of Asian descent. "I think people are opening their eyes a little bit more to diversity," she told YSBnow. "It's wonderful to be part of that now, so that there are young Asian American girls who could watch this movie and say, 'Oh, I relate to these characters.'" 

Parrish reprised her role in the two sequels that were released in 2020 and 2021, and she also guest-starred on the spinoff series, "XO, Kitty." The latter focuses on Kitty's own coming-of-age story, as she attends a boarding school in Seoul and learns more about her late mother. Parrish told The List that her bond with Condor and Cathcart has been one of the highlights of starring in Jenny Han's book-to-screen adaptations. "The second the three of us sisters met, we immediately bonded and just loved each other," she said. "And when we're on set together, it's just like one giggle fit after another."

After playing memorable supporting characters and taking a chance in the ballroom, Janel Parrish was ready to enter her leading lady era. She made her Hallmark debut in November 2020, starring in the holiday film "Holly & Ivy." Parrish played Melody, a woman who promises to take in her neighbor's daughters after learning of her illness. Parrish told ET that one of the reasons why she took on the role in the Hallmark film was due to her mother's encouragement. "She'd always ask me, 'When are you going to do one?' I'd said, 'Whenever they call me, I will do one.' So she's over the moon about me doing this movie," she said.

The "Pretty Little Liars" star has led numerous Hallmark originals, including "Coyote Creek Christmas," "Return to Office," and "Two for Tee." The latter marks her latest collaboration with the network, released in March 2026. In it she plays a Chinese American pottery teacher who uses her craft to connect with her heritage and save her town's community center. Her character also falls for the new community center handyman, played by Chris McNally. 

While promoting the film, Parrish shared more about why she resonated with her latest role in an interview with Fangirlish. "As somebody who is half Chinese, half white, I saw myself reflected on the page, and that made me so happy because growing up, I didn't really see a lot of that," she said. "I was so happy that Hallmark was sort of giving this platform to tell these stories and to make it authentic." Before "Two for Tee," Parrish made network history with "Right in Front of Me," the first Hallmark film that featured two Asian American leads.

In addition to building a strong career in Hollywood, Janel Parrish has also found love. In April 20206, Parrish and her husband of seven years, Chris Long, announced they were ending their marriage. Shortly after, she went public with her relationship with a "DWTS" pro — and no, not the pro she danced with on the show. (Val Chmerkovskiy's real-life partner is fellow "DWTS" pro Jenna Johnson.)

Parrish and veteran ballroom dancer Sasha Farber made their relationship official on April 27, 2026. The pair then made their red carpet debut at Nancy Davis' Race to Erase MS Gala in June. Parrish was all smiles while speaking with Us Weekly at the event about her new boyfriend. "He [has] the kindest heart to everyone, to his friends, his family, or if he just met you walking his dogs," she said. "He just has the biggest heart and is so caring and loving."

Parrish was a "DWTS" contestant all the way back in 2014, and that's when she first met Farber. However, Parrish told Us Weekly that they crossed paths again only recently, and the rest is history. "You never know where life is going to take you. Reconnecting with Sasha has shown me a new kind of love and happiness that I didn't know existed," she said. Parrish and Long filed for divorce in April 2026 and it was finalized in June.

With her love life in check and a steady Hallmark partnership, Janel Parrish has no plans of taking a break any time soon. She is slated to star in three upcoming films, including one called "Stockholm Squad." The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news in May 2026 that filming wrapped on the flick, which is about a group of kidnapped strangers who all band together to try to make the best of the situation. "The goal was to make a feel-good comedy set in the last place you'd ever imagine to really sell the story's message of hope and community," writer-director Alec Bewkes told the outlet. What's more, there is a fun "Pretty Little Liars" universe crossover: The cast also includes Malia Pyles, who played one of the main characters on the HBO revival of the series.

After they finished shooting, Parrish shared a carousel of behind-the-scenes snaps taken while she worked on "Stockholm Squad." "We filmed a movie and a time was HAD. This one was so fun," she wrote on Instagram. As of this writing, the theatrical release date has not yet been announced.