Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Hit '80s Sitcom Charles In Charge?

Sitcoms reigned supreme in the 1980s. "Diff'rent Strokes," which began in 1978 and went well into the next decade, was a ratings juggernaut for most of its eight-season run. The '80s also ushered in long-running hits like "Cheers" and "Family Ties." While it may have not pulled ratings like the aforementioned comedies, "Charles in Charge" was another show that helped define this era of sitcom.

"Charles in Charge," which premiered in 1984, follows the titular character Charles, a struggling student who takes an in-house nanny job in exchange for room and board. The series ran for five seasons, the first on CBS and remaining four in syndication. In the first season, he worked for the Pembroke family, and in Seasons 2 through 5, he was with the Powell family.

After it was canceled in 1990, some of the stars of "Charles in Charge" went on to have fruitful careers in the entertainment industry. Others pivoted from show business entirely. Here is what the lives of the "Charles in Charge" cast members have looked like since the sitcom got the axe.

Scott Baio has come a long way from his days as a teenage heartthrob. After playing Chachi Arcola on "Happy Days," he went on to lead "Charles in Charge" as the charming Charles for its entire run. After the sitcom ended, he continued to act, scoring roles in projects like "Baby Talk," "Diagnosis Murder," and most notably "See Dad Run." In addition to nabbing guest appearances on "Big Time Rush" and "Arrested Development," he also starred in a one-man show in 2022.

For decades, Baio has been pretty outspoken about his political and social views, and some of his statements and social media posts have landed him in hot water. He maintains that he hasn't been able to get acting work because of his political takes, and in 2023 he launched a podcast called "Scott Baio's Take on Life" where he can talk about whatever he wants. "It's not political," Baio insisted in a promo video for the podcast. "It's just about stuff that happens in everyday life. It's me and my two friends, Mark and George; we sit and talk about life, and the things you have to go through in life." Since the podcast's inception, he's had a wide range of guests, including Runaways singer Cherie Currie and "Melrose Place" actor Heather Locklear.

"Charles in Charge" certainly wasn't Nicole Eggert's first acting credit. Before the show, she nabbed recurring parts on series like "Who's the Boss?" and "T.J. Hooker." However, her breakout role came when she was cast as the boy-crazy teenager Jamie Powell in "Charles in Charge" Seasons 2 through 5.After the sitcom, she went on to join the cast of "Baywatch," playing Summer Quinn.  She continued work in both film and TV, but her acting career slowed down by the 2010s.

Eggert's time in the limelight hasn't been without its challenges. In 2018, she shared allegations regarding the nature of her relationship with former "Charles in Charge" castmate Scott Baio that reshaped how many view the series. She's also been candid about her struggles with body image and the pressure that comes with being on a show like "Baywatch."

In 2023, Eggert was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Following her cancer diagnosis, Eggert continued to work as a producer on a docuseries called "After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun." The series, which premiered on Hulu in 2024, dug into behind-the-scenes secrets of "Baywatch." Although Eggert had some complicated feelings about her time on the show, on a 2024 episode of "Good Morning America," she shared how cathartic it was for her to speak about her experience. "I had a love-hate relationship with the show to begin with, and then to be in a place in my life where I have love and adoration for it and be able to go back and do something that I'm really enjoying, it's kind of full-circle," she said.

As the kooky underachieving Buddy Lembeck, Willie Aames' time on "Charles in Charge" was certainly memorable. Before "Charles in Charge," he had a long career in television, his biggest role being Tommy Bradford on "Eight Is Enough." However, his career slowed down significantly after "Charles in Charge."

In a 2009 interview with Entertainment Tonight (via Paramount Express), Aames shared that he went broke in the mid-2000s. "At the very peak [of 'Eight Is Enough'] I was making a little over a million dollars a year," he said. "Then suddenly there was no job, no bank account, no wife, no child. I never dreamt it could happen that fast." Aames also said he struggled with his mental health in the wake of these financial and personal hardships. 

Aames shifted careers and became a 6-star cruise director. Then, around 2015, Aames made a triumphant return to acting after eight years. In 2016, he appeared in the Hallmark movie "Every Christmas Has a Story" alongside Colin Ferguson and former "Full House" cast member Lori Loughlin. According to Aames' 2016 interview with Ruth Hill, his return to the screen was a major shift in his newfound life. Given his experience working in the acting industry, Aames described himself as one of the "old guards." Nonetheless, the reconstruction of his professional life proved to be fruitful. As of 2026, he is still a working actor.

Thanks to "Happy Days" and the short-lived spinoff "Joanie Loves Chachi," Ellen Travolta, sister of actor John Travolta, was already a household name when she was cast as Charles' mother, Lillian, on "Charles in Charge." After leaving the sitcom in 1990, Ellen's acting career continued to roll on. One of her most notable roles to date is Gloria Cerullo on "General Hospital." Her character's original run was 1994 through 1996, but Gloria has indeed popped back up on the show throughout the 2020s.

In the '90s, Ellen and her second husband, actor Jack Bannon, moved to the northern Idaho city and got involved in the community, becoming fixtures of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. For over a decade, Ellen also produced, performed in, and hosted a holiday variety show at The Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho.

In a 2021 interview with "Good Morning Northwest," Ellen spoke candidly about the event. "This is our tenth year of doing this kind of show. It's filled with laughter, songs, a lot of movement — I'm not going to say dance but a lot of movement — and a big part of the show is sharing stories from our community." 

In Season 2 of "Charles in Charge," audiences were introduced to the studious middle child of the Powell family, Sarah, played by actor Josie Davis. This was effectively Davis' first major acting gig. In the '90s, Davis' filmography only continued to grow. She took on the role of Grace Turner on "The Young and the Restless," and she appeared on hit shows like "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Silk Stalkings," "Arliss," and "Baywatch." She also began landing made-for-TV movies, including titles like "The Perfect Student," "Past Obsessions," and "The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders."

On a 2024 episode of "Chasing the Extraordinary with Alexia Melocchi," Davis suggested that if there was one thing she would change about her career, it's that she wished she got into film and made-for-TV movies sooner. "My resume is like 95% television. ... I have a big television following. And I was turning down some of the TV movies for honestly like 9 years," she said. Nonetheless, her career's still going strong. In 2026, Davis played Professor Rosen in Lifetime's "The Babysitter's Double Life," which she promoted on Instagram with the movie's lead, Courtney Fulk.

After his acting career took off in the '70s, James Widdoes found success as part of the original "Charles in Charge" Season 1 cast. He played Stan, the work-obsessed patriarch of the Pembroke family, though his character arc only lasted through the CBS run of the series. Following his short-lived stint on "Charles in Charge," he found tremendous success in television as a producer and director. Widdoes' credits include "Dave's World," "Can't Hurry Love," "My Wife and Kids," "The King of Queens," "'Til Death," and "Two and a Half Men."

In a 2025 interview with Steelers Takeaways, Widdoes shared that his passion for directing started back in his theater days when he directed a play that was later turned into an ABC movie. From there, he also pursued acting, working with everyone from the late John Ritter on "Eight Simple Rules" to Anna Faris on the long-running series "Mom." 

Widdoes recognizes the immense value in having worked on both sides of the camera. "It certainly helped me," he stated. "There was credibility in having done their job as an actor. It gave me perspective as well. I would tell them that I've done this job — I have no desire to live vicariously through them. My goal was just to facilitate their process." As of 2026, Widdoes is still very much involved in directing, with his most recent job being Netflix's "Leanne" in 2025.

Alexander Polinsky played Adam, the mischievous youngest child of the Powell family, on "Charles in Charge." He would then go on to land parts on "The New Lassie" and "Joe's Life." The bulk of his credits, however, are voice acting roles. On a 2025 episode of the "Media Path Podcast," Polinsky's interest in voiceover was sparked when he was a teenager after he met voice actor Jason Marsden ("A Goofy Movie," "Hocus Pocus"). "He basically taught me how to do Roger Rabbit's voice, and I was like, 'Wow! I could really do this,'" Polinsky recalled. However, after "Charles in Charge," he decided to pursue other interests: mold making and toy design.

"I was working in a toy design studio called Playworks back in the day," Polinsky recalled in a 2022 interview with Niche Gamer. "I was in my mold shop in Simi Valley when [Marsden] came to visit me. And he said, 'This is great, your mold shop. You're making toys.' I said, 'Yeah, I want to be an action figure.'" Marsden suggested Polinsky dive headfirst into his voice acting career once and for all and make that happen, and Polinsky took it to heart. "I quit my job, got back into voice acting, and within six months, I was playing Control Freak on 'Teen Titans,'" he said. "And I got a little plastic figure made of me so I had my dream come true."

Polinsky voiced a number of Cartoon Network characters, such as Argit from the "Ben 10" franchise. His list of credits also includes "Transformers: Animated," "Blaze and the Monster Machines "Monster High," and "Legion of Super Heroes."

As the daughter of actors Lee J. Cobb and Helen Beverley, it shouldn't be too surprising Julie Cobb also found success in show biz. When she was already well into her career, Julie played Jill Pembroke on Season 1 of "Charles in Charge." She only continued to build her filmography from there, showing up on shows like "Matlock," "Designing Women," and "Growing Pains." In the mid-'00s, however, she made a career pivot.

According to her LinkedIn, Julie underwent a training program from the Coaches Training Institute to become a dedicated life coach in 2004. By 2005, she started a company called Getting There from Here, where she offers her coaching services to clients.

Aside from producing her own short film "Night Vet" in 2014, appearing in "Whatta Lark" in 2017 and "Teenage Bounty Hunters" in 2020, it seems Julie has stepped away from acting entirely. In a 2022 interview with Danny Evans from "Everything 101," Julie stated that despite all of the challenges she experienced working as an actor for several decades, she is proud of what she achieved. "I do appreciate my career more than I did during my career because when you're during a career as an actor, you're always competing. ... So, I didn't appreciate that I actually do have a body of work behind me," she stated.

James T. Callahan joined Season 2 of "Charles in Charge" as Walter Powell, the grandfather of the Powell kids. Callahan's career began in the 1950s — long before "Charles in Charge" — and his lengthy list of credits includes everything from "M*A*S*H" to "The Twilight Zone" to "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries." After "Charles in Charge," he continued to rack up credits, including "The Golden Girls," "ER," and "7th Heaven." 

His last acting credit was in the 2007 film "Born." That same year, Callahan died at 76 years old. According to the Los Angeles Times, the actor was diagnosed with esophageal cancer just six months before his death. His wife told the publication that he passed away due to complications with the disease at their home in Southern California.  "As an actor, he was just an absolute pleasure. He wanted what was best for the team, and that's very rare," Scott Baio, his "Charles in Charge" co-star, said to the LA Times. "He loved hanging out with us, and he loved, loved, loved working."

In the first season of "Charles in Charge," April Lerman played Lila Pembroke, who, not unlike Jamie Powell in the subsequent seasons, was depicted as boy crazy. After her single season of "Charles in Charge," she had to figure out her next steps as an actor. However, aside from guest spots on shows like "Growing Pains" and "Kate & Allie," things more or less fizzled out. 

In a 2020 interview with Celebrity Parents Magazine, Lerman reflected on when she ultimately accepted that it was time to leave show biz in the rearview. "In my 20s, I realized that an acting career might not happen for me," she said. "This was hard to deal with, as I had always thought that I would be famous. I had no other reference point. It came very easily to me, and I had no reason to think that it was going to end."

After finding fame on a hit '80s show, Lerman pursued a more conventional career path. The former child actor went to law school, passed the bar, started a family, and then headed back to school where she earned a master's in childhood psychology. Lerman has been working as a therapist ever since. "I work in a community counseling group in Thousand Oaks, California. I work with children and adolescents," she said. "I love it. It's the only thing that could have come close to acting for me."

On the first season of "Charles in Charge," Broadway alum Jonathan Ward played the smart and snarky middle child, Douglas Pembroke.  After the sitcom, he went on to appear in shows like "Heart of the City" and "The New Adventures of Beans Baxter," as well as movies like "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" and "Steel Magnolias." He effectively retired from acting in the 2000s to pursue a career in the automotive industry and industrial design. 

In a 2017 interview with Hagerty, Ward shared that the Big Apple played a big part in his love of design at a young age. "I later moved to New York, and it had a huge impact on me — just all the madness that is New York City, all the layers of great design from the turn-of-the-century forward, the high-end stores, the window outfits, the streetlights, you name it," he said. "All the culture and design sensitivity that exists there really opened my eyes."

In 1996, Ward and his wife started TLC, a company that provided restoration services to Toyota Land Cruisers. By 2007, this evolved into a vehicle restoration company called ICON, which, as he described in a 2024 video for Moore & Giles, is a company all about "revisiting transportation design from the past in a modern context." As a self-described fanatic of classic car design, Ward found his full-time passion outside of acting and has never looked back.

As Jason, the youngest member of the Pembroke family, Michael Pearlman joined the "Charles in Charge" cast at just 11 years old. He began his acting career in 1980, and hung up his hat shortly thereafter. After his last acting credit in a 1987 episode of "Kate & Allie," he left the acting industry to pursue a career in journalism. According to his LinkedIn profile, Pearlman attended New York University, where he attained a bachelor's degree in journalism. He also went on to earn certifications in public relations, advertising, and applied communication from the University of Southern California. 

In the '90s, Pearlman moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and in 2011, he settled down in the city of Cheyenne with his family. He's worked for various Wyoming-based publications, such as Jackson Hole News and Guide and The Sheridan Press. After working for Sierra Trading Post and Align, Pearlman became a director of communications for Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon from 2019 to 2025. As of 2026, Pearlman continues to be involved in public relations, working as the director of external affairs for the Wyoming Nonprofit Network.