Meet The Real-Life Kids Of The New Girl Cast

The cozy sitcom "New Girl" featured a trio of 20-something men living in Los Angeles and their newest roommate, the bubbly Jessica Day. From 2011 until 2018, fans watched the four roommates navigate family, friends, work, and romantic relationships in between laughs. Many seasoned actors popped up as guest stars in various episodes of the FOX sitcom, but except for Zooey Deschanel, the majority of the main cast of "New Girl" were relatively unknown before they became the face of one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 2010s and skyrocketed to fame. 

The cast of the show transformed off-screen in their own ways after the show ended as well, and many started their own families. From Deschanel's two children, who are shielded from the spotlight, to Max Greenfield's daughter, who convinced him to join TikTok, the real-life kids of the "New Girl" cast may vary in age and personality, but they all helped to change their famous parents' lives for the better. The sitcom's theme song asks, "Hey girl, watcha doin? Hey girl, where ya going?" While the cast may not always have known the answer to those questions, in real life these actors all ended up on the same road to parenthood. Meet the real-life kids of the "New Girl" cast and learn how becoming parents changed who they are as individuals.

Quintessential 2000s quirky girl Zooey Deschanel has transformed professionally and personally since her days on "New Girl," with one of the biggest changes being motherhood. The sitcom star dated Nick Miller for part of the show, but in real life, she married her now ex-husband, Jacob Pechenik, with whom she shares two children. Deschanel is engaged to "Property Brothers" star Johnathan Scott.

*Cue show theme song* Who's that girl? It's the actor who played Jess' daughter! Deschanel gave birth to her daughter, Elsie Otter Pechenik, in 2015, and two years later her son, Charlie Wolf Pechenik, joined the family. While many people give their children simple middle names, both of Deschanel's kids' middle names are a bit uncommon, as they're inspired by her and Pechenik's deep love for animals. Charlie and Elsie may have a famous mom, but their parents keep them out of the spotlight; they are rarely seen on social media, and when they are, their faces are covered with an emoji in an effort to retain some privacy.  

The "New Girl" star's life has become better since having kids, as her pace of life and work has changed. In an interview with Redbook, Deschanel said, "I've slowed things down a bit. I think it's good for your whole self— your creative self, your professional self, and just your soul— to take a little time for yourself and your family."

The character Schmidt in "New Girl" was a notorious player during the first few seasons of the sitcom before he settled down with CeCe Parekh and had a daughter. In real life, the actor who played Schmidt, Max Greenfield, is married to Tess Sanchez, and the pair share two kids: Lilly and Ozzie Greenfield. About a decade after Lilly was born, like countless parents across the globe, Max became an impromptu teacher during COVID remote learning for his children.

To add some joy to his family's lives at the time, Max, who was never big on social media, began filming videos with his kids and embraced his carefree side. Both of Max's children have been featured in his social media posts, and at his daughter's urging, the actor became a dancer on TikTok. In the videos, Lilly showed that her comedic timing was just as good as her dad's and later proved that acting skills run in the family too when she guest-starred in an episode of "The Neighborhood" with her dad. Born in 2015, Ozzie also shares his dad's love for comedy.

The "New Girl" actor was further inspired by his children to do something he had never done before: become an author. In 2021, Max wrote the children's book "I Don't Want to Read This Book." to inspire his kids to read more.

The cast of "New Girl" is nothing like the characters they played on the FOX sitcom. Actor Jake Johnson played Nick Miller, a childless bartender endlessly working on his novel in the show. When Jake first joined the cast of "New Girl," he did not have kids of his own either. Now, the actor is a girl dad to twin daughters, Elizabeth and Olivia, born in 2014. Meet Erin Payne, Johnson's wife and mother of his children.

While Jake was thrilled to become a parent, he did not announce either daughter's birth publicly to protect their privacy. Even before having children, the actor who played the third roommate in "New Girl" did not welcome the spotlight off screen; in an interview with Variance, the actor said, "I love to act. But I didn't get into the business to be a huge celebrity." He continued, "Of course, I'll be out to eat with friends and a woman might come up to the table and have nice things to say. It's cool. But I didn't get into acting for that."

Since becoming a father, Jake has protected his family's privacy even more, only sharing small details about his twins, but he never posts photos with them, and they are rarely seen in public.

For those wondering what happened to CeCe from "New Girl," the actor became a first-time mom around the same time as her character. In the season six finale of the sitcom, Jess' best friend, CeCe Parekh, discovers that she is pregnant, and the storyline follows her motherhood journey. Hannah Simone played CeCe, who had a daughter by the end of the show, but in real life the actor has one son whose name or exact day of birth has never been revealed. Like her "New Girl" co-star, Jake Johnson, Simone prefers to raise her real-life kids away from cameras and protects their privacy. The actor keeps her love and family life under wraps, so much so that she even had a secret wedding. The actor married television host and personality Jesse Giddings in 2016 while managing to keep details private, and she gave birth to their child in early August of the following year. 

Simone and her husband are both from Canada, so the "New Girl" star decorated their baby boy's nursery to reflect their own childhoods. In an interview with People, Simone said that elements like a wooden rocking chair and denim curtains "reminds [her] of growing up in Alberta." She told the outlet, "I love that Canadian country touch." 

In "New Girl," the character Winston Bishop treated his cat like his child, but in real life the actor who played Winston, Lamorne Morris, became a first time father to a baby girl, Lily Morris, on September 14, 2020. Although young, Lamorne's daughter is already giving her dad a run for his money when it comes to her comedic skills. In honor of his daughter's fourth birthday, the actor shared photos of her birthday celebration to Instagram with the caption, "4 years old and she's already funnier than Daddy."

Lily also showed her sense of humor in a video her dad shared to Instagram that same year. When the acclaimed "Fargo" actor first discovered that he was nominated for an Emmy in 2024 and teared up, his daughter started giggling and pointing at her dad's tearful reaction to the career changing news. The girl dad embraces fatherhood and shares snippets of his life as a parent on social media, often doing cozy movie nights and golf days. In a clip from his podcast, "The Lamorning After," the "New Girl" star shared how his daughter changed all aspects of his life. "My career has gotten better since my daughter has been born because it allows me to filter out the B.S. quicker," he explained (via TikTok). The actor revealed that work is an even higher priority for him because he has to provide for her, and she is the center of his world. 

The actor who played Coach in "New Girl" was a bachelor for most of the series, but in real life Damon Wayans Jr. has six kids with a large age range. His youngest children tend to stay out of the spotlight, but Damon's older daughters are not only are in the spotlight but embrace it. Damon shares two of his oldest girls, Amara and Aniya Wayans, with his ex-girlfriend, Aja Metoyer, and his wife Samara Saraiva is the mother to some of his other children. Damon has never clarified details such as the mothers, ages, and genders of his children, but he has confirmed that he has at least one son who loves basketball, an appropriate interest for the character Coach's real-life child.

Damon's daughter Amara followed in his footsteps when she worked on her dad's show, "Poppa's House" with him and her grandfather, Damon Wayans Sr. In an interview with BET Talks, Amara's dad said, "They [kids] grow up too fast. You have the baby, you blink and they're working alongside you (via Youtube)." The "New Girl" cast member's real-life kids did grow up fast, so fast that the actor has already become a grandfather to one of his older daughters, Berlyn Wayans', child. Like his former "New Girl" co-star Max Greenfield, the proud father of six has also added dancer to his resume and has participated in many TikTok dances with his daughters.

Comedic actor Nelson Franklin may have played Jessica Day's temporary love interest, Robby, in the sitcom "New Girl, but in real life he married  fellow actor Georgia Mischak in 2016.  Nelson shares one son, Hugo Franklin, with his wife, and he often posts photos of his family of four (family cat included). The actor who played Robby became a first time parent when his son was born in the summer of 2021 sooner than was expected. Nelson, who rarely misses work, missed his final day on set filming the Amazon movie "Being the Ricardos" since his bundle of joy arrived two weeks earlier than his due date. 

While becoming a parent undoubtedly brings many new challenges that can put a strain on relationships, that has not been the case for Nelson; the actor actually credits becoming a new parent for bringing him even closer to his wife. In an Instagram post in honor of Hugo's four month birthday, the "New Girl" actor shared photos of his growing son and a sweet sentiment. He wrote, "I'm very proud of him and I love him A LOT. I'm also grateful to him for bringing me even closer to his mother, which I didn't think was possible."

Megan Fox is known for countless movies, but the role she is most passionate about is her role as a mother of four in real life. The "New Girl" actor co-parents three children, Noah, Bodhi and Journey Green, with her ex-husband Brian Austin Green, and in 2025 Fox gave birth to her fourth child, daughter Saga Blade Fox-Baker, whom she shares with her ex-fiancé, rapper Machine Gun Kelly.  Although the relationships did not last, Fox credits all four of her kids for making her a better person and positively changing her life. 

The "Jennifer's Body" actor always had a fraught relationship with Hollywood since she experienced such extreme misogyny, so stepping away from the industry when she was pregnant helped to improve her mental health. In an interview with The Washington Post, the actor revealed, "That [being pregnant] kind of saved me honestly. I needed an escape." Fox further explained that having children also helped her to be more intentional about choosing what acting projects she takes. Although Fox attempts to shield her children from the public eye, she has revealed some details about them and her parenting style over the years. Her oldest child, Noah, loves to wear dresses and play the piano, while her youngest, Journey, has a penchant for remembering facts about topics like dinosaurs. Whether it is through music or experimenting with fashion, the actor is fully supportive of how her children choose to express themselves. 

The actor David Walton played Dr. Sam, another one of Jessica Day's love interests in the sitcom "New Girl."  Although David played a pediatrician in the show, his character did not have any kids of his own. However, off-screen, the actor shares two kids in real life with his wife, Majandra Delfino, whom he married in 2011. David became a dad in 2012 when his oldest child, Cecilia Delphine Walton, was born, and the following year he and his wife welcomed their second child: Louis Augustus Walton.

The birth of the couple's youngest child, Louis, did not go exactly as planned; he was born premature in November a month before his due date. In fact, David revealed that his son arrived so early that he was almost born on the side of the road on the way to the hospital. Thankfully, the couple arrived at the hospital in time so David did not need to find out if his doctor skills would translate well off-screen. The proud parents revealed to People that although Louis' early birth was a bit of a surprise, he was born healthy; his dad called him a "...very early Christmas gift." Like much of the other "New Girl" cast, David and his wife protect their children from the spotlight and only share rare glimpses of their family life on social media without showing their children's faces. 

Curtis Armstrong may be better known for his roles in movies like "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Risky Business," but the '80s movie actor has a number of other movie and show roles under his belt as well, including his recurring role as the often flustered Principal Foster in "New Girl." In the FOX sitcom, Curtis played Jessica Day's boss who was theoretically in charge of hundreds of children in school, but the actor only has one child in real life.

The actor who played Jess' principal in "New Girl" shares one daughter, Lily Armstrong, with his wife, screenwriter Elaine Aronson. Aronson had to return to work shortly after giving birth, so Curtis became his daughter's main caregiver when she was a baby. When she grew up, Curtis' only child attended college abroad and now lives in London. The father daughter duo has influenced each other music tastes, and in 2018, Lily turned her passion for music into a career when she started her first post-college job as a music journalist. That year for her birthday, the proud father shared a picture of their family of three on X and wrote, "It's been a while since I've bragged about my daughter Lily. (Well, not that long, actually). But today is her 23rd birthday and she just started her first real job in London, visa and all! We love her so much and our pride in her knows no bounds!"