Whatever Happened To Libby From Sabrina The Teenage Witch?
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is one classic '90s sitcom that stands out and still holds up. Fans entered a realm of witches and warlocks thanks to Sabrina Spellman; her aunts, Hilda and Zelda; and, of course, the warlock-turned-cat Salem. Sabrina was also half-mortal, which meant audiences also followed the experiences of a teenager trying to survive high school. And no story set in high school would be complete without a bully. Libby Chessler filled that role, and she was the queen bee of Westbridge High School who tormented Sabrina.
Jenna Leigh Green convincingly played the role of Libby for three seasons. Arguably, Libby Chessler is Green's most notable role, and even though it was a '90s show, younger generations have become versed in Libby's iconic insults. "With syndication and streaming on Hulu and it being on DVD, I'll go through periods where I'm getting recognized on the street by teenagers like when the show was actually on," Green told BLEEP Magazine. Green left Sabrina after three seasons, but she continued her career in entertainment.
This is what happened to Jenna Leigh Green, the actress who played Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The actress behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch started acting at an early age
Jenna Leigh Green began her acting career as a child doing musical theater, as she told Jim Conlan, a radio and print journalist. From a young age, acting played a big part in her life. Before she was known as Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch – one of Green's first TV/film roles, according to IMDb – she only had small roles in projects. Her first big on-screen acting job was in the 1994 TV movie Death of a Cheerleader, which starred '90s "It girl" Tori Spelling.
The path to Sabrina seemed conventional to Green. "I grew up in Los Angeles, so I didn't have to travel too hard or too far to get to where everything was happening. I started performing as a child in theater," Green told Jim Conlan. "One thing just led to another. I met an agent and a manager, and they set me up with appointments, and the rest kind of fell into place."
At 19 years old, she was cast as Sabrina's high school nemesis. It was a role that would change Green's life and immortalize her in '90s TV history.
While not a mean girl in real life, Jenna Leigh Green excelled at playing Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Although her character was the snobby high school rival, Jenna Leigh Green loved playing the role of Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. "It was a blast. I got to say terrible things, and I always tried to do it with a smile which I felt like made it a bit more wicked," the actress told broadcast journalist Jim Conlan. Thankfully the similarities between Green and Libby are few.
Green explained her theory on playing the mean girl to Jim Conlan, saying that nice people can portray mean girls pretty well, as they've witnessed their behavior. "If you are mean in real life," Green explained, "you don't think you are, so you don't recognize it."
Playing the villain came with fun storylines for Green since Libby often found herself in the crosshairs of Sabrina's powers. "I got very messy. I would fall into cakes or have sodas exploding in my face," she shared with Conlan. Green's favorite episode was "Geek Like Me," where Libby turned into the school nerd... but wound up making the nerds popular. "I always found a way to spin it," she added of her character.
How the woman behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch really felt about co-star Melissa Joan Hart
Fans will be happy to learn that while Sabrina and Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch didn't get along, the exact opposite could be said about Jenna Leigh Green and Melissa Joan Hart. The entire cast was extremely close and would goof around on and off the set. Green told journalist Jim Conlan that she and Hart lived near each other at the time, so they spent a lot of their downtime together.
Green shared anecdotes about the cast's friendship at Liverpool Comic Con in 2020. "We took vacations together. ... We went to Mexico, we went to Vegas," she recalled. "I mean we really all enjoyed each other, and you'd think there would be some horror stories or something, but honestly we had a blast." At the same convention, Hart echoed similar sentiments and noted that the cast even got tattoos together.
On the Past Your Bedtime podcast, Green exclaimed that she and Hart went to a concert one time — it was either NSYNC or Britney Spears — and they had to get escorted out due to delighted fans. Whether it was on the set of Sabrina or not, the two clearly experienced many memorable moments together.
After playing Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Jenna Leigh Green started a career in theater
After Season 3, Jenna Leigh Green left her role as Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Soon after, she landed the role of Ivy in the musical Bare, a coming-of-age story centered around two gay high school students who faced challenges at their strict Catholic boarding school (via Broadway World).
Oddly enough, Green can thank her propensity for karaoke for snagging the role. In an interview with the Slumber Party podcast, Green revealed a friend mentioned her karaoke skills to the show's writers, saying she would be perfect for the role. They came to watch Green sing and sent her to the production's music arranger and producer.
The show opened in Los Angeles, but eventually moved to New York, which caused Green to move across the country. Like it is for many young adults, the cross-country move was a big step for Green. "I grew up with that show. I became an adult the entire time I was working on that show. It brought me to New York and I had to learn how to live in the city without my parents and survive on my own," the actress told BLEEP Magazine.
The actress who played Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch made her Broadway debut in Wicked
After Bare ended, Jenna Leigh Green — aka Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch — auditioned for the Wicked National Tour, where she earned the role of Nessarose and was the understudy for Elphaba. While learning these two roles may sound overwhelming, Green told the Slumber Party podcast that she had actually been hoping to learn both parts.
She told Broadway Wiz that learning Elphaba's part was her "toughest [job] to date" but was an "amazing opportunity." The entire experience was surreal for Green as she traveled the country bringing the joy of Wicked to the masses. "I remember the first time I sat in the house during tech and watched my whole cast in costume and I couldn't believe I was a part of something this huge and monumental," the actress divulged to BLEEP Magazine.
Green acted on the national tour for about a year and then made her Broadway debut. However, she didn't have much time to prepare for the transition. She told Broadway Wiz that she only had three days before joining the Broadway company.
Broadway wasn't the only prestigious debut the actress behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch made
In addition to taking on Broadway, Jenna Leigh Green had the opportunity to perform on London's West End. West End, similar to Broadway, is home to some of the best plays and musicals in the world. In 2008, Green performed in composer and lyricist Scott Alan's concert Never Neverland: The Music of Scott Alan.
Green was in good company; the benefit concert featured many notable West End theater stars, including Dirty Dancing's Simon Greiff, Les Misérables' Cassie Compton, and Hairspray's Rachael Wooding, as noted by Playbill. The concert was held at the coveted Duchess Theatre and benefited ovarian cancer aid and NCH.
Green described the experience as "surreal and exhilarating" to Broadway Wiz. It not only gave the actress previously known for playing Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch global experience but gave her the opportunity to work with a friend on such a meaningful project. "I was fortunate enough to get to do it singing the songs of my good friend Scott Alan," she shared with Broadway Wiz, "and made some friendships with some fantastic performers from across the pond."
The woman known as Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch made brief appearances in TV, film, and web series projects
After playing Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Jenna Leigh Green would later return to television. She made one-episode appearances on shows such as Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Bones, Quantico, and the ever-popular Castle. She was also featured in the romantic comedy You Again, which starred the stunning Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Betty White.
Green also explored work in a new medium — web series. She acted on an episode of The Residuals, a comedic series about actors who do commercials. She was invited to do an episode in the show's second season, playing a character's girlfriend. Broadway World reported that Green got involved with the project through James Tabeek, who was Green's former castmate on the Wicked national tour.
As an actor, Green obviously has some familiarity with the casting process at which The Residuals pokes fun. Green spoke about her own casting nightmares with Broadway World, saying, "Pretty much any horror movie audition is ridiculous. You're generally screaming a lot, in a sexy outfit, over and over. Yet, I still go cause I'm dying to do a horror film!"
Sabrina the Teenage Witch's Jenna Leigh Green went on to star in a rock opera, playing a famous Olympian
It's clear that Jenna Leigh Green has had a wide range of acting experience, as she's acted in television, movies, web series, and musicals. And in 2015, the woman behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch got to star in Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera, which centered on the 1994 sports scandal surrounding Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.
Green played titular character Nancy Kerrigan, whose Olympic dreams were nearly derailed after she was attacked in the knee. Green told Broadway World, "The show is crazy and fun and a total roller coaster."
There have been other creative works about the ice skaters' feud, such as the Margot Robbie-starring I, Tonya, but Tonya & Nancy has its own unique outlook on the story. "It's definitely a comedic look at the infamous scandal, but we aren't making fun of anyone. ... The show has crazy rock music and fun operatic elements, but also has a ton of heart; and of course laughs. Lots of laughs," Green explained to Broadway World.
An off-Broadway play had the actress known as Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch playing the "mean girl" once again
Jenna Leigh Green couldn't stay away from playing the mean girl for too long. She played Cindy Lou in the off-Broadway show The Marvelous Wonderettes. According to Playbill, The Marvelous Wonderettes is a musical set in the late 1950s that follows four girls — The Wonderettes — who recount their dreams through "chart-topping hits of the era."
Green's theater experience is extensive, but she admitted to still feeling overwhelmed with the role at first. "We had two and a half weeks of rehearsal, which equaled to 13 rehearsal days," the actress disclosed to Stage Door Dish. "The story itself is loose, but the music is a lot. It is 27 songs, and some of them are 6-7 minute long medleys and we have four-part harmonies to learn."
Unlike Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Cindy Lou redeems herself by the end of the show. Green noted to Stage Door Dish, "Cindy Lou gets the biggest change over the 10 years, it helps to see how much she has grown and softened up by Act 2."
This is how the actress behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch felt about Netflix's Sabrina project
In 2017, Netflix announced it would release a Sabrina project starring Kiernan Shipka as the new Sabrina. Netflix's version, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, is very different from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. While it boasts a coming-of-age story, it also features a more dark and twisted narrative that the original Sabrina show ever did.
Despite the differences, Jenna Leigh Green had nothing but support for the show. In 2018, the actress behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch told Page Six that she was "thrilled that they're doing it." While The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was later canceled in July 2020, ending after its fourth season (via Vulture), Green previously expressed interest in doing a cameo if the opportunity arose. "Hey, I mean at some point it would be an amazing Easter egg for the audience of the original show if one or two of us popped in there," she added.
The actress known for playing Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch starred in this 2019 film
Theater queen Jenna Leigh Green went on to star in the 2019 film YES, which allowed her to explore the role of a mother. That doesn't mean she completely escaped Broadway though. YES is based on Tim Realbuto's off-Broadway play of the same name. According to IMDb, the movie, like the play, "tells the story of washed up child star Patrick Nolan who decides to mentor 17-year-old Jeremiah Rosenhaft."
Green plays the main character's sister Annie Caden, who brings him "to see his niece in her high school production of Romeo and Juliet," as noted by Film Daily. The movie has plenty of recognizable faces, including Modern Family's Nolan Gould and The Office's Oscar Nuñez. In addition to writing the play, Tim Realbuto stars in the film version as Patrick.
The film won Best Screenplay and Best Ensemble/Duo at the Oniros Film Awards, and won Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Cinematography at the Falcon International Film Festival. If these awards are any indication, YES is a must-see. Obviously Jenna Leigh Green isn't just Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch anymore.
Jenna Leigh Green reunited with her Sabrina the Teenage Witch co-stars
After over 20 years since the Sabrina the Teenage Witch premiere, the cast of the hit show still seem close. In February 2020, members of the cast and crew reunited. The woman behind Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Jenna Leigh Green shared the reunion on Instagram, captioning a photo, "Last night close to 100 cast and crew from #sabrinatheteenagewitch gathered to share stories, share wine and share love! A beautiful night was had by all!" She added, "Special thanks to @melissajoanhart for putting it all together!"
Green's pictures showed her reunited with former co-stars Melissa Joan Hart, Lindsay Sloane, Nate Richert, and Curtis Andersen, who played Sabrina, Valerie, Harvey, and Gordie, respectively. It also showed her with Elisa Donovan, Soleil Moon Frye, and Trevor Lissauer, whose characters came on the series after Green had left, as well as many others.
Then in March 2020, Green — along with Melissa Joan Hart and Beth Broderick, the latter of whom played Zelda Spellman — attended Liverpool Comic Con. The women were joined by fans in a Q&A forum, and they spoke about the show and spilled behind-the-scenes secrets. Clearly Sabrina is still a big part of Green's life.
The actress who played Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a vocal activist
Jenna Leigh Green — aka Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch — is vocal on her social media accounts about pressing issues affecting the country. In 2017, she participated in the Women's March, where she supported women's right to choose, and she's advocated for gun control by supporting the work of Everytown for Gun Safety. She also supported the March for Our Lives rally, and shared photos from it. She captioned one photo, "Moments from a day that filled my heart with hope. Be the change you want to see in the world and listen to the children."
Green is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement as well. In one Instagram post, she called out the lack of coverage of peaceful protests.
Green also uses her platform to encourage her followers to vote. You can catch several "I Voted" snaps throughout her Instagram page.
Fans can get a shout-out from Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch through Jenna Leigh Green's Cameo page
Sabrina fans will be happy to know that they can reach Jenna Leigh Green — aka Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch — on Cameo, a site that allows celebrities to share personalized messages with fans. People can request a message from Green for just $30, and, according to the 24 reviews on her page as of this writing, Green delivers a five-star performance every time.
The actress has been active on the account, primarily sending birthday and graduation wishes and answering random fan questions. In one video, Green shared that her favorite guest stars were the musical guests, which included the Violent Femmes, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears.
In another video, Green stated that she loved Libby's fashion choices and admitted to keeping some of the character's clothes. As for Libby's noteworthy lines, ones that stand out are "freak princess warrior" and "I'll be your lab partner, Harvey," the latter of which was her very first line on the show.