How Old That '90s Show's Main Characters Are In Season 2 (& How Their Actors Compare)

That ’90s Show has returned for another summer in Point Place, but how old are the returning characters, and how does this compare to their actors? Like That ’70s Show, the Netflix spinoff series follows a group of teenagers who frequent the Forman family’s basement. However, this time around, the story follows Eric and Donna’s daughter, Leia, and her group of friends who are facing teenagerhood in the 1990s. The primary difference between the two series is that The ’90s Show‘s seasons are set during the summers between school years.

The characters from That ’70s Show grew up over its eight seasons, and the same is inevitable for That ’90s Show, so long as it continues. Each year that Leia comes back to Point Place, Wisconsin, from Chicago, her character will be another year older. Of course, filming and production time mean that the actors are likely to age at a different rate than their characters. This means that over time, there tends to be more of a discrepancy between the actor and character ages in That ’90s Show.

Leia Is 15 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Callie Haverda Turned 17 While Filming Season 2

Leia Forman celebrated her 15th birthday in That ’90s Show season 1 sometime in July. She has gone through almost a full year since then, having returned for another school year in Chicago before returning to Point Place. This means she should be turning 16 during the events of That ’90s Show season 2, but this likely won’t happen until the second batch of episodes is released on October 24, 2024. Actor Callie Haverda’s birthday is February 21, 2007, and because filming for That ’90s Show season 2 spanned over the first few months of 2024, she would have turned 17 on set.

Gwen Is About 16 In That ’90 Show Part 2

Ashley Aufderheide Was 18 While Filming Season 2

Leia is the only teenage character in That ’90s Show given a definitive age, but there are implications throughout season 1 that Gwen was a little older than her but still in the same grade. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that Gwen turned 16 during the gap between That ’90s Show season 1 and season 2. However, the actor who plays her is a couple of years older. Ashley Aufderheide was born November 21, 2005, making her 18 at the beginning of 2024 when season 2 was filmed.

Jay Is About 17 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Mace Coronel Turned 20 While Filming Season 2

Jay’s age is also never explicitly stated, but it is mentioned in That ’90s Show season 1 that he is a grade above Leia and Gwen. Additionally, he had his driver’s license in season 1, indicating that he was at least 16. This means Jay is probably 17 in That ’90s Show season 2, though he could feasibly be older. His actor, Mace Coronel, certainly is, since his birthday is March 10, 2004. With filming for season 2 taking place during the first quarter of 2024, Coronel would have turned 20 either during or shortly after filming wrapped.

Nikki Is About 17 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Sam Morelos Was 18 While Filming Season 2

Nikki is a little more mature than the rest of her friends, though it’s never explicitly stated whether she is in the same grade as Gwen or her boyfriend, Nate. Like Jay, Nikki can legally drive in That ’90s Show, indicating she was at least 16 in that first batch of episodes. She is also more focused on college prep than her friends, so it’s possible that she is even another grade above them. Regardless, Nikki would be about 17 or 18 in That ’90s Show season 2, fairly close to actor Sam Morelos, born July 7, 2005, who was 18 while filming.

Nate Is About 17 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Maxwell Acee Donovan Was 18 While Filming Season 2

Nate is Gwen’s older brother and is in the same grade as his best friend, Jay Kelso. Like his peers, he can legally drive his clunky van in season 1, so Nate should be about 17 or 18 in That ’90s Show season 2. This puts the character fairly close to Maxwell Acee Donovan’s age, who was born on May 14, 2005. This makes the actor 19 by the time That ’90s Show Part 2 releases on Netflix, but 18 during filming at the beginning of 2024.

Ozzie Is About 16 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Reyn Doi Was 15 While Filming Season 2

While Jay and Nikki were Nate’s friends from school, it’s stated in That ’90s Show season 1 that Ozzie was Gwen’s own addition to the friend group. Though it’s never said for sure, it’s likely that this means Ozzie is in the same grade as Gwen. It’s certainly possible that he is younger than Leia, but it has typically been implied that Donna and Eric’s daughter is the youngest and least experienced of the friend group. Of course, this isn’t the case for the actors, where its Reyn Doi who is the youngest. Born on September 20, 2008, Ozzie’s actor would only have been 15 during filming.

Red Is About 69 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Kurtwood Smith Was 80 While Filming Season 2

It was mentioned in That ’70s Show that Red Forman, born Reginald Albert Forman, was born in 1927. This means the character would have been in his 50s during the events of the parent series, but about 69 in 1996 when Leia returned to stay with him in That ’90s Show season 2. This lines up fairly well with the age of a grandpa, though it’s significantly younger than actor Kurtwood Smith’s actual age. Born on July 3, 1943, Smith was 80 while filming That ’90s Show season 1 and will be 81 by the time the second batch of episodes release on October 24, 2024.

Kitty Is About 62 In That ’90s Show Part 2

Debra Jo Rupp Turned 72 While Filming Season 2

Kitty’s birth year is said to be 1933 in That ’70s Show, putting her in her late 40s during the events of the initial series. This lines up with her story arc since Kitty began going through menopause in season 5. Now, going into That ’90s Show season 2, this birth year would make Kitty about 62 years old during the summer of 1996—seven years younger than her husband. Kitty’s actor, Debra Jo Rupp, was born February 24, 1951, which means she would celebrate her 72nd birthday while filming That ’90s Show season 2.

How Old That ’90s Show’s Teens Are Compared To The Gang In That ’70s Show

The characters of That ’90s Show are younger than their That ’70s Show counterparts. Eric Forman turned 17 during the events of That ’70s Show season 1, making him two years more mature than Leia in her breakout season. Donna, Hyde, Kelso, and Fez are all meant to be in the same grade as Eric, making them more or less about the same age when the series started, while Jackie was meant to be a year or two behind them. The actors’ ages in That ’70s Show varied more, ranging from 15 to 22 in season 1.

Aside from Mila Kunis, all the actors of That ’70s Show were legal adults when season 1 premiered, which is certainly not true for That ’90s Show. However, since the character ages aren’t too far off by the events of That ’90s Show season 2, it hasn’t made too much of a difference to the story. The Netflix series can still explore the raunchier sides of being a teenager without shying away from certain ideas and concepts. If anything, the younger cast can pull off looking young for more seasons of That ’90s Show, rather than everyone very quickly looking like they are too old for high school (like in That ’70s Show).

That 90s Show

That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes. 

Cast

Kurtwood Smith , Debra Jo Rupp , Mace Coronel , Callie Haverda , Ashley Aufderheide , Sam Morelos , Reyn Doi , Maxwell Acee Donovan

Release Date

January 19, 2023

Seasons

1

Writers

Gregg Mettler , Bonnie Turner , Lindsey Turner , Terry Turner

Directors

Gail Mancuso , Laura Prepon

Showrunner

Gregg Mettler

Expand