TLDR: The Brady Bunch ran on ABC from 1969 to 1974 and created nine television icons whose post-show lives ranged from cocaine addiction to technology entrepreneurship to professional fine art painting.
Three of the original nine cast members are now dead — Robert Reed (1992), Ann B. Davis (2014), and Florence Henderson (2016).
The six surviving Brady children remain active in various careers.
The Brady house was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in March 2026.
Sherwood Schwartz created The Brady Bunch after reading a statistic in the Los Angeles Times stating that 31 percent of American marriages involved children from previous relationships.
The show he built around that data point ran for five seasons, generated nine distinct post-show careers, and became one of the most syndicated programs in television history.
The gap between the suburban domestic perfection it projected on screen and the lives its cast actually lived afterward is considerable.
Robert Reed (Mike Brady): The Secret He Kept Until the End
Robert Reed was a classically trained Shakespearean actor who found the Brady Bunch scripts beneath his abilities and clashed repeatedly with Sherwood Schwartz across all five seasons.
He was also gay, kept his sexuality entirely private throughout his life, and used his real birth surname Rietz rather than his professional name when receiving medical treatments to prevent the press from tracking his health status.
Reed died on May 12, 1992, at age 59. The public was initially told colon cancer. His death certificate subsequently revealed HIV complications as a significant contributing factor. When he knew he was dying, he called Florence Henderson and asked her to tell the rest of the cast.
Florence Henderson (Carol Brady): Broadway Star to Thanksgiving Death
Before The Brady Bunch, Florence Henderson was a serious Broadway star who had originated the title role in Fanny and played Laurey in Oklahoma!, and was the first woman to guest host The Tonight Show.
The role of Carol Brady was first offered to Shirley Jones, who declined and suggested Henderson. Her audition happened in the Star Trek studio next door because there was no makeup artist available — she described Mr. Spock as looking more attractive than she did after the Trek makeup artist was done with her.
Henderson died of heart failure on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016, at age 82 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her final public television appearance was three days earlier at the Dancing with the Stars studio, where she watched her on-screen daughter Maureen McCormick compete in Season 23.
Ann B. Davis (Alice Nelson): The Emmy Winner Who Joined a Religious Community
Ann B. Davis had won two Emmy Awards for her role as Schultzy on The Bob Cummings Show before she ever played housekeeper Alice Nelson. After The Brady Bunch ended, she made a profound personal pivot — stepping back from professional acting to join an intentional Episcopal community in Colorado led by retired Bishop William C. Frey, with whom she and his wife lived for over 38 years.
She occasionally reprised Alice in Brady reunion projects but largely lived a quiet life devoted to faith and community service.
Davis died on June 1, 2014, at age 88 at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. She had slipped and fallen in the bathroom the morning before, hitting her head and losing consciousness.
She was discovered by the Freys after failing to appear for a hairdresser appointment and never regained consciousness. She was survived by her identical twin sister Harriet Norton.
Barry Williams (Greg Brady): The Oldest Living Cast Member
Barry Williams, who played eldest son Greg Brady, is 71 years old as of 2026 and the oldest living member of the original cast following Florence Henderson’s death.
He transitioned to musical theater after the show, making his Broadway debut in Romance/Romance in 1988 when he took over the lead male role from Scott Bakula.
He published a bestselling memoir, Growing Up Brady, in 1992, appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008, and most recently joined the cast of Australia’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2026, placing 10th.
He co-hosts The Real Brady Bros podcast with Christopher Knight.
Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady): The Addiction Behind the Perfect Teenager
Maureen McCormick played the most idealized teenager in American television while privately battling severe insecurities and, after the show ended, cocaine and Quaalude addiction that lasted years.
She lost a Spielberg audition for Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1980 by arriving under the influence of cocaine after three sleepless days.
She has been sober for over 40 years, published a bestselling memoir in 2008, and as of November 2025 was performing off-Broadway in New York City in the play Pen Pals.
Christopher Knight (Peter Brady): The Tech Executive
Christopher Knight made a definitive pivot from acting to technology in 1988 and built one of the more quietly remarkable post-child-star careers in the business.
He co-founded Visual Software, a 3D graphics company that grew from $400,000 to $4.2 million in sales in under ten months before being acquired.
He founded multiple subsequent technology ventures including Kidwise Learningware, Eskape Labs (acquired by Hauppauge Computer Works), and eventually Christopher Knight Home, an online furniture and lifestyle brand.
Christopher Knight Home achieved unexpected global recognition in March 2021 when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry used its outdoor chairs during their highly publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The company jokingly called the moment “Chairgate.” Knight co-hosts The Real Brady Bros podcast with Barry Williams and maintains a private monthly Zoom cocktail hour with Eve Plumb and their respective spouses.
Eve Plumb (Jan Brady): The Fine Art Painter
Eve Plumb bought a Malibu beach cottage at age 11 for $55,000 using her Brady Bunch earnings, held it for 47 years, and sold it in 2016 for $3.9 million. Her actual wealth came from real estate, not residuals, which dried up before she graduated high school.
She has been a professional fine art painter for over 30 years, represented by galleries in New York, Scottsdale, and Fort Lauderdale. She published a memoir, Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, on April 28, 2026.
Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady): Concrete and Grateful Dead
Mike Lookinland spent over 20 years working as a camera operator in television production after The Brady Bunch ended. In November 1997, he rolled his Ford Bronco on a Utah highway with a blood alcohol content of 0.258 — more than three times the legal limit.
The incident prompted a personal pivot toward sobriety. His wife subsequently brought home a library book titled “How to Make Concrete Countertops.” Lookinland left show business, founded Just Add Water, a custom decorative concrete business in Salt Lake City, and now designs and manufactures custom concrete countertops, fireplace fascias, and architectural concrete.
He also performs as a banjoist and vocalist with a local Grateful Dead tribute band and has attended over a hundred Grateful Dead concerts.
Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady): The Firing and the Failed Reboot
Susan Olsen worked as a graphic designer, rock band member, DJ, and talk radio host after leaving acting. In December 2016, she was fired from her co-hosting gig on LA Talk Radio after engaging in a profane, homophobic social media tirade against openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting, who had criticized her political views.
Acord-Whiting publicized private messages in which Olsen had repeatedly used homophobic slurs. The station cancelled the program.
In late 2024, plans for a modern CBS reboot of The Brady Bunch were officially axed. Olsen publicly claimed the show was cancelled by “woke Hollywood” because of her conservative political views. CBS sources confirmed the reboot was cancelled specifically due to her history of hate speech and her refusal to show remorse.
The House: From Exterior Shot to Historic Monument
The actual house used for the show’s exterior establishing shots is located at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City, California. The original series was filmed entirely on a Paramount soundstage — the house’s interior never matched the fictional Brady home.
HGTV purchased the property in 2018 for $3.5 million, invested $1.9 million in renovations to reconstruct the interior sets inside the actual structure, and documented the process in A Very Brady Renovation (2019) with all six surviving Brady children.
HGTV sold the property in September 2023 for $3.2 million — a financial loss — to art collector Tina Trahan and her husband, former HBO chief executive Chris Albrecht. Trahan operates the home as an unlivable “life-size dollhouse” used for charity fundraisers, corporate events, and private tours.
On March 4, 2026, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate 11222 Dilling Street a Historic-Cultural Monument, protecting both the exterior and the reconstructed interior from future demolition or alteration.
Who died from The Brady Bunch cast?
Three of the original nine Brady Bunch cast members have died. Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady, died on May 12, 1992, at age 59, from HIV complications including colon lymphoma. Ann B. Davis, who played Alice, died on June 1, 2014, at age 88, from a subdural hematoma after a fall. Florence Henderson, who played Carol Brady, died on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016, at age 82, from heart failure.
Is anyone from The Brady Bunch still alive?
Yes. Six of the original nine cast members are still alive as of 2026: Barry Williams (Greg Brady, age 71), Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady, age 69), Christopher Knight (Peter Brady, age 68), Eve Plumb (Jan Brady, age 68), Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady, age 65), and Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady, age 64).
What happened to the Brady Bunch house?
The house at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City, California, used for the show’s exterior shots, was purchased by HGTV in 2018 for $3.5 million. HGTV invested $1.9 million to reconstruct the show’s interior sets inside the actual house, documented in A Very Brady Renovation (2019). HGTV sold it in 2023 for $3.2 million to art collector Tina Trahan, who operates it as a life-size dollhouse for charity events. On March 4, 2026, the Los Angeles City Council designated it a Historic-Cultural Monument.
What is Christopher Knight doing now?
Christopher Knight, who played Peter Brady, is a successful technology executive and furniture brand founder. He co-founded multiple technology companies including Visual Software and Eskape Labs, and founded Christopher Knight Home, an online furniture brand that achieved global recognition in 2021 when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry used its outdoor chairs during their Oprah Winfrey interview. He co-hosts The Real Brady Bros podcast with Barry Williams.
What happened to Susan Olsen from The Brady Bunch?
Susan Olsen, who played Cindy Brady, was fired from her talk radio co-hosting position in December 2016 after a homophobic social media tirade against a gay actor who had criticized her political views. In late 2024, a planned CBS reboot of The Brady Bunch that would have featured her as a libertarian podcaster was cancelled, with CBS sources citing her history of hate speech rather than her political views as the reason.
What did Mike Lookinland do after The Brady Bunch?
Mike Lookinland, who played Bobby Brady, worked for over 20 years as a television camera operator before founding Just Add Water, a custom decorative concrete business in Salt Lake City, Utah. The pivot came after his wife brought home a library book about concrete countertops. He also performs as a banjoist and vocalist with a local Grateful Dead tribute band and has attended over a hundred Grateful Dead concerts.
