Where Are They Now? The Cast Of 'The L Word'

It's been over 20 years since The L Word premiered on Showtime as the go-to show for lesbian drama, scandals, and sexcapades. Telling the story of a small group of friends in West Hollywood, the show took viewers into the world every Sunday night for six seasons.

The writers and actors were pioneers and conveyed the everyday lives of gay women, as dramatized as they were. Failed relationships, joy, sorrow, family life, racial discrimination, professional discrimination, and the hanging cloud of public perception, The L Word showed it all. And who can forget all those spicy scenes.

Despite catching up with a few of the actors with the short-lived sequel, The L Word: Generation Q, what happened to them all? Let's take a look!

Karina Lombard

Role: Marina Ferrer

Appearing in just 16-episodes of the show, Marina was the explosion that led to the direction the show went throughout its tenure on Showtime. From her affair with Jenny to allowing Kit to take over The Planet, it's safe to say nothing that happened would have happened without Karina Lombard's character. Since The L Word, she's appeared in The 4400, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Rescue Me, CSI: NY, NCIS, and Timeless.

Laurel Holloman

Role: Tina Kennard

Playing the role of Bette Porter's first true love, Laurel Holloman approached Tina with grace and compassion as one of the main sources of bisexual representation on the show. Since The L Word, Holloman has starred in Gigantic and reprised the role of Tina in The L Word: Generation Q, but she's mostly dedicated her time to painting. In 2016, her work was featured as a solo show called "Everglow" in the Museum Jan Van der Togt in the Netherlands

Janina Gavankar

Role: Eva "Papi" Torres

Giving Shane a run for her money in terms of body count, Papi blasted onto the show as a player that became infamous on Alice's radio show. Played by Janina Gavankar, Papi became a brief series regular before exiting shortly after. Since The L Word, she's appeared in Dollhouse, True Blood, Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, The Mysteries of Laura, Sleepy Hollow, The Morning Show, Big Sky, and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Gavankar is also a musician who previously was in an all-female group called Endera.

Daniel Sea

Role: Max Sweeney

We met Max in season three when the then-character Moira hooks up with Jenny and moves to Los Angeles. The memorable performance exploring Moira's transition to Max was groundbreaking at the time. Although most argue that the transgender representation wasn't what it could have been, it was still important for what it was - especially as Sea came out as transgender in real-life. Since The L Word, Sea has kept busy with acting as well as activism. They've appeared in The Pyrex Glitch, The Dead and the Living, The Casserole Club, and reprised the role of Max in The L Word: Generation Q.

Rose Rollins

Role: Tasha Williams

Tasha filled big shoes serving as Alice's post-Dana love interest and she was played perfectly by Rose Rollins. Giving representation to the "don't ask, don't tell" era of the US military, Tasha refused to serve in silence and had Alice right by her side as she navigated her post-military life. Since The L Word, Rollins has appeared in Chase, Southland, NCIS, Bosch, The Catch, Nikita, and reprised the role of Tasha in The L Word: Generation Q.

Lauren Lee Smith

Role: Lara Perkins

Ah, the chef who stole Dana from Alice. Smith portrayed the likeable and supportive Lara the chef very briefly on the show and fans were sad to see her go. Since The L Word, she's appeared in Trick 'r Treat, The Shape of Water, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Psych, The Listener, Saving Hope, This Life, Frankie Drake Mysteries, and Departure.

Rachel Shelley

Role: Helena Peabody

As Bette's rival-turned friend, Helena came onto the scene hot as an entitled and wealthy figure. The main group helped Helena back down to Earth when everything (literally) was taken from her. Helena was a love or hate with viewers, and she was perfectly executed by Rachel Shelley. Since The L Word, Shelley has appeared in The Ghost Whisperer, Once Upon a Time, Casuality, Rogue, Deep State, Kohrra, Different for Girls, and Young Sherlock. In 2024, she was presented with a 30 Years of DIVA Honouree award for her LGBTQ+ allyship throughout her career.

Sarah Shahi

Role: Carmen De La Pica Morales

Carmen came into the show as a local DJ turned fiancé of Shane. And as you can guess, Carmen had her heart split in half when Shane backed out of their relationship. Carmen is one of the most down to Earth characters to appear on The L Word thanks to the portrayal by Sarah Shahi. Since appearing on The L Word, she has been seen in Black Adam, Life, Chicago Fire, Person of Interest, Ray Donovan, The Rookie, and Sex/Life.

Mia Kirshner

Role: Jenny Schecter

Oh, Jenny. Viewers had strong opinions on Mia Kirshner's controversial role, including a solid chunk who were happy about her eventual demise. But that aside, you can't deny that the character was delivered with a powerhouse performance. Since The L Word, Kirshner has appeared in Star Trek: Discovery, The Vampire Diaries, Defiance, Bloodline, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She also starred on the hit show 24 during her time on The L Word.

Erin Daniels

Role: Dana Fairbanks

Auditioning for the roles of Bette and Alice before being cast as Dana, Erin Daniels brought perhaps the most lovable, down to Earth character on the show to life. As a professional tennis player, Dana poked fun at lesbian stereotypes while raising awareness to the importance of being authentic to yourself and annual cancer screenings. Since The L Word, Daniels has appeared on Dexter, Jericho, CSI: NY, Saving Grace, Perception, Stalker, and even made a guest appearance on The L Word: Generation Q. Her role as Dana Fairbanks even inspired an anonymous $1 million donation to breast cancer research.

Pam Grier

Role: Kit Porter

Grier has been a Hollywood staple since the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s, so it was a honor to have her appear in The L Word as Bette's sister. Though her character was, at times, controversial and not the best representation of an ally, Kit showed the vast struggle that those who face addiction endure. Since The L Word, Grier has appeared in Pet Samatary: Bloodlines, Smallville, This Is Us, Bless This Mess, Them, and Bob's Burgers. She also received a lifetime achievement award at the 2024 Toronto Black Film Festival.

Marlee Matlin

Role: Jodi Lerner

This Oscar-winner joined the cast in season 4, playing a deaf artist who became Bette's new love interest. Although Jodi didn't last on the show, Marlee Matlin brought everything to the role and made her one of the most memorable, limited-time characters to exist within the universe. Since The L Word, she's appeared in Switched at Birth, Glee, The Magicians, Quantico, New Amsterdam, and the Oscar-winning film CODA. She even appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2008 and The Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. While on the latter, she raised a record-breaking $986,000 for her charity, the Starkey Hearing Foundation.

Leisha Hailey

Role: Alice Pieszecki

Alice was a favorite among viewers for her quirky, sometimes out of sorts behavior. From her obsession with lesbian hookups to Dana, no one can deny that Alice was always a bright spot throughout the series and served as yet another form of bisexual representation. Along with playing Alice, Leisha Hailey has been a longtime musician in bands such as The Murmurs and Uh Huh Her. Since The L Word, she's mostly focused on her music but has appeared in American Dad!, Drop Dead Diva, Constantine, Supernatural, Bosch, Silicon Valley, and she reprised the role of Alice in The L Word: Generation Q.

Katherine Moennig

Role: Shane McCutcheon

As LA's resident player, Moennig represented Shane as the type of person you want to give your heart to but probably never should. Although filled with good intentions, Shane was a whirlwind and had a long list of broken hearts behind her. Since The L Word, she's appeared in several theater productions as well as The Lincoln Lawyer, Dexter, Ray Donovan, Grown-Ish, No Good Deed, and reprised the role of Shane in The L Word: Generation Q. She's also narrated audiobooks for The Late Show and Amplified.

Jennifer Beals

Role: Bette Porter

Though most recognized for her 1980s role in Flashdance, Beals joined the cast of The L Word as Bette - the matriarch of the show. Bette had a rather chaotic character arc including infidelity, parental loss, job loss, becoming an adoptive parent, and struggles to forge her identity as a black woman. Since The L Word, she has appeared in The Book of Eli, Lie to Me, Castle, The Night Shift, The Swamp Thing, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Book of Boba Fett, and she reprised the role of Bette in The L Word: Generation Q.