Top 10 One Tree Hill Stars: Where Are They Now?

Jana Kramer was a latecomer to “One Tree Hill,” as her first appearance as Alex Dupré wasn’t until the second episode of the seventh season, titled “What Are You Willing to Lose?” Following “One Tree Hill,” Kramer appeared as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars,” where she was partnered with Gleb Savchenko and finished fourth. She has also starred in a few Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and recently appeared as Shaina in the 2018 comedy “Support the Girls.” In 2015, she married former football tight end Mike Caussin, and the couple gave birth to their second child in November of 2018.

Like Jana Kramer, Austin Nichols didn’t show up until the latter half of the show, as his character, movie producer Julian Baker, arrives in Tree Hill to adapt Lucas’s novel. Austin has kept steady work in the television industry since the conclusion of “One Tree Hill,” starring as Tommy Wheeler in Showtime’s “Ray Donovan,” Sam Loomis in “Bates Motel,” and Spencer in “The Walking Dead.” He also appeared in a few movies immediately following the show, including “LOL” and “Parkland,” but his movie career has slowed in recent years. In 2014 he began dating his “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” co-star Chloe Bennet, but the two have since split.

The OG villain of “One Tree Hill,” Paul Johansson portrayed Dan Scott throughout a large majority of the show’s run. He stopped being a series regular in season seven, though he came back for a major role in season nine. Johansson has been a mainstay on television since the 80s and has continued this tradition after leaving “One Tree Hill.” He’s appeared in many TV movies and random episodes of shows, including “Mad Men,” “Bones,” and “Once Upon a Time.” In 2016 he landed his most substantial post-“One Tree Hill” role and starred as vampire leader Dmitri in of Syfy’s “Van Helsing.” The man clearly loves playing the villain!

Antwon Tanner played Antwon “Skills” Taylor on “One Tree Hill”, but unfortunately, he left the show amid controversy, as he was sentenced to three months in prison in 2010 after fraudulently transferring Social Security numbers. This did not affect his career too badly, as he continues to star in bit roles in various television shows, including “Get Shorty,” NCIS: Los Angeles”, “Lucifer,” and “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.” He also starred as Jason in Adult Swim’s “Black Jesus,” which follows Jesus in modern day Compton.

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#6: Lee Norris

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Before portraying Mouth in all nine seasons of “One Tree Hill,” Lee Norris played Stuart Minkus in seasons one and five of “Boy Meets World.” Following his stint as Mouth, Norris reprised his role as Stuart in the “Boy Meets World” spinoff “Girl Meets World,” now playing the father of a teenager named Farkle. Well, we all grow up eventually! He also played an Officer in “Gone Girl” and is set to appear in the Tom Hanks written and produced film “Greyhound” in 2020. He also appeared in two episodes of “The Walking Dead” as Todd, a member of Negan’s Saviors.

Peyton Sawyer was Hilarie Burton’s first major role, and it opened up a ton of doors in the television industry. Since she left “One Tree Hill”, Hilarie has landed recurring roles on “White Collar,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Hostages,” and “Extant.” In 2016 she got the role of Karen Palmer, DEA agent and Martin Riggs’s love interest in the Fox series “Lethal Weapon.” In 2019 she married her boyfriend Jeffrey Dean Morgan, which is even cooler when you realize that he played Negan in “The Walking Dead” alongside Lee Norris’s character Todd! Hilarie was also a big player in the #MeToo movement, accusing both Ben Affleck and “One Tree Hill” creator Mark Schwahn of inappropriate sexual misconduct.

Lenz was involved behind the scenes on as well as acting in “One Tree Hill,” playing Haley Scott throughout the show’s entire run and directing three episodes. Bethany has continued to act in television, landing a recurring role on “Dexter” immediately following “One Tree Hill.” She has also popped up in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “American Gothic,” and “Colony,” and recently scored a main role in the “Suits” spinoff “Pearson.” She continues to release music, and 2017 saw the release of two singles – “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and a duet with Andrew Walker called “How About You.”

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#3: James Lafferty

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Much like Bethany Joy Lenz, James Lafferty was wholly devoted to “One Tree Hill,” remaining a series regular throughout its entire run and directing four episodes. James has continued work behind the camera, directing five episodes of E!’s “The Royals” between 2015 and 2018 and a TV film he co-wrote and produced titled “Everyone Is Doing Great.” Of course, he’s continued acting as well, appearing in the horror movie “Oculus” and landing recurring roles on the shows “Crisis” and “Underground.” In 2018, he starred as Ryan, an apparition often imagined by Shirley, in four episodes of Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House.”

Since moving on from the role of Lucas Scott, Chad Michael Murray has continued working in television, landing starring roles in “Chosen,” “Agent Carter,” and “Sun Records.” In 2019 he starred as cult leader Edgar Evernever in “Riverdale,” a role that brought him back to teen drama stardom. He married is “Chosen” co-star Sarah Roemer in 2015, and the couple have two children. He’s also found time to pen his second novel, “American Drifter: An Exhilarating Tale of Love and Murder,” which was published in 2017.

Unlike many of her co-stars, Sophia Bush almost immediately jumped into another massively popular role, that of Erin Lindsay in the extended “Chicago” universe. She played Erin in “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Justice,” and “Chicago P.D.,” where she appeared in 84 episodes between 2014 and 2017. She also made the jump to the movie industry, and in 2018 provided the voice of Voyd in “Incredibles 2.” Sophia is also known for her activism and co-founded the sexual harassment resistance movement Time’s Up. Her work even earned her the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award in 2018, and we couldn’t be prouder!