7 Famous ’90s On-Screen Couples—And Their Real Lives Decades Later

The ’90s didn’t just give us dial-up internet and questionable eyebrow choices—it gave us on-screen couples who basically raised our expectations for romance (and emotional chaos). Years later, these couples still hold a special place in our hearts. But the lives of these actors have changed so much and gone in so many different directions (sometimes even circling back). Let’s take a look at what happened since then.

Ross Geller & Rachel Green (Friends)

Ross and Rachel were the blueprint for “will they/won’t they” torture. We watched them fall in love, implode, reunite, break up again, get accidentally married, un-marry-ish… and somehow still end up being each other’s person.

In real life, Jennifer Aniston never really left the spotlight—she’s been leading and executive producing The Morning Show, proving she can do sharp drama just as easily as comedy.

David Schwimmer’s been doing a mix of acting, directing, and voice work, and every time he pops up, it’s like your brain goes, “Oh wow, I missed Ross’s stressed-out energy.” And yes, the Friends reunion gave everyone that moment: Aniston and Schwimmer admitted they had crushes on each other back in the day—which immediately sent the internet into a spiral.

Jack Dawson & Rose DeWitt Bukater (Titanic, 1997)

Jack and Rose represented the pinnacle of cinematic romance: an iconic ship, a tragic love story, and a door that has sparked more arguments than politics during Christmas. Titanic wasn’t just a hit—it became a full cultural event, winning 11 Oscars and basically living rent-free in pop culture ever since.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, meanwhile, have stayed close in real life—the kind of friendship that’s genuinely sweet and weirdly rare in Hollywood. They still show up for each other, and they reunited in 2024 at a screening event where DiCaprio introduced Winslet. Their friendship gets brought up constantly because it’s one of those “aw, not everything is fake” stories.

Winslet’s also kept doing big, interesting projects (including the Lee Miller biopic Lee).

Mulder & Scully (The X-Files)

Mulder and Scully weren’t your average TV romance—it was all tension, unresolved feelings, and intense eye contact under fluorescent FBI lighting. The chemistry was so powerful it basically became its own phenomenon.

Gillian Anderson has had one of those careers that just keeps leveling up. She’s done prestige TV, big streaming hits, and in 2024 she played journalist Emily Maitlis in Netflix’s Scoop.

David Duchovny has stayed busy too, bouncing between acting, writing, and projects that lean into his “smart-but-a-little-weird” vibe—including hosting a docuseries about mysterious stories and secrets.

And the best part? They still seem genuinely fond of each other, which is exactly what you want from two people who spent years pretending to be emotionally repressed soulmates.

Carrie Bradshaw & Mr. Big (Sex and the City)

Carrie and Big were messy, addictive, and somehow always pulling each other back in—like a designer shoe you know will hurt but you wear anyway. Sex and the City made Carrie and Big iconic, while And Just Like That… revived their story for a new era.

Sarah Jessica Parker has basically remained the CEO of Carrie Bradshaw energy, and she’s stayed deeply involved in the sequel series. And speaking of the sequel: And Just Like That… is set to end after season 3, with a two-part finale.

Chris Noth’s real-life story took a much darker turn. In late 2021, multiple women accused him of sexual assault; he denied the allegations and said the encounters were consensual. After the accusations, he was no longer set to film additional episodes of The Equalizer.

So while Carrie’s story kept going, Big’s future on-screen got complicated fast.