Whatever Happened To Jenna Von Oÿ?

"Blossom" isn't always talked about as a true powerhouse sitcom of the early 1990s, but it left a significant impression on a number of people who grew up during the era. At a time when most coming-of-age stories focused on boys becoming men, "Blossom" turned the tables by showcasing the everyday hurdles of growing up as a teenage girl. Mayim Bialik played titular heroine Blossom Russo with a perfect combination of awkwardness and charisma, which made her into a fantastic and endearing sitcom lead.

Of course, a sitcom lead can only go so far without some serious support. Luckily, "Blossom" had just the thing in the lead character's fast-talking bestie, Six LeMeure. Just like Blossom, she rocks some oddball fashion and more than holds her own, no matter who she's on screen with. Six can talk anyone's ear off, and her charming nature makes her one of the show's most memorable characters. Played by Jenna von Oÿ, it seemed like a role that would rocket her to stardom. While von Oÿ did find some success immediately following "Blossom," she had mostly fallen off the mainstream radar by the mid-2000s. But as it turns out, that definitely doesn't mean she's been idle. Curious about this star's post-Six life? Here's what Jenna von Oÿ has been up to since her time on "Blossom."

Jenna von Oÿ proved on "Blossom" that there was no ridiculous line delivery she couldn't pull off. Based on this, we bet voice acting was a very natural career progression for her. As her run on "Blossom" came to an end, she did some voice-over work on a film many consider a childhood favorite — and in a very similar role to Six LeMeure at that.

Listen closely the next time you watch "A Goofy Movie," and you'll hear a very familiar voice coming from the mouth of star student Stacey. If you can't recall the plot of "A Goofy Movie," here's a quick rundown: Max is Goofy's son, he has a crush on Roxanne, and Roxanne's best friend is Stacey. Stacey is voiced by von Oÿ. The role allowed her to showcase the same fun energy that worked so well on "Blossom."

Fast-forward a few years after "A Goofy Movie," and von Oÿ was lending her voice to another cartoon project. Animated series "Pepper Ann" ran for a few years in the late 1990s, and also focuses on the coming-of-age story of a middle school girl. However, von Oÿ's role is a bit different here: She played Trinket St. Blair, a rich, popular girl who serves as the quirky title character's central rival.

Though von Oÿ had seemingly nailed down the witty, sarcastic best friend role in the wake of "Blossom," she had to keep finding new series to drop into as she got older. Her last well-known run at this type of character came on the UPN series "The Parkers," a spinoff of "Moesha," which ran for five seasons in the early 2000s.

On "The Parkers," von Oÿ played Stevie Van Lowe. This role gave her a chance to show a slightly different side to what had become a fairly standard archetype for her: The best friend to the series lead. She also got to showcase her dramatic chops a bit more on "The Parkers," as the college-age storylines of lead character Kim Parker and best friend Stevie deal with heavier subject matter. It's not all doom and gloom, though — "The Parkers" let von Oÿ and her castmates stay sarcastic and full of one-liners at all times. Even though "The Parkers" doesn't quite have the mainstream fandom "Blossom" enjoys, it still ran for well over 100 episodes, earned several awards, and helped turn von Oÿ into an even more in-demand actress. That said, "The Parkers" was her last major role before she turned her attention to other areas of interest.

After "The Parkers," Jenna von Oÿ reached a bit of a career crossroads. Specifically, she had to decide if she wanted to navigate the tricky waters of moving from child actor to young adult actor.

In her book "Situation Momedy: A Very Special Episode in Toddlerdom," she wrote that she was trying to leave her sweet and innocent image behind upon reaching her twenties. She did this by posing in a revealing photoshoot for King magazine and by, in her own words, "[playing] the role of a stripper in a crappy, straight-to-DVD movie."

One particularly funny story from this section of her book involves the photoshoot. The crew was apparently taking the photos in secret when a knock on the door interrupted them. Von Oÿ hid behind a curtain. "[I] prayed no one down on Sunset Boulevard could see my pasty white (but professionally oil-slicked) a** mashed up against the third-story window," she wrote. Even more bizarrely, the knock on the door was made by Leonardo DiCaprio, who had accidentally come to the wrong room.

One common thread throughout Jenna von Oÿ's life and career, regardless of what industry or age she's experiencing, is her self-awareness. Music was apparently her first love, but her schedule became too full when she found so much success in acting at such a young age to pursue it. After "The Parkers" came to an end, however, von Oÿ decided to take a swing at the world of singles and record labels.

She released her first album, "Breathing Room," in 2007. Not only did von Oÿ write most of the songs and sing on the record, she also started an independent record label under which she released it. Her music sits in an interesting mix of genres, as there's some serious pop influence to an otherwise twangy, folk-like vocal performance.

Though "Breathing Room" is her only full-length album release to date, von Oÿ put out an EP just a few years afterward. "Coffee & Men (An EP for Childish Adults)" is even harder to pin a genre on; it's somewhat reminiscent of a burlesque stage performance, full of cheeky jokes and over-the-top moments. Both are wildly different, and both are worth checking out.

Not long after Jenna von Oÿ's music career started moving forward, she once again decided to focus her attention elsewhere. In 2010, von Oÿ married Brad Bratcher. Not long after, the 35-year-old von Oÿ gave birth to her daughter, Gray Audrey Bratcher, in 2012. It sounds like there were a few complications, as von Oÿ had to get a C-section almost a month early, but Gray was otherwise born a healthy baby girl. It wasn't long after the birth of Gray that the couple got started on baby number two. In 2014, von Oÿ gave birth to a second daughter, who they named Marlowe Monroe Bratcher.

Even though acting in sitcoms is what von Oÿ is most known for among the public, becoming a mom led her to an entirely new and impressively vivid stage of her career. She began a kid-centric blog called "The Cradle Chronicles," which is no longer online, but lives on in posts that have been republished on the People website. This started her down the path toward becoming an author. On her blog, and later in her books, she honed the whip-smart, sarcastic, and self-deprecating style she's best known for into something brand new.

It seems like once Jenna von Oÿ started finding success from "The Cradle Chronicles," a lightbulb went off. She soon decided to take her talent for writing quick, punchy posts and turn it into an entire book. In 2015, "Situation Momedy: A First-Time Mom's Guide to Laughing Your Way Through Pregnancy & Year One" hit bookstores. It amply showed that von Oÿ hadn't lost a step.

The book's description refers to it as follows: "A best friend's guide [to motherhood] ... one that didn't sugarcoat reality but still offered relatable and heartfelt reassurance." Even as a writer and a new mom, von Oÿ still won't shed the label of "bestie." It's a funny and lighthearted tome, but not to the point of triviality; "Situation Momedy" offers some seriously sound advice for women at the same stage of life.

The book sold well enough that a follow-up soon came about. In 2017, von Oÿ released "Situation Momedy: A Very Special Episode in Toddlerdom." It has a very similar voice and style as the first book, but it focuses on dealing with the trials and tribulations of — you guessed it — toddlers. Who knows? Maybe we'll see a book on navigating teenagers once her kids hit the right age.

The world of celebrity reality TV absolutely loves sitcom stars of yesteryear, and many of them gladly join in on the fun for a chance to get back in the lives of nostalgic fans. Normally, someone like Jenna von Oÿ fits the bill perfectly — but she mostly hasn't taken the bait. Von Oÿ has only done a few reality shows, and while she doesn't seem to regret the experience, it seems doubtful she'll jump back in the ring anytime soon.

In 2012, not long after she gave birth to her first daughter, von Oÿ and her husband appeared on the series "Celebrity Wife Swap," where she traded spaces with "Real Housewives" star Jill Zarin. She later wrote a blog about the experience, saying it was mostly difficult because it was her first experience with spending time away from her daughter. However, she also said she greatly enjoyed the lark and didn't have any regrets about it.

It isn't exactly a celebrity reality show, but von Oÿ also popped up on "Battle of the Network Stars" in 2017, in a battle of actors who played cops against sitcom stars. Others who appeared with her include Erik Estrada, Dave Foley, Todd Bridges, Leigh Allyn-Baker, and more.

Jenna von Oÿ is more than happy to dish out self-deprecating details of her time as a mom and an actor, but she's relatively tight-lipped about many other aspects of her personal life. Her Instagram page sometimes offers some hints about what's going on in her world, however. Notably, she seems to be in a same-sex relationship at this point in time.

There are several posts showing von Oÿ and her children posing with the same woman, often with very thoughtful, loving messages attached. For example, a post from January 4, 2021 shows the four with a heart drawn around her partner's face. The caption reads: "Happy milestone birthday to this beautiful, passionate woman. I love you. Not sure any other words will sufficiently cover it." Doesn't take a detective to figure out that the two are in a very happy relationship! Other posts on von Oÿ's Instagram show the group of four living their best life and enjoying every minute together.

2007 seems like it was a pretty hard stop for von Oÿ's acting career, as she finished up some voice-over work for the animated series "What's With Andy?" She proceeded to sit out the world of movies and television for a few years before appearing in a short film and a small feature film without a lot of fanfare. It wouldn't be until 2019 that von Oÿ started taking acting roles again.

It seems likely that she took the time to focus on being a wife, mom, and partner. She also wrote her books during this time, made her appearances on reality shows, and continued to write for her blog. However, she started dipping her toes back into the world of acting in 2019, when she landed a central role on the family comedy "Cecil" as the lead character's mother, Lorrie. She also reunited with her "Blossom" co-star Mayim Bialik on her series "Call Me Kat" for an episode in 2022. It wasn't just von Oÿ who appeared on the episode (as herself); several other "Blossom" castmates also visited Kat's little shop. It seems like von Oÿ is very selective about the roles she chooses, rather than being completely against returning to acting.

Jenna von Oÿ might not appear in front of the camera too often anymore, but it's very possible she's making a move to do more production work. Her first foray into screenwriting and film production came on a group of short films called "The Cassandra Project." This trilogy of films draws its name from the Cassandra of Greek mythology, who was given the gift of prophecy but cursed so that no one would ever believe her when she spoke of the future. Cassandra's terrible curse led to the downfall of Troy, and still speaks to the downfall of a society that doesn't listen to its most vulnerable citizens.

"The Cassandra Project" is a trilogy of films connected by a potent theme: the dangers of women not being heard. Unsurprisingly, it seems to be a very personal project for many of the people involved, including von Oÿ herself. The first film in the trilogy, "Busybody," has a trailer available on the project's website, where you can also find information about donating to "The Cassandra Project" and sign up to learn more information about it as things move forward.

You sometimes hear about child stars who have extremely negative things to say about the projects that made them famous. But von Oÿ and the rest of the "Blossom" cast seem to have built a genuine connection and a good working environment. As such, they've reunited on a few occasions. We already mentioned von Oÿ appearing on Mayim Bialik's sitcom "Call Me Kat," but the "Blossom" cast has gotten together a few other times as well.

Entertainment Weekly loves to get nostalgic gangs back together for photoshoots, and they did not disappoint with their "Blossom" reunion. They brought together Bialik and von Oÿ, along with Joey Lawrence, Michael Stoyanov and Ted Wass, for a fun little afternoon reunion. Hopefully no one had to hide behind a curtain from Leonardo DiCaprio at this one!

Interestingly, von Oÿ also made an appearance on "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," a YouTube series that brings in some seriously fun guests to chat about a huge variety of topics. The two still get along extremely well and have great chemistry, proving once again why they were such a great duo on "Blossom."

When von Oÿ appeared on "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," the two absolutely loved waxing nostalgic about their time on "Blossom." Not only did they reminisce about the many cultural impacts of the series (remember the hats?), they also discussed how the show helped and hurt their growth and development through their teens and afterward. They also discussed how von Oÿ's sexuality has evolved over time, including her talking about finding fulfillment in a same-sex relationship.

The big topic they dished on, however, was the possibility of a "Blossom" reboot. This episode of "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" was released just after the "Blossom" star told Variety that a "Blossom" reunion series is in the works. By "in the works," she means that a script is complete and the principal cast is all on board. It will be interesting to see the direction the show takes, if it does come to fruition. It seems likely that a "Girl Meets World"-style series would be the most likely candidate for filming. Bialik said that there's no guarantee, due to legal red tape, that it'll happen, but it sounds like we might be able to see how our friends from "Blossom" turned out before too long.