Are Jason Bateman & Silver Spoons Castmate Ricky Schroder Still Friends?

The passage of time can definitely change connections between even the most closely bonded people. The person you like the most when you're a teenager won't necessarily be that person when you're raising a family. Relationships between celebrities work on a similar level – you can be two peas in a pod during the filming of a production only to be torn apart by schedules or lack of time or even changing value systems.

Is that how it went with Ricky Schroder and "Ozark" star Jason Bateman? The twosome were thick as thieves back in the day, hanging out on the show's set and playfully terrorizing celebrities and tourists alike as they romped around Universal Studios between evenings filming the show. But has that closeness translated to an adult friendship? Here's everything we know about how the former "Silver Spoons" friends ended up connecting over the two seasons they spent filming the show — and if they managed a connection once the cameras stopped rolling.

"Silver Spoons" started life on NBC and became an early-to-mid-'80s staple for kids and teenagers obsessed with the network's youth-orientated lineup. The sitcom focused on Ricky Stratton (Ricky Schroder), a young boy who's tossed into the lap of luxury when he learns that he's the son of millionaire toy company heir Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins). Edward acts like a kid himself, chugging around his house on a custom engine and filling his living room with arcade games. Parental responsibility is a brand new thing for him, but he's determined to get it right for his newfound son.

Also on the scene are Kate Summers (Erin Gray), Edward's very mature assistant, who eventually becomes Ricky's stepmom, and Dexter Stuffins (Franklyn Seales), Edward's fussy business manager. As Ricky settles into life in the mansion and a new school, he meets the acquaintance of several boys who will become his friends. The longest-lasting of these chums is the breakdancing Alfonso Spears (Alfonso Ribeiro), whose coolness provides a foil for the growing Ricky's gamboling.

Ricky Schroder played — who else? — Ricky Stratton on "Silver Spoons." A young boy who results from a brief marriage between Edward Stratton III and Evelyn Stratton Whiting (Christine Belford). Evelyn has placed Ricky in a boarding school in light of her new marriage at the start of the show, and she contacts Edward. Edward ends up taking custody of Ricky, and his son's unsmiling, serious ways clash with Edward's freewheeling joie de vivre. The show follows Ricky from the age of 12 to 17, from the youthful nickname "Ricky" to the more mature "Rick," from junior high to senior year. He hits all of those important adolescent and teenage milestones as the show goes on.

Jason Bateman played Derek Taylor, whose rebellious ways have a terrible tendency to get Ricky in trouble during the first two seasons of "Silver Spoons." He convinces Ricky to do things like hide an orangutan he's discovered and causes chaos at his sleepover. He also plays mind games with his friend, temporarily convincing him that his father doesn't love him and that Kate is attracted to him, among other things. Derek is eventually written off the show in the middle of Season 2, moving to Saint Louis with his mother.  

In reality, Bateman was moved to his own sitcom, "It's Your Move," by NBC in 1985. When that show was canceled after just one season, he took a role on "Valerie," where he became a teen idol, and the rest is history. Alfonso Ribeiro, meanwhile, was introduced as Alfonso Spears during the first episode of Season 3 of "Silver Spoons," where he would make his own name as a young actor.

Back when both boys were working on "Silver Spoons," they became fast friends and often hung out together while on the set.

"We'd ride our bikes around the lot for exercise, or f*****g around, and we'd hold on to the back of one of those trams, and we'd let the tram pull us along this route right here with the people in the back of the tram going, 'Oooh, it's those two kids from Silver Spoons!'" Bateman elaborated to GQ. A favorite target of the two boys was Jaws Lake, where they would wade and catch fish. Unfortunately for them, Universal tour guides weren't enamored by their behavior and sent a letter home demanding they stop ruining the illusion by messing with the lake.

On top of that, the ever-active Schroder and Bateman once almost ran over Michael Jackson on their bicycles while careening about the set. "Hey, he was a fan of the show and a fan of the 'Ricker'. And he was coming onto this stage while we were zooming off and [we] almost took him down," Bateman said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." While that reference to "the Ricker" conveys a sense of brotherhood and conviviality, do the two actors spend time together anymore?

Here's the tricky part; there's no real hint as to whether or not Rick Schroder (as he now prefers to be known) and Jason Bateman still hang out. There are pictures of the twosome spending time together in their 20s, such as the image posted above. But it's worth noting Bateman doesn't follow Schroder on Instagram, where they both have accounts. Though to be fair, Bateman has never posted to his account and seems not to have touched it for some time. Although he hasn't posted much since 2021, he's more active on X, formerly known as Twitter, but Schroder doesn't seem to have an account there.

The actors' paths have rather diverged over time, both personally and professionally. While Schroder is an outspoken conservative, Bateman is a Democrat. Career-wise, they've also gone in two different directions, with Bateman becoming a well-respected actor and director with television hits like "Ozark" and "Arrested Development." Bateman's also enjoyed success on the big screen, with "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and "Game Night" standing out among his best films.

Schroder shifted into an adult acting career which included long-term stints on "NYPD Blue" and "Strong Medicine" and a recurring role in the "Lonesome Dove" universe. He continues to produce, act, and direct but has run afoul of controversy both in his personal and in his professional lives. As of 2024, he is the founder of the Reel American Heroes Foundation. Perhaps someday the two actors will have another meeting of the minds.

Want to learn more about this classic '80s sitcom? Here are the "Silver Spoons" actors who have since passed away.