What The Actress Who Played Angela Montenegro Has Been Doing Since Bones Ended

For 12 years, Michaela Conlin appeared on the comedy crime procedural Bones as Angela Montenegro, bestie to the brilliant Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel) and a talented forensic reconstruction artist in her own right. Referred to by her colleagues at the Jeffersonian Institute as the heart within the sometimes too-brainy forensics department, Conlin's Angela was meant to lighten up the situations and people around her to give contrast, a jolt of fun, and sometimes even a bit of tension to the show.

Bones ended in 2017 and at last freed up the actress' life to take on new projects. Since then, Conlin has indeed stepped into fresh roles — ones that are notable departures from the character we've all come to recognize her for — and on series that operate on themes set far apart from the wholesome found-family dynamic of her former Bones cast. Here's what Michaela Conlin has been up to since Bones wrapped up.

In 2018, Michaela Conlin appeared on two television shows, one a little more successful than the other. First came the short-lived Here and Now, an HBO series starring heavyweight television actors Tim Robbins and Holly Hunter as a couple with three multiethnic adopted children and one naturally-born child of their own. The show examined their lives within the complicated politics of the year and tossed in a touch of magical realism when one of their sons, Ramon Bayer-Boatwright (Daniel Zovatto), begins experiencing visions he believes are real. Conlin appeared in a small role on three episodes of ("Yes," "Dream Logic," and "It's Here," specifically) as a business woman named Sharon. Here and Now was, unfortunately, canceled after just one season.

Conlin found much more success and narrative prominence on Yellowstone, the Paramount Network drama starring Kevin Costner. The series follows the personal and political dramas of the Dutton family, who own the largest contiguous ranching operation in the U.S., right next to Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Conlin appears on the second season of Yellowstone as Sarah Nguyen, a reporter seeking to dig into the inner lives of the Duttons, their ranch's operations, and the conflicts the ranch has with the national park. Her recurring role has been somewhat complicated by the plot — we won't say what in the interest of spoilers — but Conlin's chances of returning on Yellowstone season 3 seem possible nonetheless.

2020 has brought a return to film for Michaela Conlin — her first since portraying Jules in the 2016 psychological horror The Disappointments Room. She has a secondary role in Bad Trip, Eric André's first feature film that blends his iconic low-budget late night talk show satire with a fictional narrative. André and Lil Rel Howery star as best friends Chris and Bud, who, after stealing Chris' sister's (Tiffany Haddish) car while she's incarcerated, go on a long road trip towards New York City. The trip is be dotted with stops to perform candid camera pranks on the unwitting public — much like various segments on The Eric André Show that has aired for many years on Adult Swim. 

In Bad Trip, Conlin portrays Maria Li, the high school crush of Andre's character Chris. Given the fact that Conlin doesn't have much of an established background in guerilla comedy, it's impressive that she holds her own alongside the likes of André, Howery, and Haddish. Bad Trip is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Michaela Conlin's life after Bones hasn't been all business all the time. She's also focused on the things important to her in her personal life, and in early February 2019, Conlin added "mother" to her resume. Taking to Instagram in June of that year, the actress shared a photograph of herself holding her baby — a son named Charlie. She wrote in the caption, explaining why she hadn't updated her Instagram profile since November 2018, "Haven't posted in a while because this happened! We had a baby boy and his name is Charlie. 2.3.19."

Conlin has kept her private life exactly that — private — and hasn't shared anything else about her family online. It can be tricky to balance motherhood with a career — particularly one like acting, which comes with unique pressures and expectations — but it looks like Conlin has it all figured out. Congratulations to her!