‘The Breakfast Club’ cast reunite for the first time since 1985

The Breakfast Club stars have reunited at full-strength for the first time in 40 years at the C2E2 convention in Chicago – find out more below.

Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall have finally reunited publicly for the first time since The Breakfast Club‘s 1985 release on Saturday (April 12), taking part in a 40th anniversary conversation at the C2E2 convention in Chicago, where the iconic coming-of-age film was shot.

For the panel, the five actors discussed making the film with director John Hughes, the impact of the film and its legacy all these years later.

“I feel really very emotional and moved to have us all together,” Ringwald (Claire Standish) said during the panel, sharing that though the majority of the group had previously reunited, it was the first time Estevez (Andrew Clark) had joined them. “We don’t have to use the cardboard cutout anymore because he’s here. I feel really moved that we’re all together.”

Estevez explained about his absence during previous reunions: “I skipped all of my high school reunions, so this just was something that finally I felt I needed to do just for myself. But this one felt special. It’s here in Chicago, where we made the film, and obviously the 40th anniversary, and it just felt like it was time.”

He continued: “Somebody told me that Molly said, ‘Well, does Emilio just not like us?’ And that broke my heart. And I went, ‘No of course I love all of them.’ And that just made sense, so here I am.”

The cast of ‘The Breakfast Club’ in 2025. Credit: Barry Brecheisen/WireImage

Elsewhere during the reunion panel, Molly Ringwald, who famously portrayed Claire Standish revealed that Hughes originally had a different vision for her character and Judd Nelson’s John Bender: “From my understanding, John Cusack was going to play Bender and Joan Cusack was going to play Allison. I don’t know who was going to play the other parts.”

After starring in Sixteen Candles, Ringwald’s performance convinced Hughes to cast her as Claire, with Judd Nelson eventually landing the role of the iconic Bender.

Released in 1985, The Breakfast Club sees five highschoolers from different social groups and walks of life being forced to spend a life-changing day together during a weekend detention, eventually realising they’re more alike than they imagined.

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