Much like her catchprase “that’s so fetch,” former child star Lacy Chabert’s popularity seemed to disappear after the 2004 film, Mean Girls.
Though she struggled to keep her career alive on the big screen, Chabert – now part of the Hallmark Channel family – is playing the most important role of her life.
The 41-year-old woman, who started acting when she was only 10, is a mother to Julia Mimi Bella, who she says is her “number one priority” and “the light of my life.”
Keep reading to learn more about the actor and her party of three!
From 1994 to 2000, fans of the family drama Party of Five watched a young Lacy Chabert grow up on TV.
The acclaimed series told the story of the Salinger siblings – Charlie (Matthew Fox), Bailey (Scott Wolf) Julia (Neve Campbell) and the youngest, Owen (Jacob Smith) – who were orphaned after their parents were killed in a car accident.
As a youngster, Chabert played the musical prodigy Claudia Salinger from ages 11 to 17, her character experiencing several “firsts” before she did in real life.
“It was a little bit of a different way of growing up and not everyone can relate to it,” Chabert said in 2023. “It was interesting because sometimes my character would go through things in life on the show that I had yet to actually go through in life. You know, like my first kiss and all of this kind of embarrassing stuff.”
When the series ended, Chabert says she was “heartbroken,” but remains “very, very, very close” with her former castmates.
“They’re a part of my life now. And it’s been nice to grow up together and become parents… you know, go through different phases of life together.”
In the following years, the young woman then had starring roles in films like 2001’s Not Another Teen Movie and Daddy Day Care (2003) with Eddie Murphy.
‘That’s so fetch’
In 2004, Chabert landed the role of a lifetime in Mean Girls, playing Gretchen Wieners, the loyal sidekick to the head of The Plastics, Regina Winters (Rachel McAdams).
The teen hit comedy, written by funny woman Tina Fey, also stars Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) and Saturday Night Live alum, Amy Poehler and Fey.
Twenty years after the film was released, the cast reunited to film a Walmart commercial, playing as adult versions of their characters with teenagers of their own.
“Oh, this is going to be so fetch,” she says in the ad as Gretchen, who’s speaking with her daughter and two friends.
Her teenage girl responds, “Stop trying to make fetch happen mom. It’s still not going to happen.”
Chabert, who starred as the nice one in the quad of mean-spirited high schoolers in the iconic film, says of the brief reunion, “Oh my gosh, it was the best! It was like stepping back in time, like no time had passed,” said the actor. “It was so fun to reminisce about all the memories we have from the movie and then catch up with each other.”
She adds, “We’re all moms now…And it was such a full circle moment and I’m so thankful for the experience.”
Julia Mimi Bella
In December 2013, Chabert quietly married her “best friend,” businessman David Nehdar.
“I didn’t want it to feel like an event,” says the woman, who’s carved out a career as an actor and producer with the Hallmark Channel. “I wanted it to be personal… He’s not in the business and we like our privacy, and I just think relationships are hard enough without the opinion of strangers. So, we try to keep it as personal and private as possible.”
And then on September 1, 2016, the couple had a baby girl, Julia Mimi Bella.
“There’s nothing like that first week of being a momma. This little girl has brought pure joy to my heart,” Chabert captions an Instagram post where she’s seen with her tiny baby.
Appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show (through People), Chabert shared the hilarious moment her daughter discovered her mom starred in Mean Girls.
The Black Christmas actor says she came home from work one day and Nehdar told her that he “watched a few scenes” of Mean Girls with Julia.
“I’m like, ‘Okay,’” Chabert recalls. “And [Julia] goes, ‘Mommy, I didn’t know you were Gretchen Wieners. Did you know that was your name?’”
She adds, “It’s so funny even hearing that name come out of her mouth.”
‘The light of my life’
The actress recently shared an adorable throwback photo where she’s seen cuddling Julia, who will be eight later this year.
“This popped up in my photo memories as 6 years ago,” Chabert, wrote alongside the sweet black-and-white image. “Where does the time go?!” she mulled. “My daughter is the light of my life, and I can’t wait to get home to hug her and kiss those little cheeks exactly one million times!”
“Filming these movies on location is such a special experience for which I’m so grateful, but there’s no place like home,” writes the actor, whose catalog with Hallmark includes more than 30 films.
While Chabert, who appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey in the 2004 film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, is enjoying a successful career with Hallmark, fans no doubt are missing the comedic role and performance she had in the timeless film, Mean Girls.
But for her, Julia is her number one priority, and she shares that she’s “very thankful” she can “continue working.”
Chabert adds, “I hope to set that example for her to let her know that you can do it all, but with a lot of help and support!”
What are your favorite films or TV shows with Lacy Chabert? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
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