How Old That '70s Show's Cast Was When The Show First Released In 1998

Like many shows that centered on a cast of teenage characters, the stars of That '70s Show were a variety of ages in real life when the iconic sitcom premiered. Over the years, the ensemble cast of the show saw a few major changes, but for the most part it was led by a consistent young cast that included Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama. The long-running show originally ran for eight seasons and a total of 200 episodes, spanning from its premiere on August 23, 1998 through its finale on May 18, 2006. The ages of the That '70s Show cast can be confusing considering the differences between the show's release date and its setting, as well as its internal timeline, with those eight seasons taking place over just three and a half years. However, the stars' ages at the time when the show premiered were relatively close to their characters'. Topher Grace Was 20 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Topher Grace was born on July 12, 1978, which means that he had just turned 20 about a month before the show premiered in 1998. Eric Forman, who was the lead character in the first seven That '70s Show seasons, was 16 years old during the pilot, meaning there was a roughly four-year age gap between the character and the actor that widened to an eight-year age gap by the time the show's finale aired. Because the pilot was shot about three months before it aired, Grace was a real teenager for about two months of production time. Mila Kunis Was 15 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Mila Kunis was born on August 14, 1983, meaning that she would have turned 15 years old just one week before the premiere of That '70s Show. Her character Jackie Burkhart is somewhat younger than the others and was 14 at the time of the pilot, meaning that she exactly matched Kunis' real age at the time the episode was shot. By the end of the show, Jackie was 18 while Kunis was 22, but she is the actor from the main cast who was an actual teenager for the longest duration during the production of the show. Ashton Kutcher Was 20 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978, which made him 20 years old at the time when That '70s Show premiered. Because he is several months older than Topher Grace, he was already that age when they began shooting the pilot, meaning he was never an actual teenager at any point while playing the role of Michael Kelso. Kelso was 16 years old during the pilot, meaning that Kutcher was originally four years older than the character. Danny Masterson Was 22 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered That '70s Show star Danny Masterson was born on March 13, 1976, making him 22 years old at the time when the pilot premiered and at the time it was shot. His character, Steven Hyde, was 16 years old during the timeline of the episode, just like the majority of the core cast of characters, leaving them with an age gap of eight years. Masterson was the oldest member of the original core teenage cast by two years, and by the time the show ended he was 30 years old, a full 10 years older than his then 20-year-old character. Laura Prepon Was 18 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Laura Prepon was born on March 7, 1980, which made her 18 years old at the time of the That '70s Show premiere. While this made her two years older than the age of her then 16-year-old character Donna Pinciotti in real life, she was one of the few core cast members to be an actual teenager across multiple seasons of the original run of the show. By the time Prepon turned 20 years old on March 7, 2000, the show had already aired the majority of its second season, which concluded on May 22, 2000. Wilmer Valderrama Was 18 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Wilmer Valderrama was born on January 30, 1980, just over a month before his co-star Laura Prepon, which likewise made him 18 years old at the time when That '70s Show premiered. He was also a teenager for roughly a season and a half of the show's run, having turned 20 years old by the time season 2 aired its 14th of 26 episodes. However, at the time of the pilot, his character Fez was only 15, meaning that the age gap between him and his character was slightly wider. Debra Jo Rupp Was 47 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Debra Jo Rupp was born on February 24, 1951, which means that she was 47 years old during the time of the That '70s Show premiere. Her character, Eric's mother Kitty Forman, was only 42 in the pilot episode, so the age gap between the actor and her character was roughly similar to those of the main teenage cast. Rupp is one of the only series regulars from That '70s Show to also be a part of the main That '90s Show cast, reprising her role on the Netflix sequel series which premiered on January 19, 2023. At that time, the actor was 71 while the character was 61, increasing the age gap significantly, considering the fact that season 1 of the show is set during the summer of 1995. Kurtwood Smith Was 55 Years Old When That '70s Show Premiered Kurtwood Smith was born on July 3, 1943, which made him 55 years old at the time That '70s Show premiered and 54 when it was shot. This is a significant difference from the age of his character, Eric's father Red Forman, who was 48 years old in the show's first episode, giving him an age gap of seven years. Smith also reprised his That '70s Show character as part of the main cast of That '90s Show. At the time the sequel show premiered, the actor was 79 while the character was only 67, increasing the age gap to 12 years. That '70s Show 8/10 Release Date 1998 - 2006-00-00 That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s. Network FOX Cast Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Danny Masterson Showrunner Gregg Mettler Seasons 8