It’s hard to believe it’s been 22 years since the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series ran rampant on television and captivated the minds and eyeballs of millions of children. With Saban’s official MMPR reboot coming out next year, it only makes sense to take a look back and see what the original six Rangers are up to over two decades after the show that made them famous.
Walter Jones – Zack Taylor/The Black Ranger
22 years later, Walter Jones hasn’t aged a day.
The original Black Power Ranger has remained active as an actor, appearing mostly in small roles or cameos in franchises such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and had a major role in backyard wrestling movie Backyard Dogs, which spent some time as the lowest-rated movie on all of IMDB, though the film has since been removed from that list due to its straight-to-DVD status.
Jones is also notable for his return to the Power Rangers franchise, not as his original character Zack, but as a voice actor, lending his voice to several antagonists such as Hexuba’s Nightmare Monster in the “Dream Battle” episode of Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy and Machine Empire general Gerrok in the Power Rangers: Wild Force special “Forever Red” that saw the return of numerous former Red Rangers.
Amy Jo Johnson – Kimberly Hart/The Pink Ranger
Every Power Rangers fan growing up in the ’90’s had a ridiculous crush on the Pink Ranger. It was kind of the right of passage for male Power Rangers fans.
After two decades and change, Amy Jo Johnson still looks fabulous. It’s kind of scary how little some of the actors have aged.
Amy is one of the few Power Rangers alumni to maintain an active role as an actress to this day, starring in TV films and movies such as Susie Q, Killing Mr. Griffin, Perfect Body, Sweetwater, and Magma: Volcanic Disaster.
She is also an accomplished singer, releasing her first song, “Puddle of Grace”, while she was on Felicity.
When she’s not busy singing, acting or doing gymnastics, Amy keeps herself occupied with philanthropic work, volunteering as a tutor for refugee children through the International Rescue Committee’s summer program in the Bronx. She has also visited Bosnia as a volunteer for the Global Children’s Organization.
David Yost – Billy Cranston/The Blue Ranger
The original Blue Ranger, David Yost, also remains active in his acting career to this day. One of the longest tenured original Rangers, David had a prominent role on the show all the way through Power Rangers Zeo, where he eventually left the program over contractual disputes and alleged harassment over his sexual orientation.
When Yost isn’t acting, he’s often producing and recently appeared at the 2012 and 2014 Power Morphicon events along with several of his former co-stars.
Thuy Trang – Trini Kwan/The Yellow Ranger
Thuy Trang was best known for her portrayal of soft spoken and exceptionally clever Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger. She left Power Rangers alongside Austin St. John and Walter Jones over contractual disputes, and was tragically killed in a car accident on September 3, 2001 near San Francisco, California at the age of 27.
Austin St. John – Jason Lee Scott/The Red Ranger
Austin St. John hasn’t done much acting since leaving the Power Rangers franchise, though he returned for a brief stint as Jason in Power Rangers Zeo to take up the mantle of the Gold Ranger and also reprised his original role as the Red Ranger in Power Rangers: Wild Force special episode “Forever Red”.
Today, Austin keeps up his martial arts training, possessing a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a first-degree black belt in Judo and also practices Kenpo. He has also done work as an East Coast EMT and firefighter.
In 2014, St. John began appearing at conventions, including a return to Power Morphicon alongside several of his co-stars.
Jason David Frank – Tommy Oliver/The Green/White Ranger
Jason David Frank maintains his acting career and continues to pursue his passion for all things martial arts. JDF currently owns and operates his own training school, Rising Sun Karate, in Houston, Texas.
Frank is also a successful mixed martial artist, possessing a 4-0 record in amateur MMA and a 1-0 record professionally.
When he is not teaching martial arts, fighting or appearing at conventions, Frank can be found on YouTube, where he is collaborating with YouTube channel batinthesun on a series titled My Morphing Life, which is a short series of videos documenting his daily life.
