Don't you forget about Judd Nelson. Though the actor from "The Breakfast Club" has largely kept out of the public eye in recent years, he recently made a splashing appearance during a motorcycle ride through Los Angeles. For the April 13 jaunt, Nelson, who sported a bushy gray goatee beard, donned a black trench coat over a gray Henley shirt paired with a pair of camo cargo pants. As he prepared to board his motorcycle, he also wore a backpack along with a helmet and safety gloves.
Though he's shied away from Hollywood, he has made rare appearances in recent years. In 2025, the 66-year-old, who played the bad boy John Bender in the 1985 cult classic, joined his "Breakfast Club" costars Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estévez, and Anthony Michael Hall at multiple events to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary. "I feel really, very emotional and moved to have us all together," Molly said during an April panel, later joking, "This is the first time that Emilio has joined us. We don't have to use the cardboard cutout anymore because he's here."
For his part, Emilio quipped, "I skipped all of my high school reunions, so this just was something that finally I felt I needed to do just for myself." However, the 63-year-old—who also starred alongside Nelson and Sheedy in 1984's "St. Elmo's Fire"—emphasized that the cast's reunion "felt special." "It's here in Chicago, where we made the film," he continued, "and obviously the 40th anniversary, and it just felt like it was time."
When asked how Nelson feels about still being associated with "The Breakfast Club" decades after the release of the beloved John Hughes film, he said, "Hey, I feel lucky to have been on such a fast horse. You always hope a film will have relevance afterwards, years later. That film certainly does. It’s truly a testament to the work of John Hughes." He added, "He really was the first guy to make movies about young people without implying that they’re less. Just because you’re young, doesn’t mean you’re less anything, except old."
In conclusion, Nelson said, "I’m very lucky to have been involved in that project, because, years later, it’s still a film that people see and enjoy."
