We Can, We Will, We Must Update You on Where the Cheer Cast Is Now

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Get ready, because we’re going to hit you with some mat talk. 

It’s a new year, and many of us are feeling exhausted and stressed, with unfinished tasks from last year piling up. But don’t forget to make time for the latest season of Cheer – you deserve it!

Just six years ago, Netflix brought us the story of Navarro College’s cheerleading team in Corsicana, Texas, and their quest for national championships, often culminating in celebrations at Daytona Beach.

Coach Monica Aldama told CNN in 2020 that her team is incredibly dedicated and resilient. She emphasized their strong work ethic, explaining they consistently push through challenges and pain to improve.

Once the athletes started competing, Aldama explained, it became clear how incredibly dedicated they were. She felt that those outside the sport didn’t fully appreciate just how athletic and determined these young competitors were, and she hoped the world would recognize them as the true athletes they are.

The popular Netflix docuseries Cheer faced significant challenges after its first two seasons, most notably with the 2020 arrest of beloved athlete Jerry Harris. He later pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography and traveling with the intent to commit sexual acts with a minor, resulting in a 12-year federal prison sentence.

Even years after their time on the show ended, the cast remains very close and supportive of one another. In a 2023 interview with TopMob News, Aldama shared, “We’re all very close and love each other,” and emphasized her ongoing commitment to supporting anyone who has been involved with the program.

Though many of her students have moved on from training, they’re still living life to the fullest. See what amazing new skills they’ve learned!

Move over, Coach Taylor! Everyone’s talking about Coach Monica, a highly successful college coach with 17 national championships. Her demanding but caring style earned the admiration of her cheerleaders and captivated viewers on the first season of Cheer, especially as she led the team to victory at Daytona.

Aldama was all set to lead the Navarro team in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic unexpectedly changed those plans.

She shared on Instagram after the national competition was canceled in March 2020 that she was devastated to lose the memories and time spent with her team. She wasn’t prepared for such a sudden ending and found it incredibly difficult to see them give up their uniforms and leave.

When the 2020-21 season began, Gabby Aldama was balancing two commitments: she finished 10th on Dancing With the Stars with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. Then, in January 2022, she published her book, Full Out: Lessons in Life and Leadership from America’s Favorite Coach.

Despite retiring from coaching in 2023, the mother of Austin and Ally (who, with her husband Chris Aldama, also became grandparents in February 2025) remains active in the entertainment industry. She’s currently an executive producer on the NBC cheerleading mockumentary, Stumble.

She admitted to the Los Angeles Times in December 2025 that change can be frightening. She explained that being in the public eye means people will inevitably talk about you, but she now has a different perspective on things.

I was completely captivated by Jerry Harris from Cheer! He truly felt like the heart of the Navarro team, and his energy was infectious – he’s just amazing at talking about cheer! Honestly, he was the star of the show for me. His story was so moving, and even with everything he’d been through, he always kept such a positive attitude and worked incredibly hard to earn his place. It was amazing to see how quickly things changed for him after the show came out – he got signed by a management team, walked the Oscars red carpet as a correspondent, and even Oprah became a fan! It’s just incredible to see someone so deserving achieve so much.

Harris’s family and supporters were stunned when he was arrested in September 2020 on federal charges related to child pornography. He was accused of persuading a minor to create sexually explicit images and videos of himself.

After three months, federal prosecutors added seven more sex crime charges, claiming five minors were involved. He originally denied all the charges.

In February 2022, Harris admitted guilt to possessing child pornography and traveling to meet a minor for sexual purposes. He also acknowledged responsibility for other related crimes as part of a plea agreement.

He was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in July and is currently incarcerated at FMC Lexington in Kentucky. He is scheduled to be released in January 2031. After his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender and complete eight years of supervised release, as stated in court documents obtained by TopMob News.

Morgan was aiming for her third championship with the Navarro cheerleading team and chose to return for another semester to train with her coach, Monica. Sadly, she didn’t get the chance to compete again. She graduated in 2020 right after the National competition was cancelled because of the pandemic. In a heartfelt Instagram post that March, Morgan wrote, “Navarro College Cheer, you mean everything to me. It breaks my heart that I won’t be able to cheer again.” She also expressed gratitude for the friendships and memories she made that would stay with her forever.

Even after leaving the cheerleading team, Morgan continued to show her support by attending the Daytona competition as a fan the next year. She quickly became a popular figure during the first season and later collaborated with Buick. She also created her own line of scrunchies in partnership with Conair and Scunci.

That’s just one of the many sponsorships the athlete—who was featured on the Netflix show Battle Camp—has secured. Even though she married Stone Burleson, a business development professional at Matador Resources Company, in 2023, she told TopMob News in April 2025 that they haven’t had a honeymoon yet due to their busy schedules. Despite everything, they still feel like their life together is wonderful.

She said marrying her best friend has made life simple and wonderful, as she enjoys spending every day with him. They’re excited about the future and hope to start a family, continuing to share their love and enjoy life together.

Shortly after his success at Daytona, Marshall achieved world champion status. His team, the Cheer Athletics’ Wildcats from Plano, Texas, won first place in the Senior Open Large Co-Ed category at the Cheer Worlds competition in April 2019.

Although Navarro College’s cheer program lasts two years, and Marshall seemed prepared to finish with competitive cheer after being featured in the show Cheer, considering joining the military and coaching a younger team, he ultimately decided to return for the 2020 season. However, he didn’t participate in the 2021 Nationals competition when Navarro performed.

Marshall moved to Utah in 2022 and started coaching at Patriot Cheer Allstars. He also returned to competitive cheerleading after a six-year hiatus, joining his team at Weber State University in Ogden. In April 2025, they celebrated winning two Grand National Championships with a team trip to surf in Daytona.

A few weeks later, he won another championship with Unity Allstars Black in London. In a May 2025 Instagram post, he encouraged others with a simple message: “Dare to dream, dare to take action, and truly believe in yourself and what you can achieve.”

Cheer fans were shocked when the popular blonde tumbler—known for both her skills and occasional misbehavior—was removed from the team at the end of the documentary. However, Brumback rejoined the squad in January 2020, posting a photo from the Navarro gym with the caption, “Honey, I’m home.”

Unfortunately, Brumback couldn’t compete at Nationals when the event was canceled. She also didn’t return for the 2021 season. Earlier, in August 2020, she excitedly shared on Instagram about moving back to Corsicana and joining the Navarro cheer team, writing, “Just a few more days… I’m so excited for this iconic next year!”

After taking three years off from cheerleading, Brumback successfully tried out for the California Allstars Smoed team in Los Angeles in 2023. She reunited with former teammate Dillon Brandt on the squad.

She admitted in an Instagram post from 2024 that she almost didn’t return because she’d lost her motivation and was really out of shape. However, the recent season reignited her passion for the sport and helped her grow both physically and mentally. Being part of such a talented team gave her a new appreciation for everything involved. She’d actually been planning to retire after the season, but now feels like there’s more she wants to achieve.

Gabi Butler, a well-known cheerleader and star of the show Cheer, was initially one of the few key players who didn’t return to Navarro College for the 2020 season after winning two championships. However, Butler, who also has a successful YouTube channel, ultimately decided to cheer again under coach Monica Aldama and remained on the team even after the pandemic began.

Butler has 2.6 million Instagram followers – more than any other cast member – and has leveraged her popularity to create her own fitness app and clothing brand, called Moxie.

Following his time as a fan of the Weber State Wildcats, a coaching role at Navarro, a stint with WWE, and filming Battle Camp with Simianer, Butler has been consistently involved in various athletic pursuits. He’s now preparing for a role with the Pro Cheer League.

She shared on New Year’s Eve 2025 how grateful she was for the people she’d met and the experiences she’d had, thanking God for a wonderful year.

The skilled gymnast returned to the Navarro team in 2020, hoping to win a championship for the second time. However, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted her plans, and she was one of the team members who graduated that year.

After the Nationals competition was canceled, Ross shared on Instagram, ‘I never imagined things would end this way, but I wouldn’t trade the experiences and the people for anything.’ He finished with a thank you to the Navarro team of 2019-2020.

A few months later, Ross shared her future plans with her followers: she’d be continuing to cheer at the University of South Carolina. After cheering her last game for the Gamecocks in 2021, she learned new skills and began modeling for brands like Kosas and Sephora.

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2026-01-11 14:18