Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Cancel all your weekend plans, because Netflix’s Grace and Frankie is back for Season 5! The entire cast is back for 13 more episodes of frisky fun, and–as always–they aren’t alone. Season 5 is packed with guest stars and returning faces, all characters that are either there to spice things up or tear things down. Grace and Frankie Season 5 has a whole lot of new friends, enemies, and frenemies to get to know.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a guide to all the major new characters introduced in Season 5, as well as all the recurring ones from last season that are still stirring things up this time around. Be warned: there are slight slight slight spoilers ahead for some Grace and Frankie!
Who plays Benjamin Le Day on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Benjamin Le Day sashays into Grace and Frankie and more than makes his presence known. Benjamin suffers exactly zero fools, people!
Who else cold play a fast-talking, take-no-shit real estate agent other than RuPaul Charles? Yep, that’s the most famous drag queen in the world strutting his stuff in pants as Benjamin Le Day. This is just one of the many many many shows RuPaul has appeared on in recent years. In addition to hosting his own Emmy-winning reality competition show (the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise), RuPaul has appeared on Broad City, Girlboss, Adam Ruins Everything, and even BoJack Horseman and The Simpsons. RuPaul knows how to work!
Who plays Roy on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Roy is the boy toy (or, rather, man toy) that offered himself up to Sol and Robert last season as the two flirted with the idea of having an open relationship. Season 5 picks up where Season 4 left off, with a buck naked Roy standing in their home, totally down to clown.
Roy is played by Mark Deklin, who previously appeared in Season 4 as well as episodes of Major Crimes, Designated Survivor, Rizzoli & Isles, and Devious Maids.
Who plays Kareena G on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Kareena G (not Karina G, although the misspelling does make sense) is a world famous pop star with a knack for getting into trouble and starting feuds with beloved stars.
She’s also the person who bought Grace and Frankie’s beachfront home, which leads to a confrontation between the hip and those that need hip surgery.
Kareena is played by none other than Nicole Richie, the socialite daughter of Lionel Richie who rose to fame in the early ’00s as Paris Hilton’s BFF. Richie’s spent the last few years transitioning into a solid comedic acting career, having starred on the short-lived (but totally brilliant) NBC series Great News.
Who plays Joan-Margaret on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Joan-Margaret is one of Grace and Frankie’s mutual friends, a woman whose slightly older and way slower than both of them.
She’s played by Millicent Martin, a Broadway star and ’60s British TV mainstay. She crossed the pond to play Daphne Moon’s mother in a recurring role on Frasier in the ’90s. She’s also guest starred on Code Black, 2 Broke Girls, Bones, and Modern Family.
Who plays Oliver on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Oliver first appeared in Grace and Frankie Season 4 when he and his wife moved in next door to Sol and Robert. The neighbors ended up outting Oliver to his wife and also himself, and he returns in Season 5 having finally accepted his homosexuality.
Oliver is played by Scott Evans, the younger brother of Chris Evans. You can totally see the resemblance now, can’t you? Evans previously starred on the soap One Life to Live and appeared on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and White Collar.
Who plays Nick on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Peter Gallagher returns as Nick in Season 5 of Grace and Frankie, having debuted last year. Nick is Grace’s on-again, off-again boyfriend; the two drifted apart last season due to their age difference. But as you can probably tell from the picture above, they work things out this season.
Peter Gallagher’s most known for his role as Sandy Cohen on The O.C., but he’s also appeared regularly on Covert Affairs, Californication, Rescue Me, The Good Wife, New Girl, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. If you’ve watched TV over the past 30 years, you’ve seen him.
Who plays Leo on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Leo pops up at a hippie retreat that Frankie whisks Grace away to midway through the season. Leo’s one of Frankie’s old protest buddies and they have a fling at the retreat, one that continues back at the beach house (although it does make Frankie question whether or not she still has hippie cred).
Leo is played by Paul Michael Glaser, an actor most known for playing Det. Dave Starsky in the ’70s cop drama Starsky and Hutch. He also had a recurring role on Ray Donovan, a fact that surely thrilled noted Ray Donovan superfan Frankie.
Who plays Howard on 'Grace and Frankie'?
Howard appears later in the season when he steals Grace and Frankie’s website domain out from under them. Howard’s a cranky old man who lives in the assisted living facility Grace and Frankie busted out of last season.
If you want a cranky old man, you have to cast Ed Asner. Most known for playing the tough-talking newsman Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and also Lou Grant, Asner is possibly best known to modern audiences as Santa Claus from Elf.
Who plays Jack on 'Grace and Frankie'?
When Grace and Frankie have a daydream about what their lives would have ended up like without the other one, Grace ends up with a plastic face and married to a suntanned playboy named Jack.
George Hamilton has made an entire career out of playing deeply tanned playboys, so he’s the perfect choice for this role. He was a mainstay on TV in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s starring in shows like Dynasty and Jenny. He also competed on Dancing with the Stars and more recently appeared on American Housewife.
