Honestly, most of us still have "Ready or Not" on our throwback playlists, but Bridgit Mendler has been living a whole different life lately. It’s wild. You probably remember her as Teddy Duncan, the responsible older sister giving life advice via a camcorder. Fast forward a decade, and she’s not just playing a sister; she’s a mom, a CEO, and a literal Harvard/MIT scholar.
The Bridgit Mendler family dynamic has shifted in ways nobody saw coming. We aren't just talking about a celebrity "pivot" here. This is a total reconstruction of what her daily life looks like. From fostering a toddler in secret to co-founding a space company with her husband, the details are actually pretty heartwarming—and incredibly nerdy in the best way possible.
Who are the parents behind the star?
Bridgit didn't just stumble into her high-achieving lifestyle. She was born in Washington, D.C., to Charles and Sandra Mendler. It’s kinda funny when you look at her parents’ backgrounds because it explains so much about her current obsession with satellites and engineering. Her mom, Sandra, is an architect. Her dad? He designs car engines.
Growing up, Bridgit says the dinner table talk was basically all "math-y and science-y." That explains why, even while she was filming Good Luck Charlie, she was hitting the books. She has one younger brother, Nick, who mostly stays out of the limelight, but the family moved to Mill Valley, California, when Bridgit was eight. That move was the catalyst for everything. It’s where she started doing San Francisco Fringe Festival shows and caught the acting bug.
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There’s also that famous family connection everyone freaked out over a few years ago. Bridgit is the niece of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. She actually calls her "Aunt Chrissy" and has talked about how her aunt helped her with college applications. Talk about a powerhouse family tree.
Griffin Cleverly: The husband and co-founder
In 2019, Bridgit married Griffin Cleverly. If you think the name sounds like a character from a novel about a genius, you’re not far off. Griffin is a mechanical engineer who graduated from UCLA. They kept their relationship pretty low-key for years before tying the knot in a magical beach ceremony where—get this—some random guy was building a massive sandcastle right behind them while they said their vows.
They aren't just partners in life; they’re partners in space. Literally.
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They co-founded Northwood Space together. The company is based in El Segundo and is working on mass-producing ground stations for satellites. Think of it like building the "highway" that helps data get from space back down to Earth. While Bridgit serves as the CEO, Griffin is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Most couples struggle to decide what to have for dinner, but these two are out here trying to revolutionize satellite telecommunications from their living room.
The surprise addition to the Bridgit Mendler family
The biggest bombshell dropped in early 2024. After a long silence on social media, Bridgit hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to announce that she had become a mom.
She didn't just have a baby in secret. She and Griffin started fostering a boy in 2021 and officially adopted him near Christmas of 2022. By the time the world found out, he was already four years old. Bridgit called being a parent the "biggest gift" and the most defining experience of her life.
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It’s a massive shift from the Disney days, but it fits her vibe. She’s always been someone who does things on her own terms. She managed to keep the entire fostering and adoption process private for over two years while simultaneously finishing a PhD at MIT and a JD at Harvard. It makes you wonder what the rest of us are doing with our 24 hours.
Why her family life is so different now
A lot of people ask if she’s done with acting for good. Honestly? It looks like it. Her life is now centered around Northwood Space, her son, and her research.
- The New Hampshire Prototype: During the pandemic, the family was stuck in New Hampshire. Instead of just baking sourdough, Bridgit, Griffin, and her parents were at Home Depot buying supplies to build a prototype satellite antenna.
- The Beach Life: Most of the rare photos she shares of her family are at the beach. It seems to be her "reset" button.
- The Academic Grind: She isn't just a celebrity with an honorary degree. She’s a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, focusing on how technology can improve government and citizen engagement.
The Bridgit Mendler family story isn't a "child star gone wild" narrative. It’s more like a "child star who was secretly a genius all along" story. She’s managed to build a private, stable home life with Griffin while tackling some of the hardest technical and legal challenges in the space industry.
If you want to keep up with what she’s doing, your best bet isn't the tabloids. It's following the progress of Northwood Space. They recently raised over $30 million in funding to build out their network of ground stations. It’s a far cry from "Hurricane" music videos, but seeing her thrive as a mom and a tech leader is arguably way more satisfying for long-time fans.
To really understand the scope of her work, look into the current "satellite bottleneck." There are thousands of satellites in orbit but not enough ground stations to talk to them. This is the specific problem Bridgit and Griffin are trying to solve. You can check out Northwood Space's official site to see their latest technical milestones and hiring updates.