What Happened to Van From 'Reba'? Everything We Know About Actor Steve Howey

If you grew up in the '90s or early 2000s, chances are you've swooned over high school football prodigy and teen dad Van Montgomery on the CW's hit show Reba. Played by actor Steve Howey, Van was the love interest of Reba Nell Hart's (Reba McEntire) teenage daughter, Cheyenne (JoAnna García).

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After he gets her pregnant during their senior year, the young couple gets hitched, and he temporarily moves into Reba's house while they figure out their lives — only that "temporary move" turns into five seasons of multigenerational chaos and hilarity.

It's been years since the show aired its final episode, yet fans are still curious about where the cast has ended up. While the leading lady remains very much in the spotlight, the status of the show's other actors requires a little more digging. 

So what happened to Van Montgomery on Reba? Let's find out. 

The Acting Gene

Howey's childhood was anything but normal. He grew up on a boat (a 67-foot yacht called Valkyrien, specifically) and spent a lot of time sailing up and down the coast of California. Eventually, his parents, who were longtime acting teachers, sold the boat and opened an acting school in the Denver area. 

"We didn't have any money, but my parents did work a lot," Howey told CBS in 2018. "They had an aquarium-cleaning business, my mom worked for a sound company, Dad taught acting and made videos on chiropractic care. They were all over the place."

While he initially had an eye for basketball, taking classes with his dad opened his eyes up to another passion: performing. 

"Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt," he told the Los Angeles Times about those days training under his father, Bill Howey. "Instinctively, you want to rebel. There are times when he is rough on me, and times I've been biased. When I get a compliment, I wonder, is it Daddy or teacher? But he's been able to get me to open up or try something different."

The Reba Days

Learning how to trust his dad's guidance paid off pretty quickly. Howey landed the role of Van Montgomery when he was 21. "When I got that part, I achieved my life goal," he told CBS. For six years, he portrayed the clueless teen dad who eventually grows up to become Reba's business partner in real estate. 

"I matured through the experience," he said in his LA Times interview. "It was like getting paid to go to acting class. I was growing as an actor, and that was good because if you're not learning, you're going backwards."

Funny enough, he worked with his future on-screen wife, Shanola Hampton, on Reba when she guest-starred for a single episode.

The Shameless Era

After Reba wrapped, Howey spent the next couple of years starring in movies such as Bride Wars and Something Borrowed, along with a few other projects. It wasn't long before he landed his next major role as Kevin Ball on Shameless. 

For 10 years, Howey portrayed the naive bartender and always-welcomed comedic relief in the hit Showtime dramedy about a poor and highly dysfunctional family in Chicago. "This show is a testament to John Wells, the creator," he said back in 2020, when the 11th and final season was about to air. "He brought it over from England, and we got lucky enough to be cast in it. We really had no idea [what to expect]. We thought it was definitely going to go a couple of seasons, and it just kept going and going." 

The likelihood of making it on not one but two hit series in your career is low, and the fortune Howey has had so far isn't lost on him. "I'm so lucky in my career. I've been on two TV shows for 17 years that have each done over 100 episodes. That's crazy. And most of the messages I get [from fans] are about a Reba reboot or a Kev and V spinoff. I think that's so awesome."

The Family Man

And, of course, Howey has a pretty full life outside of the spotlight. He has three children with his ex-wife, Sarah Shahi, whom he was married to for over 10 years. Despite the divorce, the couple seems dedicated to co-parenting their kids and still express a lot of mutual love for each other. 

"My wife, Sarah, is the hero," he said back in 2018. "Three kids and starring in a TV series? That woman is a warrior."

Will There Be A Reba Reboot?

Even though Reba last aired in 2007, it left a lasting impression on fans, many of whom would kill for a reboot of the sitcom. However, Howey doesn't want us to get our hopes up. 

"I don't know if I would wanna play Van again," he told Us Weekly earlier this year. "Once you do something, I think it's like, 'Let it be.' We are in the moment, you know? We can't go back. We always think about this, right? All of us say, 'Oh if I knew then what I know now.' It's a fantasy, so you can't go back."

So for now, it looks as if we'll have to get our Howey fix by keeping up with his latest projects — and binging Reba on Hulu. 

READ MORE: Meet Melissa Peterman: From Barbra Jean on 'Reba' to a Decades-Long Friendship with Reba McEntire