Jay Kelso is one of the main characters in ‘That ‘90s Show’, a new series that serves as a sequel to the mega-popular ‘That ‘70 Show.’ Jay, portrayed by Mace Coronel, is incredibly well-played as the teenage son of Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis). As it was never really explicitly stated in the show, fans wonder – how old is Jay Kelso?
Jay Kelso is around 15-17 years old in ‘That ‘90s Show’, meaning he was born in the early 1980s. He’s supposed to be the same age as his buddy Nate, whose girlfriend, Nikki, once told him that she ‘turned down a senior’ for him. That means Jay and Nate aren’t seniors yet, making them anywhere between 15 and 17.
That being said, several other indicators could help us determine Jay Kelso’s exact age in the show, which we’ll go over in this article. As for the actor portraying Jay, Mace Coronel he’s actually the oldest cast member among the actors portraying the teenagers in the show. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into That ‘90s!
Who is Jay Kelso in ‘That ‘90s Show’?
Jay Kelso is one of the main characters – we might as well say THE main character – in ‘That ‘90s Show’, which serves as a sequel to the iconic ‘That ‘70s Show’. Jay is portrayed by Mace Coronel and is the teenage son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart, portrayed by Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, respectively, both of whom repeated their roles from ‘That ‘70s Show’.
Jay is, in many ways, much like his father. He’s relaxed, charming, funny, and a real lady magnet. The only difference is, Jay is much smarter than his dad, and has fantastic grades, unlike Michael had at his age. He got his mother’s brains – something that Michael is very proud of.
That doesn’t stop Jay from getting into trouble, especially with girls. But, another aspect of the character is how remarkably similar he looks – and acts – to both Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
Fans quickly picked up on the uncanny resemblance and took it to Twitter, sharing their shock that Mace and Ashton aren’t actually related.
Seeing that Jay is Michael and Jackie’s son, fans started wondering, how old could Jay Kelso be in the show?
How old is Jay Kelso in That ’90s Show?
While the exact birthday of Jay Kelso hasn’t been revealed throughout Season 1 of ‘That ‘90s Show’, we have enough information to give out at least a rough estimate.
First of all, we know that Jay and Nate – his buddy since childhood – are about the same age. They are high-schoolers that have ‘been friends for twelve years,’ as Nate shares with his girlfriend, Nikki.
That happens in the pilot episode, and knowing the pilot episode took place in 1995 means the two boys have been friends since 1982. In other words, they had to be born at least a year or two earlier, around 1980.
Also, there’s a scene where Nikki tells Nate how she ‘turned down a senior for him,’ indicating that Nate and Jay aren’t seniors yet. That would put them anywhere between 15 and 17 years old. I would say they are closer to 15 than 17, but we can only guess until Jay’s birthday is officially confirmed, either by the showrunners or within the show itself.
Knowing that Netflix officially confirmed the renewal of the show for Season 2 on February 3, 2023, I bet we’ll learn more about everyone’s age in the following episodes.
How old is Mace Coronel, the actor portraying Jay Kelso?
As mentioned, Jay Kelso is perfectly portrayed by the young American actor Mace Coronel. Apart from the eerily accurate casting as Michael and Jackie’s son, Mace has been an actor since he was eight. When he was nine, Mace starred in Nickelodeon’s children’s show, ‘Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn.’
You’d be misled if you thought you could figure out Jay’s age by simply looking at Mace’s age. Mace Coronel was born on March 10, 2004, making him 18 years old when the first season of ‘That ‘90s Show’ premiered and 19 years (and one day) old at the time of writing this article.
Despite his awesome performance, that actually makes Mace the oldest cast member of ‘That ‘90s Show’, at least when it comes to the teenage characters.
Callie Haverda, who plays Jay’s girlfriend, Leia Forman, is 15 years old in real life. Jay’s friend, Nate, is portrayed by a 17-year-old Maxwell Acee Donovan, whereas Nikki, Nate’s girlfriend, is played by Sam Morelos, a 17-year-old actress. Even Ashley Aufderheide, who portrays Gwen, is 17 years old, making Mace the oldest in the group.
One thing I’ll say, though, is that Netflix has done an incredible job with casting. The actresses and actors portraying the teenagers did an amazing job, and if you enjoyed the humor in ‘That ‘70s Show’, I’m almost sure you’ll enjoy ‘That ‘90s Show’ as well. As the series’ logline says – “Times change. Teenagers don’t.”
