Napoleon DynamiteJon Heder on what his
Published on January 15, 2026 EDT "I think he is battling some health issues and has thinning hair."

Did Napoleon Dynamite get his happily ever after? Jon Heder isn’t so sure.

The 46-year-old actor, famous for playing the socially awkward teen, is weighing in on what happened to Napoleon two decades after his adventures in the beloved coming-of-age film.

"I don't think it's looking pretty for Napoleon," Heder told E! News of the Idaho native. "I think Napoleon's life is more drama than comedy. I think he is battling some health issues and has thinning hair."

Fox Searchlight/courtesy Everett Collection

But wait — it gets worse. Heder added that after the events of Napoleon Dynamite, he doesn’t believe that things worked out between Napoleon and his crush, Deb (Tina Majorino).

"But he's still trying to win her back," Heder said, joking that their love story could work as a sequel. "So maybe there's an adventure there."

The 2004 cult classic follows small-town loser Napoleon Dynamite during his attempt to win the class presidency with his best friend while navigating a particularly bizarre family life. Heder told the outlet that two decades later, the character remains very present in his life, since he still gets recognized and has the movie quoted at him wherever he goes.

"The tots line is actually the one that gets yelled to me the most, which I will accept,” he said, referencing Randy’s (Bracken Johnson) reaction to seeing the titular character munch on tater tots during class: "Napoleon, give me some of your tots."

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The Napoleon Dynamite fandom remains so strong that Heder’s kids have caught on to the frenzy too.

"They're very aware of the craze," said Heder, who shares four children with his wife, Kirsten Bales. "My daughter actually enjoys it. She's 7. She's like, 'Oh, can we watch clips from the movie?'"

He added that his 10-year-old son “loves the reaction it gets” and “understands it for the fame aspect” but isn’t the biggest fan of the movie itself.  Heder explained, "I don't know if he cares that much about the movie. But he loves to tell people who I am."

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