From a legendary TV dad to the most annoying neighbor of the '90s,
Family Matters was a TGIF staple for countless millennials. And even though
you might never hear "Did I do that?" again, there are plenty of places you
can still catch the iconic cast… even the mysterious missing child, Judy.
Reginald VelJohnson eventually became known as one of America's dads thanks to his performance as the
loving and protective Carl Winslow. After Family Matters ended, VelJohnson kept acting — popping
up in sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and taking on a recurring role in the CW show Hart of Dixie.
In early 2023, VelJohnson starred in a slew of TV Dad commercials for Progressive. He told Forbes:
"It really was warm and I had a good time and they had a good time with me, I hope."
VelJohnson also talked about the legacy and original popularity
of Family Matters during his Forbes interview, claiming:
"I think having a Black family on Miller-Boyett's [production] roster was kind of a unique thing,
and we got used to being around each other. It just felt good and people
seem to like what we were doing and that's why it lasted so long."
The former TV dad added that as long as he's healthy and capable, he'll continue acting.
Darius McCrary became known for his breakout role as Eddie — the only boy in the Winslow family.
"Are Tony's parents gonna be there?"
"Of course."
"Beer?"
"No."
"Girls?" "No."
"How late?"
"Two."
"Bingo! Book him, Dano."
His character often got into trouble but eventually grew up to be a responsible and
brave man. In real life, McCrary continued acting after Family Matters, finding roles in both film
and television, while also expanding his work to include producing and rapping. He still remains
involved in the entertainment industry today, claiming in an interview with Daily Blast LIVE:
"It's just a blessing to be here all these years and to continue working,
continue learning, and to have people still interested in what you're doing."
McCrary also started the podcast I'M NOT LAUGHIN', telling HipHollywood:
"I want to give a voice to celebrities because we get such a bad rap a lot of times,
and times have changed. It's different now. If you don't say something now
when you find yourself on the other end of injustice, then it's just as bad."
McCrary co-hosted the podcast with his former Family Matters co-star, Kellie Williams.
Kellie Williams first gained fame for her role as Laura — the middle child in the Winslow family,
known for her brains. Williams was just a teenager when she began filming Family Matters,
and grew into adulthood during her time on the hit
show. Speaking about the realities of being a child actor, she told TV One:
"Growing up in front of the camera was, for me,
kind of strange. At the most awkward time in your life, you're in front of the whole world
to see. A lot of times I would just watch the show and just be totally, like, embarrassed."
Williams kept acting after Family Matters, finding work on TV shows like Girlfriends
and Eve in the early to mid-2000s. But after 2009, Williams took a hiatus from acting,
coinciding with the birth of her two children.
But the Family Matters star returned to acting in 2020,
and acted in and executive produced A Family Matters Christmas in 2022.
Jaleel White became such an important part of Family Matters that it's hard to believe
there were episodes without him. Early on in the first season, America was introduced to
White's character Steve Urkel — an irritating yet loveable nerd who was a neighbor of the Winslows.
But while America came to love Steve Urkel, White has had a complicated
relationship with his famous character. The actor famously said during a 1999 interview:
"If you ever see me do that character again,
take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery."
He explained his statement during an appearance on People's Party with Talib Kweli,
claiming that while he was proud of the role when he was in high school,
the role had begun to impact his social life in a negative way by the time he was in college.
"I was just a 20-year-old kid wanting to be freed of this."
After Family Matters, White had roles in several TV shows and movies in the 2000s and 2010s. In
2023, White appeared in episodes of The Ms. Pat Show, American Dad, and the game show Pictionary.
White has since come to terms with his character's legacy, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
"I guard this character with my life."
Jo Marie Payton was a big part of many childhoods, playing both Harriette Winslow on Family Matters
and voicing Suga Mama on the Disney Channel animated series The Proud Family. But Payton
also had a successful acting career prior to Family Matters, and has been continually
cast in television and in movies ever since the end of the series. Payton even reprised
her role of Suga Mama in the 2022 Disney Plus reboot, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
However, while Family Matters was airing,
Payton had issues with Jaleel White. She claimed in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight:
"There was one time he actually wanted to physically fight me. [There was a scene
where] I said we can't do that, standards and practices will not let that pass,
it's not gonna happen. He wanted to do it anyway."
Fans of the show have remained curious about the status of Payton and White's relationship,
with Payton addressing their past issues again in 2023, claiming:
"I know you guys see all kinds of things, and yes,
sometimes we bump heads and things, but I'll always love him. He was always a child to me,
and I don't care how old he gets, he's still a child to me."
Rosetta LeNoire played Estelle Winslow, the mother to Carl and grandmother to Eddie,
Laura, and Judy. Her character was known for her wisdom and being the only character to
always treat Steve Urkel with kindness. Unlike many of her younger castmates,
LeNoire was already an accomplished actor by the time she took the role on Family Matters,
with the sitcom being one of her final credits.
"You make me seem pushy. I'm not pushy."
"Yeah."
"Hush up, Carl!"
Known for her film roles in Moscow on the Hudson and Brewster's Millions,
she capped off her acting career by receiving the National Medal of Arts
from President Bill Clinton in 1999. After a life in entertainment, LeNoire died in 2002.
Outside of her film and television career, LeNoire was known as a prominent theater actor and civil
rights activist. In 1968, LeNoire started the Amas Musical Theater in New York City. She once said:
"Music is one avenue where no one seems to have discriminatory attitudes. Theatre
techniques are a marvelous implement to bring people of all races colors and
creeds together. You don't worry what color is; all you care about is the end product."
The theater is still running today, providing a place for young artists to perform.
Bryton James received his first major acting role on Family Matters, playing Richie Crawford — a
cousin to the Winslows and one of Steve Urkel's few friends. Since the conclusion of the series,
James has enjoyed a steady career. In 1996, he joined the cast of the popular soap opera
The Young and the Restless as Devon Winters, and he's played the character ever since — appearing
in over 1,500 episodes and counting. James even won a Daytime Emmy for his role in 2020.
More recently, James made Family Matters fans smile when he had a six-episode reunion with
one of his former co-stars — Telma Hopkins — on The Young and the Restless in 2021. Regarding
the experience of acting with Hopkins again, James told Entertainment Weekly:
"Telma is one of the reasons that I have enjoyed it for 30 years.
​​To step on my first stage with her and have Telma be the one to make me
feel so comfortable and at home back then, it is very special."
Telma Hopkins had already been acting since the late 1970s when she joined the cast of
Family Matters as Rachel Crawford — Harriette's widowed sister who moved
into the Winslow house with her son Richie. After her time on the sitcom came to an end,
some of her biggest gigs included the sitcom Half & Half, the television adaptation of
Are We There Yet?, the Nickelodeon series The Casagrandes, and the Netflix show Dead to Me.
"Let her talk."
"I don't want to let her talk, Kyle!"
"Oh, now, see this is getting real."
Hopkins has kept in touch with several of her Family Matters co-stars over the years. Apart
from an Entertainment Weekly reunion photoshoot and interview in 2017 — and
her guest role alongside Bryton James in The Young and the Restless — Hopkins has
also worked with Kellie Williams and Shawn Harrison in the fight against homelessness.
Jaimee Foxworth played Judy — the youngest of the three Winslow children. While Judy
was a typical child, her time on the show was atypical compared to the rest of the
main characters. About halfway through the sitcom, Judy disappeared from the
show without any explanation. As it turns out, Foxworth was reportedly fired from the show to
give Jaleel White more screen time. After her time on Family Matters, Foxworth quit acting,
though she had a brief career in the adult film industry in the early 2000s.
When Entertainment Weekly's Family Matters special reunion was released in 2017,
it did not include Foxworth. Foxworth would later state in an interview with The Root:
"The people in the picture are more important than the picture itself. It was a slap in the
face from Entertainment Weekly. […] I'm not that little girl anymore. Judy and Family
Matters don't define me. [...] I am extremely happy in the place that I'm in right now."
While Foxworth would host The S.H.E. Show podcast with her sisters for a couple of years,
they haven't posted a new episode since late 2022.
Shawn Harrison's best known role is arguably
Waldo Faldo — a friend of Steve Urkel and the Winslow family.
"I'mma trash Urkel's locker."
"Why you gonna do that, Willie?"
"Cuz it's Tuesday."
"Again?"
After Family Matters ended, Harrison appeared in shows like Girlfriends and Eve throughout
the '90s and 2000s, and always kept his spark for sitcoms alive. In 2021,
he executive produced, directed, and wrote for the web show A Sitcom for Gio.
In addition to his sitcom career, Harrison has always pursued various
creative outlets — including dance — and is equally passionate about
meditation. The actor has a YouTube channel called MINDFLOW with Shawn,
and an Instagram page where he posts short videos for followers to listen to while meditating.
Cherie Johnson is well known for playing Maxine Johnson — Laura
Winslow's best friend — in Family Matters. But she is probably better known for her
character bearing her actual name in the '80s sitcom Punky Brewster.
After the end of Family Matters, Johnson has continued acting in movies and television shows.
In 2021, she got the opportunity to reprise her role of Cherie for the Punky Brewster reboot — a
10-episode series that aired on Peacock. In an interview with Pop Culturalist, Johnson would say:
"How many people can say you have this job 30 years ago, and then you get to go back to the
job that you loved so much? It's a blessing that I never even realized that I wanted."
In addition to acting, Johnson is still producing on-screen projects,
and hosts the Cherie's World Podcast — a weekly show in which Johnson
discusses topical issues and interviews people in the entertainment industry.
Michelle Thomas played Myra Monkhouse — the foil to Laura Winslow for many seasons of
Family Matters. Her love for Steve Urkel knew no bounds, and Thomas' portrayal of
the lovestruck — and sometimes obsessive — Myra was unforgettable. Thomas stayed in the
role through the series' final episode, even after being diagnosed with cancer in 1997.
After Thomas underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and Family Matters came to a close,
she landed a role on The Young and the Restless as an aspiring singer. But she soon
had to undergo a second surgery for another cancerous mass. According to Jet Magazine,
she took a medical leave from the show in October 1998, but would die on December 23,
1998, surrounded by family and friends. She was 30 years old.