Where Are They Now? 10 Sassy And Silly Sidekicks From Some Of Our Favorite Black Sitcoms
By Clarke Gail Baines
Where would our favorite TV stars be without their sidekicks, eh? Sidekicks, both in real life and on 30 minute television shows, are essential. They have your back and help you make important decisions, and they're often the best at figuring out who is in your life for the right reasons, and who needs to get the boot. Seriously though, where would Martin be without Tommy and Cole? They got him to go back to Gina when he was playing like he was over her during a bad break up. Or where would Florida Evans be without her girl, and neighbor, Willona Woods? She helped her look out for the Evans family after James died. These are some of the classic examples. Of course, we've found out where these people are through previous "Where Are They Now" installments, so we decided to focus this time on a few folks from some more recent black comedies that we enjoyed (aka, no Pam, Willona Woods, etc.–been done). Per the usual, be prepared to click, but it's worth it!
Alexis Fields
For years, when it came to watching "Sister, Sister" everybody knew that Roger, who was played by Marques Houston, was the ultimate sidekick. Of course, he wasn't around strictly to be friendly, as he was always trying to mack on Tia and Tamera, but he was there for them when they needed him. When they didn't need him, he knew what to do–"Go home Roger." But once the ladies graduated and found themselves at the University of Michigan, they made besties with a girl named Diavian Johnson. She was the the girlfriend who gave them the real, and occasionally started drama (remember when she made out with Tia's fine ex-boyfriend?), but she was a good friend. Of course, I'm sure you know that Alexis Fields is the little sister of "Living Single" star, Kim Fields.
After doing "Sister, Sister," Fields went on to have a recurring role on "Kenan & Kel," "Moesha," "One On One," and most recently, popped up on episodes of "Let's Stay Together." She also got married and had a little cutie patootie daughter named Kaycie with her husband, Kevin Jackson. Since then, she's focused more on mommyhood than acting, and we can't blame her, homegirl's got it all!
Jenna von Oÿ
Jenna has been the go-to sidekick homie for years now, making numbers as names acceptable by playing Six LeMeure on "Blossom," but for black folks who weren't fans of that awesome show, you probably know von Oy from her time as Stevie van Lowe on "The Parkers." Stevie came onto the show as the child of a wealthy family trying to make her own lane, and wound up being in a group with Kim and their friend, T, called "Free Style Unity." Near the end of the show, her character studies at UCLA and starts working with Kim in her successful fashion design endeavors.
So what is she doing today? Well, Jenna von Oy guest starred on "Cold Case," "Family Guy" and just completed a movie called Lukewarm. She also tried to jumpstart a country music career, dropping her debut album, Breathing Room, in '07. And if that wasn't enough Jenna got married to computer data consultant Brad Bratcher and they have a daughter together named Gray, who was born in May of this year!
Shar Jackson And Countess Vaughn
Shar was known as Niecy, the loving but big mouth girlfriend who stayed up in everyone's business, and throwing jokes with Hakeem. On the other side of the pan, Countess Vaughn played Kim, the boy crazy other best friend of Moesha who teamed up with Hakeem (her former love interest, but it was unrequited), and Moesha's ex-boyfriend named Q to put together a hip-hop group. Of course, Vaughn, a Star Search winner, could sing her little heart out, so it worked. Jackson stayed on the show for all six seasons and wound up being Moesha's roommate in college, while Kim dipped off after season four…
Of course, we know that Vaughn went ahead to have success with her spinoff, "The Parkers, alongside Mo'Nique. After her time with the show ended, Vaughn went on to do a lot of reality television, including "Celebrity Fit Club" (where she went on to be the first cast member to ever gain weight) and "Celebrity Rap Superstar," which she had to bow out of early from after an illness. She did come back to the small screen though, appearing on an episode of BET's "Let's Stay Together" in 2011.
Jackson on the other hand went ahead and had babies with her ex-boo, dancer Kevin Federline, who ended their relationship to make money love with Britney Spears. Since then, Jackson made small appearances on different TV shows, including "Sister, Sister," "The Bernie Mac Show," and "Girlfriends." She's also appeared in the movie I Do…I Did and appeared both on "Celebrity Rap Superstar," which she won, and "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp," which Kevin Federline was ironically on. Talk about drama…
Sicily Sewell
For the "One on One" fans, everybody knows that Breanna surrounded herself with the most interesting of people. Nobody probably more interesting than her friend "Spirit," the daughter of former hippies, which you could tell from her style. Unfortunately for Spirit, she was always cracked on for not having a man, but she s**tted on everyone when she found herself dating the singer Lloyd of all people, who was playing a student named A-Train. Sadly, when the show changed for the worst thanks to a change in scenery and the inclusion of Ray J, the character of Spirit was written out of the show…
These days, the 4'11" actress and singer is a wife and mother, marrying drummer Christopher Johnson in 2006 and having a little girl named Madison. She's also appeared in the TV movies Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story and Super Sweet 16: The Movie.
Omar Gooding
Before he was getting gangsta on-screen in "Baby Boy," we knew Omar Gooding for being Cuba's little brother, and for his time as Mo Tibbs, the BFF of Marcus and T.J. on "Smart Guy." His character was well known for being a lovable moocher, eating all the time at the Henderson's house, sleeping over and just being silly. He is a part of Marcus' band, Mackadocious, and on the side, happens to be an awesome chef, no matter how silly he might act.
These days, Gooding has appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies, and has been trying his hand at a rap career, going by the name Big O, and collaborating on a rap album entitled, Tradin' War Stories. Clearly he's not trying to follow his dad's footsteps of joining in a Main Ingredient type of group. Aside from that, he's popped up on "One on One," in the movie The Gospel, on the TV series, "Barbershop," the show "Playmakers," "Miami Medical," and a few episodes of "Single Ladies." And if that's not enough, he's just started and completed three movies: Bolden, Percentage, and Christmas in Compton.
Terri J Vaughn
Any "Steve Harvey Show" fans in the house? If so, I'm sure you remember Terri J Vaughn's role as the very silly and sometimes stupid, Lovita Alizé Jenkins-Robinson. She was a very stereotypical character, what with family members named after batteries and cheese, but the secretary was also a very lovable character, just a little hood fabulous (nothing wrong with that necessarily)…
So where is she now? Vaughn wound up being a regular on the shows "All Of Us" and "Meet The Browns," and popped up in movies like Stick It, Daddy's Little Girls, and Three Can Play That Game. She also started the non-profit, "Take Wings Foundation," which provides scholarships and more for young women in public housing in the Bay Area, and got married to footballer Karon Riley, who they had a son with.
Deon Richmond
*In case you missed it…
Kenny, aka, "Bud," was the buddy (and possible boo) of Rudy on "The Cosby Show." He often got a lot of funny but misguided advice from his older brother that he would try to share with Rudy, making many of their exchanges on the show very hilarious. And of course, he was the boo for Tamera on "Sister, Sister."
After "The Cosby Show," and "Sister, Sister," Richmond showed up with recurring roles on the shows "Getting By and the show, "Teachers." He's also done a lot of popular movies for young people: Scream 3, Trippin', Not Another Teen Movie, and Van Wilder. He's now doing a movie called FDR: American Badass!
Christopher B Duncan
Braxton P. Hartnabrig to you, boo! Duncan played the bad-breath having, hard working but uptight "bourgeoisie" co-worker. I used to love when he would put his finger in the air and go "Aaaah broham!" Of course, Jamie Foxx, who played Jamie King on the show, used to joke with and go in on Christopher's character on the regular, but they were actually friends who looked out for each other when the going got tough, and the girlfriends turned out to be strippers (funny episode).
So where is Duncan now? Coincidentally, Duncan has been making a living playing President Obama on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and in a few movies, but aside from that, he's also been on shows like "The District," "Veronica Mars," "Aliens in America," and he's currently getting ready to star on the show, "The First Family." He also has been doing voice work for "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," and "LEGO Hero Factory."
Haywood Nelson
THROWBACK! Who wasn't watching "What's Happening!!" and trying to dance like Rerun? However, Rerun wasn't the only cool sidekick in the group, there was always Dwayne Nelson, the youngest bestie of the group. He didn't break dance in public because of the fact that he was mad shy, and he spent more time than anything dealing with girl problems. But while Rerun was known for his break dancing abilities, Dwayne was best known for his fro, and saying "Hey, Hey, Hey!"
So where is he now? Nelson, a Scientologist by the way, only did a few programs after "What's Happening!!" and aside from "What's Happening Now!" that included the movie Evilspeak. Nelson still works in TV, but does work behind the scenes, including having credits for talks shows and other TV programs.
Check Out Past Editions of "Where Are They Now?"
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Where Are They Now? 11 Of The Most Rachet, Lovable and Controversial Black Folks From "The Real World"
Where Are They Now? Our Favorite Good and Bad Guys From "The Wire"
Where Are They Now? Kids From a Few of Our Favorite Black TV Shows
Where Are They Now? Now Defunct "Making The Band" Groups: Da Band and Danity Kane
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Where Are They Now? The Cast of "Girlfriends"