What The Cast Of Martin Looks Like Now
Rapper Kendrick Lamar walked off an interview in 2012 because the interviewer never heard of the '90s comedy series Martin. To many it was a hilarious moment — even to the show's co-creator and star Martin Lawrence himself — but K. Dot reacted how most Martin fans probably would: shocked and appalled.
The show ran between 1992 and 1997 for five seasons, as viewers took wild rides with radio personality Martin Payne (played by Lawrence), his girlfriend Gina (played by Tisha Campbell-Martin), and their friends Pam and Cole (Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II, respectively). Thomas Mikal Ford, who played the iconic role of Tommy, died in October 2016 from a ruptured abdominal aneurysm at the age of 52, as reported by The Undefeated.
Though Martin has been over for close to three decades now, its impact, cultural footprint, and classic characters (many played by Lawrence) seem to grow over the years. During a 2017 Vanity Fair interview, Lawrence even said, "It's just hitting me just now. I can't believe it's my show that's so iconic. I thank God I'm alive to see it and I realize and know the impact that it has on us. I love that."
Let's take a look at what the actors are up to today.
Martin Lawrence will forever be a bad boy
Prior to and following the hit series, actor and comedian Martin Lawrence had a successful career in TV, film, and stand-up comedy. In the early 2000s, Lawrence churned out comedy movies annually, including Black Knight, National Security, and the Big Momma's House series.
Along with all the box-office winners, the biggest franchise Lawrence was a part of was Bad Boys. The Def Comedy Jam alum joined forces with actor Will Smith in the 1995 action-comedy about two best friend cops working on the narcotics beat. Though Bad Boys did well in the box office — grossing $141 million worldwide — it didn't match the outrageous popularity of its 2003 sequel Bad Boys 2.
The car chases, shootout scenes, and punchy one-liners culminated into the $273 million gross, according to Forbes, and they repeated the success all over again in January 2020 with Bad Boys For Life. In fact, the third installment to the Lawrence-Smith duo was "the biggest grossing 'new' January release" as the film racked in over $200 million after its first 24-hour release, as reported by Forbes.
It was announced in January 2020 via The Hollywood Reporter that Bad Boys 4 (the official title unreleased) is in the works, which is sure to add to Lawrence's $110 million net worth (per Celebrity Net Worth).
Tisha Campbell-Martin will be in the Rugrats 2020 revival
Though Tisha Campbell-Martin is a vital part of the Martin memories, much of her legacy is overshadowed by the behind-the-screens controversy that occurred with Martin Lawrence. According to The Undefeated, the fifth and final season was less than stellar due to sexual harassment allegations and a lawsuit from Campbell-Martin against her on-screen boyfriend, which reportedly led to Campbell-Martin walking off the set in 1996 and missing episodes from majority of the season. In a 2020 interview with GQ, Lawrence said, "it was all a lot of bulls**t" and considered the sexual harassment as "something that just didn't happen."
Following the show, Campbell-Martin found more success on the small screen in a mixed bag of comedy and drama TV series, including My Wife and Kids, All of Us, and the 2020 crime series Be Someone. The mother-of-two will also be a part of the star-studded cast for the live action-CGI adaption of Rugrats as Lucy Carmichael alongside Marsai Martin, Kelly Rowland, and Christina Aguilera, per That Grape Juice. Paramount Studios originally had the film slated for January 2021, but rescheduled the production to a new, undisclosed date.
Tichina Arnold is enjoying mom life
The constant on-screen feud between Martin Lawrence and Tichina Arnold as Gina's boyfriend and best friend was pure comedy gold. The two would go back and forth with insults that would leave viewers belly-laughing for years. Arnold's performance as Pam served as a springboard into a career of TV series cameos and castings in many independent films. Her stern and no-nonsense demeanor landed her as the mom in the 2005 sitcom Everybody Hates Chris alongside Terry Crews, similar to her role in the Starz series Survivor's Remorse.
As of 2020, Arnold starred in the TV series The Neighborhood, and was enjoying being a mom off-screen. The New York native gave birth to her daughter Alijah Kai Haggins in 2004, who she (nervously) began teaching to drive in May 2020. She posted a video on Instagram of Haggins driving with the caption, "Please excuse the graphic language between @alijahkai and I..but teaching a teen to drive, could be a bit intense. I try to film our lessons so others can learn & enjoy.. but that didn't go so well this day."
Carl Anthony Payne II appeared in many culture-shifting shows
The comedy style of Carl Payne as Cole, the best friend who makes all the questionable decisions, would have been missed in the tight-knit group of friends on Martin. Payne was the friend that held the crew together and never missed a beat when it came to a punchline. It was a role he was familiar with, as he played a similar character prior to Martin on The Cosby Show as Theo's best friend Cockroach.
Payne went on to become a regular guest role on numerous sitcoms, including George Lopez, The Game, and For Richer or Poorer. He even appeared in a 2020 episode of the hit HBO series Insecure. As of 2018, the New York actor played a regular on the Urban Movie Channel series 5th Ward. According to an official press release from January 2019, the drama series is set to return for a six-episode season in 2020.