The Untold Truth Of Matthew Lawrence
If you're a '90s kid, then you probably know who the Lawrence brothers are since the trio made the rounds on childhood favorite TV shows like "Blossom" and "Brotherly Love," as well as classic movies like "Mrs. Doubtfire." The middle brother in particular, Matthew Lawrence, definitely thrived, as the one who not only starred in the iconic Robin Williams comedy, but went on to join the cast of the TGIF gem "Boy Meets World."
The actor continued to work in Hollywood long after his start in 1984, and Lawrence didn't fade away with the '90s. Per his IMDb, he has appeared in either a film or TV show almost every year throughout his nearly four-decade career, with movies ranging from the popular comedy "Hot Chick," to TV film "Mistletoe Mixup," which hit Amazon Prime in 2021.
Unlike a lot of former child stars, though, Lawrence has managed to keep a low profile over the years...except when it came to his romance with Cheryl Burke. The "Dancing With the Stars" pro would keep Lawrence in the spotlight by sharing details about their relationship in interviews, her podcast, and on social media. Yet you could say it was her shocking divorce announcement that made headlines in early 2022 and piqued the public's interest in what the "Brothers of the Frontier" star has been doing. Because of his low-key nature, there's a lot about Matthew Lawrence that fans may not know, so let's break it down.
Matthew Lawrence was a child star
Matthew Lawrence began his career in Hollywood as a child actor. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lawrence, who's originally from Pennsylvania, got his start at only age 3 after accompanying his older brother, Joey Lawrence, on auditions in New York and L.A. Their mother, Donna Lawrence, recalled what happened when Joey wasn't young enough for a part: "Matty was with us and the casting agent asked Matty to try it."
Matthew then made his official debut in 1984 on the popular series "Dynasty." From there, he continued to work, but only when he wanted to. Donna explained to the outlet, "He'd turn things down... He'd say, 'I don't want to do commercials and say these stupid lines.'" She even pointed out that tween Matty chose attending 7th grade over acting that year.
As a child, Lawrence was also shy, a trait that almost cost him his part in "Mrs. Doubtfire." He revealed while at the 2022 '90s Con event, "The studio wanted this other boy ...I was always the quiet one" (via the New York Post). He claimed that it was when his co-star Robin Williams quietly pinched him in the back that the studio heads laughed and noticed him. "I got the role because of that little moment," Lawrence said. Despite only being 12 during that film, Lawrence told Page Six that it was an incredibly formative learning experience for him.
He's close with his brothers, Joey and Andy Lawrence
When you think of Matthew Lawrence, it's hard not to associate him with his brothers, actors Joey and Andy Lawrence, since the three often appeared on-screen together. It was because of their special bond that they first landed their series "Brotherly Love" in 1995, loosely based on them. Up to that point, Andy and Matt had both appeared as younger versions of Joey's eponymous character on "Blossom." The NBC President at the time, Warren Littlefield, knew that this was only the beginning of a working relationship with all three Lawrence kids. Speaking practically about their work on "Brotherly Love," Littlefield told the Los Angeles Times, "We know they love each other that much in real life, but for a show we need conflict."
The Lawrence brothers were also key figures on the Disney Channel, starring in several TV movies for the network, like 2001's popular "Jumping Ship." Joey even told MTV in 2016 that they were still open to doing another film in that franchise, saying they've got "a very clear vision of what [they] think it should be." From 2011 to 2014, Matthew went on to have a recurring role on Joey's sitcom "Melissa & Joey," and later starred alongside both Joey and Andy in the holiday movie "Mistletoe Mixup" in 2021.
Matthew likes to hang out with his brothers both on and off set. He also promotes their upcoming projects to show his support. Their mother Donna summed it for the Los Angeles Times in 1995, saying, "They get along that well, finish each other's sentences, care that much about each other."
His relationship with Cheryl Burke
Despite his long career in Hollywood, it's safe to say that Matthew Lawrence has made as many headlines for his relationship with "Dancing With the Stars" pro Cheryl Burke. According to Us Weekly, the two met when Lawrence's brother, Joey, appeared as a contestant on "DWTS" in 2006, but didn't officially start dating until a year later. However, they didn't initially last long, splitting in 2008 with Burke taking most of the blame. She admitted in a YouTube video, "When we first dated, I didn't clearly love myself enough to think that I deserved to be with someone who was actually nice to me."
In 2017, Burke and Lawrence reunited and spent lots of time together. The dancer would frequently gush about him in (now-deleted) Instagram posts, writing in an anniversary caption (via Us Weekly), "Matt, I love you more every day." Lawrence credited their foundation of friendship for a strong romantic relationship, and by 2018 he had proposed. The couple tied the knot a year later, with Burke gushing to People at the time, "Matt brings out the best in me. He enjoys every moment, and that helps me appreciate life even more."
However, by 2022, things took a major turn when Burke announced that their marriage was ending. Burke filed in February due to irreconcilable differences, but she had noted a separation date of January 7 in her paperwork (obtained by Us Weekly).
The Brotherly Love star loves reptiles
While Matthew Lawrence's main profession may be actor, the "Gimme a Break!" star is also a zoologist who has a passion for reptiles. Not only did Lawrence reveal to paparazzi in 2016 that he was a zoologist, but he also had his own zoo at the home he shared with his ex, Cheryl Burke. She dished on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," "He has 45 to 50 reptiles that live underneath us." She added, "I knew that I was marrying a guy who loves reptiles."
Burke wasn't exaggerating; Lawrence gushed on her "Pretty Messed Up" podcast, "I was born with this in me to love reptiles and amphibians. ... My earliest memories are the feelings of a lizard or a salamander squirming through my hands." A 1980s NBC clip certainly confirms this: Matty Lawrence is seen by a creek, holding out a net to catch critters. "I want to be a veterinarian. I like to go to the creek and catch toads and polliwogs and crayfish and all kind of salamanders," said the adorable young actor.
As an adult, Lawrence took his passion more seriously and went to the Turks and Caicos to study iguanas. He recalled to MTV News, "I was the only person on the island, it was unbelievable." He also shared his love of reptiles with his fans, when during the pandemic, he created a series for Instagram called "Mr. Reptile Man: Backyard Confessions." In each video, Lawrence showed off his pets, seemingly mixing his two worlds of entertainment and animals.
The Mrs. Doubtfire actor can sing
Fans may not know that Matthew Lawrence can sing and has been performing music seemingly just as long as he's been acting. He made his musical debut way back in 1986, alongside his brother, Joey Lawrence, at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They would later perform in the parade again in 1991 and then in 1996. The "Mrs. Doubtfire" star also occasionally showed off his talents when on TV shows, like when he sang Christmas carols on an episode of "Brotherly Love."
By 2014, Matt Lawrence apparently was ready to create original music and decided to do so with his brothers. Joey explained to "Home and Family," "We're working on some music, together again for the first time in a long time," with Matthew clarifying, "We've always worked on music together but never released anything." In 2017, they did just that with their song "Lose Myself," which they performed as an official band named "Still Three." It seemed to be a long time in the making since Matthew explained to People, "We started out as a musical family — acting kind of redirected us. It feels good to get back to our roots."
Matthew has even shared some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram of him and his brothers working at the studio together, showing off their guitars. The actor confessed in the caption of a photo of him in the booth, "I get nervous every time I step up to the mic," which is surprising considering his experience.
Matthew Lawrence dated other actors
The video mentioned below contains some graphic, NSFW elements.
"Dance Moms" alum Cheryl Burke is clearly Matthew Lawrence's most high-profile romance, but the "Boy Meets World" star has dated other women in show business. Before ever meeting Burke, Lawrence was in a relationship with actor Heidi Mueller in the 2000s. Daytime drama fans may recognize Mueller from "Passions," which she appeared in from 2003 to 2008. It can be presumed that Lawrence's relationship with Mueller was pretty serious, considering they were once engaged. While it's unclear why they split, Mueller moved on and married Dallas Cowboys star DeMarco Murray.
Lawrence supposedly dated another dancer-slash-actor during his first split with Burke in that he was seen with Laura Jayne New in the 2010s. According to her IMDb, New has appeared on-screen, usually as a dancer, including in Vanessa Hudgens' music video for "$$$ex." It appears the two women hit it off and are still close, with various friendship posts on social media from both of them, including a supportive comment from Hudgens on Instagram.
What's more is that despite being broken up for many years, in March 2022, New shared a very passionate video of her and Lawrence that she had directed, which showed them in many intimate positions. It's unclear if New made the video when they were still a couple, or if she and Lawrence had worked together professionally after their split. However, some Instagram sleuthing shows that the project may have been in the works as early as 2014.
Robin Williams warned him about drugs
Child stars are often known for turning into wild adults, but Matthew Lawrence has managed to stay out of trouble and away from hard-partying, mainly thanks to his "Mrs. Doubtfire" co-star, Robin Williams. Lawrence recalled to Page Six, "He always told me to do my best to stay away from, you know, drugs. I'll never forget it. He called me aside...this is serious Robin. 'Don't do it Matthew.'" The star continued, "There are moments when that voice prevented me from doing anything wrong." Lawrence elaborated on Williams' wisdom at the 2022 '90s Con (via People). "Now I'm fighting for the rest of my life because I spent 10 years doing something very stupid every day," the actor remembered Williams saying.
Until age 20, Lawrence did stay away from drinking and drugs, but decided to experiment during one movie shoot. He apparently didn't like it, though, dishing on the "Pretty Messed Up" podcast that when he first used a range of substances, the star "had a huge freakout about it. ... I called my mom crying," he admitted.
The "Girl Meets World" actor continued to party, but usually just once every week until he met his now-ex Cheryl Burke, who was into that scene. Lawrence even revealed that Burke's drinking was the reason for their first split in 2008, saying, "It was just too much, and so I ended it." Burke got sober and credited Lawrence for being her "rock" on "GMA," before they split again in 2022.
He's friends with his Boy Meets World costars
One of Matthew Lawrence's most notable roles was playing Jack Hunter from 1997 to 2000 in the long-running TV sitcom "Boy Meets World." Outside of the show being good for his career, he seemed to become actual friends with his co-stars. Rider Strong, who played his brother, revealed on "GMA" that they were "constantly making each other laugh." Lawrence also recalled on the "Pretty Messed Up" podcast how they would even tease co-star Danielle Fishel, by having Friday night dance-offs when her then-boyfriend Lance Bass would visit the set. He explained, "The boys would do 'I Want It That Way' in front of the audience just to zing it to *NSYNC."
Even after the show ended in 2000, the cast apparently remained close, with Ben Savage sharing in 2018 that he attended Lawrence's engagement party. Lawrence has also posted about his former co-stars on his own social media, whether it's old photos, a still from working together, or promotion for reunion events.
In 2015, Lawrence reprised his role as Jack Hunter in the Disney Channel spin-off "Girl Meets World." Savage gushed to MTV News, "I love having everyone back on set, including Matt. It's kind of like having all of my old brothers back..." When some of the "Boy Meets World" cast promoted their '90s Con event in 2022, they made it clear that they're all still close, even if they did roast Lawrence for frequently ignoring their group text.
Matthew Lawrence's net worth
Matthew Lawrence may not be an A-lister, but the "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" star is definitely living the good life thanks to his acting career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lawrence is worth an estimated $2 million, which isn't too surprising since he's found steady work in Hollywood for almost 40 years. Outside of acting, he probably made some money off the music he released with his brothers, as well as additional entertainment gigs. In 2021, Lawrence served as executive producer on both "A Deadly Deed" and "The Man Behind the Camera."
What could cost him a pretty penny is his 2022 divorce from Cheryl Burke, considering that Hollywood splits are usually expensive. However, it seems Lawrence was hoping to avoid draining his bank account when he requested a termination of spousal support in his response to Burke's divorce filing, according to E! News. He also asked that their prenuptial agreement be upheld, yet it's unclear if that's a good financial move, since Burke is reportedly worth more than him, with an estimated $3 million.
As for how Lawrence likes to spend his money, it appears to be on his pets. Burke explained to Us Weekly in 2018, "He's building a zoo in my house for the animals. ... He's building, like, a gated cage." It's safe to assume that a home zoo is expensive, but now that the couple is divorcing, it's unknown what will happen to Lawrence's zoo if Burke keeps the house.
Matthew Lawrence is private
Despite his star status, you could definitely say that Matthew Lawrence knows how to keep a low profile, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. When it comes to social media, for example, Lawrence seems to have been on Twitter (though he's not verified) years ago, but even on his more current Instagram, he posts rather infrequently. A number of posts are strictly professional, promoting his films and appearances.
As of spring 2022, after weeks of being in the headlines, Lawrence has remained mum about his divorce from Cheryl Burke. Even when paparazzi captured him out and about without his ring, it seemed like he tried to ignore them. He also didn't wear his ring when appearing at '90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, and apparently only talked about his work.
Burke, on the other hand, has been more vocal about her ex, not only announcing the end of their marriage on Instagram, but later sharing a detailed post with iPhone notes on how she was feeling: "I've realized that whenever I'm at a point in my life where I have some big emotions to process, the best thing for me to do is spend some time alone," Burke wrote, in part. Us Weekly pointed out that she posted a photo at their wedding venue, where she retreated for solitude in February 2022. While Lawrence may be more private about how he's handling it, it's clear he's got his brothers, his animals, and acting career to fall back on, so we think he'll be just fine.