'Family Matters': Where Are They Now, 15 Years After The Series Finale?
Family Matters" signed off 15 years ago today -- the series finale aired on July 17, 1998 after nine seasons, most of which were spent as a staple on ABC's T.G.I.F. lineup.
The show, a spinoff of Jo Marie Payton's "Perfect Strangers" character Harriette Winslow, has left us with fond memories of The Urkel, the sweet sounds of the accordion and the epitome of tortoise shell hipster glasses. But many "Family Matters" have not stayed on the small screen and others have sadly passed on.
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the "Family Matters" finale, click through the slideshow below to find out what happened to the people behind the Winslows and their extended family and friends.
THEN: Reginald VelJohnson (Carl Winslow)
VelJohnson didn't have many major TV or movie roles before "Family Matters," but he did make appearances as a jail guard in "Ghostbusters" (1984), a limo driver in "Crocodile Dundee" (1986) and a police officer alongside Tom Hanks in "Turner & Hooch" (1989). VelJohnson's biggest claim to fame was playing Sgt. Al Powell in the 1988 hit "Die Hard," a character he later reprised in the 1990 sequel. And all that police officer role playing was put to good use when the actor earned the role of easily-angered Chicago police officer Carl Winslow on "Perfect Strangers," which
NOW: Reginald VelJohnson
After "Family Matters" came to an end, VelJohnson made one-episode guest appearances on a multitude of TV shows, including "Diagnosis: Murder," "The Hughleys" "CSI," "Will & Grace," "That's So Raven," "Ghost Whisperer," "Monk," "Bones" and "Chuck," in which he reprised his "Die Hard" role of Sgt. Al Powell. In 2004, he took the title role in the off-Broadway show "She all Dat!" (as she) and has done a lot of theater work. VelJohnson also wrote a critically-acclaimed series of short stories called "Division Street." Currently, he recurs on The CW's "Hart of Dixie" as Dash DeWitt, the head reporter of the local newspaper.
THEN: Jo Marie Payton (Harriette Winslow)
Throughout the '80s, Payton had bit parts in "The New Odd Couple," "Small Wonder," "227" and in the teen flick "Troop Beverly Hills." But the role that wound up defining her career was that of elevator operator Harriette Winslow on the ABC sitcom "Perfect Strangers" in 1987. Her character was so well-received that she was given her own sitcom and thus "Family Matters" was born in 1989.
NOW: Jo Marie Payton
Payton left "Family Matters" half-way through its final season and Judyann Elder won the role of Harriette in the series' remaining seven episodes. Payton later explained that she "felt stifled" on the show and was unable to do other projects. Her contract was up before "Family Matters'" final season, but CBS (where the show had moved) convinced her to return for half of the final season with the option to leave. After her departure, Payton went on to guest star on series like "Moesha, "7th Heaven," "Will & Grace," "Judging Amy," "Reba," "Desperate Housewives" and "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns." She also voiced Sugar Mama on the Disney hit "The Proud Family." Payton has been married multiple times, and has a daughter with first husband Marc France. She recently spoke about the legacy of "Family Matters" on "The Doctors." (Check out her interview here.)
THEN: Darius McCrary (Eddie Winslow)
McCrary began his career as a child actor, making his film debut at just 11 years old in the 1987 comedy "Big Shots." He had one-episode stints on a few TV sitcoms and a role in the 1988 film "Mississippi Burning" before he landed the role of eldest Winslow child Eddie on "Family Matters" the following year, even though he was actually slightly younger than Kellie Shanygne Williams.
NOW: Darius McCrary ( Eddie Winslow)
After the end of "Family Matters," McCrary co-starred in the short-lived UPN series "Freedom" and in 2001, he appeared in "15 Minutes" opposite Robert De Niro and "Kingdom Come" with Whoopi Goldberg. McCrary was the voice of Optimus Prime's Autobot partner Jazz in the 2007 movie "Transformers" and he also had a minor role in 2009's "Saw VI." From December 2009 to October 2011, McCrary portrayed photographer Malcolm Winters on the CBS daytime drama "The Young and the Restless," alongside his former "Family Matters" co-star Bryton McClure. In 2012, he joined FX's "Anger Management" as Donovan, a gay member of Charlie's (Charlie Sheen) prison anger therapy group. He has been divorced twice and in 2011, he was reportedly involved in a custody battle with an ex over his then-three-year-old son.
THEN: Kellie Shanygne Williams (Laura Winslow)
Young Williams only had two credits to her name before "Family Matters" -- an episode of MTV variety show "Oddville, MTV" and a part in the 1988 movie "Ride." Williams was just 13 years old when she won the role of middle Winslow child -- and the object of Steve Urkel's affection -- Laura.
NOW: Kellie Shanygne Williams (Laura Winslow)
Williams won a role on the short-lived ABC comedy "What About Joan?," which also starred Kyle Chandler and Joan Cusack, after "Family Matters" ended. In the years following, Williams made appearances on "Girlfriends," "The Parkers" and "Eve." In 2006, she created the Kellie Williams Program to provide students in the Washington D.C. area an opportunity to produce a television show for Comcast. In 2009, she married Hannibal Jackson, with whom she now has two children, a three-year-old daughter named Hannah Belle and a one-year-old son named John Ervin. She's largely stopped acting since.
THEN: Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow)
After she began her career as a child model at the age of five, Foxworth soon appeared in national TV ads and a few small-screen guest-starring roles, including one on "Amen," like her TV brother Darius McCrary. She was only 10 when she landed the role of Judy Winslow, the youngest of the family's three children.
NOW: Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow)
At the end of "Family Matters'" fourth season, Judy walked upstairs to her room ... and was never seen again. Foxworth's character proved to have little purpose on the show and thus, she was written out. The young actress struggled to find work and she decided to form a short-lived musical group (named S.H.E.) with her two sisters. In later years, Foxworth battled substance abuse and depression, eventually ending up on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." Foxworth later transitioned to pornographic films using the name Crave. Her last film was 2009's "The Jeffersons: A XXX Parody" before she welcomed a son, Michael Douglas Shaw Jr., with her longtime boyfriend.
THEN: Jaleel White (Steve Urkel)
Before taking on the role of Steve Urkel, Jaleel White had an extensive resume of Jell-O commercials and guest stints on shows like "The Jeffersons" and "Mr. Belvedere." On "Family Matters," Urkel became the breakout star, spawning tons of merchandise, catchphrases and lasting fame for White.
NOW: Jaleel White (Steve Urkel)
White went on to star in the short-lived "Grown Ups" sitcom. He also provided the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in "Sonic Underground," appeared in "Dreamgirls," made guest appearances on "The Game" and "Boston Legal" and starred in the 2010 series "Fake It Til You Make It." In the following year, he starred in Cee Lo Green's "Cry Baby" music video. His impressive moves earned White a spot on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2012. Shortly thereafter, the actor, who has one daughter, became the host of "Total Blackout," a reality series on Syfy,
1999: Rosetta LeNoire
Following the end of "Family Matters," LeNoire appeared in an episode of "Cosby." In 1999, President Clinton lauded LeNoire's long fight against discrimination and presented her with the National Medal of the Arts (pictured). "Rosetta did more than dream of a theater with no color bar -- she actually built one," he said at the time. The actress passed away in 2002 from complications from diabetes at 90 years old.
THEN: Telma Hopkins (Rachel Crawford)
Before taking on the role of Aunt Rachel, Harriette's sister, on "Family Matters," Telma Hopkins was a member the 1970s pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn. She had roles on "Bosom Buddies" and "Gimme a Break!" before winning the gig on "Family Matters." Hopkins was a series regular at the start of the show, but then became recurring in later seasons
NOW: Telma Hopkins (Rachel Crawford)
Following "Family Matters," Hopkins did some voice work and had guest roles on "ER," "The Hughleys," and "Any Day Now." She starred in "Half and Half" from 2002 to 2006 and was last seen in the TBS series "Are We There Yet?"
THEN: Bryton McClure (Richie Crawford)
"Family Matters" was Bryton McClure's first acting role. He played Rachel's son Richie from 1990 to 1997 and rocked a pretty impressive jheri curl mullet.
NOW: Bryton James
Now known as Bryton James, the actor went on to do voice work on shows such as "Young Justice," "The Kids from Room 402" and "Zevo-3." He played witch Luka Martin on The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" from 2010 to 2011 and has played Devon Hamilton on "The Young and the Restless" since 2004. The part has earned James a Daytime Emmy Award and a NAACP Image Award.
THEN: Naya Rivera (Gwendolyn)
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Rivera began her modeling career as a baby. She started acting shortly thereafter, appearing on the short-lived sitcom "The Royal Family" (produced by Eddie Murphy) and she had a short stint on "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" before landing the role of Richie's admirer Gwendolyn on "Family Matters" in 1992.
NOW: Naya Rivera
After appearing on "Baywatch," Smart Guy," "The Bernie Mac Show," "8 Simple Rules" and "CSI," Rivera landed a major role on "Glee" as Santana Lopez, a cheerleader and member of the glee club. The character grew from a hilarious, bitchy Cheerio at the start of the series to a role model as her storyline developed into young woman's coming out story.
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The '90s Are Back -- And We Have Your Google Searches To Prove It
First, you thought it was just that obnoxious chick at Coachella wearing a crop top. Then, you assumed that it was just a fluke that all of those guys were wearing flannel in the park. But when you saw a grown woman in shortalls at your local coffee shop, you just knew something was happening.
And it was.
'90s fashion is back, Google tells us. In a post on Google's shopping blog, the search engine confirms that the latest trend sweeping the fashion world is also sweeping the world's search bars. Sure, we've had anecdotal evidence to support this (and plenty of celebrity endorsements), but until now, we've yet to get cold, hard numbers. Here's what Google found:
- Searches for crop tops were more than 110% higher in July 2013 than in July 2012
- Searches for high waisted jeans were more than 120% higher in July 2013 than in July 2012
- Searches for acid wash shorts were more than 50% higher in July 2013 than they were in July 2012
- Searches for grunge clothing were more 80% higher in July 2013 than in July 2012, and climbing rapidly so far in August
- Searches for bucket hats were more than 120% higher in July 2013 than in July 2012
- So whether you'd like to admit it or not, it looks like everyone's trying to get a little '90s flare in his or her look. Of course, much of this has trickled down from the runways themselves, with the likes of Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs sending models down the catwalk in grungy knits and streamlined leather. Not to mention, Hedi Slimane's buzzed-about collections for Saint Laurent have been decidedly referential to the decade in question -- seriously, the man used Courtney Love in his ad campaign.
For the record, we have no problem with a high-waisted jean or even an acid wash (tread verrrry carefully, though). But if this whole '90s thing is really happening, can we please put a moratorium on crimped hair?
IGN's Favorite 8-bit & 16-bit Disney Games
Which classic Disney games keep us coming back decades later?
For a lot of retro gamers, memories of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras of gaming are partially molded by a suite of fantastic Disney games, many of which provided some of the best platforming experiences of the time. It wasn't just Mickey and his posse of iconic mascots that starred in these classics -- movies like The Lion King and Aladdin, and cartoons like Rescue Rangers and DuckTales all provided inspiration for some of the most memorable games of our youth. So, we've decided to gather a handful of our favorites from the '80s and '90s. After you've read about a few of our favorite retro Disney games, be sure to share your own!
Mitch Dyer, Associate Editor - World of Illusion
Castle of Illusion is great, but adding Donald Duck and making it cooperative kind of blew my infant mind. I vividly remember digging cakes out of bags, turning enemies into foliage, and using seesaws and ropes to aid the other player. It was genuinely cooperative in a way most modern games don’t match. I mean, you had to find a rhythm to make a minecart move by jumping on it. Playing that with my uncle, whose Genesis was the only one I ever really played, was formative in my understanding of cooperative games, platformers, and puzzle-solving. Hopefully Castle of Illusion is successful enough as an HD remake to justify a World of Illusion HD follow-up.
Marty Sliva, Associate Editor - Goof Troop
I find it a bit strange that my favorite Disney game comes from a cartoon that I honestly don't care about whatsoever. Capcom's Goof Troop game for SNES managed to make me overcome my apathy for the source material by providing an amazing cooperative puzzler with some of the most gorgeous sprites of 1993. I was, and still am, as sucker for a good local co-op game, and Goof Troop provides just the right balance of camaraderie and competition to keep me revisiting it two decades later. But what might be strangest about Goof Troop is that it was the first game designed by Shinji Mikami, who later went on to create the Resident Evil series and who is currently working on The Evil Within. Hmm...I'm starting to think that there are some messed up themes hidden under Goof Troop's pretty veneer.
fun take on one of my favorite movies of all time.
Chuck Osborn, Managing Editor - Aladdin (SNES)
Back in 1993, I rode the wave of Aladdin-mania and bought a copy of Aladdin for SNES. In retrospect, it’s not like I was obsessed with the film or anything, but I heard that the platforming action was surprisingly good. And it was! It probably helped that it played a little like a Disney-fied version of The Prince of Persia, just without all the fatal traps. Throwing apples at enemies to knock them out was a family-friendly alternative to swordplay.
My most persistent memory of the game, though, is that the Aladdin theme seemed to play continuously. Seriously, I can’t even look at the box art without the SNES version of the tune dancing through my head like Robin Williams’ Genie in drag.
Final Sailor Moon Volume Tops Graphic Novels in U.S. Bookstores for July
The 12th and final volume of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon manga ranked #1 on Nielsen BookScan's list of top 20 graphic novels in American bookstores for July. In addition, the series' 11th volume, which ranked at #4 last month, remained in the top 20 at #17.
Six other volumes of manga ranked in the top 20 for June. Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto volume 61 ranked at #4, Kazue Katō's Blue Exorcist volume 10 ranked at #10, Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan volume 1 ranked at #12, QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru's Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz volume 5 ranked at #13, Tite Kubo's Bleach volume 57 ranked at #14, and Yana Toboso's Black Butler volume 14 ranked at #15.
Naruto volume 61 had ranked at #2 last month, and Attack on Titan volume 1 ranked at #19 last month.
In addition, Travis Beacham's Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero HC ranked at #6. Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series took four spots on the list.
The BookScan rankings represent sales at Barnes & Noble and other book chains, independent bookshops, and online purchases — but not sales at comic book stores, Walmart, and some other venues.
10 best rivalries from the WWE Attitude era
It’s tough to argue that there was a better time in wrestling than the Attitude Era. Headshots from steel chairs came by the dozen, the Hardcore title switched about four times per Raw episode and programming even included Bra and Panties matches. But what really made the Attitude Era so great were the storylines and the talent. From Wrestlemania XIII to Wrestlemania XVII, the WWE roster was so loaded at the top that some of the most famous rivalries in WWE history defined the era. So sit back, crack open a “Steve”-weiser and enjoy a trip down memory lane as we count down the top 10 rivalries of the WWE Attitude Era. (Note: I’m defining the Attitude Era as March, 1998 – March 2001).
9. Stone Cold vs. D-Generation X
Many people credit the antics of D-Generation X and the beer guzzling of Stone Cold Steve Austin for the beginning of the Attitude Era. And what happens when you pit them against each other and add the “Baddest Man on the Planet” Mike Tyson? One of the best lead ups to a Wrestlemania ever. And though the Austin/DX rivalry could have potentially dominated the next year or so, two Shawn Michaels herniated disks abruptly halted the rivalry after Wrestlemania XIII
6. Edge/Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz
If you rewatch Pay-Per-Views and Raw/Smackdown episodes from the Attitude Era, you will notice that tag team matches dominated the undercard. Much like the Intercontinental Title, tag teams storylines and the Tag Team titles actually mattered. And while there were many other memorable tag teams (Acolytes, Too Cool, New Age Outlaws), the Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge/Christian absolutely dominated the era. These six men took risks that nobody had ever even imagined before the Attitude Era. The Hardy Boys revolutionized ladder use in matches. Edge and Christian performed “con-chair-tos” that would make Roger Goddell wet his pants. And the Dudleys put every superstar on the WWE roster through a table (even her). As for their actual rivalry? Let’s just say that their TLC matches didn’t stand for “tender loving care.”
5. Triple H vs. Mick Foley
Some superstars go out of their way to destroy others. Then, there’s Triple H. Leading up to Wrestlemania 2000, Triple H and the McMahon-Helmsley faction made it their purpose to make Mick Foley’s life as miserable as possible. It came to a point Triple H became so ruthless, Foley had to change his persona from “Have a Nice Day” Mankind to “BANG BANG” Cactus Jack. And even though Triple H beat Foley in a street fight, a Hell in a Cell and aWrestlemania Main Event, Triple H probably still has both emotional and physical scars from fueding with arguably the most hardcore wrestlers of all time.
2. The Rock vs Triple H
As Stone Cold departed from the scene during the second half of the Attitude Era, the Rock/Triple H began to dominate. After Survivor Series in 1999, The Rock and Triple H headlined many of the Pay-Per-View events as the Brahma Bull dedicated his life to regaining the WWE Title from Triple H. And during the process, he relished the opportunity to crown himself the People’s Champion and cut the greatest microphone promos of all time. Lucky for the Game and his WWE title, he had the entire McMahon family in his corner for most of the rivalry. It wasn’t until after Wrestlemania 2000 when The Rock finally won the title in dramatic fashion at Backlash. From there, the two battled in a one hour Iron Man match, won by Triple H and concluded their clash at King of the Ring where the Rock took back the title. And though the Rock/Triple H rivalry was one of the final rivalries of the Attitude Era, it provided us with some of the most heated and dramatic matches of all time.
1. Stone Cold vs. Vince McMahon
Just like you can’t mention the NBA in the ’80s without Magic/Bird, there is no Attitude Era without Stone Cold and Vince McMahon. McMahon made it his purpose in the WWE to prevent Austin from winning the title, while Austin made it his goal to make McMahon’s life a living hell. Even beyond the felt, the Rivalry was entertaining. Who can forget when Austin drove in a beer truck and doused McMahon and his stooges? And everytime Austin got his hands on McMahon, it put a smile on the face of every single person who hated their boss. Their rivalry defined the era and made the WWE significant on the pop culture map.
