Then and Now: The Cast of ‘Family Matters’

Photo: ABC

From 1989 to 1998, we were living for our Fridays in the Winslow house. A mild-mannered Chicago family with a cop for a dad, a stay-at-home mom and a pest for a neighbor, Family Matters has been a crucial part of our fragile psyches for nearly three decades. Makes you wonder where the cast is now. Well, look no further for the then and nows of your favorite TGIF family, and a bit of the Urk-Man. Warning: Porn stars and multiple deaths ahead.

So take a trip through nostalgia and back, and think back to a time where life was a little bit more simple.

Then And Now Family Matters Cast

And now that you’re all hyped up on some nostalgia, it’s only best to go back and see reruns of this shows plus other ’90s great. And hell, check out the cartoons from the ’90s, too, because we actually were bold enough to rank them. Now once you go through that list, feel free to chime in with your complaints — we always look forward to those, so have at it and remember the good old days again.

And this, too: The Cast Of ‘Full House’ Then And Now ‘Fuller’

Family Matters

Reginald VelJohnson (Carl Winslow)

That’s Officer Carl Winslow to you. Besides being an advocate for a Winslow family reunion, Reginald was also a man of the law in 1988’s Die Hard before his days as a Winslow, beginning in 1989. Since the show’s end in 1998, VelJohnson has been a common TV guest authority on hit shows, most recently Ray Donovan, Girl Meets World and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in which he usually plays a judge or a cop. He plays a judge in the new 2016 film, 1st Strike.
Jo Marie Payton (Harriette Winslow)

Many Winslow lovers don’t know this, but the show was originally set to center around the character of Harriet. It was meant to be a show about a midwestern mother raising a family with a cop husband and extended family crashing in. Steve Urkel was meant as a one-off character around the eighth episode, but by the end of twelve, the creators decided to shift the focus to the wacky little neighbor. Payton left mid-eighth season after her contract had expired, letting her flex some other creative muscles, despite the rumors that were flying about her jealousy.

Nice try with the random midseason switcheroo, though. And they thought we wouldn’t notice the recast!

Since then, she’s released her own jazz music, held tenure on a few shows (Moesha, The Proud Family) and now she’s starring in the new series as Lorraine Mann in Mann and Wife.
Darius McCrary (Eddie Winslow)

Although he had Family Matters in the first few years of his career, little Eddie Winslow has managed to sustain his work as an actor very well, including his credits as Eddie on The King Assassin Show. Aside from his recent guest role in the huge second season of The Leftovers. McCrary has been a major recurring man in Committed, The Young and the Restless, Anger Management and a number of roles in movies and TV, including his new show, Da Jammies.
Kellie Shanygne Williams (Laura Winslow)

Despite being the main girl of the show, Kellie Williams petered off with only a little more work following the end of her role as Laura Lee Winslow. With no appearances in the last five years, she had a small role on Moesha alongside her former fictional mother (Payton) and a short, recurring spot on What About Joan and Eve in 2006. Her last credit was a short in 2011, but since then she has focused on her role as a mother in real life, as well as a wife, singer and dancer.
Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow)

Although she didn’t last long on Family Matters as little Judy Winslow, she’s taken her talents and that attitude someplace entirely different: Porn. While that comes as a shock to someone who didn’t know, it almost makes sense within the Hollywood machine. With a number of credits, such as 2000’s Booty Talk 20: Super Sexy Sistas! and 2009’s The Jeffersons: A XXX Parody, we’re speechless with this little Judy curveball. Yeah, we watched a little (it sucks a little more than Family Matters (zing)). She is, however, in pre-production of a short Absent in the Present, which doesn’t seem to involve (much) nudity. Or maybe there’s a ton, it’s hard to tell without multiple Xs in the title.
Shawn Harrison (Waldo Faldo)

Waldo Geraldo Faldo was the clueless comic relief of the show, and his brainless wonder sometimes stole the show, sort of the Jazzy Jeff of the Family Matters world. Along with some of his cast mates, Harrison appeared on Eve and Moesha, but for the most part, the Punky Brewster kid from 1988 has been quiet on the acting front, save for a couple recurring roles on Girlfriends from 2002 to 2004 and Legion of Superheroes from 2006 to 2008. His last credit was Silent But Deadly in 2012.
Shavar Ross (Weasel)

Born in 1973, the runt of the litter, Weasel, was actually more of child star than an adult one, appearing regularly on Punky Brewster, Little Rascals and Mork & Mindy long before hitting the screen with his pal, Eddie. He only appeared from 1992 to 1994, around the same time he showed up on other ‘90s greats, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Growing Pains. Since his role as Weasel, he’s only had a few one-off gigs, his last one in 2008’s Chocolate News.
Michelle Thomas (Myra Monkhouse)

Michelle was renowned for her girlfriend roles on The Cosby Show and Family Matters, which led her through to the show’s end in 1998. Around the same time, she began a role on The Young and the Restless into 1998, but her career sadly didn't extend far past the role of Myra. She was diagnosed with a rare abdominal tumor in 1997 and passed in 1998.
Telma Hopkins (Rachel Crawford)

Aunt Rachel was the somehow-single adult babe of the show early on, exiting the show just shy of its final run. Hopkins, however, has managed to stay busy in subsequent long roles on The Hughleys, Half & Half, Are We There Yet? and Partners leading up to 2014. Since, she’s remained in TV shows and TV movies, currently starring in the TV movie, Toast.
Bryton James (Richie Crawford)

Although he wasn’t the original Richie, he has had an impressive career since Family Matters, which served as the jumping-off point to his career. For the most part, his acting credits include longstanding roles on several back-to-back shows like Zevo-3, The Vampire Diaries and Winx Club. But his new roles are mostly in the realm of comic book fiction, including DC Super Friends as Cyborg, Star Wars Rebels and Hero Factory. All this, and he’s been starring in The Young and the Restless for the past 12 seasons. Busy boy, little Richie.
Rosetta LeNoire (Estelle Winslow)

The grandma with an attitude everybody wanted in their family has credits dating back to the ‘50s, including Guiding Light and Studio One in Hollywood. One of her last and longest roles was the outspoken Mother Winslow of the manor leading up to 1997, but she did finish one extra credit on The Cosby Show as Nurse in 1998. She passed in 2002 at the age of 90.
Jaleel White (Steven Q. Urkel)

The little man next door they couldn't keep away grew into quite a star. Originally from Culver City in L.A., White started the role of Urkel at age 12, rode the show for nearly a decade, then attended UCLA for two years to study TV and film. He’s worked nonstop in the industry since, but he’s also taken up screenwriting, dancing (with the stars), voiceovers and fatherhood. And yes, he did do that.