In a world where we are not exactly sure what the hell is going on anymore, it's always refreshing to revisit the late, great classics of the earlier times. Whether throwing on a pair of sneakers for a double dutch match, sitting down to watch—and recite—all the words to Coming to America, or explaining pagers and floppy disks to Gen Z, there's something about each of them that never get old. And honestly, sometimes we just need them to center us back to good times (no pun intended).
But ultimately, we likely love to revisit some of our favorite shows that we grew up on the most. And although black sitcoms are somewhat-kind-of-not-really making a comeback, they just don't give off those cult classic vibes like they used to. I mean c'mon, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, The Parkers, Girlfriends, and more...damn, they all just make you feel a way, right?
Well, we needed some nostalgic comfort around the xoNecole offices, so we decided to do a bit of digging into one of our ultimate favorites: A Different World. More specifically, the entire A Different World cast.
Where are they now, how have our favorite school yard characters grown over time?
Here's what A Different World's cast up to today.
The Cast OfA Different World, Where Are They Now?
Lisa Bonet | Denise Huxtable
Denise Huxtable:
Lisa Bonet played the character of Denise Huxtable, second oldest to Cliff and Claire Huxtable of The Cosby Show. After graduating from high school, Denise packed her bags and headed to Hillman College to join A Different World's cast as a naive but spacey freshman for one season, which she spent most of her time navigating new situations and freedoms such as making new friends, grades, and dating. Denise's character departed the show after Lisa Bonet became pregnant with her now-famous daughter, Zoe Kravitz, with ex-husband, Lenny Kravitz.
Lisa Bonet:
Bonet briefly returned to The Cosby Show, but eventually departed for good after differences. Since, she has taken roles on shows such as Ray Donovan, and movies, like High Fidelity. Her personal life took more of a front seat to the career as she eventually divorced Kravitz in 1993, and married hunky Game of Thrones and Aquaman star, Jason Momoa in 2017. Together, they have two children: a daughter in 2007 and a son in 2008.
As for her daughter, Zoe, in a twist of fate, she plays the lead role in the adaption of High Fidelity series on Hulu.
Jasmine Guy | Whitley Marion Gilbert-Wayne
When it comes to show characters, no one was as breakthough, or memorable as Whitley Gilbert. She originally appeared on the show in Season 1 as a character to contrast Denise Huxtable's down-to-earth persona. But she soon proved popular and once Bonet exited the show, Guy was moved to a lead character. She remained on the show as an art buyer turned teacher, even upon graduating from Hillman, and married her off-and-on boyfriend, Dwayne Wayne.
Jasmine Guy:
Guy won multiple awards for her portrayal of Gilbert, which ultimately led to her career's longevity. She went on to have roles in shows like Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, The Vampire Diaries, and most recently, a recurring role as Gemma on Grey's Anatomy.
Kadeem Hardison | Dwayne Wayne
Dwayne Wayne:
With his trademark flip up glasses, geeky-fly persona, and charisma, Dwayne Wayne was destined to become a pop culture icon. Originally a supportive ADifferent World cast member, after Season 1, he was bumped to a supreme spot. Once Season 2 arrived, he began an ongoing romance with Gilbert, later moved to Japan, became a teacher, and notoriously fought for his love for Gilbert through grand gesture in television's most beloved confession scenes.
Kadeem Hardison:
Kadeem Hardison went on to be a breakout star from the show, and has gone on to have a successful career in television. He's been in multiple movies and television shows and even had a primetime reunion with Guy on KC Undercover. Today, he stars opposite of two Teenage Bounty Hunters, which airs on Netflix, as well as Special Delivery with Sideshow Collectibles on Instagram.
Dawnn Lewis | Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor
Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor:
Jaleesa joined A Different World cast in Season 1 as a late arrival, enrolling in college at age 25. She brought a maturity to the cast, to balance the chaos of the likes of Wayne and Johnson. Her largest storyline was her relationship with Coach Oakes (Sinbad), but calling of the wedding at the alter. She went on to marry Colonel Bradley Taylor.
Dawnn Lewis:
Dawnn Lewis was more than an actress, she was also an accomplished singer who co-wrote the theme song to the show, as well as the theme song to her next gig, Hanging With Mr. Cooper. Her resume is filled with various roles and movies, such as Dream Girls, and voiceover work with Futurama, Boondocks, Rick and Morty, and The Simpsons.
Today, she has taken on reboots of shows like Veronica Mars, and Netflix's Carmen San Diego.
Darryl M. Bell | Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson:
Ron Jonhson, the comedic addition to the ADifferent World cast, stepped in to act as support to Dwayne Wayne's antics. He was an ROTC student, and Wayne's best friend who was always down for the ladies and a get-rich-quick scheme. He eventually opens his own nightclub, deals with a few dating and racism themes, and begins dating another prominent character on the show (Cree Summer).
Darryl M. Bell:
After A Different World, Bell went on to act in a few other shows, including Cosby, but eventually stepped away from acting altogether. He went on to marry Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) of The Cosby Show and appeared on faux-reality show, House Husbands of Hollywood.
Outside of a few other appearances, he generally maintains a lowkey profile.
Cree Summer | Winifred "Freddie" Brooks
Freddie Brooks:
Possibly the most accomplished from ADifferent World cast member is Cree Summer. She portrayed Freddie Brooks, a social conscious and political activist who arrived on campus as Jaleesa's roommate. She spent her earlier time at Hillman crushing on Dwayne Wayne, but ended up developing a relationship with Shazza (Gary Dourdan) and then Ron. She went on to attend law school.
Cree Summer:
Cree didn't appear in many movies or shows in the physical form, but her voiceover resume is mind-blowing. Sis has worked on Inspector Gadget, Captain Planet, Kim Possible, and most famously, Rugrats. I could list her resume all day, but in the interest of saving time, if you've watched cartoons at all in the past 20 years, you've heard her voice.
Sinbad | Walter Oakes
Coach Oakes:
Originally appearing as a recurring character, Coach Oakes' colorful and larger than life personality landed him a part of the main cast. He was a graduate student and mentor to the younger students, but gravitated toward the older Jaleesa for a storyline that would follow throughout the show. He eventually left Hillman to manage a community center in Philadelphia.
Sinbad:
At the time of casting, David Adkins, a.k.a Sinbad was an unknown stand-up comedian. Over time, he began crushing the comedy scene with successful specials, and hosting It's Showtime at the Apollo. Sinbad has gone on to appear in many shows and movies, most recently Rel and voiceover work on Steven Universe.
Charnele Brown | Kimberly Reese
A Different World/Still
Kimberely Reese:
Upon Bonet's departure of the show, another character was added as Gilbert's roommate—and eventual best friends—to balance out the dynamic. She worked at the campus food hall, The Pit, and also performed in a few shows while being managed by Johnson. Her themes were a bit heavier at times, with references to the apartheid and difficulties of getting pregnant.
Charnele Brown:
Charnele Brown went on to guest appear in numerous other classics such as Martin and Living Single.
Today, Brown has ventured into the world of film production and have appeared in a variety of other shows.
Glynn Turman | Colonel Bradford Taylor
Colonel Bradford Taylor:
Starting as a recurring character, but eventually being bumped up to join a full-time cast, member Colonel Taylor was Vietnam War vet and nicknamed Dr. War. He was over the ROTC unit at Hillman and became a math professor. He ended up marrying and a having children with Jaleesa.
Glynn Turman:
Glynn Turman on the other hand, had been a industry vet for 25 years before ever joining A Different World cast. And like Cree, his resume is nothing to play with. If you've watch a movie or TV show within the last 30 years, you've seen Turman—from Black-ish, to How to Get Away With Murder, to Queen Sugar.
Also, Turman was briefly married to Aretha Franklin in the 80's, before divorcing in 1984.
Feature image by A Different World/Still
RELATED
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Personally, that is just one of the things I experienced while growing up, although the main reason why I’ve been estranged from my mother for (I think) about six years now (I honestly haven’t really been keeping track at this point) is because she simply doesn’t respect my boundaries. Even well into my adulthood, she has refused to do it and it was messing with my inner peace and personal growth on a few different levels — and y’all, I don’t care who it is, no one should have that kind of power over someone else’s life (if you want to read more about my journey with estrangement, I tackle the topic in my latest book).
And before some of you come with the ever-so-manipulated Bible verse “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12), I hope you also remember that there is a Scripture that says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 — NKJV) To provoke is “to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity)”; know what else it is: “to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.” Funny how it is not preached or taught nearly enough that parents are absolutely not supposed to raise their kids or treat their adult children in a way that angers, enrages, exasperates, or vexes them — and think about it: when’s the last time you heard a sermon on that? I’ll wait.
Besides, unless you’re someone who has made the courageous decision to put distance between the person/people who’ve raised you, you honestly don’t get how much of a sacrifice it can be. Very few of us are flippant about that decision. Very few of us saw our adult life without our parent(s) in it. Very few of us wanted to deal with all of the “fallout” that comes with making that kind of choice because listen, for me, it’s almost like being in witness protection in the sense of having to also leave certain people who are associated with her alone as well because either they also don’t respect boundaries or they try further victimize me by attempting to impose their opinions into something that they absolutely shouldn’t (for instance, when I shared what I went through with her, one of my closest friends at the time, more than once called me “petty”…yeah, he had to go; you don’t have to defend why you need to protect yourself…if you are doing that, those are unsafe people you are talking to).
It’s not like I’m rare either. In fact, it’s been reported that close to 30 percent of adults are currently estranged from at least one of their parents (you can read about it here, here, here, here, and here). And with that being said, today, we’re going to hear from 10 women (well, technically 12 if you include the videos at the beginning and end) as they share their own reasons why they made the decision to go “no contact” with their own parent/parents.
If you are estranged, I hope you will see that you are not alone. If you aren’t, I hope it will help you to have more compassion for those who have made this kind of choice. Because although “adulthood is surviving childhood” is true for many of us, it actually wasn’t supposed to be that way. And so, we’ve had to take great lengths to go from “surviving” to “flourishing”…even if that meant doing it without the ones who — alongside God, of course — created us.
Article continues after the video.
*Middle names are used so that people can speak freely*
1. Michelle. 32. Estranged from Her Mother for Four Years.
Giphy“My mother is a narcissist — only I didn’t know it because I didn’t have much to compare her to because she kept me away from a lot of…everything. Ironically, that is a telling sign that you’ve got a narcissistic parent: they think you are an extension of them, so they try and make you do everything just like them. Since they are so bad at respecting boundaries, they don’t care how old you are — they think they have a say in every decision that you make because their ego is bigger than their love.
It took me years of therapy to recognize this but once I did and I told my mom that she was hypercritical, that she used to pit me and my siblings against each other, that she only knows how to gaslight and manipulate — she played the victim and told me that if I couldn’t accept her as she was, we couldn’t have a relationship.
That’s another thing about narcissist: they hate accountability. I think there should be more articles about parents who are estranged from their kids because they pull that ‘my way or the highway’ BS. I didn’t exactly leave my mom, but I did tell her what I wasn’t going to tolerate. We haven’t spoken in four years, ever since I drew that line. She left because she didn’t know how to humble herself, and I am fine with that. Arrogant people are toxic to be around.”
2. Iyan. 36. Estranged from Her Parents for 11 Years.
Giphy“I don’t think that a lot of parents get that they act like their kids should idolize them, which is crazy. We’re not toys or puppets who are supposed to do whatever they say, whenever they say it. Even as a parent myself, I think there is a difference between a child’s individuality and a child obeying me. Too many other parents have too much ego to think the differences through. To your question — I am estranged from my parents because they disapproved of who I chose to marry. He’s not the same faith as them but I don’t think that would even matter because they damn near betrothed me when I was a kid.
They wanted to choose my career path, my husband, my role in church — everything. It got to the point where they were disrespecting my husband, our relationship, and my feelings, and so it was time to boomerang their own Bible and remind them that when you get married, you ‘leave and cleave’ to your spouse and move on from your family. If your family accepts that, they can be in your life. If not, you’ve got to move on. They chose for me to be estranged, not me. I put my husband first, just like I was supposed to.”
3. Jahkai. 29. Estranged from Her Mother for Four Years.
Giphy“Sometimes I think that people just have children so that they can have someone to boss around as kids and intimidate when they become adults. My mother is one of those people because it’s like her whole existence centers around trying to force me to live the life that she wants me to live. I used to be so afraid of her, even if that just meant afraid of her rejection, that I would go along with it.
Then I got pregnant with my daughter and saw that she wasn’t even going to respect me as a mom — and when I saw signs that she was going to try and pull that shit with my own child? The claws came out. I tried expressing my concerns and setting some boundaries, but she dismissed my feelings and walked right over my boundaries, so she had to go. There was no way that she was going to try and raise the child I birthed. My child needs peace. So do I.”
4. Gillian. 24. Estranged from Her Parents for Almost Two Years.
Giphy“I’m bisexual. That’s the beginning and end of it. I personally think it’s creepy when a parent can be so invested into their grown child’s sexuality that it ends up wrecking their own world. You sleep with who you want to sleep with, and I will do the same.
My parents don’t see it that way. They told me that unless I stop loving women, we have nothing to talk about. You only love me if I love who and how you love? That doesn’t sound like love at all.
I don’t expect my parents to agree with my life or even like it. I just don’t want you penalizing me because we are different. Seems really immature to be any other way…to me, anyway.”
5. Aubrie. 27. Estranged from Father for Four Years.
Giphy“My father always wanted me to be an accountant, and I hate math. That’s insane. That’s what happens when you don’t make the time to get to know your own children. So many parents are egomaniacs in that way — just because I look like you doesn’t mean that I am you. Until my sophomore year in college, I just held my tongue and suffered through my education because when I was living at home, I didn’t really have a choice, and when I went to school, my parents paid for my education.
They didn’t want me to have any debt, and I appreciated that, but my spirit was going into debt anyway because my dad had me on a path that I didn’t like or want, and my mom was too weak to speak up for either one of us. By my junior year, I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to get student loans, so that I could start over and major in English. That pissed my dad off two ways because I was changing my major and I was going to take on debt.
We’re not estranged in the classic sense. It’s more like he doesn’t come to the phone whenever I call, and he grunts words over the holidays. So, I call less and go home even less than that. We’re headed towards ‘no contact’ if he doesn’t get over the fact that he has a life, and so do I.”
6. Lameeya. 41. Estranged from Her Mother for Eight Years.
Giphy“My mother? I just don’t like her — I never really have. I can’t stand how we’ll all agree that you should choose your friends wisely, but when it comes to your blood, it’s like you should be all in their lap simply because they are related to you. Toxic is toxic, and my mother is the embodiment of that. She plays mind games. She manipulates. She gaslights. She’s spoiled and entitled. I would never pick her as a friend. She drains me in every way. It’s like whenever I would even sense that she was going to call or come around, I would get hives, and it got to the point where it didn’t make sense that I should suffer just because she’s my mother. Who came up with that?”
7. Sloane. 25. Estranged from Her Mother for One Year.
Giphy“I grew up COGIC. If you know, you know. When you’re a kid, you don’t know any different or better, but once I started to seek out my own path, I realized that Christianity just wasn’t for me. My mother damn near lives at church and so, of course, I was declaring that I wanted to go to hell in her eyes when I told her that I had chosen the Baháʼí faith. Christians can be so rude. Somehow, they want you to respect what they believe, but they are so comfortable preaching hell and damnation if you don’t think like them.
Anyway, a part of why I chose Baháʼí is because it’s very peaceful to me, and religion never brought me peace in my mother’s house. Now that I’m all about this peace-filled life, anything that is ‘anti’ it has to go. She was on the top of my list. If you can’t respect what makes me ‘me,’ why are you here? It’s just been a year now. If we remain out of contact, that’s kind of on her, but I have no desire to hear her preach every time we speak. Be my mom. I don’t want a pastor.”
8. Torrin. 33. Estranged from Her Parents for Six Years.
Giphy“You have your own dysfunctional issues going on if you think that you owe someone your sanity simply because they birthed you. A good parent doesn’t just give you life — they provide a safe environment for that life, and my parents didn’t.
My mother was hell on wheels, and my father was a weak man who let her be that way. She was controlling, erratic, and exhausting, while he just let it all happen.
I recently read that Khloe Kardashian said that her mom didn’t like it when she first started therapy. Controlling parents never do. It took me a lot of therapy to stop beating myself up mentally the way that my mother did emotionally and sometimes physically, but once I got that she was the problem and healing was the solution, I had no problem letting them both go: her for being abusive and my father for being complacent.”
9. Kristine. 40. Estranged from Her Mother for Six Months.
Giphy“You always want your parents to get along with your husband — I just didn’t bet on my mother loving him more than me, especially now that we are divorced. That man cheated on me, more than once, and although I didn’t tell my mom while we were married about it, once we separated and I explained why I made what was a really difficult decision for me, she kept finding excuses for him and even tried to make me feel bad for not trying to make it work. Divorces are hard, and the last thing I needed was my mother trying to ‘beat me up’ for standing up for myself.
Now I’ve got questions about her marriage because if you think that I should tolerate nonsense, have you been tolerating your husband’s? Has he been tolerating yours? You get a certain age, and you start to wonder how much projecting your parents do onto you. Anyway, we haven’t talked to each other in six months. She and my ex apparently still go out to dinner, though. You two enjoy.”
10. Madolyn. 45. Estranged from her Father for 20 Years.
Giphy“I had an abusive father. He was an alcoholic while I was growing up, and so fear instead of love kept me in communication with him once I became an adult. The plot twist is, he got clean while I was in college, but he suddenly had all kinds of amnesia about the pain that he caused. His apologies were sh-t like ‘I don’t remember that, but if you need me to apologize, okay.’ So, our lives were a living hell, and that’s all you’ve got because it hurts you too much to face it? Ain’t that a bitch.
The last time we spoke was right before I turned 25. I think someone is more harmful when they can’t own their sh-t than when they are actually doing it, because that means they could do it again. No thanks. I’ll take wholeness.”
____
As you can see, being estranged from a parent, going “no contact” with them, it has many layers, reasons, and scenarios. For me, as I listened to all of these women, what did come to my mind, though, is — how beautiful is it that, if the “beauty for ashes” in their stories is they had the strength to become self-aware, self-sufficient and healthy adults in spite of the cracks in their foundation, then there is a silver lining in it all. You should never feel guilt or shame for protecting yourself in ways that your parents absolutely should have. NOT. EVER.
And so, the sacrifice was well worth it — because ladies, look at you now. Salute.
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