At least once a week viewers stepped into the homes of some of televisions greatest matriarchs.
They dropped words of wisdom, made us laugh, cry, and solidified their place in pop culture as women we’d never forget.
Lets take a walk down memory lane and celebrate the TV moms (and TV aunties, who felt like moms), who welcomed us into their homes. From Harriette Winslow to Rochelle Rock, here’s what your favorite moms are up to now.
Robinson portrayed everyone’s favorite momager, Tasha Mack on hit series The Game. After the show wrapped, Robinson starred in 2016’s Boy Bye and Grandma’s House. The actress has landed roles in 2017’s Revival! and Comedy Central’s Detroiters. Robinson’s also been busy with the Amazing Grace Conservatory, which she co-founded in 1996 and helps kids and teens from disadvantaged backgrounds get into arts and entertainment.
The iconic actress and singer was one of the first black women to lead an American television series when she starred in NBC’s Julia. The titular character was groundbreaking at the time as she was a single mother balancing a career and motherhood. Carroll has had an illustrious career since, becoming the first black actress to win a Tony for Best Perfomance by an Actress in a Musical. She’s also earned a Golden Globe and been inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Tisha Campbell-Martin may have solidified her place in comedy and our hearts as Martin‘s Gina, but the actress made us love her even more as the matriarch of the Kyle family in My Wife and Kids. The actress has since appeared in a number of beloved shows and films like Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, and Pastor Brown. Campbell-Martin currently stars in ABC’s Dr. Ken.
Jackée Harry’s been busy, busy, busy since Sister, Sister. She’s appeared on That’s So Raven, Everybody Hates Chris, and Girl Meets World as well as landing roles in films like Precious and You Got Served. She’s currently working on TV series The Paynes and if you’re ever missing her sassy sense of humor, you can always follow her on Twitter.
Sure, DuBois has appeared on The Wayans Bros, The PJs, and voiced Mrs. Patterson on Nickelodeon’s As Told By Ginger, but it was DuBois’ Willona Woods who stole our hearts on Good Times after adopting Penny from an abusive mother. The actress last appeared in 2016’s She’s Got a Plan and a special “Where Are They Now?” episode of Steve Harvey, discussing her time on Good Times.
Another Martin alum, Arnold went from Martin’s friendly nemesis Pam to no nonsense mom Rochelle Rock in Everybody Hates Chris. Arnold now plays Cassie Calloway on hit show Survivor’s Remorse and is set to star in Daytime Divas, a scripted series from Star Jones about what goes on behind the scenes of a popular daytime show.
Besides portraying one of television’s most iconic moms, Clair Huxtable, Rashad is also a Hollywood legend, being the first black actress to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Play. She’s starred in For Colored Girls, Creed, and both the play and television adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. Right now, you can catch her on Empire as Diana DuBois. She’ll also appear in the upcoming movie Black Panther.
Mo’Nique was the mom everyone loved on The Parkers, a show we couldn’t wait to watch every week. The actress and comedian went on to star in Soul Plane, Precious, and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins. Mo’Nique is currently focusing on performing live with an upcoming show at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.
227‘s wise-cracking, nosy matriarch Mary Louise Hurley-Jenkins was played by one of our favorite actresses Marla Gibbs. Prior to her role on the show, Gibbs was known for her work on Checking In and The Jeffersons. After 227, Gibbs appeared in a number of shows and film including The Hughleys, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Madea’s Witness Protection, and Black-ish. You can catch Gibbs in a number of films slated for release this year and 2018’s television series The Fly.
Aunt Viv 1.0 may have left the show on a sour note, but she solidified her place in pop culture as one of America’s favorite aunties. There’s still bad blood between Hubert and her former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Will Smith, so don’t expect a reunion anytime soon. However, Hubert is slated to appear in a Marcus Garvey biopic expected to drop this fall.
Ralph played mom to Brandy’s titular character on the hit show Moesha. Prior to the series, Ralph was also known for her turn in Broadway hit Dreamgirls, which landed her a Tony. She currently has three films in the works: Villa Capri, Crushed, and Cooking4Luv.
Payton played the matriarch of the Winslow family on Family Matters, often the only person able to calm down her husband, Carl Winslow, after one of Steve Urkel’s mishaps. Payton is set to appear in the Shirley MacLaine-led live-action re-telling ofThe Little Mermaid later this year.
Aunt Viv 2.0, Daphne Reid stepped in for Janet Hubert during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s fourth season. After the show, Reid landed a number of roles on shows like Eve, Let’s Stay Together, and Sister, Sister. Reid briefly reunited with her Fresh Prince co-stars back in March.
