The Cast Of Family Matters Then And Now

Carl Winslow - THEN

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Carl Winslow was the center of the family and they all looked up to him and admired him because of the dedication he put in as a police officer. Carl can be stubborn at times and too strict. This sometimes causes arguments between themselves, and also with their friends and neighbors. The character appeared in every one of the 215 episodes of Family Matters, a record he shared with only one other actor.

Reginald VelJohnson - NOW

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Reginald VelJohnson has had quite an acting career, boasting over a hundred credits.  Besides Family matters, he has appeared in many sitcoms and movies. He was in "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis, a career high in his book. He has had a recurring role in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", appearing as himself. He obviously struggles to shake off the blue uniform!

Eddie Winslow - THEN

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Eddie, the oldest child of Harriette and Carl, is a social butterfly. His sister always has her head in a book and he is busy with cars, girls and practical jokes! He often got himself into trouble and his family would catch him out. He even got mixed up with the wrong side of the law which caused embarrassment to his dad. Eddie sees himself as a joker but takes it too far sometimes.

Darius McCrary - NOW

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Darius McCrary hadn't done much before Family Matters but the show gave him a real boost. He was in "The Young and the Restless" as well as the horror film "The Summoning". He also voiced the robotic character of the superhero, Jazz in "Transformers", a role he got a real kick out of. We guess his character Eddie would have done as well!

Rachel Crawford - THEN

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Rachel Crawford is Harriette's sister and she is a widow. After her husband dies, she is asked to move in with the Wilmslows which changes the dynamics, but not necessarily in a good way! She loves singing and is eccentric, ending up opening a burger joint after Urkel burns down Leroy's place. Rachel does have a real drive for her new business venture and the family end up being pleased for her.

Telma Hopkins - NOW

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One of the more memorable aspect of Thelma's character has to be her singing voice which is pretty stunning. Not surprising that she was an established singer and a vocalist with Tony Orlando and Dawn (Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree)!  When the show ended she got recurring roles in other comedies such as "Are We There Yet?" and "Lab Rats."

Richie Crawford - THEN

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Richie Crawford is Rachel's son and he is only a baby when we first see him in the show.  When the rest of the family are getting caught up in their usual drama, Richie is oblivious to what is going on. We see Richie grow from a baby into a toddler over the 140 episodes he appears in. It is quite unusual for one small child to remain and not to be swapped with a similar looking other..

Bryton McClure - NOW

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Bryton McClure is now known as Bryton James and is an established and well recognised actor now he is all grown up! A few years ago he played the role of Luka in the cult supernatural teen drama "The Vampire Diaries" and he voiced Cyborg in the animated show "DC Super Friends." Bryton has now been a regular in "The Young and the Restless" for 15 years!

Mother Winslow - THEN

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Things certainly would not be the same in the Winslow house without Carl's mom, Estelle Winslow. When Carl's father passed away, Estelle moved in with them and is known as Mother Winslow. She always has wise words for everyone and they do listen to her. She find love again and decides it time for her to get out of her son's place to start a new life.

Rosetta LeNoire - NOW

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Rosetta LeNoire, much like her Family Matters character, has seen a lot of life's experiences.  She appeared in shows such as "Amen" and "Give Me a Break!" You may have seen her as the nurse in "The Cosby Show" in 2000.  Rosetta passed away peacefully in 2002 at the ripe old age of 90. Her family confirmed she had lived a long and prosperous life.

Myra Monkhouse - THEN

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Steve Urkel had a real crush on Laura right through the series. This became so tiresome that, as a ploy to distract him, Ted sets Steve up with Myra, his cousin. He isn't keen to go along with it but as soon as he sets eyes on Myra, he falls for her and the pair of them hit it off immediately. Then things take a turn and Myra becomes obsessed with him so Urkel decides that he has to call the romance off.

Michelle Thomas - NOW

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Michelle Thomas is yet another member of Family Matters who joined the cast of "The Young and the Restless." She appeared as Callie in 38 episodes as Callie but her career was cut short when she became very ill with a rare form of cancer. Michelle underwent many operations but her health did not improve.  So very tragically, she passed away at the very young age of only 30.

Greta McClure - THEN

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Greta McClure could be seen in the final season of Family Matters. She is the daughter of the guy who owns Mighty Weenie and we see her introduced as Laura's friend. When Grata starts dating Eddie, Laura's brother, their friendship wavers until Laura realises they had real feelings for each other.  Greta is Eddie's last proper girlfriend on the show.

Tammy Townsend - NOW

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Tammy Townsend was well known and already established as an actress at the time she starred in Family Matters. She had appeared in such sitcoms as "Charles in Charge" and "Diff'rent Strokes."  In 1995, she starred in "The Brady Bunch" and then landed a role in "Days of our Lives".  Tammy also grabbed the lead role of the mother of K.C. in Disney's "K.C. Undercover."

Maxine Johnson - THEN

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Maxine Johnson is Laura Winslow's best friend. Maxine's parents pretty much neglected her and she turned into a bit of a troublemaker. She became a bad influence on Laura and tried to lead her into bad ways. However, as Maxine matures, she realises the error of her ways and turns a corner in her behaviour. The way she changed is also due to her dating Waldo.

Cherie Johnson - NOW

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Cherie Johnson set off on her path to fame with her role as Punky's best friend in "Punky Brewster." This was before her time on Family Matters, Cherie Johnson played Punky's best friend in "Punky Brewster" before we saw her in Family Matters.  She has since appeared in numerous TV shows and movies.  Cherie is also a writer and published four books.  The star wrote, starred and produced the film "I Do ... I Did!"

Judy Winslow - THEN

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Judy Winslow, the youngest daughter of Carl and Harriette, appears in the first four seasons and we see her grow up in front of our eyes. In her last episode, she goes upstairs to her room and that's it - she is never mentioned again in the show and must have disappeared in a puff of smoke!  The family never say her name again, as if she never existed!

Jaimee Foxworth - NOW

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Leaving the show, following 96 episodes, Jaimee Foxworth began to struggle financially. The once famous child actress was dropped for budget reasons from Family Matters and .  fell into a drug addiction.  Luckily, she overcame her struggle. She featured in a documentary outlining her journey which went from stardom to nothing and she didn't know what to do or how to handle the situation.

Waldo Faldo - THEN

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Eddie Winslow's closest friend is the eccentric Waldo Geraldo Faldo. Waldo is known for his catchphrase "No prob, bob!"  The character can be a little slow and test everyone's patience. Even Steve Urkel is tiring of him. Waldo is a talented chef though and is desperate to find love. He succeeds and falls head over heels with Maxine and she with him.

Shawn Harrison - NOW

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Shawn Harrison has had a few other roles after Family Matters but Waldo was definitely his biggest and best. Harrison has been in "Eve" and "Moesha" and voiced various animated characters. He lent his voice to "Legion of Superheroes" and was involved in the movie "Uncle Ed's Bucket List."  He is known for being a very positive person, always looking forward.

Weasel - THEN

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One of Eddie's friends is Weasel and he's not a very pleasant character. His real name is Alex Park but he's known as Weasel. He was responsible for Laura and her boyfriend splitting up and he spread untrue rumors about her. Mr Nasty also makes Eddie break up with a girl he is dating because she is not pretty enough, in his opinion.  In the end, Eddie stands up for his sister against Weasel.

Shavar Ross - NOW

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Before joining the cast of Family Matters, Shavar Ross had been in "Punky Brewster" and "Diff'rent Strokes." These days, although he is still acting and has a love for it, Ross has a number of successful businesses so a very shrewd person! One of his businesses is an online course which has been designed to teach people how to start their own retail company.

Lt. Murtaugh - THEN

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Carl's boss at the Chicago Police Department is Lt. Murtaugh. He has been a guest star in 18 episodes, one of his most memorable being when he dates Rachel (Harriette's sister).  Murtaugh really falls for Rachel and nervously asks her to go out with him. She agrees but has an awful time on her date, finding him obnoxious! Safe to say, a second date did not follow!

Barry Jenner - NOW

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Barry Jenner did actually work at the Los Angeles Police Department before he joined Family Matters so he could use his real life experiences to look authentic. After the show he appeared in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as well as "Dallas."  He was in the tense thriller "The Caretaker" and this was to be the last time he acted as he passed away from leukemia in 2016.

Nick Niedermeyer - THEN

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Nick Niedermeyer is Harriette Winslow's boss at Fergusons Department Store. The pair do not get along at all and Harriette is determined to find a way to change him. She decides to ask Carl to invite Nick over to their house for a poker evening.  It doesn't go as planned when she throws a pie in Nick's face and is worried he may sack her from the store.

Ron Orbach - NOW

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Since his time on the show, Ron Orbach has appeared in several television shows.  He has also voiced characters on some of the most popular video games. His repertoire of voices include "Avatar: The Game" and "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories."  Orbach made a memorable appearance in the comedy movie "Chicanery" in 2017 which he described as "an absolute hoot."

Aunt Oona - THEN

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Aunt Oona is shy and introverted character.  In a bid to help her confidence grow and bring her out of her shell, the Winslows enter Aunt Oona into a karaoke competition. Her voice turns out to be unbelievable (of course it is - it's Donna Summer!)  Everyone goes as quiet as a mouse when the powerhouse starts singing "The Last Dance" and then the place erupts as they all join in.

Donna Summer - NOW

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Donna Summer has to be the most legendary star in our list. She was a massive icon in the 1970s and the Queen of Disco. Donna won five Grammy Awards for her mixes of disco, soul and R & B and regularly catapulted to the top of the music charts.  We were all so shocked when she passed away in 2012 at the age of 63.  Thankfully, her hits will live on.

Ms. Steuben - THEN

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Ms. Steuben is the teacher at the school Laura and Steve Urkel's attend, Vanderbilt High School.  She tries to be patient but Urkel tests her patience to the limit!  In one episode, Ms. Steuben makes Urkel promise he will not apply to be in any of her economics classes.  He agrees but then signs up anyway as Laura has applied and he wants to be close to her.

Susan Krebs - NOW

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Susan Krebs has too many acting credits to her name. She was already an established actress before Family Matters and has been busy since.  Krebs has starred in blockbusters such as "28 Days" and "Million Dollar Baby."  She received great praise for her performance in "Mad Men" where her character was Cynthia.  Older viewers will remember her from "M.A.S.H."

Steve Urkel - THEN

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Steve Urkel was only supposed to start out as a sort of one time character appearance, but he became a permanent fixture on the show down to his popularity. The Winslows in the show are constantly annoyed by Steve's weird ways, and he's the quintessential 'geek' character of that era, with his glasses and stripy t-shirts to boot! What do you think, did you like him?

Jaleel White - NOW

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American actor Jaleel White continued his showbiz career after his role as the geeky Steve Urkel, and these days you may recognize his voice as the animated Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as the TV series Grown Ups. He also earned a degree in film and television when he went UCLA in Los Angeles, and he currently has one daughter with his ex-partner.

You aren't a Family Matters fan if you don't know these weird facts! Jaimee Foxworth went upstairs and was never seen again

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Foxworth played the youngest member of the Winslow household, Judy, and she was on the show for a good while before she then disappeared. Apparently, the actress had asked for a pay rise and, in response, the show decided to get rid of her instead. Her last scene was her going upstairs as though she was just going to relax in her room, only for her never to be seen again - it wasn't even explained about the character going missing, she was just written out of the show!

Jaleel White struggled to find work after the show

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When you've been in such a successful hit TV show - and for such a memorable character - you'd expect the offers to come rolling in when the show is done. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for actor Jaleel White. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to match up to a role that has defined your career, and White struggled with the issues of being typecast.

Jo Marie Payton wasn't happy - and wanted to leave

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Jo Marie Payton played Harriette Winslow on the show, as we know, but towards the end of it, she really wasn't happy - and she was very much ready to leave! During its final season, this was the reason she was replaced by a different actress, Judyann Elder. Payton later admitted that she'd made the decision to leave the show around 2 years before she actually did!

The show was actually nearly cancelled early on

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It's always surprising to learn how many successful TV shows with many, many seasons actually struggled to get off the ground, at first. Family Matters was no different! In the very first season of the show the threat of cancellation was already looming because people thought it wasn't doing too great. It was actually the character of Steve Urkel that saved the show!

There was A LOT of tension within the cast

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Most TV shows with huge casts are going to have the actors butting heads every once in a while, and within Family Matters, there was definitely some tension there - specifically aimed at the guy we just mentioned who saved the show (you'd think they'd be grateful!). Apparently a lot of the cast weren't happy that Urkel's character was getting so much attention and screen time!

Jaleel White was pretty sick of his character by the end

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But it seems even the actor himself wasn't keen on his character's attention, either... by the time the show had come to an end, Jaleel White was pretty sick of playing the annoying, nerdy next door neighbor! In fact, a quote that was taken out of context of him saying "If you ever see me do that character again... put me out of my misery" was met with backlash!

The one person missing from the reunion...

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Fans of the show were excited to hear there would be a reunion happening for 2017 Entertainment Weekly Magazine, but there was one key person missing... and it was the person who had mysteriously disappeared up the stairs! Actress Jaimee Foxworth who played Judy Winslow (for a brief time) wasn't even invited or contacted about being on the reunion show!

Foxworth's real life struggles

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And this isn't the only thing Foxworth has had to deal with in her personal life. As well as being cold-shouldered by the show, she later became known for her role in adult movies (which was met with controversy), as well as a personal struggle with depression and substance abuse. The actress managed to turn her life around, and even welcomed a baby into her life.

Jaleel White actually played a ton of different characters!

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Jaleel White may have made a huge impact as Steve Urkel, but that actor actually played a huge variety of different characters! Which you wouldn't expect from one of the most prized leading roles! Jaleel actually played Cornelius Eugene Urkel, Stefan Urquelle, Bruce Lee Urkel (loving these names), Urkelbot, Elvis Urkel, Steve Winslow and Colt Urkel! As well as Steve, of course.

Eddie Winslow got in trouble with the law

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We hear stories of many child actors who grow up rebelling and getting into a bit of trouble with the cops. Eddie Winslow's actor, Darius McCrary, was arrested in relation to child support payments, where he had to pay a fine or spend time in jail. He decided to pay the child support money he owed instead of spending time inside, and still managed to carry on acting without it staining his chances!

Jaleel White had a HUGE amount of pressure on him

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And it was tough. The actor was quite literally carrying the whole weight of the show, due to his character being so popular - and the reason it wasn't cancelled. He was also then dealing with the animosity we mentioned from the other cast members who resented the fact he was getting big, and he was also dealing with the fact his character was becoming a pop culture ICON. That's a lot to take!

The big TV network switch

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The worst thing about a TV show changing networks - or at least the worst thing back in the day when you couldn't stream things on demand - was when you didn't have the new channel it switched to! The worst feeling. With Family Matters, the network changed from ABC to CBS - and it did so for the very last season, so you'd be pretty annoyed if you had to miss that!

Actress Telma Hopkins left the show - but was forgiven enough to have a return role

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You could say she came back with her tail between her legs... Telma Hopkins, who played Rachel in the show, decided to leave the series back in 1993 because she wanted to star in a different show called Getting By. Unfortunately, Getting By was cancelled, and Telma Hopkins couldn't reprise her original role full time - but they did give her a recurring role as a guest, so it's better than nothing!

Jaleel White was almost part of the Cosby controversy

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Rudy Huxtable was a character in the popular The Cosby Show - well, popular before all the truth and controversy came out about the leading comedian, that is. And star of Family Matters Jaleel White was actually in line to play Rudy on the show - at the time when the character was originally supposed to be a boy. He lost out on the role because the girl who went on to play her auditioned and got the job.

The deal with 3J

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The very memorable character of 3J - for the most part just because of his weird name - had a recurring role on the show, and he was played by child actor Orlando Brown. Brown was another child actor who grew up to be troubled and have run ins with the law. Even though he continued his acting career, he then got involved in a few arrests, including for reckless driving.

Jaleel White had to wear looser pants for an awkward reason

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The problem with being a young actor playing a young role is that you're inevitably going to get older when the character stays the same age - and for a young male actor going through puberty, you're going to hit a lot of hurdles. For Jaleel White, he was actually growing up so fast that he was directed to have looser pants to wear as the character because his original were becoming too tight and revealing a little too much 'manhood'.

He was also told to shave daily and not to exercise

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Or at the very least, not to do weight lifting so that he wouldn't pack on any muscle! And what also comes with growing men? They start to sprout beards, of course! And apparently that was a no go for the character of the loveable next door nerd, so the actor was told to shave every single day as well as pressures for his physique to stay more skinny and childlike!

The house was eventually demolished!

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The famous house that was the set for the show for so many seasons eventually got demolished - which is just sad, really. A key part of many people's childhoods destroyed in a flash! The house, located in Chicago, was demolished in 2017, to make way for 3 new condos in place of the one original house. At the very least, they planned to put up photos of the original house in its memory!