I wanted him to be from Cleveland. The 26 Best Walmart Deals to Shop This Weekend, Queen Latifah Calls 'Chicago' the Film That Changed Her Life Ahead of 20th Anniversary (Exclusive). And I love Brooklyn, so I wanted to at least pretend that I was there, the California-bred showrunner said with a laugh. John Henton, Overton in the show, booked the role of Milsap Morris in The Hughleys which aired from 1998 to 2002. The series followed the lives of six friends living in a Brooklyn brownstone and featuredQueen Latifah, Coles, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, John Henton and T.C. One example of that would be when we were testing the Overton-Synclaire relationship and we brought in Shemar Moore, and he kissed Synclaire. You just know that you dont step on their line; if they have something to say, you have to react. Coles: Im so proud of it because it remains, it lasts. And there was a love [Kyle] had for all the women on the show. John Henton, who played Overton Wakefield Jones on the show, even survived a near-fatal car crash. Played by Queen Latifah, Khadijah was the editor-in-chief of "Flavor" magazine and the character whose relationships to and history with the other three main women on the show are what tied them all together. Kim Coles. So I think I know a little bit about being tough, or at least being persistent. Check out what the cast of Living Single is doing now. Since then, Latifah has created her own daytime talk show, The Queen Latifah Show; an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the film Bessie (HBO), in which she portrayed blues performer Bessie Smith; starred in films like Girls Trip(2017), The Tiger Rising (2022), and Hustle (2022); and earned lead roles on the Fox musical dramaStar and the CBS crime series reboot of The Equalizer. So they left it alone and then they decided to kind of address it with an episode because when I started to really push the more Africanness of who he was, they thought it would be a great idea to use it in one of the episodes, and to show that you dont have to sell out. Fields: [T.C.s hair episode was] very organic. In 1996, she landed her first film leading role in the critically-acclaimed Set It Off alongside Jada Pinkett Smith and Vivica A. Kim Coles. He hasn't talked much about his immediate family, and as a result, his parents' names are unknown, though he has a sister Lindsay. The Views Sunny Hostin Shares Her Thoughts On Don Lemons Firing: It Doesn't Make Sense. So that was my impetus for getting into the world of development and creation of shows about us.. But even the whole kente cloth thingbeing wrapped in his stupid blanket. To not have makeup on every scene. including Kim, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, John Henton, and T.C. They really cared about each other and they cared about the work, and sometimes they cared about both a little too much, in that sometimes they would take something that would happen to the character very personally, Lee Bowser said. [Ceci] really let me be involved because she said, Youre gonna be the bride, and she let me choose, with her help of course, the bridesmaids dresses because, again, youve got three other body types. Fields: That chemistry is beyond real. And so I learned from [when I was] a young child how to pick out ties, and shirts, and suits. Carson (Kyle) and Kim Fields (Regine), Living Single celebrates the lives of four women bonded by friendship and laughter. The actor even revealed that the pandemic has been easy on him since he does not like to be around people anyway. And so they said they really wanted to try to get somebody who was a bit of a veteran, if you will, to kinda anchor things. His main narrative was that he pined for Regina, a love that would ultimately go unrequited as Regina ended her time on the show by moving in with her fianc, Dexter. She wasnt an easy win and he was used to easy wins. WWETV interviews with Hip Hop & celebrity news from USA, Canada, & UK. Scooter and Khadijah nursed a longtime friendship turned relationship, even amid professional duties that kept them away from one another. Carson. Everyone I spoke to was tentatively enthusiastic about the idea, but some expressed doubts about the projects feasibility. That was the impetus for me becoming more determined to create something so that I could create what I felt were more well-rounded depictions of us, as well as creating a workplace that was not necessarily warm and fuzzy, but more open to us, a workplace that embraced us. HEY KIM DID YOU REALLY DATE QUEEN LATIFAH ? Alexander also continued to be active on television, though mostly in minor roles throughout the 2000s. Three of the women were roommates: Khadijah James (Latifah), the fearless editor of a black magazine called Flavor; Khadijahs bubbly cousin and assistant, Synclaire James (Coles), and a spunky, projects-raised boutique saleswoman named Regine Hunter (Kim Fields). You can also catch in Star on the Fox network. But Maxine Shaw taught me how to act for a live audience with cameras recording, which is actually a skill set. And he brought his whole self to it in a way that was really sweet. The ageless beauty has one of the most positive streams of thoughts you can find online. We felt it. And T.C., I didn't know well but I had seen his movie, Livin Large. John Henton on September 28, 2004 in Pasadena, California | Source: Getty Images, Henton's career started in 1985 after he moved to Los Angeles. Connect any celebrity with Kim Coles to see how closely they are linked romantically! The '90s were good to Erika Alexander: she began the decade as a main cast member on the final two seasons of "The Cosby Show,"then moved right on to her five-season stint on "Living Single" a year after "The Cosby Show" ended. The stuff that we did in between takes would be funnier than anything we could put on [camera] or, like, sometimes somebody would hit the line so hard that the audience would just clap and laugh so long that we couldnt even use that take. Being the actor who played Khadijah's love interest (a notable music producer), Cress Williams is also well known for his participation in the era-defining Beverly Hills, 90210 as D'Shawn Hadell. Erika Alexander was recently spotted in the sitcom within a sitcom on Issa Raes Insecure show, and shes also been doing her thing on TV and film over the years, including a hilarious spot as a cop in Get Out.. In the decades since the first episode aired on August 22, 1993, the Living Single ecosystem has branched out beyond the showrunners expectationsresonating with members of the original studio audience, viewers at home, and new adoptees of the show alike. They were both orphans. Im forever grateful to the writing and producing team for the end of Regines run on Living Single where, after all is said and done, she got her fairytale. So that was work. Lee Bowser: I developed a rapport with one of the development executives at Warner Bros., a guy named David Janollari, whos still a dear friend. Its been amazing and a blessing to be able to make a living telling such personal stories that also happen to turn out to be universal stories.. John Henton biography and upcoming performances at Arlington Improv. She stars alongside Mike Epps and Wanda Sykes on the Netflix comedy series The Upshaws. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. These days, Henton enjoys spending time with his family, who live close to his Cleveland, Ohio home. That was one of the things Queen Latifah said: Can you grow a beard? Fox's "Living Single," which ran from 1993 to 1998, was groundbreaking for multiple reasons. The damage to his appearance was so terrible that surgeons couldnt recognize him. Kim Coles has been keeping busy via social media and touring the country alongside her onscreen boo, John Henton, no disrespect to Ms. Coles hubby. But the distinctly 90s show, with its crew of young professional friends, didnt take the approach that a Dear White People or a Facts of Life might. Aton Edwards and Kim Coles are divorced after a marriage of 10 years. When the show came to an end after five years, Henton was proud and pleased . [Henton is] a gentleman and I never once felt weird with him. The show received stellar ratings and TV Guide selected Henton's character as one . He has also guest-starred on such shows as Nashville, Black Lightning, Star, and Last Call, and had roles in the films Hunther (2022) and Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (2023). Kim Coles Synclaire James-Jones 118 episodes 1993-1998 Erika Alexander Maxine 'Max' Felice Shaw 118 episodes 1993-1998 John Henton Overton 'Obie' Wakefield Jones 118 episodes 1993-1998 Kim Fields Regine Hunter 118 episodes 1993-1998 Terrence 'T.C.' Carson Kyle Barker 108 episodes 1993-1998 Shaun Baker Russell Montego However, after that, there is little known about Jackson or what he's been up to, personally or professionally. But Max was a corporate chick. Synclaire relocated from Minnesota to start a new life in Brooklyn, a move that was enabled by the job Khadijah gave her at Flavor. A year later, the actor was able to joke about it in a stand-up comedy show. John Henton was born on 23 November 1960 under the Sagittarius zodiac sign, in East Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Cress Williams plays the lead on The CWs Black Lightning, which follows the surprising, timely story of a black superhero. But walking around with her face is really something interesting, because wherever I go, I have instances whether its [Georgia gubernatorial candidate] Stacey Abrams; Marilyn Mosby up in Baltimore, the states attorneythese people come to me and say they went into politics because of Maxine Shaw partly. We were basically pushing the culture by just being raw and honest. So I think it really set a beautiful tone to start a career as an African American. I just felt like they really worked at making sure that, again, I was comfortable, I was confident. He appeared on the CW's Hart of Dixie and CBS' Code Black before landing the plum gig as the lead of Black Lightning, the CW action series on which he starred as the show's titular hero persona from 2018 to 2021. The actor was part of Living Single's cast for its last year on air, and it helped push his career through the early 2000s. She would always have the hat and the gloves and the jewelry. It felt very much like they couldnt help it. Teen Titans, and even the video game adaptation of Greys Anatomy from 2009. Sounds familar? Erika Alexander has started a talent and content development company called Color Farm Media with the specific goal of diversifying Hollywood in the process: Were Motown. Cress Williams, who played Scooter, has been one of the busiest of all the "Living Single" alumni. And so I got a chance to be involved in all of that. She had a photographic memory, and she was technically always very precise. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Before "Living Single," John Henton was a stand-up comedian who got mainstream exposure after his first appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1991. What is the net worth of Kim Coles? period, Scooter finally asks Khadijah to move to Los Angeles with him. If you've been waiting for updates on a possible reunion of theLiving Singlecast, get in line! Most recently, she has shifted focus to a career as a life coach and motivational speaker, primarily for entrepreneurs and people within the business world. Versus Kim Coless character, [who] is more flighty and flirty and flowery, sunflower child, and whimsical. He also appeared in numerous films between 1997 and 2015, most notably the iconic movie "Soul Food." The success of Living Single may have been unanticipated, but it was no accident. Now, it's available to stream on Hulu. Along with fellow Fox series "Martin," it was among the first network sitcoms to focus primarily on agroup of Black professional twentysomething friends without some forced gimmick to tie the whole thing together. and hes like, [Imitating T.C.s voice] Yass, buuuurgundy. The actor-comedian recovered from his ordeal by focusing on his life. Williams: Queen Latifahs a very strong woman, and so, when I looked back and Im like, Oh okay, so Young MC really didnt have much of a chance because hes not anythingIm 65, hes not anything close to 65. On the show, Hentons character was madly in love with the good-natured receptionist Synclaire James played by Kim Coles, who would later become his wife on the program. There was a time, back in 2017, when a reboot of Living Single produced by Queen Latifah was announced. While on "Living Single," he was also a recurring cast member on "NYPD Blue" through 2002. I just loved watching this funny, this very funny, very attractive woman, so I definitely was hyped up to get on this show. As a result, the network could not go ahead without the famous comedian in their next season, despite the accident. Coles: To work with Kim Fields, who was a LEGENDshe was the only little black girl that we had on TV, you knowit was awesome. I just didnt want to miss anyone, and I wanted to also learn more about [the pre-reading] process, because I had not had the opportunity to be that intimately involved in the process. Why Are Taylor Swifts Fans Exchanging Friendship Bracelets At The Eras Tour? However, he also revealed that he was writing new content when not spending time with his daughter. And, again, Im a product of Whoopi Goldbergs largesse and her success. Were really friends before Friends was friends. She could look at a script and just have it memorized like nobodys business. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. Queen and the whole cast had been doing the show, obviously, for a while and had more on-camera experience than I did, so what was really great is that from the very beginning, I felt like they welcomed me in and made me feel like a part [of the family]. Kim Colesisway ahead of you. Perhaps one of the most satisfying elements of the shows chemistry was the varying approaches that the writers took to romantic connections between the characters. After Living Single went off the air in 1998, a slew of shows replicated the classic big-city-livin ensemble formula; the shows fingerprints are visible, however light the touch, on productions including Mara Brock Akils Girlfriends, Marta Kauffman and David CranesFriends, Lena Dunhams Girls, and Issa Raes Insecure. One such character was Russell Montag, a music editor for "Flavor" who had sporadic appearances throughout the show's second through fifth seasons. You clomped across the stage like you had just got off a horse. Reggie Mckiver and Kim Coles were divorced in Aton Edwards and Kim Coles were divorced in 1 See She also receives a salary of $400k a year as an American actress. It just felt natural and people loved them. Kim Coles boyfriend, husband list. Besides Overton, the other main source of comic relief on "Living Single" came by way of Synclaire, played by Kim Coles. The actresses starred on the hitFox sitcom Living Singleduring its five-season run. Not only was she known for her long-running role on "The Facts of Life," but Fields was also a supporting cast member on both "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Good Times." 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One of the reasons Im in show business is because my mother saw me go across the stage in eighth grade to pick up a surprise award at a graduation, and she said, Erika, I was so embarrassed! She was an international star by the time she was on the show. All Rights Reserved. Season five begins as Overton and Synclaire enjoy their honeymoon and start their lives together. She became even more of a household name in 2002 after her iconic performance in Chicago, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Overton and Synclaire took their sweet time getting together even though they were both clearly smitten with each other. She didnt put the name of the show, we didnt even know the name of the show. I think people know that now, but at the time she was a rock star. Jackson appeared in the film Deliver Us From Eva (2003) as well as the TV series The Parkersand The Division. So I am a lover of people, I amIm not as naive as Synclaire was, I dont necessarily love animals, but my point of view is one of joy and love and laughter and positivity. And he was definitely very accessorized and very debonair, very dapper with every look, said Ceci, the costume designer who did the Living Single casts wardrobe from Seasons 2 through 5. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Kim Fields, Regine Hunter: At the time her name was Yvette Lee, and I had reached out to her while she was working on Hangin With Mr. Cooper, she was one of the writers there. Carson, who is no slouch in the looks department but whose best asset is arguably his deep, booming voice. Born Kimberly LaShaunda Coles on 11th January, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, she is famous for In Living Color, Living Single in a career that spans 1989-present. But then, as it moved forward, they saw that the real foil and the back and forth, the real fire, was between [Carson] and me as [Kyle and Max]. And they felt like I could also bring that to the table. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Kyle was played by T.C. . AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Queen Latifah is still acting in a host of movies, like last summers blockbuster Girls Trip. Its like, you had a good run and then they play the reruns for a while, and then you go away, you know, and you go away for a while. And she said, I dont know. Born Dana Elaine Owens in New Jersey in 1970, Queen Latifahs groundbreaking emergence into the rap music scene in the late 1980s paved the way for her to be cast on Living Single, which would lead to a very successful movie career, including her Oscar-nominated role in Chicago from 2002. Our New York, our Brooklyn, was as diverse as it is in reality. Living Single didnt stumble upon a diverse depiction of Brooklyn life by assembling a black cast and hoping for the best. The actor even applauded how well the show was doing twenty years later and commented on its syndication: Theres probably a marathon running of Living Single somewhere right now. Photo by Warner Bros. Television. John Henton's rise to fame happened by chance he was discovered in 1991 by a comedy executive for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This was the 90s and so this is when the idea of rappers taking jobs was really in, so I saw a recognizable face and Im like, Oh man, Im going to lose this job to this rapper. She wasnt just about a suit or working at Flavor. Henton: Nobody can imagine just being on TV continuously for 25 years, you know? Learn more about this epic reunion above! But we never went away. and so they put the two of us together and the impetus was, they had seenand this is the piece I never tell people, I forget about this. She first directed an episode of "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," then spent a few more years directing an episode here and there of a few different shows. Playing Regine Hunter on Living Single saw the resurgence of Kim Fields sitcom stardom just five years after her stint as Dorothy Tootie Ramsey on The Facts of Life ended in 1988. John Henton, who played Obie Jones on "Living Single," survived a near-death crash that almost ended his life. Synclaire and Overton was there from the pilot. Obie was slowly working a plan, from the pilot. Who is Kim Coles dating? Lee Bowser: When I first created this show, there were some executives that thought that Maxine Shaw was too brash and too strong, and so they wanted to eliminate her character from the show. Kim Coles, Synclaire James: From my perspective, I had a meeting at, I think it was called Warner Bros. then, it mightve been called Lorimar. For Carson, the experience offered an opportunity to reiterate what he most wanted viewers to take away from the character of Kyle Barker: That black men are complicated individuals. A lot of times, African Americans are portrayed in one light and we dont get to show the rainbow. And again, I understood that. The Ohio native's journey into comedy began in 1991 after he won the "Johnny Walker National Comedy Search.". I said, Look, you know, I pray for you to get a show in the future, but this one right here? Williams: Even back then, I loved the fact that the romance between me and Queen [Latifahs character, Khadijah] started from a friendship first. But it didnt feel nasty. And then we had some writers from Cleveland so they would add stuff to the script. Carson and John Henton were also members of the main cast of characters who dwelled in a snazzy Brooklyn brownstone long before the current trend of gentrification that has overtaken the New York borough. While "Living Single" was very much an ensemble show, if there had to be a character who qualified as its main lead, it was Khadijah. Unfortunately, not even the stars of the show know what the issue with Living Single was before they stopped filming. Their neighbor, the fierce lawyer Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander), dropped in on the women often, along with two men who shared an apartment upstairs: the suave, Afrocentric stockbroker Kyle Barker (Terrence T.C. Carson) and the kind-hearted handyman Overton Jones (John Henton). was still new to the game, he had just done a movie. Fortunately, Henton had a speedy recovery and was able to get back on the road for stand-up within eight months. 1 album in the country, and I was listening to her album as Im going to audition for her show, so it was kind of surreal. He first played Windu in the 2005 "Clone Wars" animated series and would reprise the role in both the 2008 series as well as in numerous "Star Wars" video games. He wasnt an ex-con, he didnt have a gun in his hand. Coles is known for her roles as a cast member on In Living Color for the first season (1990-1991) and as Synclaire James-Jones on television sitcom Living Single (19931998), which both originally aired on Fox. The actress found success as host of BET's game show Pay It Off and was part of TBS' comedy 10 Items or Less. Henton: [Overton] was old-school, you know, just, like, had an old soul, and thats how I tried to play him because Overton wasI always like to say he was the wisest of all of them; he just had a country way of saying it. And its just all instinct at that point. It never felt lecherous or weird. She was the Vogue of all the girls, she was the fashion plate. Whether or not the two actually end up and stay together is a frequent topic of speculation amongst fans of the show. Its just one of those things that even Raven-Symon as a child had, but Kim Fields had it and she was our Shirley Temple in that way. Concurring with her role as Cousin Pam was her role alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 film The Long Walk Home. He was a main cast member on the sitcom "DAG" and also had multi-episode stints on "In The House," "The Parkers," and "The Division." And Id come up with what Id thought was a very good concept and my dear friend Rocky Carroll is who I was asking, Hey would you be the male counterpart? When we were filming that, you could feel the anticipation in the warehouse, in the studio. Fox. And so [Living Single] was such a great start. lists Carson, and John Henton, the series followed the personal and professional lives of six friends who resided in a Brooklyn brownstone were chronicled. But I knew right away that she was Max. The one where EW follows up with the cast. The series followed the lives of six friends living in a Brooklyn brownstone and featured Queen Latifah,. We were and remain extraordinarily close. ET spokewith the comedian on Saturday attheGrio Awards'first-ever ceremony and gala at the Beverly Hilton, where she was among many of the night's stars honoring Norman Lear, Tyler Perry,Patti LaBelle and more. The actor recalls attending a UPN party during this period, but his memory ends at his arrival. The Equalizerstar credited her role as Matron "Mama" Morton in 2002'sChicagofor being "the shift" that aligned the stars for her rapidly rising star. It starred Alexander, Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Kim Fields, Terrence C. Carson and John Henton, and became an instant hit. We grew up together and towards each other, so it all worked out. Carson performed on stage in musicals like The Wiz and Dreamgirls. "I'm going to stay in a state of positive expectation," the actress told ET when asked whether there are any plans for the cast to reunite, especially since they remain in contact through an active group chat. Although he didn't die, the almost fatal crash cost him to lose eleven teeth and break his two legs. And so, I justmaybe thats the name of my next book, Women You Will Love. Together with an impressive crew of guest stars including Morris Chestnut, Gladys Knight, and Cress Williams (who played a recurring role as Khadijahs childhood best friend turned beau), the six actors welcomed viewers into a world of Lee Bowsers creating. The mix of class was definitely intentional, because were not a monolith and we also, at the time, didnt have that many depictions of us. Reggie Mckiver and Kim Coles are divorced after a marriage of 3 years. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Queen Latifah and Kim Coles made talent-holding deals with Warner Bros. and their mandate was for the studio network to engage a black writer to create something for them. [Laughs.] Plus, TC and his Jazz trio will also be among the performers at the reunion. Erika Alexander, Maxine Shaw: I was living in New York, Id just finished a series on ABC called Going to Extremes that didnt get picked up. And the audience just went berserk and it was just like, that was a good kiss too, so we sold that. Max is from a very different place than Khadijah is, but you believe that these two girls went to college together and became the truest, bluest friends, and are to this day. Getting six series-regular actorsand even more guest starsto mesh perfectly is no simple science. It has to, right?". John Henton, Overton in the show, booked the role of Milsap Morris in The Hughleys which aired from 1998 to 2002. In 1993, the race for Sunday night ratings was a tight one critics agreed that the big contenders were CBS' Murder, She Wrote and NBC's seaQuest DSV, but out of left field came a sitcom deemed underdog: Fox's Living Single. . So I'm excited.". Coles: I knew that the plan was for these two characters [Synclaire and Overton] to eventually become a couple. We just never really wanted to do it. And I was like, Oh okay, awesome! Fields: I met with the producers and network, and they were like, Yep, next! Hello Kim i just wanted to say hello and i think your a princess cut diamond. Im a classic movie and TV lover, so there were times when toward the end, like at my very last episode, when I have on the wrap skirt with the leggings and the bodysuit with the cuffs and collar, thats very Lucy. So that was the thing. Interestingly, before Laverne's debut, Chip previously played two different one-off characters during the show's first season: A character named Bev, and another that was an unnamed bar patron. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. And the things that she wants different for her life as an adult. We were what is right now called working poordumpster diving, all thatamidst the first 11 years of my life in a hotel called Starlight [Pines], off Route 66. Interestingly enough, like Overton actor John Henton, KimColes was primarily a stand-up comedian before her breakthrough acting role on "Living Single."