I was there for eight and a half years! By the time season five rolled around, Judy was no more. As a result of his popularity, the sitcom became less focused on the Winslows and family issues. DMCA. In September 1993, Warner Bros. Television Distribution began distributing Family Matters for broadcast in off-network syndication; most television stations stopped carrying the show by around 2002, though some stations in larger markets such as WTOG in Tampa, Florida continued to air Family Matters until as recently as 2005 and New York's WPIX as 2006. That was true with her career, and also in her 10-year battle with lung cancer. Though its hard to think of Family Matters without hearing its theme song As Days Go By in your head, its original theme music was Louis Armstrongs What a Wonderful World. The song was switched out after the fifth episode of the first season, though Armstrong was still heard in the pilot episode when it ran in syndication. It aired for 215 episodes, being ranked third, behind only Tyler Perry's House of Payne (280+ as of 2021), and The Jeffersons (253). Mother Winslow, Richie, Aunt Rachel, Waldo, Myra, Three J, and Maxine also come to mind. Miller-Boyett Productions agreed to a $40 million offer from CBS for a 22-episode season for both Family Matters and Step By Step. And I was down there on my knees praying for it to [succeed], you know. We recently spoke with Payton to set the record straight. [Interview, part one]", "Family Matters DVD news:Announcement for Family Matters The Complete First Season", "Family Matters DVD news:Announcement for Family Matters The Complete Second Season", "Family Matters DVD news:Announcement for Family Matters The Complete Third Season", "Family Matters: The complete Fourth Season Season", "Family Matters EXCLSUVE! Rachel, Harriettes sister, and her infant son moved in with the Winslows following her husbands death. In 1991, Ralston even introduced an Urkel-branded breakfast cereal called Urkel-Os. Williams made her feature film debut in There Goes My Baby and later appeared in the independent film E=MC2. She currently resides in her native Los Angeles with her husband and three children. JoMarie Payton left Family Matters - the real reason - TV Series Finale "I never wanted to stop acting," Payton explained in an interview with TV Series Finale. Family Matters Star Will Only Do a Revival if Judy Winslow Returns McCrary added that Foxworths removal from the show, at the time, was like losing a family member. But today, he remains close to the former child star and her family. It was directed by John Tracy and written by Jim Geoghan. Yep, Steve Urkel and the lovable Winslow clan from "Family Matters" took their final bow when the show's series finale aired on July 17, 1998. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempest Bledsoe The rest of us all went home crying. She is recognised for her roles in the films Family Matters (1989) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), both of which she acted in. In 1997, CBS acquired the rights to broadcast Family Matters ninth and tenth seasons as part of its CBS Block Party (TGIFs stiffest programming competitor). Valerie Jones (@vallovespink) Instagram photos and videos What happened to little sister on Family Matters? Family Matters was a sitcom that ran in the 90s. But it did hurt, because it made me look like this scandlous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]. A longer version of "As Days Go By" was used during the first three seasons, though in syndicated reruns the short version is heard (in ABC Family airings, the long theme was used for all of the episodes during the first three seasons). And so I wanted to leave before that and so at the end of the eighth season, which was my last contracted year I think I might have had one of the longest contracts there my contract was up. @valerie.jones.9. Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Family Matters. Valerie Jones was born in Tustin, California in 1982. Would she do a Family Matters reunion? Steve Urkel was introduced in season 1 episode 4, Rachels First Date, Not episode 12. Eddie had stopped her from becoming too slim for her own good, but he couldn't get rid of her body issues. The show would focus on Harriettes family, including her husband Carl and her three children Laura, Eddie and Judy, and thus Family Matters was born. Payton on why she left the show [I] just wanted something else to do, just to energize me a little bit more, on the creative side, Mental Floss reports Payton saying. By the mid-'80s, Valerie was done with illegal substances and their impact on her weight. As if Urkels grating Did I do that? catchphrase werent enough, the producers decided to cram as much Urkel into any given episode as was humanly possible. The character had a soft introduction in the first half of the first season, but his presence on the show proved so popular that, to keep up ratings, Urkel was promoted to a main member of the cast in season 2, and ultimately became pretty much the primary focus of the show. Warner Bros. responded to the complaints, offered a replacement program to receive corrected discs and reissuing the set with corrected broadcast copies on April 4, 2014. zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? Here's why Judy up and vanished from Family Matters all those years ago. Rachel Appears In the first three seasons & appears infrequently for a number of episodes In the fourth season due towards her getting her own sitcom called Getting By. Yes, yes. You know what I tell people? In Season 9s Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, he learned that she hated his makeover and demanded that he return to the sexy nerd she loved so much, suspenders and all. After a heated contract dispute, NBC abruptly killed off Harper's title character and brought in Duncan to play Sandy, the sister of Valerie's widowed husband Michael and the family's new matriarch. She was replaced by Judyann Elder in the last batch of episodes. Kellie Williams - Carl Winslow's smart-aleck daughter and object of Steve Urkel's affections was portrayed by Kellie Williams. Hed later go on to star in the movieMississippi Burningbefore landing a short stint on the sitcomDesigning Women,a role in which he could relate to Foxworths experience since he too was fired from the show. "I didn't see how I was stepping on anybody's toes, I was taking anybody's shine. It began as a family show about Chicago cop Carl Winslow and his family, but fairly quickly morphed into The Steve Urkel Show. Here are 22 things you might not know about Family Matters. As did Step by Step. 19 years after its debut, the cast of Family Matters reunited in an Entertainment Weekly photo shoot that left all of us with a range of emotions. Valerie moves to Beverly Hills after her father dies, to live with her old family friends the Walshes . Which includes souses, sluggish cooking, grilling, cigarette smoking, and homemade pizza. The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) estimates that the U.S. will have between 6,000 and 8,800 fewer OB/GYNs than needed by the year 2020. By 2008, she was Celebrity Rehab-bing it with Dr. Drew. I still talk to certain cast members to this day.. The names of the cast and creators ran during each episodes teaser scene. Interestingly, the actor who played Judy wasnt in the shows pilot despite being the producers first choice. "I was not invited at all. So it may have caused a little conflict, just because it was a real shocker to all of us, you know what I mean? And I really didnt want to come back. 'Family Matters' star Jo Marie Payton explains why she left the show halfway through its final season, and stars Reginald VelJohnson, Jaleel White, Kellie Shanygne Williams, and Darius McCrary . Her birthday is September 23, 1968. However, in an interview with Comedy Hype, her co-star Darius McCrary, who played her older brother Eddie Winslow, opened up about why he thinks producers wrote her off the show. Because he was this little character and we had just gotten to know each other and I didnt know Mr. VelJohnson or Telma prior to that, I didnt know any of them prior to that. Jane Goodall - National Geographic Society For one thing, his first wife, TV star Valerie Bertinelli, grew up in Clarkston. In fact, she wanted to move on prior to its finale season but was bound by her contract. In Italy, it aired as Otto sotto un tetto (Eight under one roof) on Canale 5, Italia 1 in 1992, with subsequent airings on Fox Retro & Sky Atlantic. 00:00 - Why did Tommy Lee Jones not do Return to Lonesome Dove?00:42 - Was any of Lonesome Dove filmed in Montana?01:14 - What happened to Lorena in Lonesome. When he spoke to Entertainment Weekly in 2021, Jaleel White stated that there was some reality to the rumors. She was the youngest daughter of Carl and Harriette Winslow. Well, what are we going to say? It's been said that budget cuts were the reasons Foxworth was fired, but over the years the show added many new characters such as Three J, and young Richie's role was expanded in the final seasons. And as a director, he fired me as a kid. I'll admit as a kid watching the series, I had a crush on Myra Monkhouse. Judith "Judy" Winslow was one of the main characters of Family Matters. As the show started revolving more around Steve Urkel, the producers of the show thought that Judy was unneeded and she was more of a background character who was given very few lines. But onscreen, where hes played a police officer in Ghostbusters, Turner and Hooch, andmost famouslyDie Hard and Die Hard 2. Unfortunately, Family Matters rapidly declined in popularity following its fifth season, culminating in a network change, the departure of a major co-star and poor ratings, which ultimately led to its cancellation. But as Urkels popularity grew, so did the number of prank calls placed to Erkel. Why did Valerie Jones leave Family Matters? If I remember correctly, it was Bill Bickley and Michael Warren that called myself, Telma Hopkins, and Reginald VelJohnson, together and told us that ABC liked the Urkel character so much theyre going to make all of the shows about him. Family Matters was the last live-action scripted primetime show that debuted in the 1980s to leave the air; the only scripted show that started in the 1980s and lasted longer in continuous production was The Simpsons[a]. A Steve Urkel Story would air on Cartoon Network as part of the block ACME Night in 2022. As a child, she had a natural love for the outdoors and animals. All Rights Reserved, Darius McCrary Opens Up About Judy Winslows Removal on Family Matters. Where Are They Now: The Cast of Family Matters In the first season, Valerie Jones was credited as a series regular in only the first episode. Updated: June 20, 2015. I think did 52 animated shows for them and five shorts for Disney. "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=61946'; Texas. I think that maybe my leaving, like I said, it kind of upset a few people but like I said, you know, it was time for me to go. Motivational and inspirational sources to all those parents to enjoy life with their babies, Home FAQ Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Family Matters. Prior to the start of the series, Harriette's sister, Rachel Crawford and her infant son, Richie, had moved into the Winslow household after the death of Rachel's husband. Its about what works for the producersThis industry is not our game. https://www.comedyhype.com/ - For a new episode of 'Here's Why' we take a look at the loved sitcom 'Family Matters' and discover why one of it's most notable. Why did Valerie Jones leave Family Matters?