The cast of Martin reunited at the 2023 Emmy Awards, making fans of the ‘90s sitcom feel a ton of nostalgia.
Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II and Tichina Arnold were all in attendance during the awards ceremony on Monday, January 15, to present the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. One notable cast absence was Thomas Mikal Ford, who died at age 52 from a ruptured abdominal aneurysm in October 2016.
Lawrence, 58, called the reunion a “real” and “special moment” before presenting The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White with the Emmys honor. Despite being happy to be back with her former costars, Campbell, 55, pointed out that Martin was never nominated for an Emmy despite its “132 episodes, just our huge ratings and being syndicated so much that it’s a little hard to see the ‘90s Spanx-less version of myself every night.”
Host Anthony Anderson walked on stage to thank the stars for their “contribution to television,” but clarified the show still wouldn’t get an Emmy. Lawrence, for his part, said “it’s all good,” adding that he was “just excited to be here on the Emmys stage with the tremendous cast of the Martin show to present the next award.”
Martin aired for five seasons from 1992 to 1997 and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms on Fox. The series starred Lawrence as the title character, named Martin Payne. In addition, the comedian played a slew of other characters throughout the show’s run, including Edna “Mama” Payne, Sheneneh Jenkins, Jerome, King Beef and Elroy.
The series focused on Martin’s relationship with his girlfriend Gina (Campbell), her best friend Pam (Arnold) and his best friends Tommy (Ford) and Cole (Payne). Many famous comedians and musicians, such as Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, The Notorious B.I.G., Lynn Whitfield, Method Man and Gary Coleman, also made guest appearances throughout the show.
“I’m over the moon. I feel so blessed that I was able — me and the crew, my team, my cast — to put out something that would last this long,” Lawrence said on Good Morning America in June 2022 after Martin’s 30th anniversary. “I never knew or thought it would still be running after all these years.”
Following the reunion special for Martin on BET+, fans began hoping that a revival of the series would be in the works. However, Lawrence downplayed the speculation during an appearance on The Tonight Show.
“Well, you know, the Martin show was like catching lightning in a bottle and I don’t think we can redo that again, you know,” the comedian told host Jimmy Fallon in June 2022. “I wouldn’t mind working with the cast again on something but I don’t think we could do that again.”
