Living Single is among the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s. Here’s what the cast is doing today.
Yvette Lee Bowser’s sitcom Living Single hit Fox in 1993, and quickly became a beloved show. This TV show, partially inspired by the life of its creator, follows six Black friends from Brooklyn navigating their 20s as they try to make it in the big city. The show aired for five seasons, until 1998, and grew to become one of the most popular and influential African-American sitcoms of the ’90s. So much so that many people regard it as the predecessor to Friends, the NBC show that premiered just a year after, with an extremely similar premise.
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Although Living Single did not enjoy Friends’ massive success, it still ranked among Fox’s most popular shows at the time, and managed to build a solid fan base over the years, who still remember it fondly to this day. It’s been 30 years since the premiere of this TV show, and many of the original cast members are still involved in film and television. Here’s what they’re doing now.
living single
Living Single
Release Date
August 29, 1993
Cast
Erika Alexander , Kim Fields , Queen Latifah , Mel Jackson
Main Genre
Comedy
Seasons
5
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah heads the cast of Living Single as Khadijah James, editor and publisher of the indie magazine Flavor. But even before landing this role, she was already well known for her career as a rapper and singer, a venture she managed to pursue over the years alongside her acting projects. After Bowser’s TV series wrapped up, Queen Latifah moved on with her career, engaging in a wide variety of projects. In the late-90s, she created her own talk show, which aired for a while and was revived again in the 2010s for a few more years, and earned critical and audience acclaim for her performance in films such as Chicago, Hairspray, and Girls Trip.
In recent years, the actress and singer remained active in several projects, many of them in partnership with Netflix. She was featured in Adam Sandler’s Hustle, Millicent Shelton’s crime thriller film End of the Road and in Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop, a docuseries released last August. Currently, Queen Latifah stars in The Equalizer, the CBS reboot show that she co-created and executive produces.
Kim Fields
Kim Fields plays fashion lover Regine Hunter, and like her castmate, Queen Latifah, she was already known in the industry long before landing this role: Fields took her first steps as a child star, and later gained widespread recognition for her role as Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey on the sitcoms Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.
After her time on Living Single, Fields branched out in her professional endeavors, and in addition to working as an actress, she ventured out to pursue a career as a rap musician and director, something she still continues to do to this day. Over the years, in fact, she has directed episodes of shows such as Kenan & Kel, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and Haus of Vicious, among many others, while also appearing in several holiday TV movies. She is currently featured in The Upshaws, a Netflix sitcom created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes, which has just been renewed for a fourth season.
Kim Coles
Kim Coles joined the cast of Living Single to play receptionist and aspiring actress Synclaire James-Jones. Prior to the sitcom, she had gained popularity in the early-1990s as part of the original cast of In Living Color, a sketch comedy show that also starred Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier, and Kim Wayans, among others. After her stint on Living Single, she was featured in a few films, though she certainly concentrated mainly on TV projects.
Throughout the years, Coles appeared in several roles in shows such as Frasier, Six Feet Under, and 10 Items or Less, as well as starring as herself in TV competitions such as Celebrity Fit Club, The Mole and The Surreal Life. Coles’ most recent role was Nurse Whitley King on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, a show that has been on the air for nearly six decades. She exited the role this past summer.
Erika Alexander
Erika Alexander rose to fame in the early-90s as part of the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and a few years later, she solidified her position in Living Single, where she played Maxine Shaw, a lawyer and Khadijah James’ best friend. Throughout her career, Alexander took part in all kinds of projects, and she is still active in both film and television today.
After her stint on Living Single, the actress went on to land supporting roles in productions such as Judging Amy and Insecure, and also guest-starred on hugely popular shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, and CSI. Alexander also excelled as a horror film star, appearing in movies such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out, I See You, and American Refugee.
In recent years, Alexander has been seen in the shows Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Swimming with Sharks, and Shining Girls, and she is starring in Cord Jefferson’s comedy drama American Fiction, which premiered at this year’s TIFF and will hit select theaters on December 15, followed by a wider release on December 22.
American Fiction – Erika Alexander Interview
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T.C. Carson
For four seasons of Living Single, T.C. Carson played Kyle Barker, a Wall Street stockbroker, who had audiences hooked on his on-again, off-again relationship with Maxine. But Carson didn’t have the same run on the show as the rest of his castmates, claiming he was fired by the end of the fourth season due to his recurring complaints to Warner Bros. for neglecting Living Single in favor of Friends, per Essence, which was exceedingly making waves at the time.
In any case, that was not the end of the actor’s career in the industry, and after his departure from the show, he went on to land all sorts of gigs, particularly focusing on voice acting. He provided the voice of Kratos in the God of War video game franchise for a long time, and also played Mace Windu in several Star Wars video games and animated productions. His most recent project is Andrew Bowser’s film Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, a horror comedy that premiered last October.
John Henton
John Henton in Living SingleFox
After many years struggling to make it as a stand-up comedian, John Henton rose to fame playing Kyle’s roommate Obie Wakefield on Living Single, and, a few months later, became even better known when he landed the role of Milsap Morris on the sitcom The Hughleys.
However, his life took a turn for the worse in 2000, following a serious car accident that left him severely wounded. Eventually, Henton underwent several plastic surgeries and managed to pull through, although he has since stayed away from television, and only made two guest-star appearances on the stand-up comedy show ComicView and Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.
Mel Jackson
Mel Jackson in Deliver us From EvaFocus Features
Mel Jackson joined the cast of Living Single in its fifth and final season to play Tripp Williams, an aspiring songwriter, who becomes Khadijah and Regine’s new roommate when Synclaire moves out. By that time, the actor had already landed occasional appearances in film and television, although his role in this Fox sitcom was what finally established him in the industry and landed him subsequent gigs in shows like The Parkers and films like Deliver Us from Eva.
Over the years, Jackson’s industry appearances diminished, and he was last seen on screen in the 2015 film Civilian Life. Still, he has worked as screenwriter on a few projects, most notably the 2023 drama film Clinic.
Cress Williams
In Living Single, Cress Williams played Khadijah’s love interest Scooter Williams, though at the time he was also a recurring star on the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210. After his stint on the sitcom, Williams went on to appear in a few films, though he mostly focused his efforts on TV projects, gaining notoriety for his portrayal of Wyatt Matthewson on Prison Break and Tucker Jones on Grey’s Anatomy.
In 2018, he landed the lead role in The CW’s showBlack Lightning, a superhero venture that aired for four seasons up until 2021. Besides headlining the show, Williams reprised his role on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. He was last seen on screen in the 2022 indie film What Remains, starring alongside Kellan Lutz and Anne Heche.
Shaun Baker
Shaun BakerGetty Images
Actor and martial artist Shaun Baker gained notoriety as part of the main cast of the ABC sitcom Where I Live, and subsequently landed the recurring role of womanizer Russell Montego on Living Single, which to this day remains one of the most popular parts of his career.
After appearing on the show, Baker landed a lead role on Pamela Anderson’s action series V.I.P., and made a few cameo appearances on TV series such as CSI: Miami and A Different World. Unlike most of his castmates, Shaun wasn’t as involved in the industry in recent years: he was last seen on-screen in the 2018 drama film Dinner for Two.
Chip Fields
Chip Fields in Living SingleFox
Chip Fields is Kim Fields’ mother, and she joined the cast of Living Single to play Laverne, her daughter’s character’s mom. However, long before landing this part, she was already a well-known performer in the industry, with acting and producing credits in both film and television, and noted for her roles in shows such as Days of Our Lives and Good Times.
After her time on the show, Fields remained mostly involved in TV projects, although she decreased her appearances in the industry as the years went by. She directed episodes of Sister, Sister, The Parkers, and Meet the Browns, among other shows, with her most recent project being Nickelodeon’s Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan.