Before Bill Cosby’s “fall from grace”, he had a propular TV show and I was a faithful viewer. Lisa Bonet played the part of Denise Huxtable, one of his daughters. Her character was so popular they created a brand new TV show about her days in college. She attended Hillman College, an HBCU.
(HBCU = historically black colleges and universities. At one time during the period of segregation in the USA, blacks attended so-called “separate but equal” educational institutions. But these days anybody who wants to can attend no matter their background. Hey! They are really good schools! Our US vice-president Kamala Harris attended an HBCU.)
The show was started with Lisa Bonet in the spotlight, i.e. the main character. However, the character “Whitley” played by Jasmine Guy almost instantly took the spotlight. Viewers really liked her. I think it was “her accent”. LOL. If you ever saw the show you would understand that joke about Whitley’s accent. Lisa Bonet left the show after the first season.
In June 2021, the cast got together to discuss “the good old days” and the article was published in Vanity Fair. “A Different World” ran from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. I was not a regular viewer. It was light comedy but often tackled serious topics. To borrow a quote from the article: “Fans remember the show as much for its cultural relevance as they do for its laugh-out-loud comedy and talented cast.” That’s true. I distinctly remember one episode where they addressed the link between sexual promiscuity and AIDS. It was definitely relevant to the times and it presented a world that was different from any of the other popular TV sitcoms during that same time period. The real plus or takeaway from the program is that it, in real life, the show actually encouraged a lot of young people of color to attend colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning.
‘A Different World’: Cast Members and Crew Tell the Oral History | Vanity Fair
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
- Lisa Bonet left the entertainment industry and replaced it with motherhood. That’s not a bad tradeoff. She was first married to Lenny Kravitz; and now she is the wife of Jason Momoa.
- Jasmine Guy had a productive acting career in film and on stage, and also tried her hand at music. She also worked behind the scenes producing and directing but has not taken on any significant projects in the entertainment industry recently.
What The Stars Of A Different World Are Up To Now
