Where Is the Cast of A Different World Now? All About Their Lives 4 Decades After the Show Ended (and Which Award-Winning Shows They've Starred in Since!)

Mar. 15, 2025

The cast of ‘A Different World’.Photo:J. Del Valle / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection

J. Del Valle / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection

Nearly four decades after its debut,A Different Worldremains a beloved sitcom.

“We’d never seen Black kids in college on television,” Hardison toldNBC Newsin 2017. “Here comes this show and if it caught you at 14 years old it took you through high school and propelled you into college and it created a lot of successful, education-first minded people who can’t let go who know what it was like for them and what it did for them and they want it back. They want it back for their kids and this new generation.”

In 2024, the cast reunited for a 10-city HBCU tour, which theyextended after a sold-out run.

“It is so spectacular… lightning in a bottle just doesn’t always happen. This is a fact, and you hear people talk about it’s like a family,” Darryl M. Bell (who played Ron Johnson) told PEOPLE in 2024. “We have always been that [way], we spend time together intentionally.”

Here’s everything to know about where the cast ofA Different Worldis now.

01of 12

Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable

Lisa Bonet in ‘A Different World’ ; Lisa Bonet attends the Tom Ford AW20 Show on February 07, 2020 in Hollywood, California.©NBC/courtesy Everett Collection ; Amy Sussman/Getty

©NBC/courtesy Everett Collection ; Amy Sussman/Getty

However, Bonet only appeared in the first season of the show. In May 1988, she and her then-husband,Lenny Kravitz,announced they were expecting their first child together, and Bonet left the series.

She took a break from acting to focus on raising Zoë before returning in 1998’sEnemy of the StatealongsideWill Smith, and 2000’sHigh Fidelity. She then guest starred on a number of shows, includingGirls,Ray DonovanandNew Girl.

In her personal life, Bonet and Kravitz split in 1991,officially divorcingin 1993. She marriedJason Momoa, whom she met in 2005,in asecret ceremonyin 2017.

They welcomed two children together, daughter Lola on July 21, 2007, and son Nakoa-Wolf on Dec. 15, 2008. The pairannounced their breakupin January 2022 andfinalized their divorcetwo years later in January 2024.

02of 12

Jasmine Guy as Whitley Gilbert

Jasmine Guy in ‘A Different World’ ; Jasmine Guy attends The 2025 Beloved Community Awards on January 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Carol Lee Rose/Getty

©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Carol Lee Rose/Getty

During the first round of casting forA Different World, Jasmine Guy auditioned for the role of Jaleesa, per an oral history from the cast as told toVanity Fair. When more characters were added, she went out for Whitley, who became the show’s focus in season 2. The sassy Southern belle was known for her fashion, knack for art history and on-and-off relationship (but eventually very on) with Dwayne Wayne.

Guy appeared in every episode ofA Different World— and wrote some — eventually winning six NAACP Image Awards for her portrayal of Whitley.

Her most recent roles have been portraying Sylvia Wesley in the Wesley Christmas movies and as Patricia onHarlem.

Guy was married to Terrence Duckett from 1998 to 2008. The exes share one daughter, artistImani Guy Duckette.

03of 12

Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne

Kadeem Hardison in ‘A Different World’ ; Kadeem Hardison visits the SiriusXM Studios on September 20, 2022 in New York City.©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Cindy Ord/Getty

©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Cindy Ord/Getty

Hardison had recently filmedSchool Dazewith Guy and Bell when he went to see an early taping ofA Different World— the focus then was on Denise, Jaleesa and Maggie, according toVanity Fair.When more characters were added, both he and Bell auditioned for Dwayne, with the part ultimately going to Hardison.

“That final audition, getting that, gave me the confidence to sit or to be comfortable with who I was and with being nervous,” Hardison said on a January 2025Allison Interviewsappearance. “I had to figure out what to do with that nervous energy, and I decided, that, okay, this character is going to have this nervous energy, I’m going to use it on screen, let it be a strength instead of a weakness.”

He also directed and co-wrote 2013’sThe Dark Partyand was seen on the big screen in films like 1992’sWhite Men Can’t Jumpand 1997’sDrive. He’ll next appear onCriminal.

Hardison was married to singer Chanté Moore from 1997 to 2000. The two share one child, daughter Sophia Hardison.

04of 12

Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa Vinson Taylor

Dawnn Lewis in ‘A Different World’ ; Dawnn Lewis during the 2024 BET Awards on June 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

The play and sitcom had the same casting directors, so they originally wanted Lewis to focus on the tour, she toldVanity Fair. However, after months of being told no, Lewis was called in for an audition and scored the part of Jaleesa, a maternal student who enrolls at Hillman after a failed marriage. She also wrote the theme song — though the musical and casting directors didn’t realize they hired the same person at first.

In 1992, Lewis left the show to joinHangin' With Mr. Cooper, appearing in the first season of the ABC sitcom. She later guest starred onBetter Call Saulandhad minor recurring roles on shows likeOne Tree Hill,The Secret Life of the American Teenager,Major Crimes,Grey’s AnatomyandDays of Our Lives.

Lewis also appeared in films such as 2006’sDreamgirls.In addition to acting, she is a Grammy Award-winning singer inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021.

She was married to former NBA player Johnny Newman in the mid-2000s.

05of 12

Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson

Darryl M. Bell in ‘A Different World’ ; Darryl M. Bell attends A Different World HBCU College Tour on February 29, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.Gene Trindl /© NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Nykieria Chaney/Getty

Gene Trindl /© NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection ; Nykieria Chaney/Getty

Darryl M. Bell’s big break came in Spike Lee’sSchool Daze, working with his soon-to-beA Different Worldcostars, Hardison and Guy.

Bell and Hardison played best friends Ronald “Ron” Johnson — the lovable, goofy ROTC student and musician — and Dwayne, respectively, on the sitcom. The actors were “very close off-screen,” Bell told theChicago Tribunein 1989 — though both auditioned for the same role.

The Illinois native first appeared on the show as an unnamed student in episode 4, winning producers over. The role of Ron was created shortly after, which Bell earned after a chemistry read with Hardison, perVanity Fair. He went on to portray the character for all six seasons.

Now, Bell is mindful of the sitcom’s lasting legacy.

“I think what I’m most proud of is, irrespective of how difficult some subject matter may have been,A Different Worldwas always funny,” Bell told PEOPLE in June 2024. “We approached everything through the lens of humor.”

AfterA Different Worldended, Bell starred on the short-lived sci-fi showHomeboys in Outer Space. He has appeared in 2000’sBrotherand was the voice of Bravo Leader in the 2003 video gameX2: Wolverine’s Revenge.

06of 12

Charnele Brown as Kimberly Reese

Charnele Brown in ‘A Different World’ ; Charnele Brown attends the 2024 BET Awards on June 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.© Carsey-Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; Unique Nicole/WireImage

© Carsey-Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; Unique Nicole/WireImage

Brown lives in Houston, where she has run the Charlene Brown Acting Academy at Yates High School since 2000.

07of 12

Cree Summer as Winifred “Freddie” Brooks

Cree Summer in ‘A Different World’ ; Cree Summer during the 2024 BET Awards on June 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.© Carsey-Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

© Carsey-Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

Cree Summer joined the cast in season 2 as Winifred “Freddie” Brooks, Jaleesa’s free-spirited roommate onA Different World.

In her personal life, Summer met her ex-husband Angelo Pullen when she was 40, and the pair were together for what she told StyleLikeU in 2022, perEssence, was a “good” near-decade. They share two children, daughters Brave Littlewing, born in 2011, and Hero Peregrine, born in 2013.

08of 12

Sinbad as Coach Walter Oakes

Sinbad in ‘A Different World’ ; Sinbad attends the Fulfillment Fund’s Spring Fundraising Celebration on April 13, 2019 in Culver City, California.© Carsey Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; John Sciulli/Getty

© Carsey Werner/courtesy Everett Collection ; John Sciulli/Getty

He did get his own sitcom in 1993,The Sinbad Show, and appeared in comedies like 1996’sJingle All the WayandFirst Kidand 1997’sGood Burger. He also hosted the talk showVibeand wrote a self-help book, 1998’sSinbad’s Guide to Life (Because I Know Everything).

Sinbad has headlined HBO comedy specials, including 1993’sAfros & Bellbottoms, and continued to tour. He most recently made cameos onAtlantaand in 2023’sGood Burger 2.

Sinbadsuffered a strokein November 2020. Hemade a virtual appearanceduring theA Different Worldcast’s HBCU tour in 2024, thanking fans viaInstagramfor their “prayers, support, and positive thoughts.”

09of 12

Lou Myers as Vernon Gaines

Lou Myers in ‘A Different World’ ; Lou Myers during 13th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards in Beverly Hills, California.© NBC/courtesy Everett Collection ; Steve Grayson/WireImage

© NBC/courtesy Everett Collection ; Steve Grayson/WireImage

Lou Myers is best known for his portrayal of Vernon Gaines, the grumpy, feisty military vet who owns the Pit, inA Different World.

Myers continued to perform on Broadway, including inOprah Winfrey’s production ofThe Color Purpleand winning an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Stool Pigeon inKing Hedley II.

10of 12

Glynn Turman as Colonel Brad Taylor

©Carsey-Werner Company/courtesy Everett Collection ; River Callaway/Variety via Getty

Glynn Turman was touring the playI’m Not Rappaportwhen he auditioned for the role of Colonel Brad Taylor onA Different World.Joining the cast in season 2, Col. Taylor was a math teacher nicknamed Mr. War who later married Jaleesa.

Turman’s career continued to shine after the sitcom. He had recurring roles on shows likeThe Wire,How to Get Away With MurderandFargoand was a main cast member onHouse of Lies. He won an Emmy in 2008 for his guest role on HBO’sIn Treatment.

On the big screen, Turner appeared in films like 2000’sMen of Honor, 2020’sMa Rainey’s Black Bottomand 2023’s80 for Brady. He was last seen in the 2024 mini-seriesThe Big Cigarand an episode of Hulu’sParadise.

Turman was previously married to Ula M. Walker and the lateAretha Franklin, from 1978 to 1984. He has been with his third wife, realtor Jo-Ann Allen, since 1992. He has four children.

11of 12Marisa Tomei as Maggie LautenMarisa Tomei in ‘A Different World’ ; Marisa Tomei attends Filming Italy Los Angeles Festival on February 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Courtesy Everett Collection ; Daniele Venturelli/GettyMarisa Tomei scored the role of Maggie Lauten onA Different World.“It seems like another planet. Itwas a highlight, for sure. I really, really enjoyed it. I had a really good time on that,” she said on theTodayshow in 2024, adding that the only downside, however, was Maggie’s auburn wavy shag and bangs were an “unforgivable haircut.”Tomei was only on the first season ofA Different World. She rose to fame with 1992’sMy Cousin Vinny, winning an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mona Lisa Vito. She received two more Oscar nominations for 2001’sIn the Bedroomand 2008’sThe Wrestler.A founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company, Tomei made her Broadway debut oppositeQuentin Tarantinoin 1998’sWait Until Dark.The actress and producer has become afixture in the Marvel universe, playing Peter Parker’s aunt May in theSpider-Manfranchise. In recent years, Tomei has also appeared in 2020’sThe King of Staten Island, 2023’sShe Came to Meand 2024’sUpgraded.

11of 12

Marisa Tomei as Maggie Lauten

Marisa Tomei in ‘A Different World’ ; Marisa Tomei attends Filming Italy Los Angeles Festival on February 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Courtesy Everett Collection ; Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Courtesy Everett Collection ; Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Marisa Tomei scored the role of Maggie Lauten onA Different World.

“It seems like another planet. Itwas a highlight, for sure. I really, really enjoyed it. I had a really good time on that,” she said on theTodayshow in 2024, adding that the only downside, however, was Maggie’s auburn wavy shag and bangs were an “unforgivable haircut.”

Tomei was only on the first season ofA Different World. She rose to fame with 1992’sMy Cousin Vinny, winning an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mona Lisa Vito. She received two more Oscar nominations for 2001’sIn the Bedroomand 2008’sThe Wrestler.

A founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company, Tomei made her Broadway debut oppositeQuentin Tarantinoin 1998’sWait Until Dark.

The actress and producer has become afixture in the Marvel universe, playing Peter Parker’s aunt May in theSpider-Manfranchise. In recent years, Tomei has also appeared in 2020’sThe King of Staten Island, 2023’sShe Came to Meand 2024’sUpgraded.

12of 12Loretta Devine as Stevie RallenLoretta Devine in ‘A Different World’ ; Loretta Devine attends the “Tia Mowry: My Next Act” event on October 04, 2024 in Hollywood, California.© Carsey-Werner / Courtesy: Everett Collection ; Randy Shropshire/GettyLoretta Devine had a successful stage career before being cast onA Different World, includingoriginating the role of Lorrellin the 1981 Tony-winning Broadway musicalDreamgirls. (She had a small part in the 2006 film adaptation.)The Emmy award-winning actress only appeared in 10 episodes of season 1, but her acting career since has been prolific. She went on to star inBoston Public and Grey’s Anatomy, and has appeared in films like 1998’sUrban Legendand2004’sCrash.Devine met her husband, Glenn Marshall, when she was in her 50s. In December 2024, she told PEOPLE that she’s “sort of like a loner” but is “really crafty,” knitting and crocheting in her spare time.

12of 12

Loretta Devine as Stevie Rallen

Loretta Devine in ‘A Different World’ ; Loretta Devine attends the “Tia Mowry: My Next Act” event on October 04, 2024 in Hollywood, California.© Carsey-Werner / Courtesy: Everett Collection ; Randy Shropshire/Getty

© Carsey-Werner / Courtesy: Everett Collection ; Randy Shropshire/Getty

Loretta Devine had a successful stage career before being cast onA Different World, includingoriginating the role of Lorrellin the 1981 Tony-winning Broadway musicalDreamgirls. (She had a small part in the 2006 film adaptation.)

The Emmy award-winning actress only appeared in 10 episodes of season 1, but her acting career since has been prolific. She went on to star inBoston Public and Grey’s Anatomy, and has appeared in films like 1998’sUrban Legendand2004’sCrash.

Devine met her husband, Glenn Marshall, when she was in her 50s. In December 2024, she told PEOPLE that she’s “sort of like a loner” but is “really crafty,” knitting and crocheting in her spare time.

source: people.com