I think she could've stayed on the show for just another season.

I thought she was very cool.She was a strong female-at first. But then when she got together with Col.Taylor,she got a bit wimpy.

Originally posted by CCRYDER1968:
I thought she was very cool.She was a strong female-at first. But then when she got together with Col.Taylor,she got a bit wimpy.


Did you notice that too? I think it had to do with the fact that she was pregnant.

A lot of changes were made when the main actors left. for example: when sinbad left they had to put Dawn with someone else. and when Lisa left they put whitley and Dewayne together.

Jasmine Guy was supposed to leave and Dawnn Lewis was to leave with her. That was until the Cos persuaded NBC to give her a $250, 000 raise, and she stayed, however, Lewis kept her word.

i wish she had stayed, because jelesa was an excellant character!

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" high school is a battelfield, for the heart."- Angelea, My so-called life.

" Sometimes i wish i had like a giant remote control for my life, nah knowing me i'd probrally loose it and get stuck on cheerleader day in the cafeteria." = Angelea, My so-called life.

Jaleesa had become very watered down by the time she left. She had second billing in the series, but with the Dwayne/Whitley romance it was obvious that she was an expendable character. She goes missing in a lot of episodes and quite frankly I didn't even realize that she wasn't there. I think Dawnn Lewis did the right thing in quitting and going over to a more "adult" show in Hanging With Mr Cooper, but then she got fired from that show very fast. I don't know if she was difficult to work with, but she was a better actress than the woman who replaced her who was Raven Symone's mother.

The weird thing about Lewis leaving Different World is that they never acknowledged it onscreen; for all intents and purposes Jaleesa was still around with Col Taylor, but she just didn't interact with the characters anymore.

Jaleesa had become very watered down by the time she left. She had second billing in the series, but with the Dwayne/Whitley romance it was obvious that she was an expendable character. She goes missing in a lot of episodes and quite frankly I didn't even realize that she wasn't there. I think Dawnn Lewis did the right thing in quitting and going over to a more "adult" show in Hanging With Mr Cooper, but then she got fired from that show very fast. I don't know if she was difficult to work with, but she was a better actress than the woman who replaced her who was Raven Symone's mother.

The weird thing about Lewis leaving Different World is that they never acknowledged it onscreen; for all intents and purposes Jaleesa was still around with Col Taylor, but she just didn't interact with the characters anymore.


I feel Jaleesa could have had a different role in season 1 because she was so much older looking that Denise. Even though they were only seven years apart they looked 15 years apart on the show which is why i didn;t care that much for her character

I feel Jaleesa could have had a different role in season 1 because she was so much older looking that Denise. Even though they were only seven years apart they looked 15 years apart on the show which is why i didn;t care that much for her character

She wasn't my favorite character by a long shot, but she did bring something to the show in the Debbie Allen years. I can't even really comment on year 1 because I don't like those episodes.

Jaleesa wasn't one of my favorite characters, but they could've at least given Dawnn Lewis a respectable send-off and mention of absence.

Jaleesa wasn't one of my favorite characters, but they could've at least given Dawnn Lewis a respectable send-off and mention of absence.

I guess since Glynn Turman still wanted to be in the show they felt that they couldn't really have them move away. Terrence vanished as well, although I suppose it is easier to imagine that he transferred to another school or left or whatever. Col Taylor is in less than 1/2 of the shows in the last year and when he does show up he tends to be in only one scene so his participation in the series by that point was minimal.

I know that Dawn started to direct some episodes, so maybe that's why we didn't see her as much. I did love how she was in the beginning of A Different World, she was a more stronger person. Way before she got pregnant she wasn't the same person. And how was it that before she married Col Taylor she could cook and then all of a sudden after she married him she couldn't even make a pie. But I do wish that she would have stayed the strong character that she was in the beginning.

I agree with you. She could cook B4 and now she is a weak woman who lost her cooking skills? LOL. She was still strong up until those pregnancy hormones kicked in. You are right about that. I did not know she was fired from Hangin/Cooper.

I liked Dawnn Lewis's character Jaleesa. My mom didn't like her for some reason. I liked the fact that she was a strong black woman but i didn't like her being married to Colonel Taylor at all. He wasn't her type. Her & Sinbad's relationship was better.

I liked her character more after she got married. I wish they would have kept her til the end.

To me Jaleesa was an okay character. I found her boring, and really when she left, I never really noticed :eek:

To me Jaleesa was an okay character. I found her boring, and really when she left, I never really noticed :eek:
I thought she was boring too.

I personally never liked the Jaleesa character. She wasn't funny and really annoyed me at time. JMO

I love Jaleesa. I wanted her to stay.

I thought it was best that Jaleesa's character left when she did, as she had declined a lot since her peak on the show.

I thought it was best that Jaleesa's character left when she did, as she had declined a lot since her peak on the show.

I've often read that Jalessa (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/in-praise-of-jaleesa-vinson-the-unsung-hero-of-a-different-world.975112/)'s character (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/jaleesa-really-got-the-short-end-of-the-stick-on-a-different-world.1138260/) became Flanderized (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/a-different-world-characters-that-annoyed-you.937178/) if not outright ruined (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/a-different-world.500593/page-2) after (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/worst-plots-on-a-different-world.4656877/page-2) they hooked her up (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/the-relationships-on-a-different-world.818409/) with Colonel Taylor (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=307061).

Supposedly (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/36607740--a-different-world-discussion-as-the-dl-clock-runs-down-...), Debbie Allen told Dawnn Lewis that she was "too old" to be the center of the show, and Dawnn resented being married off to Glynn Turman's character. She took Hangin' with Mr. Cooper just to get off of (https://www.google.com/search?q=Why+did+Dawnn+Lewis+leave+A+Different+World%3F&sca_esv=6d7c373fd1092711&sxsrf=APpeQnv6mviDkr9RfL5gaWeTxedKNFhhRA%3A1783646225587&ei=EUhQaumyI62J0PEPgJLkgAE&biw=1920&bih=855&ved=0ahUKEwip_7j998aVAxWtBDQIHQAJGRAQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=Why+did+Dawnn+Lewis+leave+A+Different+World%3F&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLFdoeSBkaWQgRGF3bm4gTGV3aXMgbGVhdmUgQSBEaWZmZXJlbnQgV29ybGQ_MgQQABgeMgQQABgeMgYQABgIGB4yCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMgsQABiABBiKBRiGAzILEAAYgAQYigUYhgMyCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMggQABiABBiiBEjUPlDGCVj6NnACeAGQAQCYAWGgAc0CqgEBNbgBA8gBAPgBAfgBApgCB6AC6QLCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIOEAAY5AIY1gQYsAPYAQHCAhcQLhjcBhi4BhjaBhjYAhjIAxiwA9gBAcICBxAjGLACGCfCAgYQABgeGA3CAgUQABjvBcICBBAjGCfCAggQABgIGB4YCsICCxAAGIAEGIoFGJECwgIFEAAYgASYAwCIBgGQBg-6BgYIARABGAmSBwM2LjGgB_YhsgcDNC4xuAfgAsIHBTAuMi41yAcVgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) A Different World, and then for whatever the reasons (https://www.google.com/search?q=Why+did+Dawnn+Lewis+Leave+Hangin%27+with+Mr.+Cooper%3F&oq=Why+did+Dawnn+Lewis+Leave+Hangin%27+with+Mr.+Cooper%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMgoIAxAAGAoYFhgeMg0IBBAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMgoIBRAAGIAEGKIEMgoIBhAAGIAEGKIEMgcIBxAAGO8F0gEKMTE2NTFqMGoxNagCDLACAfEFHygh61KlwCo&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8), bailed on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Cooper just a year later.