i was wondering they had two lionel jeffersons the first lionel jefferson son, was a cool, outgoing, confident dude with thick sideburns i am also guessing from his apperance he could have been a ladies man he also had additude on ALL IN THE FAMILY, the second lionel was alot different from the first he was calm,friendly,relaxed,quiet, kinda lame he really did not bring anything on the jeffersons he was way to nice he seemed like the type of guy women would bring home to meet parents lol, which lionel did you like better the first or second ?

They were both good but I like Damon Evans a little more. He was only on for 3 seasons right?

I heard both Lionels were there when they had the Jeffersons on Stage after the TV show got cancelled.

Mike Evans, no contest.

I Like the first lionel with thick sideburns he had more enthusiam when he talked, his little racist conversations with Archie Bunker were priceless.

I Like the first lionel with thick sideburns he had more enthusiam when he talked, his little racist conversations with Archie Bunker were priceless.

Hard to believe he's dead and hard to believe he's only about 6 years younger than George!

Mike Evans

mike evans

Peoples vote for mike evans and i agree it would of made the jeffersons a even more better show it might have lasted longer than 11 years if he did all 11 seasons of the jeffersons instead of Damon evans he did not have the edge that mike evans gave to people who watched all in the family in the 1970's, it would of been a bit more of a competition between him and george why i ask because the first lionel was a rebel black panther haha lol

Does anyone know if Damon Evans and Mike Evans were friends?

I dont think they were friends in real life they both had seperate lives and plus when your a celebrity you are to busy making movies and tv shows its almost like being a slave in Hollywood you spend most of your time acting infront of a camera thats why so many famous people have poor social skills when they do interviews.

Mike, hands down. (No offense to Damon.)

They were both good but I like Damon Evans a little more. He was only on for 3 seasons right?

I heard both Lionels were there when they had the Jeffersons on Stage after the TV show got cancelled.


What did you like about Damon Evans?

I will say I thought the episode where Lionel takes over the dry cleaning business was hysterical. Damon did a great job in that one.

What did you like about Damon Evans?

I just thought he was a little funnier and more relaxed than Mike. I agree Damon was great in that episode where he took over Jefferson Cleaners!

But Mike was good too so they're both good but Mike eventually left acting and Sherman once actually said he never wanted to be an actor!!

Damon's character Lionel was not ghetto he was well behaved young man who had a education and new how to run himself his own career.

Mike Evan's character Lionel was ghetto he was similar to george he was short tempered with slang words he was energetic he coudent seem to relax himself he was always on the go aka he was never home lol.

Damon's character Lionel was not ghetto he was well behaved young man who had a education and new how to run himself his own career.

Mike Evan's character Lionel was ghetto he was similar to george he was short tempered with slang words he was energetic he coudent seem to relax himself he was always on the go aka he was never home lol.


See this post right here is why I can't talk to you on this board. You post the dumbest sh*T and only been on this board for 3 weeks. Since when did the FIRST LIONEL had a short temper like George? What show were you watching? Or are you just a TROLL with no else better to do than to post stupid sh&T on these boards. Do you realize something is wrong with you? Everything you post on this board is STUPID? I;m done talking to you after today.

See this post right here is why I can't talk to you on this board. You post the dumbest sh*T and only been on this board for 3 weeks. Since when did the FIRST LIONEL had a short temper like George? What show were you watching? Or are you just a TROLL with no else better to do than to post stupid sh&T on these boards. Do you realize something is wrong with you? Everything you post on this board is STUPID? I;m done talking to you after today.


Solomon, you were doing great until now. Please stop insulting. :football:

Solomon, you were doing great until now. Please stop insulting. :football:



I don't like trolls tom

I don't like trolls tom


No one is perfect, dude. He didn't provoke you. Let it slide. The harsh judgement is creating negativity. He obviously wants to be a part of the boards. Simply let him. People have opposed your opinions but you still post. Just let him do the same just like we have with you. Save that venom for when somebody is seriously coming at you (like some racist fool). Man, you doing so good these past couple of days. Then I'm screaming "DAAAAANG!" after seeing this.:(

See this post right here is why I can't talk to you on this board. You post the dumbest sh*T and only been on this board for 3 weeks. Since when did the FIRST LIONEL had a short temper like George? What show were you watching? Or are you just a TROLL with no else better to do than to post stupid sh&T on these boards. Do you realize something is wrong with you? Everything you post on this board is STUPID? I;m done talking to you after today.


I can't speak for him, but I think he meant the first Lionel had a young cocky attitude, which I agree with, it showed in that episode when Louise's uncle came to visit. But he was cool and kept his cool in All in the Family.

TVFACTFAN is a man that speaks his mind he' cool, yeah the first lionel was cocky that was his character a rebel 20 something year old black man, i wish he could have done something with that huge afro lot of white people were wondering what was on his head back in the 70's lol

TVFACTFAN is a man that speaks his mind he' cool, yeah the first lionel was cocky that was his character a rebel 20 something year old black man, i wish he could have done something with that huge afro lot of white people were wondering what was on his head back in the 70's lol


But you said he had a short temper, he never lost his cool.

I would have loved seeing the Damon Evans Lionel interact with Archie Bunker. That would have been classic!

I've heard some people say about the two Lionels's that Damon Evans was the better actor. I don't fully agree with that. Damon had a big role of playing Alex Haley in Roots:The Next Generations and was not good in the role. Roots:TNG is a great mini-series but he was very lackluster in the role. I've recently seen Mike Evans in two TV movies The Voyage of the Yes, and a small role in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man and he was quite good in both. It's too bad he didn't take acting serious, he probaly could have had his own show if he did.

Mike Evans

we all have to admit that the 2nd lionel was a lot better in season 3 and 4.

It was just that season 2 when he was too weird. Once he got the mustache and married Jenny he seemed to mellow a bit

They are both decent, but probably Mike Evans, in part because he seemed maybe a tad bit cooler, and he was from North Carolina.

Damon's character Lionel was not ghetto he was well behaved young man who had a education and new how to run himself his own career.

Mike Evan's character Lionel was ghetto he was similar to george he was short tempered with slang words he was energetic he coudent seem to relax himself he was always on the go aka he was never home lol.

I've heard the criticism (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125210/http://www.jumptheshark.com/j/jeffersons.htm) of Damon Evans was that he was too "nerdy and whiny" (and not "naturally" cool like Mike Evans) as Lionel.

I've heard the criticism (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125210/http://www.jumptheshark.com/j/jeffersons.htm) of Damon Evans was that he was too "nerdy and whiny" (and not "naturally" cool like Mike Evans) as Lionel.


Damon Evans said in a interview that no one never told him how to play Lionel Jefferson which is why we saw a completely different Lionel

I liked Mike Evans Lionel much better. Being the original Lionel from All in the Family, he just always seemed more like Lionel to me than Damon did. No offense against Damon, if I had known him all along as Lionel he would be just fine for the role. Also Mike Evans was a hotty!! That's another major reason of mine!

I liked Mike Evans a lot better.

I liked Mike Evans Lionel much better. Being the original Lionel from All in the Family, he just always seemed more like Lionel to me than Damon did. No offense against Damon, if I had known him all along as Lionel he would be just fine for the role. Also Mike Evans was a hotty!! That's another major reason of mine!


He really wasn't needed since the show was not your typical family show and the fact that he was a grown man. That's why Norman Lear had no problem letting him quit the show:lol:

Damon Evans stated he hated working on the show. He said he was gay and felt funny being married to jenny on the show.

Damon Evans stated he hated working on the show. He said he was gay and felt funny being married to jenny on the show.


well his stupid ass shouldn't have accepted the role

Damon Evans stated he hated working on the show. He said he was gay and felt funny being married to jenny on the show.
I didn't know that. When did he come out of the closet?

i liked mike evans alot better a have always reffered to damon evans as the icky lionel

I didn't know that. When did he come out of the closet?
he did an interview at i love oldskoolmusic.com.

Like many others, I liked Mike Evans A LOT MORE than Damon. I would have rather seen Lionel written out if Mike wasn't"t doing it.

he did an interview at i love oldskoolmusic.com.


Wow! I never knew that ! I learned something new today! ;) You know ,now that I do know now,, yeah I can see it! ;) Damon seemed a little " Light in the loafers" :lol: Esp. compared to Mike Evans who was so very hot, handsome and masculine! :) ;)

Wow! I never knew that ! I learned something new today! ;) You know ,now that I do know now,, yeah I can see it! ;) Damon seemed a little " Light in the loafers" :lol: Esp. compared to Mike Evans who was so very hot, handsome and masculine! :) ;)

:lol: @light in the loafers


It was evident in season 2, not so much in season 3 and 4. He was less whiny and more laid back

To be honest, I like them both about equally.

However, if forced to choose just one.......I choose Mike Evans (the original Lionel). I think Mike's chemistry was a little better with Jenny.

I'm years late to this post. But I'll respond belatedly. What the heck...

Short answer: apples and oranges comparision in a way. Mike Evans was definitely more short tempered. You saw that play out and expand in the later seasons of the Jeffersons in his relationship with Jenny and his own nuclear family. Higher decibals during emotional moments, less smily in general, less cordial disposition. I wouldn't call that "ghetto" but it is certainly more voicetrous and volitile. No question.

Damon Evans played Lionel in a much more realistic way to what a son of a affluent Black family like the Jeffersons would have been at that time in the early to mid 1970s. First generation affluent Black folks, even if they came from nothing, raised kids to be exactly like Damon Evans. Be nice. Manners, Smile, Speak softly in order to assumulate, etc. The way Damon talked, reacted or didn't react, and the way he presented himself to and engaged the White world around him, was very accurate.

I think Mike Evans played to the comedy opportunities, which is the right thing to do in a situation comedy. The smart come backs with soul, the staying true to his Black culture, even his style of speech, and certainly, his African American style of humor, comebacks and "keeping it real" so to speak, not matter how rich you are. I respect that approach, especially for situation comedy.

I think Damon Evans played the character "true to form" of what a young Black son of 1st generation affluent Blacks would have been at the time, but his comedic delivery paid a price. Some say he didn't have a "funny bone" as an actor at the time.

I think that Mike Evans was more intense in his approach to the character, but I do not think he played a realistic version of what a Black child of the the Jeffersons, socio-economically and status-wise, would have been. I think he did play the character a bit too "street smart" and "slick" for what I think was real at the time. My thoughts.

No right or wrong in my book.

I thought Mike Evans is excellent in his role of Lionel on the show

Lionel didn’t grow up affluent. The Jeffersons only became affluent after Lionel was an adult.

Mike Evans, all the way. He was great in the role. I thought it was a shame that Mike’s role was so relatively minor on The Jeffersons after he had been the main Jefferson character on All in the Family.

Damon Evans stated he hated working on the show. He said he was gay and felt funny being married to jenny on the show.

Damon Evans' Lionel you can argue had sweet, studious quality but he simply wasn't not the same Lionel we knew before. Mike Evans' Lionel was not only smart but had great comedic timing. You never really got that from Damon and from my understanding, he even has admitted that the audiences didn't laugh at him and producers fired him for it.

"I liked Damon Evans better."

-no one ever

Damon Evans' Lionel you can argue had sweet, studious quality but he simply wasn't not the same Lionel we knew before. Mike Evans' Lionel was not only smart but had great comedic timing. You never really got that from Damon and from my understanding, he even has admitted that the audiences didn't laugh at him and producers fired him for it.
The audience did laugh at him in two episodes the 'Lionel's Problem' episode where he get's drunk, and the 'Jefferson Curve episiode' when he strutted around like George and told Marcus's date "Go out with you, Woman I don't know you"!

Definitely prefer Mike Evans to Damon Evans as Lionel. Sorry, but I simply could not have imagine the latter being able to have survived five minutes growing up in Harlem- or one minute being Archie Bunker's next door neighbor! At best the latter was straight man, comic foil whose sole purpose was giving his parents and the Willises a reason to interact re him being with Jenny.

what about when he was working at Jefferson cleaners with George lionel get the buisnes he was funny in that one his final appearance

what about when he was working at Jefferson cleaners with George lionel get the buisnes he was funny in that one his final appearance
Yeah he was funny in that episode, forget about that one.

I'd probably say yes since there's not much point in watching a show that I used to watch everyday thinking they were brand new when you see the blatant bigotry on the show that can get a laugh but can get your butt kicked if you said the wrong joke to the wrong person. The first one I saw was the one on All in the Family, and it would be tempting to go with because I remember when they'd still doing making them. Please don't go there for actors because I know at least two of the adults ones are gone and they were known to play musical actors for more than just those two because there was another white dude who played Tom when he was on All in the Family, and I don't remember if there was more than one Jen or not. Technically they look young on TV due to make up or whatever; but when it comes to remembering that far back, it's hard to say. There are so many shows that are easy to get addicted to, that it can be stressful if you try to watch everyone you like; and I know the two or three who played the characters. Even if I tried to watch all the episodes of other ones I like, the reality is that I would have to