JoMarie Payton Reveals Why She Left 'Family Matters' - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 08-07-2010, 06:32 PM

Going back to the end of the seventh season of Family Matters, the show switched from ABC to CBS. Do you remember why that happened?
Well, you know, I think it probably was because the show was kind of running out of air, what they call “jumping the shark,” you know what I mean?

I know that prior to that, a year prior to that, I didn’t want to do it anymore. I had been offered an opportunity to do the Mahalia Jackson story and I wanted to do something else. And I think, like, four, three, four years prior to that I would go into ABC with my agent every year and we would ask for just another project, something else to do. Like, Bob Sagat was doing America’s Funniest Home Videos. I just wanted something else to do, just to energize me a little bit more, on the creative side. And so I wanted to leave before that and so at the end of the eighth season, which was my last contracted year — I think I might have had one of the longest contracts there — my contract was up.

So I was like a free agent and so when they went to CBS and all, they asked me to come back. And I really didn’t want to come back. I had just done my jazz album and all. And we agreed that I would come back just to kick off the move to CBS and that’s how that whole deal went. I was to do half of a season, eight of the episodes. And I had an option out and I exercised my option. I did.

As a matter of fact, I had long talk with [co-creator] Bob Boyett prior to my leaving, and he asked me, “When you said you really were ready to go, you were ready to go, weren’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, but they weren’t ready to let go, you know.” And so, I know there were a few people that were a little bit upset that I wanted to go, but I was just ready to leave. I was ready to go before then, but, I actually remember having one of the people that were working there, one of the production people, saying “Jo, if you leave then you know things are going to go crazy.” And, “Yeah, I have a daughter in college” you know, and this and that. And so I stayed an extra two years.

I felt stifled and like I said, if I had been able to do other projects… There was one time that they agreed to let me do another project and then the project got delayed and then when it was time to do it they said, “No, you can’t do it.” So, I just needed something extra to do, you know. How I explained it is, “A baker that loves to bake doesn’t want to stop baking. They just don’t always want to make chocolate cake or chocolate cookies. They want to try to do something else. Bake some bagels, do something else.” I never wanted to stop acting. I’ve been acting since I was six years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project, you know what I’m saying, I wanted to do something else.

I think the reason why some people have thought there was a problem was because you left mid-season, which was unusual.
Yes, yes. There were some things being said, and like I said, just ignore it because you know it’s not true. But it did hurt, because it made me look like this scandlous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]. I’m a very truthful person, and I shoot straight from the hip, just like my character, you know? I would be the first person in the world to apologize to someone if I thought I hurt their feelings or I said something that was untrue. But by the same token, you know, you just get to a point where sometimes you gotta say “Okay, alright, let’s back this up now.”

http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/fa...-payton-16891/

howierules86 · 08-07-2010, 07:27 PM

It seems like almost everyone forgets that Family Matters was originally supposed to focus on the Winslows, especially since Harriette was previously a character on Perfect Strangers. Seriously, here were all the great characters that got written out just to give Steve Urkel more storylines on the show:

Judy Winslow - gone in 1993
Weasel (as in one of Eddie's friends) - gone in 1994
Rachel Crawford - gone in 1995
Waldo Faldo - gone in 1996
Richie Crawford - gone in 1997
Grandma Winslow - gone in 1997
And then, JoMarie Payton herself quit around Jan. 1998. Sad, huh?

Ajax2006 · 09-28-2010, 02:15 AM

Thanks for link!That was an interesting interview with Jomarie Payton,I had always wanted to know the real reason for her leaving FM towards the end,I've read different articles about it,but could never tell if it was the the truth or some tabloid fiction,well that interview really cleared things up,I hope theres a Family Matters reunion movie someday.

catlover79 · 09-28-2010, 03:18 AM

Can you blame her? The show was a disaster when she left. Why CBS picked it up, I have no idea.

Jessica · 10-01-2010, 09:41 PM

Steve Urkel was a great character, but I didn't like all the science fiction in the later seasons of the show. I understand why she left. And all those other characters. Waldo Faldo was great.

billdailyfanct · 10-06-2010, 10:27 AM

Just came across that link a couple of weeks ago. Steve Urkel was a cool character, but the other characters he played weren't that great and they could have kept it at Steve Urkel and not like Stefan Urquelle, and others Jealle White played on the show and yep after she left, it wasn't as great and understand her reason why she left.

90sfan · 04-10-2011, 08:51 PM

The ones that bothered em the most were the orginal harriete leaving, and waldo. Richie needed to go with his mother.

Furienna · 06-16-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howierules86

It seems like almost everyone forgets that Family Matters was originally supposed to focus on the Winslows, especially since Harriette was previously a character on Perfect Strangers. Seriously, here were all the great characters that got written out just to give Steve Urkel more storylines on the show:

Judy Winslow - gone in 1993
Weasel (as in one of Eddie's friends) - gone in 1994
Rachel Crawford - gone in 1995
Waldo Faldo - gone in 1996
Richie Crawford - gone in 1997
Grandma Winslow - gone in 1997
And then, JoMarie Payton herself quit around Jan. 1998. Sad, huh?

Except for the case with Judy (which was just sad), I believe the actors simply chose to leave the show. It had nothing to do with giving Steve Urkel more storylines.

Waterston_Fan · 06-16-2011, 04:16 PM

But those who left now have the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.

Cliff Barnes · 06-16-2011, 05:12 PM

It sounded to me like she simply wanted to leave move on. Clearly she is one of the few that they would have paid to stay if they could have, because they knew they had to recast her character or drastically rewrite the plot. Aunt Rachel and also Richie, to me, were simply limited characters to begin with, and the Grandma as well. Shows naturally move on and have to move towards what works, and in this case as is usual it was towards the young people. Obviously the worst in terms of explanation was Judy, it was ridiculous erasing a character with no trace-surely there must have been some way that they could have explained her absence logically without pretending that she had never been there, same for Brendan on SBS and Chuck on Happy Days. However, that being said, again she was a limited character and even with explanation I can understand cutting her from the cast. When Urkel became the reason for the show being, it required the other characters having a relation to him. Laura was his love and Eddie was his friend, while Carl was his foil. Still, they needed Harriette so that Carl would be a married man and not a bachelor, that would have totally changed his character.

08-07-2010, 06:32 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	JoMarie Payton Reveals Why She Left 'Family Matters' Going back to the end of the seventh season of Family Matters, the show switched from ABC to CBS. Do you remember why that happened? Well, you know, I think it probably was because the show was kind of running out of air, what they call “jumping the shark,” you know what I mean? I know that prior to that, a year prior to that, I didn’t want to do it anymore. I had been offered an opportunity to do the Mahalia Jackson story and I wanted to do something else. And I think, like, four, three, four years prior to that I would go into ABC with my agent every year and we would ask for just another project, something else to do. Like, Bob Sagat was doing America’s Funniest Home Videos. I just wanted something else to do, just to energize me a little bit more, on the creative side. And so I wanted to leave before that and so at the end of the eighth season, which was my last contracted year — I think I might have had one of the longest contracts there — my contract was up. So I was like a free agent and so when they went to CBS and all, they asked me to come back. And I really didn’t want to come back. I had just done my jazz album and all. And we agreed that I would come back just to kick off the move to CBS and that’s how that whole deal went. I was to do half of a season, eight of the episodes. And I had an option out and I exercised my option. I did. As a matter of fact, I had long talk with [co-creator] Bob Boyett prior to my leaving, and he asked me, “When you said you really were ready to go, you were ready to go, weren’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, but they weren’t ready to let go, you know.” And so, I know there were a few people that were a little bit upset that I wanted to go, but I was just ready to leave. I was ready to go before then, but, I actually remember having one of the people that were working there, one of the production people, saying “Jo, if you leave then you know things are going to go crazy.” And, “Yeah, I have a daughter in college” you know, and this and that. And so I stayed an extra two years. I felt stifled and like I said, if I had been able to do other projects… There was one time that they agreed to let me do another project and then the project got delayed and then when it was time to do it they said, “No, you can’t do it.” So, I just needed something extra to do, you know. How I explained it is, “A baker that loves to bake doesn’t want to stop baking. They just don’t always want to make chocolate cake or chocolate cookies. They want to try to do something else. Bake some bagels, do something else.” I never wanted to stop acting. I’ve been acting since I was six years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project, you know what I’m saying, I wanted to do something else. I think the reason why some people have thought there was a problem was because you left mid-season, which was unusual. Yes, yes. There were some things being said, and like I said, just ignore it because you know it’s not true. But it did hurt, because it made me look like this scandlous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]. I’m a very truthful person, and I shoot straight from the hip, just like my character, you know? I would be the first person in the world to apologize to someone if I thought I hurt their feelings or I said something that was untrue. But by the same token, you know, you just get to a point where sometimes you gotta say “Okay, alright, let’s back this up now.” http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/fa...-payton-16891/
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08-07-2010, 07:27 PM	#2
howierules86 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 05, 2007 Location: Opelika, AL Posts: 29,718	It seems like almost everyone forgets that Family Matters was originally supposed to focus on the Winslows, especially since Harriette was previously a character on Perfect Strangers. Seriously, here were all the great characters that got written out just to give Steve Urkel more storylines on the show: Judy Winslow - gone in 1993 Weasel (as in one of Eddie's friends) - gone in 1994 Rachel Crawford - gone in 1995 Waldo Faldo - gone in 1996 Richie Crawford - gone in 1997 Grandma Winslow - gone in 1997 And then, JoMarie Payton herself quit around Jan. 1998. Sad, huh?
	__________________ I love me some Susanna Hoffs - http://www.susannahoffs.com And many other very talented ladies too.

09-28-2010, 03:18 AM	#4
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Can you blame her? The show was a disaster when she left. Why CBS picked it up, I have no idea.
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09-28-2010, 02:15 AM	#3
Ajax2006 80's and 90's sitcoms fan! Occasional Poster Join Date: May 16, 2006 Posts: 26	Thanks for link!That was an interesting interview with Jomarie Payton,I had always wanted to know the real reason for her leaving FM towards the end,I've read different articles about it,but could never tell if it was the the truth or some tabloid fiction,well that interview really cleared things up,I hope theres a Family Matters reunion movie someday.

10-01-2010, 09:41 PM	#5
Jessica Retro fan Forum Fanatic Join Date: Oct 09, 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 9,034	Steve Urkel was a great character, but I didn't like all the science fiction in the later seasons of the show. I understand why she left. And all those other characters. Waldo Faldo was great.

10-06-2010, 10:27 AM	#6
billdailyfanct Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 24, 2010 Location: Connecticut Posts: 60	Just came across that link a couple of weeks ago. Steve Urkel was a cool character, but the other characters he played weren't that great and they could have kept it at Steve Urkel and not like Stefan Urquelle, and others Jealle White played on the show and yep after she left, it wasn't as great and understand her reason why she left.

04-10-2011, 08:51 PM	#7
90sfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 21, 2011 Location: PA Posts: 109	The ones that bothered em the most were the orginal harriete leaving, and waldo. Richie needed to go with his mother.

06-16-2011, 04:16 PM	#9
Waterston_Fan Eternal Member Eternal Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 26, 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,195	But those who left now have the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.

06-16-2011, 05:12 PM	#10
Cliff Barnes Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 09, 2005 Posts: 163	It sounded to me like she simply wanted to leave move on. Clearly she is one of the few that they would have paid to stay if they could have, because they knew they had to recast her character or drastically rewrite the plot. Aunt Rachel and also Richie, to me, were simply limited characters to begin with, and the Grandma as well. Shows naturally move on and have to move towards what works, and in this case as is usual it was towards the young people. Obviously the worst in terms of explanation was Judy, it was ridiculous erasing a character with no trace-surely there must have been some way that they could have explained her absence logically without pretending that she had never been there, same for Brendan on SBS and Chuck on Happy Days. However, that being said, again she was a limited character and even with explanation I can understand cutting her from the cast. When Urkel became the reason for the show being, it required the other characters having a relation to him. Laura was his love and Eddie was his friend, while Carl was his foil. Still, they needed Harriette so that Carl would be a married man and not a bachelor, that would have totally changed his character.