Tragic Details About The Cast Of Family Matters

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https://www.thelist.com/1931235/trag...amily-matters/

By Shreya Mali
Aug. 9, 2025 12:00 pm EST

Somewhat shockingly, given the lighthearted nature of the show, a "Family Matters" episode from 1994 was based on a real-life, disturbing incident that a cast member endured. Speaking to ABC News in 2020, Darius McCrary, AKA Eddie Winslow, divulged that police officers suspected that he had stolen a car because they believed that "people who usually own these types of vehicles [...] usually keep their cars clean." The former child star was forced to explain that he was actually the owner of the vehicle, and he simply didn't have time to worry about its cleanliness because he was too busy working. Although McCrary was grateful that the situation didn't go from bad to worse, the actor still naturally found it "traumatizing" because he was completely innocent.

When McCrary opened up about the scary experience to the "Family Matters" producers, they centered an episode around it in the fifth season called "Good Cop, Bad Cop," which some areas notably refused to air. Nonetheless, McCrary was glad that the sitcom had some space for important issues. His onscreen dad, Reginald VelJohnson, similarly told HuffPost in 2016 that their show played a vital role in providing audiences with an honest look at the values that lie at the center of the typical African-American family.

Acknowledging that "Family Matters" wasn't "ground-breaking," the legendary star nonetheless proclaimed, "This presentation is very necessary and important to have had then and continue to have on today." Although many of his castmates would likely agree with that sentiment, they may not look back too fondly on the show because of the negative experiences they endured both on-set and afterwards.