100 Fun Facts About Martin (TV Show)

On which network did Martin air from 1992 to 1997?

It became one of the network's highest-rated shows, and Fox moved it around five different timeslots over its run.

In which city is the show set?

The show was actually taped at Universal City Studios in California, but Detroit runs through everything from the radio station to the lottery episode.

What is the call sign of the radio station where Martin Payne works as a DJ?

Read aloud it is 'What's up', which fit the loudmouth radio persona the show opened with.

What is the name of the talk show Martin ends up hosting in later seasons?

He fell into it as a last-minute fill-in when the regular host was arrested on set, then dubbed himself the Love Doctor.

Who plays Martin's girlfriend and later wife, Gina Waters?

She had already starred opposite Lawrence in House Party (1990) and later played Jay Kyle on My Wife and Kids.

Who plays Pam James, Gina's sharp-tongued best friend?

She went on to play Rochelle on Everybody Hates Chris and Tina Butler on The Neighborhood.

Which actor plays Cole Brown?

Before Cole he was Theo Huxtable's friend Cockroach on The Cosby Show.

Which actor plays Tommy Strawn?

Ford died in 2016 aged 52 from a ruptured aneurysm; the 2022 reunion special was dedicated to him.

What is the running joke about Tommy?

He always alludes to being employed but never says where, prompting the immortal 'Tommy, you ain't got no job!'

What does Cole do for a living?

He is proud of it, and he still lives with his mother Maddie for most of the run.

Gina works for what kind of company?

Pam turns out to work at the same firm as her subordinate, which explains why they are never apart.

Who owns and founded radio station WZUP?

He is played by Garrett Morris, the first Black cast member of Saturday Night Live, and is written as a walking 1970s wardrobe.

Which former Saturday Night Live original cast member plays WZUP's owner?

After he was shot by a would-be robber in 1994, the show wrote Stan out as a national fugitive.

Sheneneh Jenkins, played by Martin Lawrence in drag, runs what business?

Sheneneh's Sho' Nuff Hair Salon; she also lives right across the hall, which is how she keeps ending up in fights with Pam.

Where does Sheneneh live in relation to Martin's apartment?

The hallway is her stage: most of her scenes are ambushes launched from her doorway.

Bruh-Man says he lives on which floor, while holding up four fingers?

Actor Reginald Ballard improvised the four-fingers bit in his audition; the window entrances came from a suggestion by Lawrence on set.

Reginald Ballard says the name Bruh-Man came from the way people talk in which state?

He is from Galveston, and he says the casting director simply asked him to do something a little different.

Which future 30 Rock star made his screen debut on Martin as Hustle Man?

Hustle Man sold anything he could get his hands on and dressed his dog as a rapper.

What is Hustle Man's trademark greeting?

The greeting always preceded a pitch for some questionable product or service.

Which Lawrence character is a self-styled martial arts expert who gets beaten up in nearly every appearance?

He appeared in the first three seasons, usually promising a demonstration and ending up flat on the mat.

Jerome, another Lawrence creation, is described as what?

Loud, aging and still flush with cash, he spends most of his screen time trying to woo Pam.

What job does Ol' Otis hold?

He is always in uniform and always abrasive; Lawrence played him from the first season through the fourth.

King Beef, played by Lawrence in a huge bodysuit, is what?

Whenever trouble starts, King Beef feels an overwhelming urge to dance instead of fight.

Elroy Preston is billed as the forgotten 'Godfather' of what?

He works as an auto mechanic now and breaks into song at random; Lawrence played him only in season two.

Roscoe, one of Lawrence's characters, is what?

He also has a very smart mouth, and got a lot of it aimed at Martin.

What is the name of the bar that serves as the gang's regular hangout?

Nipsey the bartender is played by Sean Lampkin from season three onward.

How many episodes of Martin were produced?

Seasons one through four each ran 27 episodes; the fifth and final season ran 24.

What was the title of the pilot episode, aired August 27, 1992?

The plot: Gina listens to Martin's radio show and hears him talking like a womaniser on air.

In 'Whole Lotto Trouble', Martin's winning Michigan Lottery ticket is split how many ways?

He has already bought a pile of luxury goods and handed money to his friends before collecting.

Which real boxer gets trash-talked by Martin, then surprises him in the ring, in 'Guard Your Grill'?

The 'Hitman' was a celebrity judge at a charity bout Martin had just won.

Which rapper crashes Martin and Gina's engagement party in the episode 'No Love Lost'?

It aired May 1, 1994, at the height of Doggystyle's run.

In 'Blow, Baby, Blow', which rapper asks Martin to help find a new background vocalist?

Method Man turned up two seasons later in 'You Play Too Much', an episode about a burglar Martin mistakes for a prank.

Where do Martin and Gina finally get married in 'Love Is a Beach'?

They flee their bickering families with Tommy and Pam; Cole misses it by boarding the wrong flight.

In 'Headin' for Trouble', Gina gets her head stuck in what?

Tommy attacks it with a welding torch; she still has to attend a board meeting with the remains hidden under a wig and shawl.

What triggers Martin's disappearance in the season two finale 'Martin's on the Move'?

The next season he stumbles into hosting Word on the Street when its host is dragged off set by police.

How does Martin get his talk-show job in 'The Closer I Get to You'?

After his on-air advice reunites a couple, he starts calling himself the Love Doctor.

Which real-life event explains Gina's absence for much of the final season?

She settled and returned for the last two episodes on condition that she share no scenes with him; the two have since reconciled.

Where are Martin and Gina moving to in the series finale 'California, Here We Come'?

A national deal for his talk show and a promotion for her drive the move; Cole tries to propose to Shanise on the way out.

Which honour did Martin collect in 1994?

Lawrence took the Image Award for lead actor in 1995 and 1996, and Tichina Arnold won supporting actress in 1996.

Which comedian plays talk-show rival Varnell Hill?

Nearly 30 years later the character got his own spin-off, The Varnell Hill Show.

On which streaming service did the 2022 reunion special Martin: The Reunion premiere?

The 90-minute special, directed by Stan Lathan, paid tribute to Thomas Mikal Ford, who had died in 2016.

At which 2024 ceremony did the surviving cast reunite on stage?

The show itself never won an Emmy, which made the tribute slot something of a belated apology.

What title was announced in 2024 for a prequel series following Martin as a teenager?

It is described as both an origin story and a reimagining, set in a modern-day Detroit.

Where was Martin Lawrence born?

His father was serving in the U.S. military there; the family later settled in Maryland, where he became a Golden Gloves boxing contender.

Lawrence's first and middle names honour a civil-rights leader and a U.S. president. Which pair?

Fitzgerald is Kennedy's middle name; both men had been dead less than two years when Lawrence was born in 1965.

Which HBO stand-up series did Martin Lawrence host in the early 1990s?

Russell Simmons picked him for the job, and the show launched a generation of Black comics.

Which 1989 Spike Lee film gave Lawrence his breakthrough role as Cee?

His first acting job had come two years earlier on the sitcom What's Happening Now!!

Why was Martin Lawrence banned from NBC for a time in 1994?

The February 19, 1994 monologue was cut from reruns and he did not host the show again.

Which co-star had previously appeared with Lawrence in the 1990 film House Party?

She played Sidney and earned an Independent Spirit nomination; two years later she was Gina.

Which of the show's actresses later played Rochelle, the mother on Everybody Hates Chris?

Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell had both been chorus girls in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors, years before Martin paired them.

Before playing Cole, the actor Carl Payne was known as which Cosby Show character?

Walter 'Cockroach' Bradley was Theo Huxtable's best friend.

What is the name of the white, scatterbrained producer of Martin's radio show in the first two seasons?

He is played by Jon Gries, who later became Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite.

Which recurring character is described as a tough, trigger-happy senior?

She is played by Jeri Gray, and has no qualms about, in the show's phrasing, whoopin' ass.

Bob, one of Lawrence's white characters, is employed where?

He talks like a surfer dude crossed with a redneck, and appeared only in the first two seasons.

In what year did Martin enter second-run syndication?

It has barely left the air since, running on MTV2, VH1, BET and HBO decades later.

Which Sanford and Son star appears as Evelyn Porter?

Page was Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son; David Alan Grier turned up as Reverend Leon Lonnie Love.

In which 1986 film musical did Campbell and Arnold first appear together, as chorus girls?

Arnold was only sixteen when Frank Oz's film was shot; she played Crystal, one of the three R&B singing chorus girls.

In which sport was the teenage Martin Lawrence a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves contender?

Small for his age in the projects, he often fought in the street; he credited his mother and older brothers with keeping him out of jail.

Martin Lawrence fell into a three-day coma in 1999 while training for which film?

He collapsed from heat exhaustion jogging in 100 °F heat wearing heavy clothing and a plastic suit; his body temperature hit 107 °F.

What was the title of Campbell's 1993 debut album?

It sold a modest 40,000 copies; the single 'Push' was produced by Derek Bramble.

What product did Tichina Arnold's company China Moon Rags, founded in 1998, sell?

Friends such as Janet Jackson, Vivica A. Fox and Christina Aguilera were seen wearing the Swarovski-studded headgear.

In which sitcom did Martin Lawrence land his first acting role, in 1987?

Comedian Ritch Shydner had seen his act in the Washington, D.C. area and urged him to make connections in New York.

Who directed the 2022 reunion special Martin: The Reunion?

The 90-minute BET+ special paid tribute to Thomas Mikal Ford, who had died in 2016.

Which comedian was cast to lead the 2026 spin-off The Varnell Hill Show?

Kym Whitley joined as a series regular; it was first green-lit by BET+ before that service merged into Paramount+.

Which actor played Martin's producer Shawn McDermott in the first two seasons?

He appears in the main cast list alongside Garrett Morris, who played station owner Stan Winters.

Which channel added Martin to its lineup in October 2025 with a 'Get Into Martin' marathon?

The show has been in second-run syndication since 1995 and also airs on MTV2, VH1, BET and HBO.

Who plays Gina's father, Dr. Cliff Waters, in the series?

Judyann Elder played her mother Nadine; Sean Lampkin played bar owner Nipsey.

Which rapper appears on Martin as the recurring character Keylolo?

Kim Coles played Bonquisha and Charlie Murphy played Bro Fo' Real among the recurring cast.

Martin Lawrence's daughter Jasmine married the son of which comedian in May 2025?

Lawrence had co-starred with Murphy in the 1999 film Life; Jasmine was born in 1996 to Lawrence and Patricia Southall.

Martin Lawrence received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in which year?

He had made his first dramatic turn in 2022's Mindcage alongside John Malkovich.

Which rock and roll pioneer plays the exterminator in 'Three Men and a Mouse'?

The mouse outwits the professional, so Martin, Tommy, Cole and Shawn end up hunting it themselves while Gina waits it out at her own apartment.

What is the full name of David Alan Grier's crooked preacher character?

He first cons Mama Payne's church in the season-one finale, then returns in season five to reveal that Martin's wedding paperwork was never valid.

Which A-Team star guests when Martin and Gina buy a haunted 'dream house'?

'Boo's in the House' aired on Halloween night 1996, and the couple's first taste of home ownership turns into a calamity-filled horror show.

Which martial-arts film star guests in the Christmas episode 'Scrooge'?

The episode's four ghosts are dead ringers for Tommy, Cole, Gina and Pam, and it is the last time Mama Payne's voice is heard on the show.

Which Diff'rent Strokes star plays a paroled ex-con out for revenge in 'High Noon'?

The convict is someone Martin helped put away, and the title nods to the 1952 western in which a lawman awaits a freed outlaw's return.

Which Jeffersons actress plays domineering maid Miss Minnie in 'Housekeeper from Hell'?

The guest turn earned Gibbs a 1996 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

When Stan sells WZUP to dodge the IRS, what format does the new owner switch it to?

'The Hoe Down in Motown' was shot without Garrett Morris on set; his scenes as Stan were taped on video from his hospital bed after a mugging.

Which Facts of Life alum plays Monica, the co-host Stan hires for Martin's radio show?

'Radio Days' also features real radio personalities Russ Parr and Wendy Williams, and Martin has to resist his growing attraction to his new partner.

Tisha Campbell hyphenated her screen name after marrying which actor in August 1996?

She was credited as Tisha Campbell-Martin for the show's final season and beyond; the couple divorced in 2020 after more than two decades together.

Which Saved by the Bell actress plays Nicole, Martin's rebound girlfriend in season one?

Life imitated art: Lawrence and Voorhies were engaged in real life in 1993, the same year the storyline aired.

In 'Hollywood Swinging', Pam chases a limo believing which movie star is inside?

The two-parter sends the gang to Los Angeles after Martin quits WZUP, only for him to crawl back to Stan once he learns Varnell Hill is a fraud.

Which Atlanta hip-hop duo performs over the closing credits of 'All the Players Came'?

Martin's benefit to save a neighborhood theater also drew blaxploitation royalty Pam Grier, Rudy Ray Moore and Antonio Fargas to the episode.

Which Wu-Tang Clan member plays a burglar Martin mistakes for one of Pam's pranks?

'You Play Too Much' also squeezes in CHiPs star Erik Estrada, and aired as the first episode without Gina after Tisha Campbell walked off the show.

The cruise two-parter 'Goin' Overboard' features cast members from which classic series?

Ted Lange, Lauren Tewes, Bernie Kopell and Jill Whelan all turn up, along with Lynn Whitfield, Lawrence's co-star in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.

Which Good Times actor plays Tommy's ex-Marine father in 'Daddy Dearest'?

The same episode quietly makes Martin a silent partner in Nipsey's bar, setting up the gang's hangout as his investment.

Pam's wealthy older suitor in 'I Don't Have the Heart' is a minority owner of which team?

The gang mocks the fuddy-duddy until the perks roll in, but Pam bails when she learns how he puts his ex-wives out to pasture.

Martin books Gina a getaway to Chilligan's Island after seeing it advertised where?

The dreadful resort turns out to be where Tommy and Pam are celebrating their six-month anniversary, which is what made Gina jealous in the first place.

In 'Auction', what item does Martin give away and then frantically bid to win back?

He only wants it back after hearing what it is supposedly worth, and the bidding war happens at a church auction.

Which supermodel plays Ms. Trinidad, Martin's old third-grade teacher, on Career Day?

Martin is back at his old elementary school for Career Day, and the dinner to catch up on old times goes sideways fast.

Which Geto Boys member plays the ex-lover who has Tommy beaten up in season one?

Martin and Cole storm a little people's bar to avenge Tommy, and Tommy has to be the one to tell everyone that violence only breeds more violence.

Whose spirit does the gang try to summon in the séance in 'The Night He Came Home'?

The ghost-story night aired two days before Halloween 1992 and was the first season-one episode to top 20 million viewers.

How did the show explain Stan's cane when Garrett Morris returned in season three?

Morris really had been shot in a 1994 mugging; the show wrote Stan out as a fugitive and filmed his plastic-surgery scene on the actor's actual hospital bed.

Why did young Marvin falsely claim to be Martin's long-lost son?

Martin is busy trying to impress Gina's visiting mother when the boy turns up, and the truth only comes out after a DNA test.

Which Hangin' with Mr. Cooper star plays lawyer Ronnie Cochran in season five?

'Power to the People's Court' is the only episode in which Martin Payne never appears in person; Lawrence shows up only as Sheneneh and as a voice on speakerphone.

What is the name of Pam's eccentric identical cousin, also played by Tichina Arnold?

The cousin has escaped from a psychiatric ward, so Pam gets hauled in by mistake in the last episode before the two-part finale.

Mark and Joey Kibble, who sang on the show's opening credits, belong to which vocal group?

The Kibble brothers are also credited among the show's theme composers, alongside Steve Keitt and Paul Wright III.

Roughly how many viewers did Martin average per episode in its first season?

That put the rookie show at No. 41 for the 1992-93 season; by the fifth season the average had slipped to 6 million and the rank to No. 110.

Which storyline drew the largest audience in the series run?

The February 1993 two-parter about a disastrous Valentine gift pulled 22.5 million viewers, a high-water mark no later episode matched.

Carl Anthony Payne II and Tichina Arnold both attended which New York high school?

It is the Fame school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and Payne went on from there to Howard University.

Bruh-Man actor Reginald Ballard held an SMU football scholarship at which position?

He transferred to Missouri for his senior year after SMU's program was hit with NCAA sanctions, then turned down pro-football overtures to act.