The cast of Fox TV sitcom “Martin” reunited onstage at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II reunited on a set that was designed to look like the old “Martin” set.
The four friends debated why “Martin” never won an Emmy during its 5 seasons from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997.
The gag was an apparent miscommunication over whether the cast of Martin would finally receive an Emmy Award.
“We finally about to get our Emmy,” Payne said. “We getting our Emmy tonight. Matter of fact I got my speech on deck to ready to go.”
“Carl, we’re not winning an Emmy tonight. Please sit your butt down, please,” Campbell responded.
She later added, “Carl isn’t all the way wrong you guys. I mean, we should have won an Emmy during our run. We were never even nominated despite our 132 episodes, our huge ratings and being in syndicated so much that it’s a little hard for me to see the ’90s Spanx-less version of myself every night, you know what I’m saying right, Tichina?”
Arnold replied, “No, I still look good.”
Emmys host Anthony Anderson stepped in to break the bad news to the cast.
“Hey, hold on. I want to thank you guys for your contribution to television. Thank you. But unlike me, or like me, for the last 11 times, you’re not going to get an Emmy,” Anderson said.
Lawrence presented the award for best lead actor in a comedy series to Jeremy Allen White for his role in “The Bear.”
In the ’90s series, Lawrence, 58, played Martin Payne, a radio station DJ who worked hard to please his demanding live-in girlfriend Gina Waters, played by Campbell.
Martin also played memorable characters on the series, including fan favorite Sheneneh Jenkins, Mama Payne, aging security guard Otis, washed up pimp Jerome, snotty nosed neighbor Roscoe, and more.
Cast member Thomas Mikal Ford, who played the chronically unemployed Tommy, died in 2016 at age 52.
