Back in 2017, when the cast of the ’90s classic sitcom reunited for Entertainment Weekly, fans raised one simple question: Where was Judy?
Jaimee Foxworth, who portrayed Judy Winslow, was noticeably absent from the Family Matters reunion cover shoot and videos. In an interview at the time with The Root, Foxworth revealed she only learned of the reunion when fellow cast member Shawn Harrison contacted her and no one from Entertainment Weekly reached out to her.
“I was not invited at all. I wasn’t even contacted. Shawn sent me a text two days before it was released,” Foxworth said. “He asked if anyone contacted me, and he just wanted to let me know that EW contacted them to do a reunion cover. And he just didn’t want me to be shocked when it came out. The people in the picture are more important than the picture itself. It was a slap in the face from Entertainment Weekly. I don’t think there’s any good explanation. If they want to use adult films as the reason, I’m not the first person to do adult films and won’t be the last.”
Foxworth revealed that her Family Matters character was written out of the show’s fourth season due to the rising popularity of breakout character Steve Urkel, portrayed by Jaleel White.
“The producers felt that they could do it and no one would notice. They’d done it with previous shows they had. They figured no one would really care. My fans took notice of it,” Foxworth said.
“They figured they could just throw me away, no explanation at all. Some of my cast members knew before I did,” she added, noting Jo Marie Payton fought for her to stay on but was unsuccessful.
As for the reunion, she noted that there was even a photo of Mother Winslow (Rosetta Lenoire) on the table. “By being included, it could have started a conversation about how certain people in a family don’t always do what everyone agrees with. Sure, I did adult films, but the only people that are going to be shocked about it are kids. It’s not shocking. I did not kill anyone. I didn’t murder anyone. The only pain I inflicted on anyone was myself.”
