The Show:
Lovable radio DJ warms the hearts of America by verbally abusing his spouse.
But Behind The Scenes…
Lovable stand-up comic terrifies the shit out of everyone in a 10-yard radius.
Tisha Campbell’s big break was playing Gina Waters, Martin’s wife and recipient of the famous catch phrase, “Damn, Gina!”
Thanks to the on-screen charisma between Gina and Martin, the show became one of Fox’s biggest shows not involving police chases.
Sadly, the sitcom’s success came at the price of Martin Lawrence’s sanity. The star began abusing drugs like pixie sticks, and his behavior on-set went from endearingly manic to full-blown Rick James.
According to a 1997 lawsuit filed by Campbell, Lawrence physically threatened cast and crew, carried a loaded firearm and once attempted to molest her in front of a live studio audience. She finally called it quits after Lawrence threatened to kill his estranged wife. This sort of behavior seems haltingly out of place for a comedian who we’ve since come to laud for his realistic portrayals of femininity.
Campbell returned to film the series finale with the stipulation that Lawrence and her could never be in the same room together. We presume this arrangement set the template for how every single episode of John & Kate Plus Eight was filmed.