Queen Latifah and Kim Coles gave fans an unexpected reunion when they were spotted together on the red carpet at the inaugural theGrio Awards.
Fans of the ’90s sitcom “Living Single” could hardly contain their nostalgia-laced excitement as comments flooded photos and video clips from the event on social media. As stated by theGrio, the event was a “beacon of Black excellence” and Latifah shined bright in a gold billowing, floor-length gown that boasted large floral-like ruffles in the front. The “U.N.I.T.Y.” artist was among the gala’s honorees and the recipient of the Television Icon Award.
The Oscar-nominated actress was pleasantly was surprised by the former “In Living Color” cast member while she posed for photos. Coles was excitedly seen embracing the actress before they exchanged “I love yous.” She and Latifah spent five seasons playing fictional cousins, Khadijah and Synclair James, respectively, for the series’ five-season run. Their other cast members included John Henson as Overton Wakefield, Erika Alexander as Maxine Shaw, Kim Fields as Regine Hunter and TC Carson as Kyle Baker.
“Khadijah and Synclaire together again,” read a comment.
Another person wrote, “Awww I’ve been binging living single for the last few days.”
A third commented, “Awwww the sitcom cousins.”
Four years ago, the cast, sans Latifah and Alexander, reunited for the show’s 25th anniversary. In a special hosted by TV One, Fields, Coles, Henson and Baker reflected on some of the memorable on-camera moments they shared. Baker again acknowledged the impact of “Living Single” when he shared a heartfelt post on the show’s 29th anniversary in August.
While the entire crew was unable to attending the reunion special, Coles previously has said that a group chat has helped them keep in touch throughout the years. “We check in with each other or we laugh at something or we celebrate births and deaths and marriages and divorces and all the things,” she told “Entertainment Tonight” in 2020.
In a fourth comment, a fan wrote, “Woo woo woo woo woo woo in my Sinclair voice.” The latter was a reference to Cole’s signature catchphrase on the show. In 2013, the comedian explained the genesis of the line. “It is something that my mother used to say to us when words would fail her. So if you were hurt it’s ‘Oh woo, woo, woo.’…I adlibbed that on the show one time and it ended up on the show forever,” Coles said.
While the show is fondly remembered by fans and the cast, not all of the memories have been whimsical. Latifah previously said executives attempted to instruct her and the other female cast members to lost weight. “We have a hit show and you’re telling us we need to lose weight. Telling us this exactly. Why are you telling us this? We look like real people. We look like real women. We all look different,” she recalled telling executives. She added, “It made me angry and it made me just want to fight against that. I felt like we were representing women in our community and they needed to see that kind of representation.”
