Bill Bellamy recently disclosed a tale of alleged comedy theft that has “Martin” fans debating the origins of his Sheneneh Jenkins character.
The iconic character was a fan favorite for five seasons from 1992 to 1997 in the hit series starring Martin Lawrence. Lawrence previously has claimed that the feisty character was inspired by his sister, Ursula Lawrence, but Bellamy has another take on the matter.
The “Booty Call” actor recalled former Def Jam Comedy comic Derrick Fox’s closing act as a character named Shauntae as the first iteration of Shenehneh. Both Lawrence and Fox appeared on the comedy showcase that helped launch the careers of several notable comedians in the 1990s.
Bellamy said that the two comics were part of the lineup at New Jersey comedy club Terminal D one night when Fox performed his Shauntae joke. He alluded to the fact that not long after, Fox decided to ditch comedy.
“Now I’m not going to say nothin’ ‘cause it ain’t the same name, but imma say somethin,’” began Bellamy on a June episode of his podcast “Top Billin,” which featured comedian Arie Spears as a guest.
“Your Sheneneh that Martin took to ‘nother level, that was bomb, like to a level where we had to see it on his show, killed Derrick Fox’s (Shauntae) — Derrick couldn’t even go back and do it no more,” he continued.
Spears chimed in, “The unfortunate part is now everybody’s gon’ say ‘Look what he stole from Martin…’ when in reality he’s doing Shauntae, who became Sheneneh.”
In April, the “Bad Boys” star told Variety that “Sheneneh’s my sister, she’s my nieces, so I love playing her and I knew people would take to her and her attitudes and all that.”
In an interview uncovered by Comedy Hype, Fox said that Lawrence initially asked him to be a writer on “Martin” and to do his Shauntae bit. “At some point, before we could get into negotiations and all that stuff, at some point he decided to do the character himself. I don’t fault him for that,” said Fox.
“Can he not get Martin on his podcast to confirm or deny instead of throwing out conspiracy theories? lol.”
“Martin said the character was inspired by his sister.”
“Didn’t it actually come from Flip Wilson? He was the first comedian I personally was portray a woman during his comedic act.”
After 20-plus years in the industry, Lawrence received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, making him the 2,753rd entertainer to achieve the recognition.
