Former “Martin” star Carl Anthony Payne II is speaking out about the on-the-set turmoil that occurred on the hit sitcom starring Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Thomas Mikal Ford, and Tichina Arnold.
The comedic series aired between 1992 and 1997 on Fox, and, according to Lawrence, the show ended after Campbell filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the actor. Payne recently revealed that the bosses of the show ignored the turmoil brewing between the cast members in an attempt to make 100 episodes.
Payne, who portrayed Martin’s friend Cole Brown, appeared on the “MATH HOFFA” podcast on Feb. 24, where he confirmed that the “atmosphere” on the set led to the show’s demise.
“The atmosphere was what it was, you know. You can see the writing on the wall, so to speak,” he said. “Nobody was playing — the team wasn’t playing like a team.”
The 54-year-old added that, looking back, he thinks that the top executives on the show solely wanted to film 100 episodes so the show could reach syndication.
“They knew it was turmoil in the camp, or just that, you know, that things weren’t gelling with folks, you know, and I believe they ignored it.”
After being asked if Campbell’s lawsuit had anything to do with the turmoil, Payne replied, “I don’t speak on that kind of stuff, man. I don’t speak on it, because it ain’t got nothing to do with me.” He suggested that the podcast hosts invite the other stars of the show and ask them about Campbell’s lawsuit.
Lawrence told GQ magazine back in 2020 that “none of that was true” regarding Campbell’s lawsuit and that he had nothing but love for the actress, who played his love interest on “Martin.”
Campbell left the show in November 1996 and filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence and the show in January 1997. She claimed that the “Bad Boy” actor groped her during love scenes, constantly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances and was verbally abusive to the cast. The lawsuit was later settled, and Campbell returned for the final episodes.
“We don’t need to talk about something that just didn’t happen,” said Lawrence. “So I just decided to walk away from the show. I just decided to end it. People said that I got canceled, but that wasn’t the case. I decided to just leave the show.”
The former pair who played the beloved Martin and Gina later resolved their differences, and the cast reunited for a “Martin” reunion in 2022 to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.
“We worked really hard to reconnect,” said Campbell. “To forgive, and its really, this reunion is about a celebration of everything that we’ve accomplished, and our growth as human beings. We concentrated mostly on that.”
The cast reunited again for a special appearance during the 2024 Emmys Awards in January.
Up next for Payne is a role in the independent horror film “The Grove” about a soldier returning home who forgets to take his medication and descends into madness.
