My Wife And Kids Cast: Where They Are Now

The popular early 2000s sitcom had a significant following when it was on the air, and many viewers wonder where the My Wife and Kids cast are now, since the show ended almost two decades ago in 2005. Debuting in 2001, My Wife and Kids centers on the Kyle family, and the chaos surrounding their day-to-day suburban lives. The cast is headed up by co-creator Damon Wayans, known for his work on Saturday Night Live and the Lethal Weapon TV series. Even if most of the My Wife and Kids cast weren’t household names, many have had successful careers.

Besides Damon Wayans Sr. (not to be confused with son Damon Wayans Jr. of New Girl fame), veteran actor Tisha Campbell-Martin brought her years of experience to the project and helped to elevate the show. As is the case with most sitcoms, the cast is a strong mix of youth and experience, and many of the show’s stronger moments came because of their chemistry. My Wife and Kids went through several recasts during its run, and though there was a constant state of change, the series never lost the spark between the characters that made it enjoyable.

Damon Wayans (Michael Kyle Sr.)

Season 1 – Season 5

Co-creator Damon Wayans appeared in the My Wife and Kids cast as Michael Kyle Sr., the dedicated if sometimes silly father of the family. He starred on the show for all five seasons and won several awards for his performance in the comedy series. After My Wife and Kids was canceled before season 6, Wayans returned to his sketch comedy roots in the short-lived series The Underground in 2006, which he also created.

Sticking mostly to television, Wayans landed the lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon television series, which ran from 2016 until 2019. In 2021, Wayans appeared as Willis in the Live in Front of a Studio Audience special, which recreated the classic sitcom Diff’rent Strokes​​​​​​. After a 12-year absence from movie roles, Wayans returned to the big screen in 2023 with the movie Cinnamon and then took on the starring role in the new TV series Poppa’s House on CBS.

Tisha Campbell-Martin (Janet “Jay” Kyle)

Season 1 – Season 5

Tisha Campbell-Martin played the matriarch of the Kyle family, Janet “Jay” Kyle, who often tries to hold everything together. Campbell-Martin immediately found consistent work after being part of the cast of My Wife and Kids, and she landed another recurring role on the sitcom All of Us until 2006. Besides dozens of TV appearances as herself in various game shows, Campbell appeared as Angelina in 2008’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and as Coach Poppy in the 2021 film The J Team.

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Campbell-Martin then landed back-to-back starring TV roles as Suzanne Prentiss in Uncoupled and Keisha in Act Your Age. In 2024, Campbell-Martin once again returned to the movies with a role in Not Another Church Movie, which also stars Vivica A. Fox and features Mickey Rourke as the Devil and Jamie Foxx as God. Fans can also hear Campbell-Martin’s voice as she has taken on the role of Juanita “Peaches” Clarkson in the animated sequel series Everybody Still Hates Chris.

George O. Gore II (Michael Kyle Jr.)

Season 1 – Season 5

Smart but ultimately unmotivated, Michael Kyle Jr. was the Kyles’ only son, and he was played by George O. Gore II. Gore had transitioned to comedic work when he was cast in My Wife and Kids, and he would continue along those lines in his work following the show’s ending. Gore teamed up again with Wayans on the 2013 series Second Generation Wayans when he played himself, and he lent his voice to 2017’s A Boo Crew Christmas.

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Gore also landed the major role of Ray in the 2009 spoof film Dance Flick. The actor had a few film roles before appearing in My Wife and Kids, including Juice, Eddie, and The Devil’s Advocate, but he has only appeared in two movies since leaving the show. He also hasn’t appeared in anything at all since 2017 (A Boo Crew Christmas), although he is trying to find more work behind the scenes. He co-wrote the screenplay for the Disney+ movie Sneakerella in 2022, a modern adaptation of Cinderella.

Jazz Raycole (Claire Kyle)

Season 1

Played by Jazz Raycole in the show’s first season, Claire Kyle was the family’s eldest daughter, and she struggled with the growing pains of being a teenage girl. Raycole departed the cast of My Wife and Kids after only 12 episodes, but she hit the ground running with a slew of guest spots on shows like Monk and Everybody Hates Chris. She also took on guest roles on The Office, Jericho, and Eastwick.

In 2012, she played the main cast role of Lyric Ballentine in The Soul Man TV series and then as Zoe in the 2015 series Vanity. As she grew into adulthood, Raycole landed the recurring role of Sydney Fletcher on the series The Quad in 2017 and played the character of Izzy Letts in 2022’s The Lincoln Lawyer. While she has dozens of television show appearances, Raycole has never appeared in a movie since long before My Wife and Kids, as her last film role was in 1995’s Waiting to Exhale.

Jennifer Nicole Freeman (Claire Kyle)

Season 2 – Season 5

Despite being a sitcom character re-cast that stuck out, Jennifer Nicole Freeman took over the role of Claire Kyle in the second season and played the part until the end of the show’s run. While she was still on the show, Freeman appeared as Jill in 2004’s Johnson Family Vacation and had small roles on shows like The O.C. throughout the 2000s. Freeman found consistent work in TV movies throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s.

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She gained an entirely new fanbase when she appeared as herself in the cast of Real Husbands of Hollywood from 2013 to 2016. Many fans might recognize her from her myriad roles in made-for-TV movies, with titles like Kiss Me for Christmas, A Royal Surprise, Aisle Be Home for Christmas, and A Royal Christmas Surprise. In 2022, Freeman scored the role of Kimberly in the TV series The Black Hamptons as part of the main cast, which she has appeared in for both seasons.

Parker McKenna Posey (Kady Kyle)

Season 1 – Season 5

Parker McKenna Posey played Kady Kyle, the youngest child who appeared innocent but often used her charm to manipulate her siblings. Posey followed up her time in the My Wife and Kids cast with several small roles in shows like iCarly, but she transitioned into more mature parts as the years wore on. In 2017, Posey appeared in an episode of the critically acclaimed series Snowfall and was cast in one of the three lead roles as Laila in the show Games People Play.

Starting in 2019, Posey began starring as Summer in the second season of the drama series A House Divided, a role she played until the final fifth season. In 2023, she appeared in the movie The Assistant. Most recently, Posey took on a role in College Hill: Celebrity Edition in its second season. This reality TV series shows celebrities living together while attending Texas Southern University. Other famous celebs in that season include Iman Shumpert and Amber Rose.

Noah Gray-Cabey (Franklin Mumford III)

Season 3 – Season 5

Played by Noah Gray-Cabey, the whizkid Franklin Mumford III was introduced as Kady’s good friend in season 3, but he would eventually develop feelings for her. After the cancelation of My Wife and Kids, Gray-Cabey immediately snagged a leading role as Micah Sanders on Heroes and would appear on the show until its demise in 2009. He won Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Actor Age Ten or Younger at the Young Artist Awards and Future Classic Award at the TV Land Awards for Heroes.

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Besides returning for the reboot series Heroes Reborn, Gray-Cabey also starred as Elliot Dixon, a first-year resident in the ER, in the second and third seasons of the series Code Black. In 2021, Gray-Cabey appeared in the recurring role of Frausto in the hit sports drama All American from the third to the fifth season of the hit CW series. He played a football player on South Crenshaw, who wasn’t happy to see Spencer returning to the team.

Meagan Good (Vanessa Scott-Kyle)

Season 3

What made My Wife and Kids such a great sitcom was its abundance of supporting characters, including Michael Junior’s wife, Vanessa Scott-Kyle, played by Meagan Good in season 3. Following her departure from the show after season 3, Good co-starred as Kara in Rian Johnson’s directorial debut thriller Brick in 2005. She appeared as April in 2007’s Stomp the Yard and found consistent work in both film and TV throughout the 2000s and 2010s.

In the years since the sitcom ended, Good had several high-profile roles in movies like Stomp the Yard, Saw V, Jumping the Broom, Shazam!, and Monster Hunter. In 2022, Good joined Jamie Foxx in the Netflix vampire movie Day Shift. In 2023, Good reprised her role as Darla in the blockbuster DCU comic book movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods. She also stars as a main cast member in Harlem on Prime Video, a role she has played since 2021.

Brooklyn Sudano (Vanessa Scott-Kyle)

Season 4 – Season 5

Taking over the role that Meagan Goode originally played, Brooklyn Sudano joined the My Wife and Kids cast for seasons 4 and 5 as Vanessa Scott-Kyle. When the show ended, Sudano found more work in one-off appearances in various TV series like CSI: NY and 90210. Sudano nabbed a regular role as Asha Flynn in the series Taken in 2017 and the part of Angela Prescott in 2021’s Cruel Summer series.

Sudano found another gear to her career when she directed the 2023 documentary Love to Love You, Donna Summer, which was about her mother, the eponymous musician. Sudano was nominated for a pair of prestigious awards for her directing on the festival circuit. Her most recent TV role was in an episode of Grand Crew in 2022, and her last movie role came in 2023 with the role of Dana Marks in the TV movie Every Breath She Takes.

My Wife And Kids’ Legacy On TV

My Wife and Kids has a strong legacy, not so much thanks to its original run but the popularity it gained after it went into syndication. A perfect example of this came in a Reddit thread, which saw many fans debate why they feel the show remains underrated. “It was and it touched on necessary topics for both young people and adults,” wrote Salt-Light-Love. “There was humor, compassion and love all up in that family. So much so the family friends got to feel it and be affected.“

The show’s success on streaming also gave it new life, helping people rediscover the sitcom almost 20 years after it ended. “I went back and re-watched this show recently on Hulu and I must say I appreciated it way more now than I did before,” ctw1271 wrote. “Solid performances from everyone across the board, it was actually hilarious.“

When My Wife and Kids came out, it was a new era for Black sitcoms, following shows like The Cosby Show, Family Matters, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It changed everything, with the parents not knowing what they needed to do, and messing up was an important part of creating a better life for the families. In the years that followed, shows like Black-ish and Abbott Elementary followed suit, allowing the sitcoms to have morality tales without ever forcing it upon viewers, and they owe it all to Damon Wayans’ sitcom.

My Wife and Kids is a family sitcom that stars Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, a loving husband and father who rules his household with a distinct parenting style. The series explores the dynamics within the Kyle family, highlighting everyday challenges and humorous situations. Tisha Campbell-Martin co-stars as Janet, Michael’s supportive wife, while George O. Gore II, Jennifer Freeman, and Parker McKenna Posey play their children, Junior, Claire, and Kady.

Cast

Damon Wayans , Tisha Campbell-Martin , George O. Gore II , Jazz Raycole , Parker McKenna Posey , Jennifer Nicole Freeman , Noah Gray-Cabey , Brooklyn Sudano

Release Date

March 28, 2001

Seasons

5

Creator(s)

Don Reo , Damon Wayans