How Backstage Drama Got Martin Canceled After Just 5 Seasons

Summary Behind-the-scenes drama led to Martin Lawrence's hit sitcom "Martin" being canceled after five seasons.

Tisha Campbell filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence, causing tension on set.

The cast reunited at the 2024 Emmy Awards, showing that they have reconciled despite past issues.

Martin Lawrence's self-titled sitcom Martin made him a star, but when a main character left, it caused fans to wonder, "Why did Gina leave Martin?" The answer is that backstage drama caused it and caused the hit show to be canceled after only five seasons. Martin was part of a wave of 1990s sitcom hits starring Black leads, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Living Single. The show helped Lawrence become a household name before starring in hits like Bad Boys. Though he's dealt with his share of struggles, he has a loyal fanbase, but it still didn't stop Martin from being canceled.

The second-biggest name to come out of the Martin TV show was Tisha Campbell, who played Martin's girlfriend, Gina. She was the female lead on My Wife and Kids opposite Damon Wayans for five seasons, then recurred on All of Us and Everybody Hates Chris. A lot of why Martin worked was the charming but sometimes stressful relationship between Martin and Gina, but a big reason the show didn't last longer was due to strife between the two actors behind the scenes.

Martin Lawrence Was Allegedly Inappropriate Toward Tisha Campbell On Martin’s Set

Tisha Campbell Filed A Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Martin Lawrence

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Martin Main Cast Martin Lawrence Martin Payne Tisha Campbell Gina Waters-Payne Carl Anthony Payne II Cole Brown Thomas Mikal Ford Thomas "Tommy" Strawn Tichina Arnold Pamela "Pam" James

The main reason Martin was canceled, according to contemporary reports, was that by season 5, the relationship between Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell had completely fallen apart. The two had known each other before the show, starring in House Party together, and according to Campbell, Lawrence would constantly subject her to unwanted sexual advances, which only got worse once she got engaged (via People). Campbell also alleged that Lawrence would grope her during sex scenes, to the point where she asked the writing team not to write them anymore.

The lawsuit was eventually settled, and Campbell returned for Martin's final episodes.

Lawrence, an executive producer on Martin, also allegedly was verbally abusive to the rest of the cast, sometimes threatening to get them fired. By Martin season 5, Campbell had enough, and filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence, resulting in Gina sitting out much of the season. The lawsuit was eventually settled, and Campbell returned for Martin's final episodes, but under the condition she did not have to share scenes with Lawrence, making for an incredibly awkward and largely regrettable series finale.

The Martin Cast Has Since Made Up

There Was A 2024 Emmy Awards Reunion

Things seemed to finally get fixed between the cast when Martin Lawrence said that things were good between him and Tisha Campbell. In an interview with GQ in 2020, Lawrence talked about the lawsuit and said "None of that was true. It was all a lot of bullsh*t." He then went on to say there was no reason for them to talk about it since "it just didn't happen." Lawrence also said that the show wasn't canceled and that he decided to leave the show because of the controversy with Campbell, who he then said he has "nothing but love for her."

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This came as a shock to Campbell because she thought that she and Lawrence had come to terms, only to hear him calling her lawsuit claims a lie again decades later. She appeared on the daytime talk show The Talk and said his comments surprised her, but she couldn't say much about it because of a "gag order." Lawrence did say that she called him and he told her that people were trying to "boring up the past" (via Essence). This led to 2022 when Campbell said she "worked really hard to reconnect, to forgive" Lawrence (via BET).

The Martin cast reunited at the 75th Emmy Awards.

In 2024, the Martin cast reunited at the 75th Emmy Awards. They showed up in a replica of the show's apartment and acted like they were there to accept an Emmy when they were actually there to present one. This reunion included Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Carl Anthony Payne II. Campbell quipped they should have won an Emmy in their run, and then they presented the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series to Jeremy Allen White (The Bear).

Bad Boys 4 Is Coming Despite Some Issues

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Hits Theaters On June 7, 2024

For a while, it seemed like Martin Lawrence's latest project, Bad Boys 4, was facing problems. However, this was because of Will Smith's actions, not his own. The script for the movie was finished, but the project was seemingly canceled after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Smith received 20 pages of the script for Bad Boys 4 before the event. The infamous incident set in motion the cancelation or suspension of all Will Smith projects moving forward and his resignation from the Academy.

Bad Boys 4 didn't hit the big screen when expected.

Chris Rock hosted the 2022 Oscars, and while on stage, he made a joke concerning Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia. Will then took to the stage to slap Chris Rock in the middle of the ceremony. Though the action had reverberating consequences, the Bad Boys actor still won an Oscar for his performance in King Richard. It was unfortunate, as the Oscars had several triumphs that were completely overshadowed by Smith's actions. So, Bad Boys 4 didn't hit the big screen when expected but since then, things have changed.

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Bad Boys: Ride Or Die finally started shooting in April 2023 and the movie went on as planned. The film, which brought back Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly and both Paola Núñez and Alexander Ludwig from Bad Boys for Life, also signed Eric Dane as the villain and Ioan Gruffudd to the cast. The movie, which sees Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) investigating corruption in the Miami PD when their late captain dies, sees them working outside the police force to solve the mystery while running from the law themselves. Bad Boys: Ride or Die hits theaters on June 7, 2024.