Living Single Cast: Where The Actors Are Now

An integral part of the Black sitcom boom of the 1990s, "Living Single" remains a timeless series among the rest. There are so many qualities about the show that makes it great television: satisfying growth for characters (even the supporting ones), sharp comedic writing; thoughtful episodes addressing workplace racism, sexism, homosexuality, and mental health; the portrayal of chosen family as a legitimate network of support. "Living Single" is like "Sex and the City" if it had a sitcom, network TV format.

It inspired series within its era and beyond — it was the partial inspiration for "Friends," and paved the way for another all-Black female sitcom in the 2000s, "Girlfriends." The lasting impact of the show makes it one of the best TV shows of the 1990s.

Above all, "Living Single" shines because of the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry of the cast. Everyone was perfectly suited to the roles they played; each actor brought their own flair to the characters. For example, Kim Fields' desire to avoid hairstyling every episode led her to wear wigs for simplicity, and that choice became an unforgettable quirk of Regine Hunter. 

There's only been one full (well, almost, sans Queen Latifah) cast reunion since the show ended in 1998 — a TV One special in 2008. Despite Latifah's absence, there's no love lost between her and the cast. They've for the most part gone their separate ways but continue to hold reverence for the show's place in their respective careers.

Here's where the "Living Single" actors are now.

Where do you even start with Queen Latifah? As the lead protagonist of the show, Queen Latifah kicked in Hollywood's door with her role as ambitious magazine editor Khadijah James in "Living Single." She began her career as a trailblazing rapper in a male-dominated genre,and concurrently started her acting career in the early '90s with small roles in cultural touchstones like "House Party 2" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." Her breakthrough role, however, was in "Living Single." Not to make a theme song pun, but she really was the glue that held the show together.

After the show, Latifah has done pretty much everything one could do in Hollywood. In the late '90s into the 2000s, she continued to joining ensemble casts in films such as "Set It Off," "Scary Movie 3," and "Beauty Shop," which was a spin-off film she earned from her memorable appearance in "Barbershop 2." She shocked the world with her singing voice as Matron "Mama" Morton in Academy Award-winning movie "Chicago." She continued her singing career by releasing albums and portraying Motormouth Maybelle in the 2007 remake of "Hairspray." Being an integral part of two of the best movie musicals of the 21st century? A huge flex!

Latifah has been the leading lady in romcoms like "Last Holiday" and "Just Wright." She's shown her emotional range in dramas such as "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Steel Magnolias." She's hosted her own talk show! She's been a Covergirl!

In recent years, she's not slowed down. She starred as Robyn McCall in CBS's reboot of "The Equalizer" (seen above), which ended in May 2025 after five seasons. Latifah is currently in production for "Ice Age 6," reprising her role as the mammoth Ellie in the series. If you want to catch up ahead of the release in 2026, familiarize yourself with the correct order to watch the films.

Bringing her stellar sketch comedy skills from her stint on season one of "In Living Color," Kim Coles brought a wholesome quirkiness to Khadijah's cousin, Synclaire James that gave the show heart. Another example of the actor imbuing the character with their own backstory, Synclaire came out of her shell as the seasons went on, becoming confident in her improv abilities to the point of landing her own TV show. Plus, she married the man of her dreams, Overton Wakefield Jones.

After Syncloverton's happily ever after, she played Judy Owens on "The Geena Davis Show" (seen above) and then had a recurring role was on sitcom "One on One" as Leilani Jones. But mostly, Coles has done a mix of character acting and guest appearances on reality, game show, and culture docuseries in the last 20 years. She's appeared on "Celebrity Mole: Hawaii," "Comics Unleashed," "RuPaul's Drag Race," "Dark Side of the '90s," "The Surreal Life," and "Dark Side of Comedy." Most recently, she was a recurring character on "Days of Our Lives" from 2023 to 2025, and appeared on the comedy "Mid-Century Modern" in March 2025.

"Living Single" fans wanting more from her and the cast will also be delighted to learn that Coles currently hosts the "ReLiving Single" podcast with Erika Alexander, where the two actresses rewatch the series and provide their behind-the-scenes commentary.

The superficial, gossipy, man-candy addicted Regine Hunter was the most fabulous part of the "Living Single." A self-proclaimed "diva," her ridiculous high-maintenance behavior and running feud with Maxine provided so many of the show's funniest moments. The actress behind the diva was equally as fab, even from childhood beginnings as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey on "The Facts of Life."

Once "Living Single" ended, she went back to her roots by reprising her role as Tootie in "The Facts of Life Reunion" movie in 2001. Her TV credits, both as actress and director, are extensive. She guest starred and directed two dozen episodes of "Kenan & Kel" up until 2000. She also was featured in several episodes of shows such as "Let's Stay Together," "The Rickey Smiley Show," and "All the Queen's Men." Not only did she act, but she additionally directed multiple episodes of each series and several others including Nickelodeon's "The Girl Lay Lay" and BET's "Haus of Vicious."

In the last 15 years, she's found great sitcom success, first in Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" until 2022 and currently as Regina Upshaw on Netflix's "The Upshaws" (pictured above). She may always be known as Regine, but Fields has proven she's no one-hit wonder.

Chip Fields was a recurring character on "Living Single" as Laverne Fields, Regine's notably un-fashionable mother. A fitting part to play, given that she is Kim Fields' real-life mother (in case it wasn't obvious from their uncanny resemblance). While she is most conveniently known as Kim Fields/Regine Hunter's mom, Chip Fields has quietly been a force in front of and behind the camera since the 1970s. Before "Living Single," she infamously played Penny's (Janet Jackson) abusive mother in "Good Times," as well as various guest roles in "What's Happening!!," Hill Street Blues," and "The Facts of Life." (She played Kim's character Tootie's mom in that, too!)

After "Living Single," Fields flexed her skills behind the scenes, becoming a prolific consultant and director in the 2000s for children's media and sitcoms. Her work includes consulting on "Zenon: Girl of the 21^st Century" and "The Parkers," and directing handfuls of episodes for series like "Sister, Sister," "Girlfriends," "One on One," and "House of Payne." She even directed an episode of "Hannah Montana." In the last five years, she served as director for roughly half of the episodes of Nickelodeon show "Young Dylan," which ended in April 2025.

Maxine Shaw was a pivotal ingredient to the magic of the cast. In fact, creator Yvette Lee Bowser felt so strongly about the character that, upon being told to cut Maxine for the show to proceed, she was willing to sacrifice the project altogether. We should all be so glad that Bowser stuck to her guns, because Maxine's ruthless ambition, caustic wit, and man-eating tendencies were the secret sauce to the show's humor.

Similar to her onscreen beau T.C. Carson, Erika Alexander's career post-"Living Single" has taken interesting turns. She made several one-episode appearances in the 2000s and 2010s across television, but she also found recurring roles on the likes of "Judging Amy," "Last Man Standing," "Insecure," and "Black Lightning."

However, where Alexander has really shone is her appearances in films, both mainstream and indie. She played minor-to-supporting roles in films like "Déjà Vu," "Brave New Jersey," and "Get Out" (one of the best movies ever, as far as we're concerned). In the last five years, she's taken more leading roles in small films like "American Refugee" and "Earth Mama." In 2023, she played Coraline opposite Jeffrey Wright in Academy-Award nominated "American Fiction" (seen above), a funny literary satire that was widely praised by critics.

Surprisingly, Alexander also dabbled in the publishing world. She worked with Joss Whedon in 2012 to write "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comics, which ironically may end up being an obstacle to the "Buffy" sequel series. Additionally, she produced a documentary film about Senator John Lewis in 2020 and an award-winning true crime series for Audible in 2023.

Debonaire. Arrogant. Vain. Whatever you called him, you didn't soon forget Kyle Barker after watching him in "Living Single." T.C. Carson gave such richness to Kyle, from his velvety smooth singing voice to his excellent body language. His chemistry with John Henton, Kim Fields, and Erika Alexander were central to the series' success.

In recent years, Carson has been honest about why he left the show prematurely — or rather, why he was fired. He often advocated for better pay for the cast, citing copycat show "Friends" and what those actors were paid. He told Comedy Hype in 2020, "We were getting less all around. And then they created 'Friends' and gave them everything. Both shows were Warner Bros. shows on Warner Bros. lots. So to watch that [...] was really kind of a slap in the face."

After losing his job in 1998, Carson moved forward undeterred. In fact, he made a pivot and became a prolific voice actor. A glance at some of his credits is shocking to say the least: He was the original Kratos in the "God of War" games from 2005 to 2013, Ra's al Ghoul in "Justice League vs. Teen Titans," and John Stewart (Green Lantern) in the "Justice League: Cosmic Chaos" game. His most consistent voice work has been Mace Windu in almost every non-live-action iteration of "Star Wars," whether animated TV show or video games. In front of the camera, he recently found success in the BET "A Wesley Christmas" film series (pictured above).

The lovable, country bumpkin of the group, Overton Wakefield Jones (John Henton) delivered the show's quirkiest one-liners, rivaled only by his romantic interest Synclaire. He added a special seasoning (dare I say, Flavor) to the urban tone of the rest of the characters, providing a refreshing (and hilarious) contrast. John Henton went on to lend his comedic stylings to a main cast spot as Milsap Morris on "The Hughleys," D.L. Hughley's fictionalized family comedy. He was Darryl (D.L.) Hughley's best friend for the series entire run, ending in 2002.

Beyond his best-known roles in "Living Single" and "The Hughleys," Henton hasn't acted very much. He took parts here and there in shows like "One on One," "The Parkers," and "Hannah Montana." As himself, he also made appearances on TV specials like "Hollywood Squares," "BET's Comicview," "Black to the Future," and "Comics Unleashed" to provide humorous commentary on culture.

The Mr. Big to Khadijah's Carrie, Scooter was the love interest that wouldn't die on "Living Single." A charming music producer, his easygoing nature balanced out Khadijah's neuroticism. He was her perfect match.

Once he kissed the show goodbye, Williams landed a regular supporting role on "ER" from 1998 to 2008 as Officer Reggie Moore. He also took steady character actor work, appearing in various TV shows and films such as "Law & Order: SVU," "Veronica Mars," and "Grey's Anatomy." He was also Lavon Hayes in "Hart of Dixie" until 2015.

His biggest role, however, came in 2018 with "Black Lightning" (seen above). As part of the "old CW," he played the titular hero Jefferson Pierce until 2021 and made appearances across the Arrowverse ("The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow" specifically) as well. He even got to reunite with his former castmates, T.C. Carson and Erika Alexander, in guest appearances during the first two seasons of the show.

With T.C. Carson's exit from the series, Mel Jackson was cast to more or less replace him. Tripp Williams debuted in the show's final season as new roommate to Khadijah and Regine after Synclaire moved out. Bless him, Jackson tried his best to make an impression, but it was hard for audiences to really latch onto Tripp so late in the game.

The actor continued to get work into the 2000s after his short stint on "Living Single." Shortly before the show ended, he was featured in "Soul Food," one of the most beloved Black films ever. He went on to also feature in other films like "Uninvited Guest," "Deliver Us From Eva" (based on Shakespeare, in case you didn't know) and both "Motives" movies as Detective Morgan. He also made several appearances in made-for-TV movies and shows including "The Temptations" (one of the best music biopics), "The Steve Harvey Show," "The Parkers," and "Half & Half" up to 2005. 

His last credited appearance on screen was in 2011 in an episode of "Reed Between the Lines," a BET sitcom starring Tracee Ellis Ross from 2011 to 2015.