Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Living Single

Fox's "Living Single," which ran from 1993 to 1998, was groundbreaking for multiple reasons. Along with fellow Fox series "Martin," it was among the first network sitcoms to focus primarily on a group of Black professional twentysomething friends without some forced gimmick to tie the whole thing together. The fact that it featured not only a predominantly Black ensemble but one with more women than men among the main cast only further added to how ahead of its time "Living Single" was. Much has been made in recent years about how "Friends" might never have existed without "Living Single," with the two shows having a very similar setup. In fact, the then-president of NBC admitted that he regretted not picking up "Living Single" — and only a year later, here came "Friends."

The cast of "Living Single" was led by Queen Latifah, a rapper who was only just starting what would become a very long and successful career as an actor. The other big name was Kim Fields, already a television veteran at 24 years old, as she had previously been a main cast member for all nine seasons of "The Facts of Life." The rest of the cast was largely rounded out by stand-up comedians and others who were fairly new in their acting careers, save for one particular actor who had already been in the business for 20 years when "Living Single" debuted. But what have they all been up to in the years since the series ended?

The closest that "Living Single" came to the wacky neighbor trope was through Overton, played by John Henton. Overton was the maintenance man for the building that the majority of the show took place in — the only other regular location on the show being the offices of the fictional magazine "Flavor." Overton was also the show's token "small town character living in the big city," always ready to dispense some goofy homespun adage with the purest of intentions. His relationship with and eventual marriage to Synclaire (Kim Coles) would be the only long-term romance between any of the show's main characters.

Before "Living Single," John Henton was a stand-up comedian who got mainstream exposure after his first appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1991. After "Living Single" ended, Henton would immediately move on to the main cast of another successful sitcom, "The Hughleys." Two years into his stint on that show, Henton was in a serious car accident that required significant reconstructive surgery to his face — yet Henton was only away from the set for six weeks before he was back to work. Henton would only appear in a few more small acting roles between 2002 and 2014, and has since chosen to return to stand-up while also focusing on spending more time with his family.

The '90s were good to Erika Alexander: she began the decade as a main cast member on the final two seasons of "The Cosby Show," then moved right on to her five-season stint on "Living Single" a year after "The Cosby Show" ended. Her "Living Single" character was Max, the only of the core six characters to not live in one of the two apartments that the others all live in for much of the series. Despite that, viewers saw plenty of Max, a lawyer who was frequently around to raid the fridge and to give Kyle a hard time.

Alexander had been in a few movies in the early '90s but largely took a break from Hollywood during the run of "Living Single." However, she got back into the swing of it after "Living Single" ended, appearing in films pretty frequently between 1998 and today — including 2017's acclaimed "Get Out." Alexander also continued to be active on television, though mostly in minor roles throughout the 2000s. In the 2010s she stepped it up a bit, beginning to show up in more recurring casts on shows like "Last Man Standing," "Bosch," "Insecure," and the currently-airing "Run the World." She is also a main cast member on Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga," which currently has a confirmed third and final season in the works. 

Kyle was initially Overton's roommate, and in a lot of ways, the two were complete opposites. Kyle was quick-witted while Overton took his time to find the right words; Kyle was a ladies' man while Overton was content with pining over Synclaire; and Kyle had a stressful and high-paying job while Overton was just a chill building maintenance man. The other main facet of Kyle's character was the constant mutual ribbing between him and Max, with the two pretending to hate each other on the surface but with clear sexual tension bubbling just beneath the surface. In true sitcom fashion, the two do officially become a couple by the end of the series after several false starts and apparent dead ends.

Kyle was played by T.C. Carson, who is no slouch in the looks department but whose best asset is arguably his deep, booming voice. To that end, the vast majority of his acting roles post-"Living Single" have played to that strength, with Carson lending his powerful pipes to many animated films, TV shows, and video games. In 2005, he began two of his most famous recurring voice roles: Mace Windu in various "Star Wars" titles and Kratos from "God of War." He first played Windu in the 2005 "Clone Wars" animated series and would reprise the role in both the 2008 series as well as in numerous "Star Wars" video games. He launched his eight-year, 10-game stint as Kratos with the original "God of War" game.

Besides Overton, the other main source of comic relief on "Living Single" came by way of Synclaire, played by Kim Coles. Synclaire was the show's token quirky character, showcased by things like her oh-so-'90s affinity for Troll dolls, the way she talks to her plants, and her relentlessly upbeat attitude. The budding romance between her and Overton is as charming as it is innocent, feeling more like young puppy love than the sexually-charged energy between characters like Kyle and Max. 

Interestingly enough, like Overton actor John Henton, Kim Coles was primarily a stand-up comedian before her breakthrough acting role on "Living Single." After that, she was all-in on acting, steadily working on television throughout the '90s, 2000s, and 2010s. Most recently, she has shifted focus to a career as a life coach and motivational speaker, primarily for entrepreneurs and people within the business world. She also oversees the book anthology "G.I.F.T.S." where she uses her own personal struggles and triumphs to help enrich readers' lives. It seems that Coles had a lot in common with Synclaire in terms of positivity and wanting the best for everyone around her. Coles hasn't completely abandoned her stand-up roots, however, hosting AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live" just this past March.

While "Living Single" was very much an ensemble show, if there had to be a character who qualified as its main lead, it was Khadijah. Played by Queen Latifah, Khadijah was the editor-in-chief of "Flavor" magazine and the character whose relationships to and history with the other three main women on the show are what tied them all together. Synclaire is Khadijah's cousin, Regina is her childhood friend, and Max her best friend from college.

Unlike Will Smith, who was an unknown quantity as an actor when he first started on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," rapper Queen Latifah had already been showcasing her acting talents prior to "Living Single." Not only had she appeared in two episodes of "Fresh Prince," but Latifah already had three high-profile movies under her belt before "Living Single" debuted: "Jungle Fever," "House Party 2," and "Juice." Her career during and since "Living Single" has been prolific and successful indeed, including making history as the first female rapper to be nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for her role in the film adaptation of "Chicago." Three years later, she became the first rapper to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is currently star and an executive producer of the series "The Equalizer," which is wrapping up its second season.