Martin Lawrence and his Martin co-stars are reuniting for a 30th-anniversary special on BET+

Entertainment Weekly

Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Carl Anthony Payne II and other guests to be named later will be part of the reunion special, celebrating Lawrence's classic Fox sitcom, which premiered in August 1992. The special, which is scheduled to tape on Sunday and premiere later this year, will be hosted by comedian and actor Affion Crockett. "To be able to sit here 30 years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop culture is truly a blessing," Lawrence tells EW. "I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I am looking forward to the reunion special." The reunion will, however, be without Thomas Mikal Ford, who died in 2016 and co-creator John Bowman, who died last month. As EW notes, Martin ended in a bad place in 1997 when Campbell sued Lawrence and the producers of the show for "repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse and related threats." Lawrence and Campbell later reconciled and are now "in a good place." BET CEO Scott Mills calls Martin "one of the most beloved sitcoms in our community, both because it is hugely entertaining and because it played a pivotal role in changing the narrative of Black voices in entertainment and in culture through the portrayal of young, ambitious Black leads and healthy Black relationships. Decades later, that representation is still just as important, which is why we're so excited to honor a series that put Black culture front and center on our platform that embraces Black culture everyday."