Tisha Campbell-Martin Sheds Light on Damon Wayans' Behavior After 'Martin'

Actress and comedian Tisha Campbell-Martin has been making headlines in recent years, but the star's past resume boasts one of her most notable roles as Janet, the proud and quirky matriarch in the hit sitcom "My Wife and Kids". Her journey to this point has been paved with success and setbacks. Key among the setbacks is her experience acting alongside Damon Wayans in the '90s sitcom "Martin". According to Campbell-Martin, Wayans wanted nothing to do with her after their collaboration ended.

Campbell-Martin kick-started her acting career in 1990 with a recurring role in "The Cosby Show." However, her breakthrough role was in the hit '90s sitcom "Martin." Together with Martin Lawrence and Tichina Arnold, Campbell-Martin played the role of Janine, the laid-back and quirky housemate to Denzel, daughter to the show's main characters. The sitcom ran from 1992 to 1997 and became an undeniable epic hit. Campbell-Martin eventually attempted to leave the show after a contract dispute and abusive behavior on the part of the show's star, Martin Lawrence, only to be lured back.

There were indications that the working atmosphere of the time was, at the very least, questionable. A 2014 statement from Campbell-Martin in reference to her contract dispute and Martin's alleged abusive behavior cited Campbell-Martin saying, "the call sheets (the schedules of the sets) were all filled with missing hours of work, the note submissions and constant completion trash talking verbal gangsta … abusive environment will cost you $6 million contract." Earlier, Campbell-Martin laid out these same charges to reporters. Pushing back against rumors suggesting she bolted from Martin because of verbal abuse, at the time Campbell-Martin detailed steps her team took including buying mapping contracts, code letters, and blocking for parts.

After leaving "Martin," Campbell-Martin continued on, scoring another major sitcom gig in "My Wife and Kids" where she played the central character of Janet in a cast that included Damon Wayans. While 'My Wife and Kids' (2001-2005) hit several highs in terms of ratings and spawned two successful seasons of spin-offs, behind the scenes took a serious downturn for Campbell-Martin. Tisha let loose that co-star Damon Wayans showed disinterest in starting up a potential project Campbell-Martin had presented, the result of this act being terminating the project she had backed. At the time she and Wayans had been talking of starting something called 'He Said /She Said', only this didn't come to fruition.