When we hear someone talking about the hit series Family Matters, we immediately start quoting Steven Urkel like we just wanted the show yesterday. Everyone could name Steve or the object of his love, Laura, or the older brother Eddie.
But there was one character that sort of disappeared after the first few seasons. If you watched the whole series, you may have remembered that Laura had a little sister that magically vanished after a bit. That sister was played by actress Jaimee Foxworth. Let’s see if she disappeared from acting as her character did in the show.
Background info
The Midwestern woman that is Jaimee Monae Foxworth was born in Belleville, Illinois, on December 17, 1979. She has two siblings, Tyren Perry and Jania Foxworth. In 1998, Jaimee graduated from Burbank High School.
Her mother, an aspiring singer, wanted her children to have their chance in the business. She would take the girls to auditions and callbacks which lead to Jaimee getting an agent.
Jaimee’s acting career started out like a lot of kids back at that time – with modeling. Jumping from modeling to television commercials was an easy step for Foxworth, and her TV ads were ultimately what got her noticed for her big break. Have to love those old commercials.
Family Matters
Anytime anyone drops or fumbles anything – and you are of a certain age – the immediate and only proper response is, “Did I do that?” And we have Steve Urkel and the cast of Family Matters to thank for the forever iconic line.
The family series aired in 1989, following the Winslow’s, which comprised of mother Harriet, father Carl, and their kids Eddie, Laura, and Judy. The multi-award-winning show broke ground at the time, becoming the second longest-running series with a Black cast, with 215 episodes aired until the show gave its final bow in 1997.
Jaimee played the part of the youngest sister, Judy Winslow. The little sassy, silly, and adorable Winslow child loved to gang up – or team up – with her older sister Laura, depending on the day, and wasn’t above blackmailing her older brother Eddie.
After the first season, the nerdy neighbor obsessed with Laura Winslow, Steve Urkel, was promoted to the main cast. By the fourth season, Steve had been the star for seasons, and little Judy was no longer needed. After the episode “Mama’s Wedding” in the fourth season, we never heard from Judy again, and the show acted like she didn’t exist in the first place. Ouch.
Why did Jaimee get written off Family Matters?
Well, that’s a bit of a who do you believe situation. The producers said that Jaimee’s character Judy didn’t serve a purpose anymore. As Steve Urkel’s character took over the show, the younger sibling didn’t have a storyline conducive to the rest of the characters or the show, and producers felt it was time for Judy to go.
Jaimee says otherwise. In interviews, she stated that it was because of her mother trying to get her character back in lights on the show. Her mom tried talking with producers to get her character more lines and screen time, and Jaimee said the results of those efforts were her being abruptly kicked off.
What did Jaimee do after Family Matters?
Following her departure from Family Matters, Jaimee hit a bit of bad luck. The loss of income put the Foxworth family in a tight spot. Jaimee went back to school as normal while trying to audition for her next role. After some attempts to return to the screen, Jaimee said no thanks and took a break to finish high school.
After high school, Jaimee and her sisters formed the musical group S.H.E., which was signed by basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal. The R&B group released their album 3’s a Charm in 1997.
After that fizzled out, money was tight again, and Jaimee’s mom used up her trust fund to keep the family afloat. This led to Foxworth becoming anxious about their family’s finances. She started falling in with the party crowd, which made things worse for her.
To try to help with the family’s money problems, Jaimee went back to work on screen, though in another genre. Under the name Crave, Jaime appeared in a few pornographic movies from 2000 until 2002. When this became public in a backstabbing-by-a-friend-way, Jaimee was devastated.
What is Jaimee Jaimee Foxworth doing now?
These days, Jaimee is focusing on being a mother, keeping her anxiety in check, and getting her career back on track. She has a line of beauty products called Jaimee Beauty, is a spokesperson for a popcorn brand (send us some), and has every intention of getting back in front of the camera.
For starters, Jaimee is the executive producer for the short film Absent in the Present, which is currently in production.
But in the meantime, see what Jaimee’s up to on her Instagram. If you want some real nostalgia, Jaimee and her sisters have a podcast named after their old R&B group titled The S.H.E. Show.
Personal life
In 2009, Jaimee welcomed a son, who is now thinking about getting into acting himself, and Foxworth will be supportive of whatever her child decides to do.
While Jaimee wasn’t invited to the last Family Matters reunion, with her career back on the right track and things looking only positive for the once-child star, maybe we’ll see her at the next one in a few years.
We’re happy to see Jaimee entering this next chapter in her life and glad she hasn’t let a tricky patch derail her path. And if you ever want to see where it all started for Jaimee Foxworth, Family Matters still holds up today.
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