Mo to the, E to the...
It's been nearly 25 years since we first met headstrong teenager Moesha Mitchell and her Leimert Park crew with the 1996 debut of Moesha. The family sitcom, originally ordered to pilot by CBS before making its way to the now-defunct UPN, proved to be one of the fledgling network's greatest successes and helped turn rising star Brandy into a household name.
Telling the story of an upper-middle class Black family through the eyes of a typical teenage girl wondering if she's, as the iconic theme song asks, realizing her responsibility, the show ran for six seasons through May 2001. At the height of its popularity, it even birthed a spinoff series, The Parkers, that lasted for five seasons of its own.
After going off the air, the show bounced around in syndication, popping up on networks like WGN America, BET and Fuse while never staying in one place for very long. But thanks to Netflix adding Moesha to its library of content in August 2020, a whole new generation has begun to discover the Mitchell family.
Our binge watch of the show hasn't just gotten us dreaming about joining Moesha, Kim, Hakeem and Niecy down at The Den. It's also had us wondering what happened to the cast once they parted ways nearly 20 years ago. And chances are, if you're reading this, you're in the same boat. So, read on to see what everyone's been up to.
Once Moesha came to an end in 2001, Brandy returned to music, releasing her third studio album, Full Moon, in 2002. That same year, she began her foray into reality TV with the MTV series Brandy: Special Delivery, which chronicled the last months of her pregnancy before her daughter with her record producer boyfriend Robert "Big Bert" Smith was born. A year after Sy'rai Iman Smith's June 2002 birth, the couple split. In the years since, Brandy's career has involved acting roles in film (Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor), TV (The Game, Star), and on Broadway (Chicago); reality TV gigs (America's Got Talent, Dancing With the Stars, Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business); and, of course, music. She's released four albums since Full Moon, with 2020's B7 the latest. Since splitting with Robert, Brandy's been romantically linked to NBA player Quentin Richardson, Flo Rida, and music exec Ryan Press. In 2006, she was involved in an accident on Los Angeles' 405 Freeway that resulted in the death of another driver. In the ensuing years, she was faced with multiple lawsuits over her part in the collision, all of which were settled out of court. She was never arrested or charged with any crime in connection with the crash.
After six seasons as Moesha's tough but loving father Frank Mitchell, William did the guest-star circuit with appearances on shows as varied as Nip/Tuck, CSI, and Good Luck, Charlie. He and Brandy even reunited during a three-episode stint on The Game in 2013. After landing a series regular role on CBS' Code Black for three seasons from 2015 to 2018, he popped up on This Is Us for two episodes in 2019. William was most recently see in the 2019 Lifetime holiday film Christmas Hotel.
Since her time as Moesha's stepmother Dee Mitchell came to its end, the Broadway legend—Tony-nominated for her breakthrough performance as Deena in Dreamgirls—made guest appearances on shows like ER, Hannah Montana and Smash before co-starring opposite Tamera Mowery on the Nick at Nite/TVLand sitcom Instant Mom for three seasons from 2013 to 2015. Since then, she's recurred on MacGyver, Claws and Motherland: Fort Salem, while appearing in a main role on the short-lived CBS comedy Fam in 2019. The stage veteran also returned to Broadway in 2016, playing Madame Morrible in Wicked. In July 2005, she married Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes.
After four seasons in her breakout role as Moesha's BFF Kim, Countess left the series in 1999 to star in spin-off The Parkers. Airing for five seasons from 1999 to 2004, the series co-starred Mo'Nique as Kim's mom Nikki. Following that, she became something of a reality TV fixture, competing on Celebrity Fit Club in 2006 and Celebrity Rap Superstar in 2007. In 2014, she returned to reality TV as a series regular on TV One's Hollywood Divas, which aired for three seasons through 2016, chronicling the journey she and her co-stars went on to make their film The White Sistas. Since 2017, she's also released three albums, with 2020's Let Me Love You—Chapter 1 her most recent. In January 2002, she married Joseph James. After welcoming son Jaylen James in July 2003, the couple divorced in 2005. In 2009, she welcomed daughter Aniyah Whitten with ex-fiancé David Whitten.
Since his days as Moesha's pesky younger brother Myles, Marcus has appeared in the films Roll Bounce, Another Cinderella Story and Red Tails. In 2009, he dabbled a bit in reality TV, popping up in three episodes of The Bad Girls Club's fourth season. His most recent TV appearance was in a 2015 episode of Black-ish.
After Shar said goodbye to the role of Niecy, Moesha's other BFF, she made guest appearances on The Bernie Mac Show and Everybody Hates Chris, competed against Vaughn on (and, ultimately, won) Celebrity Rap Superstar, co-hosted ABC's short-lived The Ex-Wives Club with Marla Maples and Angie Everhart, and participated in Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp in 2010 alongside ex Kevin Federline. While engaged to Kevin from 2001 to 2004, the couple welcomed her third child, daughter Kori, in 2002. Their son Kaleb arrived shortly after their split. (Shar's first two children, fathered by her high school boyfriend, were born in 1993 and 1994, respectively.)
Since joining the cast for the show's final two seasons as Moesha and Myles' long lost half-brother Dorian, Brandy's real-life brother has kept busy. After landing a series regular role in the UPN comedy One on One for its fifth and final season in 2005, he turned to reality TV. Beginning with For the Love of Ray J in 2009, he's become something of a fixture in the genre. Currently, he's one of the stars of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. Since 2001, he's released three albums, with 2008's All I Feel his most recent. After his relationship with Kim Kardashian, his personal life continued to make headlines. After marrying Princess Love in 2016, he welcomed two children: daughter Melody Love in 2018 and son Epik Ray in 2020. Princess filed for divorce in May 2020, five months after Epik's birth.
As Q, one of Moesha's longest-running love interests, Fredo was a series regular in the show's second and third seasons and appeared in a recurring capacity after that. Since his time on the show, he appeared in the film Save the Last Dance, guest-starred on HBO's The Wire, and co-hosted the short-lived dance competition series Dance 360 alongside Kel Mitchell in 2004. A member of the rap group Onyx, he's continued to release music, with 2019's SnowMads their most recent album.
After Yvette's Andell sold neighborhood hangout The Den and left Moesha in season five, the character resurfaced on spinoff The Parkers. The actress stayed with that show through 2004 for its entire run. After a final acting role in the 2005 film Ganked, Yvette sadly died in 2012 at the age of 48 after a battle with cervical cancer.
After Moesha wrapped, Lamont continued playing Hakeem in a few episodes of spinoff The Parkers. While pursuing a music career in rap under the alias C-Money, he appeared in the Snoop Dogg film The Wash, played Tupac Shakur in the TV biopic Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story, and had a role in Spike Lee's TV movie Sucker Free City. The 2004 film, originally shot as a pilot for Showtime, was Lamont's last role. The father of two died in a car accident in January 2005 at the age of 31.
Moesha is now available to stream on Netflix.