Another colorism debate has entered the chat. Martin Lawrence has weighed in on renewed criticism surrounding the humor on his classic sitcom Martin, following comments from singer Ari Lennox about how jokes were aimed at Tichina Arnold’s character, Pam.
In case you missed it, Lennox previously said she was bothered by the way Pam was portrayed on the show, arguing that much of the ridicule centered on the character’s darker complexion. “The thing that pissed me off about Martin was how much he was goin’ in on Pam,” she said. “And this is coming from a girl who loves a joking a– movie and even when the joking movie is like ‘Damn, that was f**ked up.’ There are some things where I draw the line.”
For the record. Anyone who is unhappy with Martin’s show which has been off the air since 1997, almost thirty years ago, can just not watch it.
Anyways, Lawrence responded by defending the intent behind the comedy, explaining that he never viewed the jokes as harmful. “No, I never had that concern because I knew they were jokes,” Lawrence said. “That’s the way Black people. That’s the way we joke. We go hard. And me and Tichina were just having a lot of fun and we were keeping it real. And I was keeping it real. That’s why we got a lot of laughs out of it. She has a right to have her own opinion and everything, but there was no malicious intent.”
Arnold previously addressed the same topic during a December appearance on Deon Cole’s podcast Funny Knowing You, reinforcing Lawrence’s perspective. “Those jokes were never written from malice,” Arnold said. “It was written from who’s got the best jokes. Never about colorism. Ari, we understand how you feel. But it wasn’t meant [like] that. Maybe, Ari, you need to talk to your friends and the people you were around during that time who made you feel that way.”
The exchange highlights ongoing conversations about humor, intent, and how classic television is reexamined through modern cultural lenses.