The beloved ABC sitcom, part of TGIF, originally aired from 1989 to 1998.

Family Matters stars didn’t remember that the actress who played Judy was swapped out after the pilot: ‘Who is that?’

The beloved ABC sitcom, part of TGIF, originally aired from 1989 to 1998.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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November 6, 2025 8:12 p.m. ET

Telma Hopkins and Kellie Williams host the 'Welcome to the Family' podcast. Credit:

Presley Ann/Getty; Gerardo Mora/Getty

Actresses Telma Hopkins and Kellie Williams first appeared on TV's *Family Matters* in 1989, so watching the first two episodes of the sitcom for their new rewatch podcast, *Welcome to the Family*, was a trip. After all, the TGIF show ended in 1998.

"Did you remember that Judy was another Judy on the pilot?" Hopkins asked. "I was so thrown. I was like, *Who is that?* I mean, I recognized her face, but, for some reason, I thought she had just been a guest on the show. I don't know what I thought, but I certainly didn't know she was Judy."

Hopkins, who played Aunt Rachel and was already a veteran of sitcoms such as *Gimme a Break! *and *Bosom Buddies* when *Family Matters* premiered, was referencing the original actress who played younger Winslow daughter Judy, Valerie Jones, having been replaced by Jaimee Foxworth.

The cast of 'Family Matters' originally included Valerie Jones.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

The rest of the Winslow family were played by Reginald VelJohnson, Joe Marie Peyton, Darius McCrary, and Rosetta LeNoire, while Jaleel White had the breakout role of neighbor Steve Urkel.

Williams, who was Judy's older sister Laura Winslow, didn't recall what had gone down on the show either.**

"This is one of the things that I'm embarrassed to say I didn't remember until I watched the episode," she said.

Foxworth stayed on the show until she was written off in the fourth season, and her character disappeared altogether.

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Williams later joked that the family loses children.

"I mean, going upstairs that second floor is like the Bermuda Triangle," she quipped.

Hopkins noted that, in her viewing, she saw Jones "still sitting at the table in the titles, and then Jamie shows up."

To which Williams responded, "We're diabolical."

A 1991 portrait of the 'Family Matters' cast.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Hopkins agreed.

"I mean, it's just changing people out... what in the world?" she said. "And we make it work whether it works or not."

The women mentioned, too, the change from the original twins who played baby actors, Joseph and Julius Wright to Bryton James in season 2. Williams explained that the young duo "got fired at 14 months."

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"What kind of business are we in?" Hopkins asked. "And then a 3-year-old shows up. Now, we haven't aged, but all of a sudden, my son is three years old. That was so funny to me, I was like, *Wait a minute, he don't look like the last baby.*"

They asked for all three of the actors to contact them.

Listen to the latest episode of the podcast above.**

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW TV”