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Kadeem Hardison Wants ‘A Different World’ Rights From Cosby To Reboot Iconic Series “A Different World” alum Kadeem Hardison wants to get the rights to the iconic series he starred in, but everyone isn’t here for it. In an era of reboots, why not a reimagining of the classic hit sitcom, “A Different World?” In 1987, one of TV’s most influential shows premiered. “A Different World” was a spin-off from Bill Cosby’s popular sitcom “The Cosby Show” The show aired for seven seasons, from 1987 through 1993, and highlighted the lives and relationships of Black college students - something that had never been done before. And, let's face it, it was the driving force in many of us wanting to go to college.

The show put Black people on television being themselves unapologetically, while simultaneously influencing young, black students to attend college. The sitcom was set on the campus of the fictional historically black Hillman College.

Actor Kadeem Hardison played lead character Dwayne Wayne - who was known for his flip up eyeglasses/shades and his off-and-on relationship with Whitley Gilbert-Wayne (played by Jasmine Guy). That wedding scene with Byron getting left at the altar will FOREVER be iconic. During an interview on the “Allison Interviews” podcast, Kadeem spilled some tea about a possible “Different World” reboot. Apparently, Kadeem has been trying to gain the rights to the series, but everyone isn’t here for a reboot. 

”We have been trying to get the rights so we can reboot it for about ten or so years and the owners (Carsey-Werner in association with Bill Cosby) aren’t ready,” he shared.

”Everybody on the on-camera side is ready.  They are thinking, 'Yeah, they are rebooting everything. We should have some kind of version of it.' It’s what I think the kids need today.  It was good enough then. We won’t be able to catch that lighting in a bottle that we did then, but we definitely can reimagine the show in a way so that it is relevant, and it’s about the kids and school, and we can get that same fire lit under kids to inspire them to be something else." If they can reimage the series like Will Smith did with “Bel-Air,” then we could see the reboot taking off. The core storylines of the show are still relevant today. Late rapper Tupac guest-starred on the show in 1993 and Kadeem revealed he was jealous. Pac’s guest role played Jada Pinkett-Smith’s love interest. It was the first time Tupac and Jada (who were friends) starred opposite of each other. https://www.youtube.com/embed/4qxvL64XPBg “It was fantastic. They had a seamless chemistry,” he said. “How do you direct De Niro and Pacino? You just kind of stand back and let them go. You hope that the cameras are in focus,” he explained. “I didn’t really have to tell him much. I didn’t have to tell her hardly anything. It was a joy to watch. It was probably the easiest directing job.”

After he “tweaked” the fight scene, everything fell into place.

Wendy Williams slams publicist for speaking out without permission, after cancellation of the Wendy Williams Show after 13 seasons. It was reported that her representative Howard Bragman shared confirmation on Williams' behalf. In response to news about her show ending with this season. The statement included, “…She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time…She understands the reality of syndicated television. You can’t go to the marketplace and sell a show that’s the ‘Maybe Wendy Show.’”

As the latest installment of Wendy Williams’ mystery news continued to develop, it appears that the plot has indeed thickened.

Last week, a new page under the name of TheRealWendyWilliamaOnline, which differs from the additional Instagram accounts operated under Wendy’s name. Posting updates from Williams herself about her health and her whereabouts. After news of her departure from the show then its cancellation, the following message was uploaded to the account’s Instagram story with prayer hands and sparkle emojis: “Mr. Bragman although I appreciate your concerns and respect you immensely I have not authorized you to make any statements on my behalf regarding my current status with Debmar Mercury. Again thanks for your continuing concern and support.” Also on the newly created account is a video of Williams speaking to fans. Whereb she talks about her health condition amidst rumours of her worsening condition due to her prolonged hiatus. In a statement, Howard Bragman stated that he is “honestly convinced of the source of that social media post.” He continued, “When my old friend Wendy FaceTimes me personally and we alone have a chance to discuss recent events, together we can figure out the best path forward.”  The presenter, 57, has been out of the spotlight for several months due to ill health. With a string of stars stepping in to take the reins of The Wendy Williams Show.

It was announced that Sherri Sheppherd will be inheriting the time slot. With her new series, Sherri, later this year.

In response to the announcement, Wendy’s PR agent Howard Bragman shared a statement. Which the star has now called him out for. ‘It’s been a challenging time for Wendy as she deals with her health issues,’ it read. ‘She is incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury, to Sherri and everybody else who has supported the show through this time.  She understands why this decision was made from a business point of view. She has been assured by Debmar-Mercury that should her health get to a point where she can host again If she still desires that she would be back on TV at that time.’ In a post which was shared on Wendy’s official Instagram story. It appears she has ordered him to stop speaking on her behalf.

’Mr. Bragman, Although I appreciate your concerns and respect you immensely I have not authorized you to make any statements on my behalf regarding my current status with Debmar Mercury,’ the post read. ‘Again, Thanks for your continuing concern and support.’ However, responding to the remark, Howard has questioned the ‘source’ of his client’s post. ‘I’m not honestly convinced of the source of that social media post, so when my old friend Wendy FaceTimes me personally and we alone have a chance to discuss recent events, together we can figure out the best path forward,’ he told  People Magazine.

Wendy sparked concern from fans when she took time out of the spotlight last September, due to a series of health issues.

She has not been on screens since then and has reportedly suffered other medical complications in that time. It was confirmed that the talk show will officially end in june. The show was being fronted by its many guest hosts Including Sherri, Fat Joe, Nick Cannon and Michael Rapaport. With Sherri taking on the time slot. ‘Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now,’ producers said in a statement. 

‘Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live Hot Topics segment. With her creativity and interactions with our guests. 

‘The Proud Family’ Is ‘Louder and Prouder’ Than Ever Before If you were a kid in the 2000s, Disney Channel likely dominated your viewing habits. Whether it was an original movie like Halloweentown, or a coming of age sitcom like Lizzie McGuire, there were plenty of options to keep your interest. But 2001 saw something super special arrive for Black kids: an animated show featuring a family that looked just like their own The Proud Family was the first show of it’s kind and a historic moment in Black history. It left a cultural footprint with it’s catchy theme song from Destiny’s Child, and it’s storylines based around key parts of the Black experience.

Now, more than 20 years since it’s premiere, The Proud Family is back with a sequel series called The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.  

“It never left,” Tommy Davidson, who plays the patriarch Oscar Proud, told EBONY. “People were touched so much by it, and my children were too. So when there was talk of it coming back after 15 years, we talked to Ralph Farquhar and Bruce Smith, and all the people involved in it. And finally it came. And we just got back to work. We got back to work because we knew how good we were.” Stepping back into their roles “wasn’t hard,” according to Kyla Pratt, who plays the show’s main character, Penny Proud. She got the gig when she was just 15 years old.  “I feel like this character helped develop me as a young woman,” said Pratt. “It helped me become the person I am today. So it wasn’t difficult to get into a studio and be able to flashback to those times where I had those teenage years of thinking a certain way, or feeling a certain way or dealing with family a certain way.”

Jo Marie Payton’s distinctive voice is back to bring Suga Mama to life, and she didn’t skip a beat. 

“That 20 years seemed like 20 minutes once we got back together,” said Payton. “We were with our same wonderful producers, and we had wonderful writers and the scripts, the storylines were so good. They made it easy for us to just activate back into our space and our reason for doing it.” For Paula Jai Parker, returning to role of Trudy Proud was a major personal milestone in her career.  Let’s be honest. Women, you know, we kind of are told we have a shelf life in Hollywood and life in general,” said Parker. “When the call came in, it just really reconfirmed that women, we’re not just things you can put on a shelf. We are ageless, we are priceless. And for Disney to recognize that and bring the Proud Family back just at this time in my life… This, this has been a blessing.”

Unlike 2001, Louder and Prouder entered production in a global pandemic. 

“I don’t know about everybody else in the cast, but it seemed like Armageddon to me the March before last,” said Davidson.  Instead of recording lines together like they did in the early 2000’s, the cast had to pivot to what so many Americans are now accustomed to; working from home. Each actor was set up with their own recording studio to track their lines.  “Boy, I got another skill set going on!” said Payton. The Family Matters actress is based in Miami and had help from her grandkids and children to get her studio together, but recording in the summer proved challenging. “You  have to turn off everything, the air conditioner and all that stuff, and you’re in a dedicated closet. It’s hot!”  “I literally have pictures of me putting a pillow over my head trying to get the sound to stay in,” joked Pratt. Now a mother of two, the actress also had to juggle taking care of the kids between reads.  “I have to tell my kids like, ‘Hey, y’all have to be quiet for a little bit,’ which of course is difficult. They’re my children. They’re loud as you know what. So I’m like ‘baby, please sit down for an hour. And just don’t yell nothing.’ So it was a struggle.” 

The new series continues the story of Penny Proud, now 14-years-old, while updating the content for current times, with a “woke” neighbour who gets a little preachy, social media bullies, and new neighbours from the LGBTQ+ community. 

“It still has the same essence of the original. But of course, we had to update it for 2022.” said Pratt.  “We had to make sure that we tackled things and talked about things that need to be talked about. And that’s the best thing about our show back then, we talked about things that everyone shied away from. And now it is not any different.”

“You understand how important it is that family is family no matter what or who they are, where they are, who they love, or where they come from,” said Payton. “Now we’re bringing some of that to you.”