The Tragedy That Reconnected Tisha Campbell And Martin Lawrence

Tisha Campbell and Martin Lawrence played love interests turned husband and wife in the hit '90s sitcom "Martin" but their off-screen relationship was rocky. In 1997, Campbell quit the show and slapped Lawrence with a sexual harassment lawsuit, People reported. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Campbell accused Lawrence of "repeated and escalating" sexual harassment, battery, and threats. Over the course of the seasons, Lawrence's behavior got increasingly worse, and in the third season, the lawsuit claimed that he "humiliated and abused Campbell in front of the entire cast and crew on so many occasions that it reached the point where she needed to be hospitalized due to the stress he caused her."

Ultimately, Campbell and Lawrence settled out of court. The "Little Shop of Horrors" star agreed to return to film Season 5 of "Martin" but only under the condition that her co-star would not be allowed on set while she was there. After Season 5, "Martin" came to a close amid the legal drama and the two went their separate ways, only to reunite when they lost a beloved cast member.

Tommy Ford played Martin Lawrence's BFF Tommy Strawn in "Martin" but they were also good friends in real life. When he died in 2016 after suffering an aneurysm in his abdomen, the cast was devastated. Along with Tichina Arnold, who played Pam James on the show, Tisha Campbell and Martin Lawrence dropped everything to be there for Ford. "Tommy was not only a great costar but he was a great man and friend. He always brought with him his spirituality a positive attitude and so much joy. I am sad the world lost a great talent and that I lost a wonderful friend. God bless him and his family," Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly.

Campbell recalled how losing Ford was "a blow" to everyone," per TV One. However, she shared one silver lining and stated, "He brought us back together sadly, at his funeral. And that's where, you know, you go, 'Let's heal. Let's all ... let's keep in touch. Let's not let all this time go by." In 2020, Lawrence finally opened up about the lawsuit and told GQ, "It was all a lot of bulls*** and, just whoever's side it was, it was bulls***. We don't need to talk about something that just didn't happen." Campbell shared that she was "shocked" by his comment but the two spoke and seemed to resolve their issues, which she later revealed took a lot of hard work on her end.

In 2022, the cast of "Martin" reunited once again and this time, it was for a happier reason. They filmed a reunion show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the '90s sitcom. When visiting CBS Mornings, Campbell opened up about working with her co-star again after their legal battle. "We worked really hard to reconnect, to forgive, and it really ... This reunion is about a celebration of everything that we did, everything that we accomplished, and our growth as human beings, and so we concentrated mostly on that."

Campbell also shared her positive outlook on the reunion with People. "I hope people embrace it as much as they say they do. I wasn't nervous about getting together with the cast, 'cause we are still friends," she stated. She was happy to put the past behind her and focus on honoring Tommy Ford, adding, "Everything else is a personal situation that we've all healed from. So we're not even gonna talk about it." Lawrence on his part shared the same sentiment. "It is nothing but love with me and her. It's nothing but love," he declared.