Martin Lawrence Pushes Back Against Ari Lennox’s Claims That “Martin” Jokes Were Rooted In Colorism: ‘Black People, That’s The Way We Joke’

TV Anchor Marissa Mitchell, Martin Lawrence, Ari Lennox

Martin Lawrence Pushes Back Against Ari Lennox’s Claims That “Martin” Jokes Were Rooted In Colorism: ‘Black People, That’s The Way We Joke’

Martin Lawrence has entered the chat.

The actor and comedian recently addressed viral comments made by R&B singer #AriLennox, who sparked debate after criticizing the jokes aimed at Tichina Arnold’s character, Pam, on the beloved 1990s sitcom #Martin.

Ari argued that the humor was rooted in colorism, saying, “While I feel that the show was incredible…and I adore Martin, it would just piss me off, the joking on Pam. I didn’t like that.”

Speaking with FOX anchor Marissa Mitchell, Martin responded to Ari’s remarks, acknowledging that she’s entitled to her opinion but emphasizing that the jokes were never meant to cause harm. “That’s the way Black people joke. We go hard. Me and Tichina were just having a lot of fun and we were just keeping it real,” he said, adding, “There was no malice intent.”

His comments come after #TichinaArnold also weighed in, claiming her close friend and co-star #TishaCampbell experienced what she described as “reverse colorism” during the show’s first season from live studio audience members who were there to support Martin. “The whole first season, every time Tisha would walk out, you would hear groans. They wouldn’t laugh; they treated her horribly,” she said. Tichina later issued an apology, explaining, “I was speaking too fast, just speaking from experience, but I never want to insult anyone for no reason. I misspoke, I spoke too soon.”