"Black-ish" Is (Tragically) Ending After 8 Seasons — So Here Are The Cast Members In Their First Roles, On The Show, And IRL

The Black-ish cast has become a family offscreen, too, and I love them all so much.

1. Anthony Anderson's first role in 1995:

Warner Bros.

Anthony's first TV appearances came during two episodes of The Wayans Bros. in 1995. He played "Guy at Party" and "Guy in Jail" in two episodes during Season 1. From here, Anthony went on to land a recurring role on Hang Time, and he appeared in shows like NYPD Blue, The Shield, Veronica Mars, and more. He also created and starred in the short-lived sitcom All About the Andersons.

Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Anthony landed the starring role as Dre Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 160 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. He's also played Dre on Grown-ish and Mixed-ish, the two Black-ish spinoffs. Anthony has been nominated for several awards for his work as Dre, including Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also won several NAACP Image Awards.

Anthony Anderson in real life:

NBC / Getty Images

Anthony's first role after Black-ish will be Det. Kevin Bernard on Law & Order, which he'll reprise when the series returns for Season 21. Anthony notably played the part of Kevin from seasons 18–20 before the show ended in 2010.

2. Tracee Ellis Ross's first role in 1997:

AMKO Productions

One of Tracee's first notable role was in the movie Sue alongside Anna Thomson. After this, she appeared in some smaller movies before landing her breakout role as Joan Clayton on Girlfriends, a role she played for 170 episodes from 2000 to 2008. 

Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Tracee landed the role of Dr. Bow Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 160 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. She's also played Bow on Mixed-ish, where she served as the spinoff's narrator and was the co-creator and an executive producer. Tracee has been nominated for several awards for her work as Bow on Black-ish, and she even won a 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a TV Series Musical or Comedy.

Tracee Ellis Ross in real life:

@traceeellisross / Via instagram.com

While starring on Black-ish, Tracee also appeared in a number of movies, like Little and High Note. She also had a notable guest appearance on an episode of Broad City in 2016. Speaking about ending Black-ish, Tracee penned a heartfelt article for Entertainment Weekly in which she called the experience "beautiful" and explained how she was initially hesitant to play a mother on the show.

3. Yara Shahidi's first major role in 2009:

Paramount Pictures

After appearing in an episode of Entourage in 2007, Yara made her big-screen debut as Olivia in Imagine That opposite Eddie Murphy. From there, she went on to appear in several TV shows, including Wizards of Waverly Place and Lie to Me, and she even played young Olivia Pope in two episodes of Scandal.

Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Yara landed the role of Zoey Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 90 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. In 2018, Yara got her own spinoff series called Grown-ish, which follows Zoey as she attends college. She's also a producer on the series.

Yara Shahidi in real life:

Jabari Jacobs / Freeform / Getty Images

Yara's next big acting project will be playing the live-action version of Tinker Bell in the upcoming film Peter Pan & Wendy. Outside of acting, Yara is a well-known activist who has helped lead organizations that talk about voting and women's leadership. She also started a production company called 7th Sun alongside her mom, and in 2020, they inked an overall deal with ABC.

4. Marcus Scribner's first role in 2010:

ABC

Marcus's first TV credit is for an episode of Castle during the show's second season. After this, he went on to appear in episodes of New Girl, Wedding Band, and Wendell & Vinnie. He also voiced Buck in the Pixar movie The Good Dinosaur in 2015.

Marcus Scribner as Junior Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Marcus landed the role of Junior Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 160 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. He's also played Junior on Grown-ish and Mixed-ish.

Marcus Scribner in real life:

@marcusscribner / Via instagram.com

While starring on Black-ish, Marcus also voiced Bow in Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for five seasons from 2018 to 2020. He also starred in movies like Alexander IRL, Farewell Amor, and Ron's Gone Wrong. Currently, he voices D'Angelo Baker in the animated series Dragons: The Nine Realms, which is a TV series set in the world of How to Train Your Dragon.

5. Miles Brown's first role in 2013:

Showtime

Miles' first notable acting role was in an episode of Shameless during the show's third season. Before this, he appeared in one episode of Raising Hope, but you couldn't see his face. Also in 2010, he competed on America's Got Talent as part of the dance duo Future Funk, and they made it all the way to the semifinals.

Miles Brown as Jack Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Miles landed the role of Jack Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 160 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. He's also played Jack on Mixed-ish.

Miles Brown in real life:

@milesbrown / Via instagram.com

While starring on Black-ish, Miles also appeared in movies, like Boy Genius, and TV shows, including Drunk History. In 2021, he voiced young Ekko in Netflix's Arcane. Miles also continues to dance a lot, and he appeared on Dancing With the Stars: Juniors in 2018 and was the runner-up.

6. Marsai Martin's first role in 2014:

Meineke Car Care Centers / YouTube / Via youtu.be

Marsai's first-ever acting role was on Black-ish in 2014, but before then, she starred in several commercials during the same year — including a few commercials for Meineke Car Care Centers, where she portrayed a kid mechanic. 

Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Marsai landed the role of Diane Johnson in 2014 and will have starred in over 160 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. During her time on Black-ish, Marsai won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Marsai Martin in real life:

@marsaimartin / Via instagram.com

While starring on Black-ish, Marsai has also appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Little. Marsai is also the youngest person ever to become an executive producer. She did so at the age of 13 for her work on Little. Her production company, Genius Productions, also signed a first-look production deal with Universal.

7. Jenifer Lewis's first role in 1988:

Touchstone Pictures

Jenifer's acting career began after she was hired as one of Bette Midler's Harlettes, who were a trio of backup singers who supported Bette during her musical performances. This is how Jenifer ended up in movies like Beaches and Sister Act. From there, she went on to star in numerous movies and TV shows, like A Different World, What's Love Got to Do With It, Poetic Justice, The Preacher's Wife, Think Like a Man, The Princess and the Frog, Girlfriends, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Jenifer's also had a renowned Broadway career and has starred in several musicals, including Hairspray.

Jenifer Lewis as Ruby Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Jenifer made her first appearance as Ruby Johnson, Dre's mother, in Season 1, Episode 8. While she only had a recurring role during the show's first season, eventually she became a series regular. Jenifer will have starred in over 150 episodes by the time Black-ish wraps in 2022.

Jenifer Lewis in real life:

@jeniferlewisforreal / Via instagram.com

While starring on Black-ish, Jenifer has also continued to appear in numerous TV shows and movies, such as Christmas on the Square, Elena of Avalor, and Tuca & Bertie. After Black-ish ends, Jenifer can be seen in the upcoming Showtime comedy series I Love This for You alongside Vanessa Bayer, Molly Shannon, and more. The series is inspired by Vanessa's own story of overcoming childhood leukemia. 

8. Laurence Fishburne's first role in 1973:

ABC / Getty Images

Laurence's first starring role was as Josh Hall on One Life to Live. He appeared on the show from 1973 to 1976 for 15 episodes. After this, Laurence went on to appear in numerous TV shows and movies before he notably starred in What's Love Got to Do With It as Ike Turner, a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination too. Ironically, he starred in the movie alongside his future Black-ish wife, Jenifer Lewis. Laurence's other film credits include The Color Purple, Searching for Bobby Fischer, John Wick, Boyz n the Hood, and The Matrix.

Laurence Fishburne as Earl "Pops" Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

Laurence landed the recurring role of Pops Johnson, Dre's father, in 2014 and will have starred in over 80 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. He has also reprised the role of Pops on Grown-ish and was an executive producer on the spinoff Mixed-ish.

Laurence Fishburne in real life:

JC Olivera / WireImage / Getty Images

While starring on Black-ish, Laurence has continued to appear in numerous film projects, like John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and he recently reprised his role as Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections. After the show ends, you'll be able to see him in John Wick: Chapter 4, The School for Good and Evil, All the Old Knives, Slingshot, and more.

9. August and Berlin Gross's first acting roles as Devante Johnson on Black-ish:

ABC

August and Berlin's first acting jobs were as baby Devante on Black-ish in 2017. Since officially joining the series in Season 4, the twins have gone on to appear in over 40 episodes while they split the role of Devante. 

August and Berlin Gross in real life:

@porschethomas / Via instagram.com

They adorably just celebrated their fifth birthday in January 2022.

10. Deon Cole's first role in 2002:

20th Century Fox

Deon is a well-known comedian, so his first appearances on TV were in various comedy specials; he also appeared in several episodes of Conan. His first acting role was in Barbershop in 2002, a movie he appeared in alongside his future Black-ish costar Anthony Anderson.

Deon Cole as Charlie Telphy on Black-ish and Grown-ish:

ABC

Deon landed the role of Charlie Telphy in 2014 and will have starred in over 80 episodes by the time the show wraps in 2022. Charlie was originally a recurring character until Deon was bumped to a series lead in Season 4. Deon has also had a main role on Grown-ish.

Deon Cole in real life:

Alberto E. Rodriguez / FilmMagic / Getty Images

While starring on Black-ish and Grown-ish, Deon also appeared in TV shows like Angie Tribeca and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. He also reprised his role from Barbershop in Barbershop: The Next Cut in 2016. In 2021, Deon notably appeared in Netflix's The Harder They Fall as Wiley Escoe.

And finally, just for fun, here's the entire cast together in Season 1 versus Season 8:

Craig Sjodin / Dario Calmese / ABC / Getty Images

 

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