Carl Anthony Payne II Explains Why ‘Martin’ Ended After Just 5 Seasons, Claims Show Executives Knew About ‘Confusion’ Between Cast Members

Former ‘Martin’ star Carl Anthony Payne II is speaking out in regards to the chaos on the set of the favored comedy series starring Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Thomas Mikal Ford and Tichina Arnold.

The comedy series ran from 1992 to 1997 on Fox, and in accordance with Lawrence, the series ended after Campbell filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the actor. Payne recently revealed that show bosses ignored confusion between solid members while attempting to shoot 100 episodes.

Payne, who played Martin’s friend Cole Brown, appeared on the “MATH HOFFA” podcast on Feb. 24, where he confirmed that the “atmosphere” on set led to the show’s demise.

“You know, the atmosphere was what it was. You can see the writing on the wall, so to speak,” he said he said. “Nobody was playing – the band wasn’t playing like a band.”

The 54-year-old added that, looking back, he believes that the show’s top executives only desired to shoot 100 episodes for the series to enter syndication.

“They knew there was confusion in the camp, or just, you know, people weren’t getting along, you know, and I think they ignored it.”

Asked if Campbell’s lawsuit had anything to do with the fuss, Payne replied: “I do not speak on stuff like that, man. I do not comment on this since it has nothing to do with me.” He suggested that the podcast hosts invite the show’s other stars and ask them about Campbell’s lawsuit.

Lawrence he said in 2020, GQ magazine stated that “none of this is true” regarding Campbell’s lawsuit and that he had nothing but love for the actress who played his love interest in “Martin.”

Campbell left the show in November 1996, and in January 1997, he filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence and the series. She alleged that the “Bad Boy” actor groped her during love scenes, continually subjected her to unwanted sexual advances and was verbally abusive to her. The lawsuit was later settled and Campbell returned for the ultimate episodes.

“We don’t need to talk about something that just didn’t happen.” he said Lawrence. “So I decided to just leave the show. I just decided to end it. People said I was canceled, but I wasn’t. I decided to just leave the show.”

The former couple, who played love interest Martin and Gina, later resolved their differences and the solid reunited for a reunion in 2022 under the title “Martin” to have a good time the show’s thirtieth anniversary.

“We worked really hard to reconnect,” Campbell said. “Forgive and really this meeting is about celebrating all that we have achieved and our growth as human beings. That was our main focus.”

The solid reunited for a performance on the 2024 Emmy Awards in January.

Next up for Payne is a task within the indie horror film “The Grove,” a few soldier returning home who forgets to take his meds and goes insane.