‘Red Table Talk’: Jada Pinkett Smith Reunites With ‘A Different World’ Cast Members in Exclusive Clip

Jada Pinkett Smith is doing something very special for her Red Table Talk fans. PopCulture.com obtained an exclusive clip of the new episode of the Facebook Watch series, and Smith reunites with the cast members of the classic NBC sitcom A Different World. The clip shows Dawnn Lewis talking about how she co-wrote the theme song. Lewis was also performing the song, but because she also starred in the series and Lisa Bonet was the lead cast member at the time, producers stopped Lewis from singing the song and brought in Phoebe Snow. 

“After 35 years, the superstar cast of the groundbreaking series A Different World is reuniting for the first time at the Red Table, revealing exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, hilarious and heartfelt memories and reliving their favorite episodes,” the official synopsis states. “Jada is joined by her co-stars Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer, Glynn Turman, Ajai Sanders, Karen Malina White and the legend who launched her career: Debbie Allen. Plus, special surprise messages from an Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei and The Godmother of Soul Patti LaBelle.”

A Different World premiered in 1987 and is a spin-off of The Cosby Show. The first season focused on Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, studying at a historically Black college with her White friend Maggie Lauten (Tomei). Season 2 saw some big changes and Bonet and Tomei were no longer on the show, and Guy and Hardison took over as the lead actors as the series progressed. Smith first appeared on A Different World in Season 5, playing a student named Lena James. She was a recurring character in Season 5 before being promoted to series regular in the sixth and final season. 

A Different World was one of the most successful shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was ranked as high as No. 2 in the Neilsen ratings and stayed in the top five in its first four seasons. The show was airing right in between The Cosby Show and Cheers during the majority of its run. Some of the most notable cameo appearances on A Different World were En Vogue, Halle Berry, Blair Underwood, Gladys Knight and Tupac Shakur. The special Red Table Talk episode streams on Facebook Watch Monday, Dec. 19 at 12 p.m. ET.