Where Are They Now? Here’s What Your Favorite TV Characters Are Doing Today

Photo: NBC

A Different World

Although Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left Different World after the first season, they left an incredible mark on the show’s legacy. Bonet’s Denise, the second oldest Huxtable child from NBC’s The Cosby Show, left school to travel Africa. This left Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne as the main focus of the show from season two forward. In the final episodes, a pregnant Whitley and Dwayne move to Japan, where Dwayne goes on to invent the flip phone, as inspired by his flip glasses.

With more money than they know what to do with, Whitley and Dwayne are back in the United States and just celebrated the graduation of their child from Hillman, their alma mater. Independently wealthy, both Dwayne and Whitley devote their time to charitable work and activist causes. Dwayne likes to dabble in politics, back candidates that support and propel the advancement of African-Americans. He’s currently looking into purchasing a major sports team, although I can’t divulge which one.

Whitley is an outspoken feminist and routinely hangs out with Beyonce when she’s not spending time speaking at women’s colleges across the country. Her thick Southern accent has softened over the years and now dogs don’t howl when they hear her speaking voice.