Key Takeaways
- Reginald VelJohnson, 74, debuted a noticeably slimmer look at the Los Angeles premiere of A24’s Onslaught, marking his first red-carpet appearance in two years.
- Family Matters co-creator Bill Bickley said VelJohnson’s standout supporting role as Sgt. Al Powell in Die Hard inspired the team to build the sitcom around him as Carl Winslow.
- Former cast member Bryton James has also pursued an animated Family Matters revival with interest from Jaleel White and other original stars, though Warner Bros. still controls the project.
Reginald VelJohnson stepped back onto the red carpet this week—and the Family Matters legend was sporting a noticeably slimmer look for his first such appearance in two years.
According to E! News, the 74-year-old actor attended the Los Angeles premiere of A24's Onslaught on August 26, wearing white pants with a cream T-shirt featuring a lion graphic. VelJohnson finished the laid-back look with a baseball cap, cow-print clogs, and a cane.
The appearance marked a rare red-carpet return for an actor whose face became practically inseparable from two very different pieces of pop culture: Die Hard and Family Matters.
His latest appearance also comes as VelJohnson's Family Matters history has been getting some new attention. Series co-creator William "Bill" Bickley previously revealed that the sitcom might not have existed at all if VelJohnson hadn't appeared in Die Hard.
VelJohnson played LAPD Sgt. Al Powell in the 1988 action classic, serving as John McClane's primary connection outside Nakatomi Plaza. According to Bickley, that supporting performance caught the attention of Family Matters co-creator Thomas L. Miller.
"Reggie VelJohnson had just done Die Hard—you know, supporting character, small role, but a knockout," Bickley said on the Keanan and Lakin Give You Déjà Vu podcast. "So Tom said, 'Let's do a show for that guy.'"
That idea ultimately became Family Matters. Jo Marie Payton had already been playing Harriette Winslow on Perfect Strangers, but Bickley said the spinoff was constructed around VelJohnson, with Payton paired with him as Harriette.
The resulting sitcom debuted in 1989 and lasted nine seasons, eventually becoming an anchor of ABC's TGIF era while turning VelJohnson's Carl Winslow—and Jaleel White's Steve Urkel—into television fixtures.
There could even be another chapter ahead. Bryton James, who played Richie Crawford on Family Matters, recently revealed that he's been pursuing an animated revival featuring voices from the original cast. James said he got "pretty far along" with the concept and secured interest from White and other cast members, though the project remains with Warner Bros.
For VelJohnson, however, Carl Winslow has never been a role he's tried to distance himself from. When the cast reunited in 2017, he became emotional about seeing his former co-stars together again.
"I love these people, every one of them," VelJohnson said at the time. "To see them now, the way they are, is wonderful. It's heartwarming. It makes me cry."
