As he approached the premiere of his new film Bad Boys for Life, Martin Lawrence spoke to GQ magazine about his return to the spotlight as well as some of the highlights of his career. The conversation, of course, turned to his hit 1990s sitcom Martin, which came to an end after five seasons.
"Well, how can I say this? It just was time to end. Let's just put it that way," he told GQ. "It was just, at that time, there was some, um, there were some things that was being said that—"
Reporter Zach Barron interjected, asking if the actor/comedian was referencing a 1997 sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Lawrence's Martin co-star Tisha Campbell.
"Yeah. Because none of that was true. It was all a lot of bullshit," Lawrence said. "... We don't need to talk about something that just didn't happen. So I just decided to walk away from the show. I just decided to end it. People said that I got canceled, but that wasn't the case. I decided to just leave the show."
Lawrence insists he and Campbell are now on better terms, as evident by their recent interactions with each other. But just to make sure there weren't any doubts, the 54-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday night with a message about his and Campbell's current relationship.
"Regardless of the past or any misrepresentation of it In the press, I have nothin but love for Tisha then and now," he captioned an old photo of himself and Campbell. "We are good and always will be!"
Campbell also addressed the GQ interview during an appearance on The Talk. Though she said she was shocked by Lawrence's comments, she told the hosts she and her former co-star are now on good terms.
"I can’t go into much detail about the past because there was a confidentiality agreement, so the gag order says no. But, what I can say is … I was actually kind of shocked," she said in Thursday's episode, adding that some people wanted her to not address the comments, while others encouraged her to clap back. "... So I hit [Lawrence] up. He called me within a minute … He was like, 'Don’t read into what it is, there’s a lot of people that’s trying to bring up the past, and trying to make it news today. But, you know T, we’re good. I love you and I love your family.’"
She continued: "... Again, I’m not going to go into details, because I want to respect his privacy and I want to respect mine. But I will say, by the end of it, it was nothing but laughter and healing. And I got a chance to experience that. And I’m so glad we’re in a good place right now."
Campbell's 1997 lawsuit accused Lawrence of physical and emotional abuse, including "repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery and violent threats." Lawrence denied the allegations, and the parties ultimately settled out of court.
