Videos by According2HipHop
R&B artist Ari Lennox made headlines in 2025 for her criticism of the hit 1990s sitcom Martin. And now the show’s creator, Martin Lawrence, has finally broken his silence.
Martin Responds to Ari Lennox’s Sitcom Criticisms
During a recent interview with Good Day DC, the Hollywood star was asked his thoughts about Lennox’s criticisms of the show. The creator noted that she is “entitled to [her] own opinion.” However, he doesn’t feel that there was anything inappropriate about the show’s content. At least not from a cultural standpoint.
He also noted that receiving backlash for the jokes was never a “concern” for him. Because he knew they were “just jokes.”
“That’s the way Black people joke. We go hard,” he said.
In a 2025 interview, Lennox expressed her disappointment with some of the jokes aimed at Martin’s nemesis Pam, who is portrayed by actress Tichina Arnold. Lennox believed that some of Martin’s comments about Pam toed the line of colorism. Due to her darker-skinned complexion.
“The thing that pissed me off about Martin was how much he was goin’ in on Pam, and this is coming from a girl who loves a joking a** movie, and even when the joking movie is like ‘Damn, that was f**ked up.’ There are some things where I draw the line,” Ari shared.
She also noted that the way that Martin talked about Pam on the hit sitcom made it difficult for her to “understand the greatness” of her character.
In response to Lennox’s comments, Martin insisted that he and Arnold were “just having a lot of fun” and “keeping it real.”
Martin was a fan-favorite in the 1990s. So expectedly, the Dreamville artist received a lot of backlash for her comments. However, she still stood by what she said. It will be interesting to see if Lawrence’s most recent comments warrant a response from her.
