Whoa! What happened to Joey from Blossom?

Remember him?
He used to be in 'Blossom'
Mayim Bialik was the star
But what about Joey?
Joey Russo
Joey Lawrence
Three talented brothers
Joey's first job
His first sitcoms
'Gimme a Break!'
He got his break: 'Blossom'
Whoa!
Brotherly Love (1995-1997)
He also made music
A remarkable transformation
Dancing with the Stars
Personal life
Married at Disney World
Two daughters
Melissa & Joey (2010-2015)
Trouble in paradise
Bankruptcy and divorce
Third time's the charm?
Small roles in TV and film
Reunion with Mayim Bialik, his sister from 'Blossom'
Whoa! Joey never stops
Remember him?

It's Joey Lawrence, an actor, musician, and producer. If you haven't seen him on TV lately, imagine him with longer hair. It might take you back to the 1990s.

He used to be in 'Blossom'

Now, who doesn't remember that mid-90s series about a teenage girl growing up in a house full of boys? Of course, it's 'Blossom.' The series aired from 1990 to 1995 and starred Mayim Bialik, Ted Wass, Joey Lawrence, and Michael Stoyanov.

Mayim Bialik was the star

Mayim Bialik would grow up to become a famous actress with 'The Big Bang Theory,' among other series, and a game show host with 'Jeopardy.'

But what about Joey?

Blossom had a handsome brother in the series, whose name was Joey Russo. Many teenage girls had a poster of actor Joey Lawrence on their walls.

Joey Russo

But what happened to the young star after 'Blossom'? Let's find out in the following slides!

Joey Lawrence

Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. was born on April 20, 1976, in Abington, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Philadelphia. Here we see him with his parents, Donna and Joe, and his two brothers, Matt and Andy.

Three talented brothers

Although his parents did not work in showbiz themselves, with dad being a stockbroker and mom an HR manager, the three Lawrence brothers started acting at a young age. All three achieved a certain level of fame in the 90s.

Joey's first job

Joey's first job was in a commercial for the popular American snack 'Cracker Jack.'

His first sitcoms

As he grew up he got small roles in sitcoms like 'Diff'rent Strokes' (image, NBC) and 'Silver Spoons.'

'Gimme a Break!'

Some may not remember this, but in 1983 he got the role of Joey Donovan in the series 'Gimme a Break!' He appeared in 77 episodes of the show.

He got his break: 'Blossom'

Joey's big break came with 'Blossom' when he was 15 years old. He played the protagonist's brother, Joey Russo, for 5 seasons.

Whoa!

Joey was not the smartest kid in the family. His catchphrase was "whoa!" But he was a very good baseball player and the girls from school loved to go out with him.

Brotherly Love (1995-1997)

After 'Blossom,' his career was far from over. In fact, he united with his two brothers Matt and Andy, to make the sitcom 'Brotherly Love.' The series was about a family's eldest brother who has to return home and take care of his siblings after the death of his father.

He also made music

Joey the teen star had it all. In 1993, he released his single: 'Nothin' My Love Can't Fix.' The song was a modest hit and stayed on the Billboard chart for 18, according to The List.

A remarkable transformation

With the turn of the century, Joey made an incredible move: he shaved off the wavy hair for which he had become so famous! Young Joey clearly went for a more mature look.

Here we see Joey next to another 90s' heartthrob, Mario Lopez, at the 2006 VH1 awards.

Dancing with the Stars

Joey became one of those celebrities everyone wants to invite into their reality and talent shows. He participated in the third season of 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2006 and came in third with professional dancer Edyta Śliwińska. Later, he would also appear in shows like 'Celebrity Family Feud,' 'Cupcake Wars,' and 'Celebrity Big Brother.'

Personal life

Joey has gotten married three times. His first marriage, with Michelle Vella, lasted for 3 years. Then, in 2005 he married his second wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson (photo).

 

Married at Disney World

Chandie was actually an old flame of Joey's. "I met my wife at Disney World when I was 16 and on vacation," he told US Weekly. "We went out, broke up, reunited years later, and got married there at Disney World in 2005!"

Two daughters

The couple had two daughters, Liberty Grace and Charli Lawrence, and formed a happy family for quite a while.

 

Melissa & Joey (2010-2015)

The actor earned a family living with his sitcom, 'Melissa & Joey,' starting in 2010. Cashing in on the recognizable name 'Joey,' he had great chemistry with Melissa Joan Hart (photo) and the series lasted for 5 seasons.

Trouble in paradise

But then, things went south. Joey's income from 'Melissa & Joey' had stopped after 2015, but he and his wife had gotten used to a lavish lifestyle and spent about $25,000 per month, People Magazine reported.

Bankruptcy and divorce

In 2017, Joey and Chandie had to file for bankruptcy. They had $8,000 in the bank, $60 in cash, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, People Magazine reported. In 2020, the couple divorced.

(In the photo: Joey and his inseparable brothers, Matt on the left and Andy on the right)

Third time's the charm?

In 2021, Joey got engaged to actress Samantha Cope. They had met while filming the rom-com 'Frankie Meets Jack,' directed by his younger brother Andy. In September 2022, they got married and in January 2023, they welcomed their first daughter together: Dylan Rose.

Photo: Marvista entertainment

Small roles in TV and film

While working out his financial and family issues, Joey Lawrence never sat still. He participated in small roles for different TV series, such as 'American Dreams' (2002-2003, image), 'CSI: New York' (2007), and 'Hawaii 5.0' (2017-2019) or movies like 'Money Plane' and 'Roe v. Wade' - both in 2020.

Reunion with Mayim Bialik, his sister from 'Blossom'

His movie with his now-wife, Samantha Cope, called 'Frankie Meets Jack,' came out in February 2023. In the meantime, he also made a special appearance together with Mayim Bialik in the series 'Call Me Kat' (2022).

Whoa! Joey never stops

Joey Lawrence keeps moving. He's a family man, a TV personality, and a reasonably successful actor. Of course, he made some mistakes in the past, but he appears to be on the rise again. Just an example: he surprised many of us with his 2022 Walrus performance in 'The Masked Singer'!

(Photo: Joey Lawrence is standing next to host Nick Cannon in 'The Masked Singer,' November 2022.)

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