It’s been 40 years sinceDiff’rent Strokesended, and its legacy has endured well into the streaming era. The beloved sitcom, about a pair of Black siblings raised by a wealthy businessman, debuted in 1978 and became appointment viewing thanks to its groundbreaking depiction of a blended family and its “very special episodes,” which tackled real-life issues.
Set in New York City,Diff’rent StrokesstarredGary ColemanandTodd Bridgesas Arnold and Willis Jackson, a pair of brothers from Harlem who get adopted by Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) following the death of their mother, who had worked as Drummond’s housekeeper.
With the help of the new housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), the boys move into Drummond’s penthouse apartment, where they’re raised alongside his daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato).
Diff’rent Strokesspawned a popular spinoff (more on that below) and contributed a legendary catchphrase — “What’choo talkin’ about, Willis?” — to the pop-culture lexicon before ending its eight-season run in 1986. Though remembered fondly, the sitcom has also developed a reputation for being “cursed” due to the tragic lives of several of its stars.
Read on to learn what happened to the cast ofDiff'rent Strokesfollowing its 1986 finale.
Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson)
Diff’rent Strokesintroduced viewers to Gary Coleman, whose performance as young Arnold made him an instant pop-culture icon and thehighest-paid child actor of his generation. He landed the part after starring inthreefailed pilot attempts to rebootThe Little Rascalsfor Norman Lear, who was eager to find a show for the young actor.
Having established himself on the small screen, Coleman made his film debut inOn the Right Track(1981), in which he was once again a precocious orphan. The typecasting continued with wisecracking roles inJimmy the KidandThe Kid with the Broken Halo, both released in 1982.
Behind the scenes,Coleman fought withDiff’rent Strokesproducers, who refused to age his character up despite the actor being 18 years old by the time the series ended. Coleman’s parents reportedly mismanaged his finances and forced him to work long hours, according to Bridges’ 2008 memoir. Coleman successfully sued his parents and ex-manager, winning $1.3 million in 1993.
Coleman took a break from acting after the show concluded. He returned in the ’90s, appearing mostly in guest roles and often playing himself. He did, however, book episodes ofMarried… with Children,Martin,The Drew Carey Show, andThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The actor came to resent the role (and catchphrase) that made him a household name. “If someone had told me my life would be like this, early enough where I could have gotten out, I would have gotten out,” hesaid in 1993. “I would have had a normal life, and have friends.”
In addition to sporadic acting work, the Illinois native tried his hand at politics, running for governor of California in 2003.
Coleman dealt with numerous health issues throughout his life. At age 2,he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease, and underwent two kidney transplants as a child. The disease and subsequent medications resulted in his short stature (about 4-foot-8) and youthful appearance, which impacted his career and contributed to some of his mental health struggles.
Coleman died in 2010 at age 42, following a 2009 heart surgery and a series of seizures.Gary(2024), a posthumous documentary about his life, revealed that the actor lived without any kidneys for almost 25 years.
Todd Bridges (Willis Jackson)
Before landing the role of Willis, Todd Bridges already had several credits under his belt. It’s no surprise considering his mother, Betty A. Bridges, was an industry veteran who appeared onGood TimesandHill Street Blues, among other shows dating back to the mid-1970s.
In addition to episodes ofLittle House on the PrairieandRoots, Bridges had a regular part on theBarney Millerspinoff,Fish.
Alongside Coleman, Bridges became a household name and contributed his own catchphrase to the lexicon: “Saywhat?” According to him, he and Coleman were “tight like brothers” during the show’s early seasons — and he didn’t mind that his costar was more famous. “I knew Gary was the star, but I got all the girls, so it was okay,”Bridges said in 2025.
During his sitcom heyday, Bridges appeared opposite fellow teen sitcom stars Michael J. Fox and Dana Plato in the TV movieHigh School U.S.A.(1983). He later reunited with Plato for two indie films,The Sounds of Silence(1992) andPacino Is Missing(2002).
He enjoyed a little more success in the ’90s, but like his onscreen brother, he was often asked to play himself or reprise hisDiff’rent Strokesrole, as he did in two episodes ofThe Facts of Life.
Bridges later had some brushes with the law. He was arrested and tried onattempted murder chargesin 1989 and later acquitted. In 1992, he was arrested after police discovered methamphetamine and a gun in his vehicle. The following year, hepleaded guilty. It was around this time, Bridges said in a2002 interview with CNN, that he gave up drugs.
In 2002, the actor defeated Vanilla Ice on an episode ofCelebrity Boxing, which — as the name implies — pitted celebs against one another in the ring. That year, Bridges appeared in a few episodes ofThe Young and the Restless.
The San Francisco native found a second wind following the release of his 2008 memoir, in which he opened up about childhood sexual abuse, fame, and addiction. Not long afterward, he landed a recurring role onEverybody Hates Chrisand became a regular commentator on the reality comedy seriesWorld’s Dumbest…
Bridges made a cameo as himself in the Adam Sandler comedyThat’s My Boy(2012). More recently, the actorplaced fourth on the 2022 edition ofCelebrity Big Brother.
The actor has two children, including a son, Spencir, who also became a child actor. As of 2026, Bridges is the only surviving core cast member ofDiff’rent Strokes.
Conrad Bain (Phillip Drummond)
Conrad Bain was a bona fide TV veteran before landing the role of Phillip Drummond, Arnold and Willis’ adoptive father.
He had numerous film and television credits to his name, including as a primary cast member on Bea Arthur’s classic sitcom,Maude.
Bain’s identical twin brother, Bonar, acted alongside his brother onMaudeandDiff’rent Strokes, appearing in drag for the latter as Anna Van Drummond.
The Canadian actor reprised Drummond in an episode ofThe Facts of Life, and, in his final onscreen performance, an episode ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airalongside Coleman and Bridges.
“The thing that worked best for us, in the long run, is that we were able to give the feeling of an actual family,” Bainsaid of the trio’s success. “I think that attracted people to the series, and kept them interested."
When the show ended, the veteran actor starred in the political sitcomMr. President, playing the chief of staff to George C. Scott’s fictional president. The series ran for just two seasons.
Bain appeared in only one film after his successful TV run, playing Meryl Streep’s grandfather in Mike Nichols’Postcards from the Edge, based on Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel.
He and his wife, Monica Sloan, were married from 1945 until her death in 2009. They had three children. Bain died in 2013 at age 89, following a stroke.
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Dana Plato (Kimberly Drummond)
Dana Plato played Kimberly, an only child-turned-sister to two adopted brothers. As a teenager, Kimberly figured prominently into the “very special episodes,” navigating subjects such as eating disorders and the perils of hitchhiking.
Prior to landingDiff’rent Strokes, Plato had big-screen roles in the Oscar-winningCalifornia Suite(1978) — as the teenage daughter of Alan Alda and Jane Fonda — andReturn to Boggy Creek(1977). A few years earlier, she was actually up for the lead role inThe Exorcist(1973) until her motherreportedly nixed the casting.
Plato was reportedly fired fromDiff'rent Strokesin 1984 after getting pregnant with her son, Tyler. Producerswere said to be concernedthat the actress’ personal life, which included struggles with substance abuse, would have a negative impact on the family-friendly sitcom. They wrote her off the show by sending Kimberly to Paris.
Though she returned to the sitcom for a handful of guest appearances in the final two seasons, she had a hard time finding consistent acting work and wound up posing forPlayboy.
Diff’rent Strokescreative supervisor Al Burtonrecalled running into Plato at a party. “She told me, ‘I just posed nude forPlayboy, Gary is suing his parents, Todd was arrested. That Drummond sure was a terrible father.’”
In 1991, Plato was arrested and placed on probation for robbing a video store with a pellet gun in Las Vegas. The following year, she was arrested again for forging a drug prescription. Plato tried to return to acting, choosing adult roles in erotic thrillers and appearing in the softcore filmDifferent Strokes.
Duringan appearance onThe Howard Stern Showin 1999, Plato claimed she had been sober for years. Tragically, she died one day later at age 34. Her exact cause of death has been a subject of debate. Initially listed as an accidental overdose, it was later ruled a suicide.
Charlotte Rae (Edna Garrett)
Charlotte Rae played the Drummond family housekeeper, Edna.
After appearing in numerous variety shows, soap operas, and televised theater productions, Rae landed a recurring role onCar 54, Where Are You?in 1961. She followed it up with turns onThe Partridge Family,All in the Family,Good Times, andSesame Streetbefore nabbing her breakout role onDiff’rent Strokes.
After two seasons, Rae got her own spinoff,The Facts of Life, which saw Mrs. Garrett taking a job as a housemother at an all-girls boarding school in upstate New York. The role earned the actress an Emmy nomination in 1982. A few years later, Rae decided to take a step back and transitioned into more of a recurring presence before ceding the lead role to her college friend, Cloris Leachman.
“The show is wonderfully popular and the public loves all the characters,” sheexplained in 1986, “but I just felt I had done all that I could do with Mrs. Garrett.”
Rae continued acting on the stage and screen, with guest spots onThe Love Boat,St. Elsewhere, andSisters. Her later career included the Adam Sandler comedyYou Don’t Mess With the Zohan(2008) and Jonathan Demme’sRicki and the Flash(2015). The Milwaukee native also bookedThe King of Queens,ER, andGirl Meets World. The latter marked her final onscreen performance.
After surviving a 2009 diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, which claimed the lives of several of her family members, Rae was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2017 anddied in 2018 at age 92.
Mary Jo Catlett (Pearl Gallagher)
Following Rae’s departure, the Drummonds hired two more housekeepers. The second, played by Nedra Volz, lasted from 1980 to 1982. The third, Pearl, was played by Mary Jo Catlett, who joined in season 5 and remained until the series ended.
Although predominantly a stage actress — among other things, she originated the role of Ernestina inHello, Dolly!on Broadway — Catlett enjoyed success on TV with guest performances onM*A*S*H,Fantasy Island, andThe Dukes of Hazzard.
The Colorado native racked up a ton of TV credits over the next few decades, includingALF,Murder, She Wrote, andNight Court. In 1999, she joined the voice cast ofSpongeBob SquarePantsas Mrs. Puff, a role she has continued to perform across multiple iterations of the beloved franchise.
In later years, Catlett has popped up onGlee,Desperate Housewives,Better Things, andGood Girls.
The actress is no stranger to the big screen, either, from early bit parts inSemi-Tough(1977) andThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas(1982) to John Waters’Serial Mom(1994).
Dixie Carter (Maggie McKinney Drummond)
Predominantly a stage actress, Dixie Carter joinedDiff’rent Strokesin season 6 as Maggie, Mr. Drummond’s second wife.
Carter appeared in 33 episodes and exited in season 7, after which she landed a lead role onDesigning Womenalongside Jean Smart, Delta Burke, and Annie Potts. It was a seven-season hit.
The Tennessee native returned to full-time TV a few years later forFamily Law, alongside Kathleen Quinlan and Christopher McDonald, and later had a celebrated guest arc onDesperate Housewives.
In 1984, Carter married fellow actor Hal Holbrook, and the two remained together untilher death in 2010at age 70 from complications of endometrial cancer. Her final acting role was alongside her husband inThat Evening Sun(2009).
Danny Cooksey (Sam McKinney)
Danny Cooksey played Sam, Maggie’s son and Arnold and Willis’ adopted stepbrother, in the final three seasons.
It was only his second TV role, but it kicked off a successful career — mostly on the small screen — that has continued for decades.
Cooksey is well-known among millennials as Bobby Budnick on the Nickelodeon summer camp seriesSalute Your Shortsand for voicing Montana Max onTiny Toon Adventures.
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He only appeared in a few films, but they’re memorable ones for ‘90s kids. He was John Connor’s partner-in-juvenile-crime inTerminator 2: Judgment Day(1991) and was one of the titular parents’ children inMom and Dad Save the World(1992).
Cooksey has since become a prolific voice actor, with credits on dozens of kids’ shows as well as numerous video games and the movieThe Lorax(2012).
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It’s been 40 years sinceDiff’rent Strokesended, and its legacy has endured well into the streaming era. The beloved sitcom, about a pai...
