20 Years After ‘Madea’s Family Reunion,’ Here’s What the Cast is Up to Now

As hard as it may be to believe, it’s been 20 years since “Madea’s Family Reunion” hit theaters and became a classic film in the cultural zeitgeist. Despite any issues people may have with Tyler Perry nowadays, his heartfelt 2006 family drama remains one of his most memorable entries in the entire Madea franchise—and for good reason!

The film introduced audiences to a star-studded cast and helped bring complicated themes of love, healing, and family to the forefront. Since then, many of its stars have gone on to headline hit TV shows and blockbuster films. So, in honor of the anniversary, let’s take a look at where the cast of “Madea’s Family Reunion ” is now!

Related: Tyler Perry’s Movies Ranked By the Box Office

What Is “Madea’s Family Reunion” About?

In case you haven’t seen the film in all this time, “Madea’s Family Reunion” centers around family matriarch, Madea (famously played by Perry), as she juggles planning a family reunion while helping her nieces navigate abusive relationships, heartbreak, difficult family secrets and the addition of a new foster kid to the family. Filled with enough laughs and emotional drama to keep you engaged from start to finish, this film shines a light on navigating forgiveness, self-worth, family, domestic violence, and the importance of choosing love over dysfunction.

Blair Underwood – “Carlos Armstrong”

After playing the manipulative Carlos Armstrong, Blair Underwood continued building one of Hollywood’s most versatile careers. He starred in series like “Dirty Sexy Money,” “The Event,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Quantico” before earning acclaim for “When They See Us.” More recently, he has appeared in films like “Origin” and the Starz drama “Three Women.” He also won his first Emmy Award in 2024 for his guest role on “The Daily Show.”

Rochelle Aytes – “Lisa “

Rochelle Aytes has remained a familiar face on television since portraying the battered (but later empowered) Lisa in the film. Her most recent role came after she joined the cast of CBS’ hit medical drama “Watson,” in which she starred opposite Morris Chestnut. Prior to that, she made appearances in shows and films like “S.W.A.T.,” “Mistresses,” “Hawaii Five-0,” and “The Forgotten.”

Tyler Perry – “Madea,” “Uncle Joe,” and “Cousin Brian”

Since writing, directing, and starring in “Madea’s Family Reunion,” Tyler Perry has gone from niche filmmaker to one of entertainment’s most powerful moguls. Thanks to the massive success of his plays and movies since 2006, he’s grown his brand to build Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, one of the largest production facilities in the country.

Meanwhile, he has been able to keep creating hit series and movies, including “House of Payne,” “Sistas,” “The Oval,” “Ruthless,” “Duplicity,” “The Six Triple Eight, “For Colored Girls” and “Beauty in Black.” He’s also kept his famous Madea character in front of audiences through other films, including “Madea Goes to Jail” and “Boo! A Madea Halloween.”

Lisa Arrindell – “Vanessa”

Lisa Arrindell delivered one of the film’s most emotional performances as Vanessa and has thankfully continued working steadily ever since. Some of the projects she’s appeared in include “Drumline: A New Beat,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” “Our Kind of People,” and Perry’s 2008 film, “Meet the Browns.” Arrindell also reunited with her fictional mother (played by Lynn Whitfield in this film) in the 2024 film, “Albany Road.”

Boris Kodjoe – “Frankie”

Following his role as Vanessa’s dependable love interest, Frankie, Boris Kodjoe continued to expand his résumé across TV and film thanks to projects like “Code Black,” “Station 19,” and the “Resident Evil” film franchise. He even dipped his toe in the reality TV front, starring alongside Kevin Hart and JB Smoove in BET’S “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”

Off-screen, he and his wife, Nicole Ari Parker, have become one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples.

Keke Palmer – “Nikki”

When it comes to Keke Palmer, what hasn’t she done since 2006? She’s quite literally grown up in front of all our faces and come a long way from leading her own Nickelodeon sitcom “True Jackson VP” to making a major splash in Hollywood thanks to “Akeelah and the Bee” as a child star to handling bigger tasks like co-hosting “GMA 3,” the game show, “Password,” and acting in the star-studded film, “Hustlers.”

Some of her more recent projects include “I Love Boosters,” “The Burbs,” “One of Them Days,” “Nope,” and her famous podcast “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.” Aside from her work, she’s also a beloved figure in pop culture, giving us countless memes and GIFs.

Lynn Whitfield – “Victoria”

Lynn Whitfield was already a Hollywood veteran with countless movie credits prior to 2006. Since then, she’s continued to prove why she’s one of the best dramatic actresses working today, thanks in large part to her 2015 OWN show, “Greenleaf.” She’s also appeared in other popular series and movies, including”The Chi,” “Nappily Ever After,” and “Albany Road.”

Her newest movie, “Strung,” recently premiered on Peacock, in which she stars opposite Chloe Bailey and Lucien Laviscount.

Cassi Davis – “Aunt Sarah”

Cassi Davis is one of Perry’s go-to actors, starring alongside him in countless movies like “Daddy’s Little Girls,” “Madea Goes to Jail,” “A Madea Family Funeral,” “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” and more. Her most notable role on TV also came through a collab with Perry on the sitcom, “House of Payne,” which aired in 2006 and is still going on BET to this day.

Cicely Tyson – “Aunt Myrtle”

Before she passed, the late Cicely Tyson had a couple of recurring roles in shows like “How to Get Away With Murder” and “House of Cards.” She also had cameos in two more Tyler Perry movies, “Why Did I Get Married? and “Why Did I Get Married Too?”

In one of her last offerings to the culture, she released her juicy memoir “Just As I Am: A Memoir,” two days before she passed away in January 2021.

Henry Simmons – “Isaac”

Since starring in Perry’s film, Henry Simmons is perhaps best known for his role on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which ran from 2013 to 2020. He’s also had smaller roles in shows and films like “Are We There Yet?” “Cherish the Day,” and “The Emperor of Ocean Park.”

Jenifer Lewis – “The Wedding Planner”

Similar to Lynn Whitfield, Jenifer Lewis had already shown her impressive acting chops before Perry’s 2006 film. And that’s exactly why she stayed booked and busy, thanks to movies and series like “Black-Ish,” “Think Like A Man,” and the sequel, “Think Like a Man Too.” On the voice-acting front, she was introduced to a much younger audience through the role of “Mama Odie” in “The Princess and the Frog,” and recently as Florence the warthog in the 2026 animated film, “GOAT.”

(Sidenote: Thank you, Ms. Lewis, for giving us the iconic phrase “I give you Paris, in springtime!”)

Maya Angelou – “Aunt May”

The late Maya Angelou may not have been in front of the camera much throughout her illustrious career, but her role in Perry’s film was impactful. However, given her groundbreaking career as a writer, most of her legacy lies in the books she published, such as “Letters to My Daughter,” “Mom & Me & Mom,” and her second cookbook, “Great Food, All Day Long.”

Angelou passed away in May 2014.