Will Smith and Martin Lawrence starred alongside each other in Bad Boys (1995). Their onscreen chemistry made the comedic action movie a huge success. So much so that it has since gotten three more installments! While Will Smith went on to have an amazing career in Hollywood, Lawrence didn't have such luck.
There is no one big reason why Martin Lawrence disappeared from Hollywood, but rather a number of factors that have to do both with her professional as well as his private life.
11 Martin Lawrence Was A Star
Back in the '90s, Martin Lawrence was just as much of a star as Will Smith. It was actually Lawrence who suggested that the casting director should cast the Fresh Prince as his co-star on Bad Boys! Prior to the hit movie, he was the host of Def Jam Recordings' Def Comedy Jam, a show that promoted young Black stand-up comedians. Additionally, he was the star of Fox's sitcom Martin. Many fans still consider it Lawrence's finest role to date.
10 ...But He Bit Off More Than He Could Chew
After the success of Bad Boys, Martin Lawrence was at the height of his career. Unfortunately, the happiness didn't last long because he soon started working himself to exhaustion.
Lawrence was quickly approaching burn out, but he ignored all the signs. Instead, he kept on adding pressure on himself. Eventually, he was forced to take some time off to recover. Unfortunately, the industry didn't have much compassion for him. It's around this time that he started developing somewhat of a poor reputation.
9 A Thin Line Between Love And Hate
An ambitious man, Lawrence tried sitting in the director's chair for the first time. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate is a comedy, starring Lawrence himself, Lynn Whitfield, and Regina King. It turned out that being a writer, lead actor and a director was simply too much for Lawrence - he had a meltdown on the set and was hospitalized for exhaustion. While A Thin Line Between Love and Hate was profitable, it received negative reviews.
8 Troubles In His Personal Life
Not only did Martin Lawrence struggle with the work-life balance, he also had a very interesting love life. In 1993, he was dating Lark Voorhies. They even got engaged, but broke it off before tying the knot.
It didn't take Lawrence much time to find a new partner. In 1995, he married Patricia Southall and had two children with her. Just two years later, they already got a divorce. Lawrence moved through stressful life transitions with barely any time to take a breather, so it's no wonder that negatively affected his well-being as well as his career.
7 Sued By Tisha Campbell
Many fans of his agree that Martin was Lawrence's greatest and most iconic role ever, so it was quite a bit of a shock when he walked away from the show. Leaving Martin after five seasons set him out on a completely different career trajectory, which turned out to be okay at the time, but perhaps wasn't the best idea in the long run. Lawrence left the show because he was sued for sexual harassment by Tisha Campbell, his co-star, in 1997.
6 The Glorious Comeback: Big Momma's House
Those who are too young to remember Martin might remember Lawrence from the hit comedy movie, Big Momma's House (2000). After taking some time off, Hollywood nearly forgot about Lawrence, but this movie turned his luck around. He famously portrayed an FBI agent who had to go undercover as the titular 'Big Momma' to find an escaped convict. The movie was such a success that it got two sequels, one in 2006 and another in 2011.
5 A Series Of Forgettable Movies
In the early 2000s, Lawrence was back on track. But after the success of Big Momma's House, he unfortunately didn't book any other memorable movies, so his popularity started dwindling yet again. Once the king of comedy, the quality of his work started to decline. Movies, such as National Security and What's The Worst That Could Happen? turned out to be bad career movies, while the sequels of Big Momma and Bad Boys also didn't reach the hype of the first installments.
4 Television Wasn't His Medium Either
Once a star of Martin, Martin Lawrence gave television another chance. Unfortunately, the times have changed since he dominated the small screens and he struggled to book any work. In 2014, he starred alongside Frasier's Kelsey Grammer in Partners, but the show wasn't renewed for the second season.
3 Giving Stand-Up A Try
Even though he's no longer considered a Hollywood star, Martin Lawrence is still booking work and doing stand-up shows - it's just that they aren't as big as they could've been. In 2016, Showtime released Martin Lawrence: Doin' Time. The special didn't receive the best reviews, but it did get enough publicity. After all, even though Hollywood forgot about Lawrence, he's still worth $110 million and has more than 8 million followers on Instagram.
What hurt his comedy career the most is undoubtedly the fact that he got banned from SNL because he once went off-script, said some shocking things, and failed to wow the crowds.
2 His Daughter Is Dating Eddie Murphy's Son!
Martin Lawrence's name recently resurfaced when people found out that his daughter Jasmin is dating Eddie Murphy's son Eric. Eric is Murphy's oldest child and has nine siblings. Their fathers know each other from back in the day; in 1992, they co-starred in Boomerang.
1 Martin Lawrence's Legacy Lives On
Martin Lawrence is by no means as famous as Will Smith or Eddie Murphy. Even though he disappeared from Hollywood, his legacy lives on. At the age of 56, he's still pumping out entertaining content. He's got his own YouTube channel, he sells his own merch and personalized playing cards!