To me the show ended after Noman Lear fired John Amos in1976. I'm not a poet but the show was never the same without James. The ratings went from the top 10 to rock bottom.😢

If you never could imagine them ever not being friends because they were so loving on set, is because they were good actors, very convincing.

John Amos & Esther Rolle were serious actors, and they understood that a FAMILY show was what America wanted to see. Once James Evans was gone, it was less than it was before. Once Florida Evans was gone, it was a shell of itself. The kids couldn't carry the show without the presence of the adults.

Finding out that there was tension on the set of good times make me wanna say, Damn Damn Damn!

I watch the interview with John Amos and he said he left the show because they were trying to change the narrative they didn't want a strong black male as a father

It seems they got along so well on the set, I would never have imagined a riff between them off the set. This is what is meant by "never assume, cause things aren't always what it seems"

I have a hard time understanding why people on television shows just can't appreciate each others talent's and come together to make a show even better. It's very sad.. because I really enjoyed Jimmy Walkers' comic relief on the show. I'm still a big fan.

John Amos was 34!? Dude looked like he was 58 on the show.

Love john amos in almost everything I have seen him in but particularly loved James Evans. He reminded me of my father, uneducated, low income jobs, plus five kids. Yeah we were poor. Not as bad as the Evans' but pretty poor. But the effort James put into providing for his family showed his love for his family in the best way. He demanded that his kids be better and backed it up. I thought he was a wonderful role model for any family. Hope you are doing well Mr. Amos.

Reminds me of what happened with Family Matters. Urkel became the star and some of his coworkers felt some kind of way

I remember watching that show during it's run from 1975-1979. I will admit that it's something when you find out that some of the cast didn't even speak to each other outside of the show. I knew that Ralph Carter, (Michael) once said that he didn't think that the show was as good when John Amos wasn't there anymore. Jimmie Walker was great and funny on the show. Thanks 👍.

People need to understand this is a JOB…

I know my family loved this show when I was growing up, I was about 11 years old. Still love it.

John amos was the show. I agree.

I watched the entire interview from a couple of years ago where Jimmie goes into detail about "Good Times" and it's cast. I wasn't surprised by his comments about Esther Rolle and John Amos. Those two are true actors. And they took their craft very seriously. So, of course, they are going to be frustrated with ridiculous storylines and the silly behavior of the eldest son. You have to consider the time period. "Good Times" debuted in 1973. 1973!!! It was a different time. Black Pride was in full swing. You had protests, rallies and movements. People wanted to see something stimulating and uplifting regarding Black people. And initially that was the case, but as series creator Eric Monte has stated it didn't take long for the producers to want to go another route. A more foolish and ignorant route. And that is why he left a show he created. Stating that these white producers were telling him how young black people talk and behave in the ghetto. When they NEVER lived there and he himself was raised in Chicago's Cabrini Green housing projects. So, to me, it speaks volumes that Eric Monte, John Amos and Esther Rolle left the show one after another. I thought Jimmie Walker was great when I was a kid, but looking at the show now, you realize that by no means could he have carried that show by himself. No way.

*Walker was pretty much the biggest comedian in the 70's the fact that he's remained so humble in the years following is inspiring.*

People if you just take the time and look up John Amos interviews you'll see why he left. He wasn't fired and if you look a little deeper you'll see that Norman Lear wasn't the sole creator of many of his shows

Wow, new respect for him! For sticking it out. Imagine having co-workers you work with on such an intimate basis as actors portraying a loving family, who off-camera won't even speak to you. That's a borderline hostile work environment. So they didn't "approve" of his portrayal of blackness? I don't care if he was Stepin Fetchit (which he wasn't) - that's the way show business works. You have to draw in the crowds and what did they think was getting people to tune in week after week - the big excitement of seeing Esther Rolle or John Amos? They were so disapproving, yet they continued to associate themselves with a show and collect fat paychecks every week for which they should have been really grateful to HIM.

You would never know they didn't get along by watching the show

Esther was smart enough to come back when she saw TV rolls weren't coming her way. John even admitted in an interview that he wished he had kept his mouth shut. When he was unalived off the show, he couldn't come back. Janet DuBois, along with Janet Jackson, did a great job filling in on that iconic show.

Loved the show, but it "Jumped the Shark" with the departure of John Amos. A well cast and written show. What a shame the cast didn't get along.

She didn't want people to have the impression that all black kids were JJ.

A friend of mine did a guest appearance on good times. He said it was very strange and uncomfortable as the actors obviously did not like each other. (Ralph and Bernadette not included)

Jimmie Walker is a living legend! As a boy without actor John Amos as the father I just didn't find the TV show "Good Times" interesting

I'm always shocked behind the scenes they were not friends. I shouldn't be. 😢

My friends and I while growing up (for the most part) were fascinated with this show. It was a reflection of our own lives in the South Bronx living in decrepit public housing before the Giuliani era in NYC. But the real draw for us was the only difference the show had from our own actual lives, and that's the fact that the Evans family had a FATHER in the household. One who not only protected his family at all costs but disciplined his kids as needed and kept on trying to get them all out of the hood towards a better life. But all in all they were complete in that little apartment with each other. Killing him (James Evans) off the show on the count of some grown actors not being able to behave like professionals RUINED Good Times for us. Seriously, it's just a job, it's not real life.

I've been lucky enough to meet everyone from the cast, except Jimmy Walker and Janet Jackson.

That just shows how great they were at acting

I liked this show as a kid. I remembered the kids getting into trouble, and I saw the mom & dads’ reactions as appropriate and saw those aspects of the show as cautionary tales and good PSAs while also being funny.

I have to ask Esther Rolle, how do you expect the show to be funny with all serious smart children? Your husband James, his character was based as an uneducated poor man trying to take care of his wife and family with a low wage, and you are a broke housewife. The show needed someone to stand out, and it was JJ. Another successful show followed the same direction & ingredients as Good Times, but they switched it up a bit.... The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The husband & wife was successful & had good money and the children was smart, but the nephew was goofy & funny and grew up different than them. Without Will Smith's character, the show wouldn't have worked. The same is true with Family Matters. The show was ok in the first sesson, but the ratings were low. But when they added Steve Urkel, a standout character, the show ratings shot to the roof. So sometimes you need a standout character to make the show work. Without JJ, Good Times would've lasted 1 season. With him, it lasted 5 seasons

You couldn't tell that they were beefin', but I know Esther & John didn't want black people to be embarrassed for the things that they were writing. 🖊️

Jimmy Walker needs a podcast. He's got stories and anecdotes for days!

Its too bad the actors could not work things out. It was a good show! I have seen every episode!

Wow another clickbait said nothing in detail why he hated the two

It's always so mazing how all these sitcom cast members on all these shows never seem to get alone. This is just as shocking as Cole not getting alone with Martin Lawrence on the show Martin.

Always enjoyed this show. Jimmie was the coolest cat on tv when i was a kid.

Actually, regardless of what Esther said, Jimmie Walker WAS a good role model for the black community and population, nationally. I'm from the south, Athens Alabama. His image was THE FIRST BLACK person that my parents invested in, I remember how my dad threw his head back in a big belly laugh watching the show, my brother and I were the first 2 kids, I was in 6th grade and my brother in 5th grade, we wore identical red sweat shirts to school, with the image of Jimmie, as JJ, index finger up, and the timeless catch phrase, "dyn-o-mite" was my first time loving someone for them, other than how they looked! (Color) Jimmie Walker done a hell of a lot more for the black people than Esther could have EVER dreamed! Jimmie, was and still is, a major role model for ALL races, the human race! God made him, God always knows what he's doing! Thank you, Jimmie for being a REAL humanitarian!

His character was extremely bright and quick witted and a very gifted atrtist. However, I can see why some people had trouble seeing past the bufoonery.

Loved "Good Times" growing up. My brother, along with my single mom, watched and enjoyed the plots. As a young boy, I always enjoyed the antics of J.J. and we'd impersonate him when able. As a grown Black Man with a mature mind and...who has lived in America...I can truly understand Esther Roll and John Amos' concern. So many social issues, while soothed by the laughter of the masses, effectively hide the realities of structural racism, the devalued image of a strong Black Father, the unbreakable bond and love of a caring, spiritual Black woman for her husband and children...despite all odds. There's no better example of why Black people must control the imagery and messaging for our community. Others, like Norman Lear, who is said, completely stole the ideas of many of the Black shows, only see $$. Unfortunately, that mentality has infected so many Black and Brown youth to this very day!!

I find Jimmie Walker very down to earth

I saw Jimmie maybe 43 years ago in a small venue in North Miami Beach on the same bill with Eddie Fisher, Donald O'Connor and Jackie Mason (a few years before his HUGE Broadway comeback). What I remember distinctly about this show - all four were great - is that Jimmie only got 15 minutes. He was the first one to go on. The others got 30 minutes and I don't think Jimmie was too happy about that. Oh i just remembered something else: I went to a performing arts high school in Fort Lauderdale and if I remember correctly, Esther lived in Pompano Beach. She came to speak to us budding actors, dancers singers. I remember her being down to earth and very gracious. This was probably 1981 or 82.

My favorite part of Good Times is when JJ goes in on Thelma’s cooking, lol.

The show was meant to be entertaining, not a documentary. It was great and it did highlight many important issues in family and social life. It needed that balance of comedic and dramatic talents to capture its wide audience.

I see JJ Walker all the time at planet fitness in Las Vegas

I Loved This Show ❤

Esther Rolle and John Amos were serious actors. I read that on one show, shot live, the family was supposed to say a prayer at the dinner table and Jimmie didn't take off his hat. Esther Rolle, ad libbing, sternly told him to take it off for the prayer. Jimmie paused, then took off his hat. If Jimmie really was interested in acting, in the 1970s, how could he not want to establish a relationship with them. Anyway, loved that show.

This was the same complaint the professional actors had with Martin Lawerence. The drama on the set eventually kills the show. Frustrating for the fans who tune in for a laugh.

John Amos & Esther Rolle were great, Jimmy was so funny! I grew up with this show. Once John Amos left, it wasn't the same.🥺

Ester said her and John wanted the show to go in another direction like, doing an episode about what was going on in the world like discrimination and topics of that sort but the producers were more into hearing ja say dy- no- mite! So that was part of the riff she and John had with the show

This is true. I was at a recent 50 year cast reunion anniversary and Jimmie recounted this same story

Jj was a one trick pony, his career basically started and ended with that show

The movie 'Lets do it again' one of my all time favs with Jimmy and the soundtrack by 'Curtis Mayfield' which did the movie 'Superfly' ah yeah so much great sh=t back in the day.... Lot's of fun and Low key.

Miss Esther Rolle is more than 8 years older than Jimmy Walker she's from Pompano Beach her and my mother used to do farm work and if my mother was alive today she would be 95 years old Ms Esther Rolle was older than her

Jimmie was "canceled" as in "cancel culture" and really never worked again in Hollywood after good times. That what he talked about in his stand up act that I saw which i mentioned below in another comment. Funny how it's all coming back to me because of this video. Thank you.

Before there was a Will Smith of Bel Air there was Jimmy Walker of Good times..💯👍🏿💯👍🏿💯👍🏿

i guess thatz the true meaning of acting cause i couldnt tell- that lz my all time favorite sitcom next to sanford & son, im glad he'z good well ......

Amazing the professionals they were, not to let this interfere with the show, etc.

Shame on John & Esther. The whole point of the show was to grow up poor, but not be a victim of your own circumstances. Don't let the traps of the ghetto and the devil take you down. JJ wasn't good in school and that's been discussed in The book " Countering the conspiracy to destroy black boys ", but he was a brilliant artist, who was nice with the paintbrush. There were many shows that showed him make good decisions in bad situations, like thinking he had a STD ( which promoted safe sex ) & not joining street gangs. He got out of a toxic relationship with a woman who said she was going to leave her husband, but she didn't. He had a girlfriend (Debbie Allen) he was going to marry, but she left him because she was a heroin addict. He had a horrible job delivering fried chicken, but stayed focused & managed to start his own business! I could go on & on. & i just found out John Amos had a recurring gay role on 2&a half men. 😮 & 1 of Esther's last roles was a maid in the kitchen, so in the end how much were they really concerned with the image the black youth see on tv? J.J.s character was goofy, but never promoted anything wrong. It was a sit-com, not a PBS documentary.

As a little kid watching that show, I had a crush on Penny lol.

I always watched Good Times.

I've watched American television since the 1960's and the studio executives and producers have always been uncomfortable with a strong black male figure being the catalyst for the television shows. That's why Norman Lear fired John Amos and shows like The Lazarus Syndrome and Paris didn't last long.

John Amos was killed off the show he didn't leave the show.

Good Times was a spin off from Maude. It was supposed to be Ester Rolles show, but Jimmy Walker ended up stealing the spotlight with his portrayal of JJ on the show. This brought a lot of envy and jealousy from Ester Rolle and John Amos who were more seasoned actors. Same thing happened in Family Matters where Erkel who was supposed to only be in one episode, ended up being the star of the show....

I can see why they were upset at times. I remember the episode about the dad's gun was missing. Everyone in the apt was looking for it and JJ said maybe a moth ate it. Just look for a pregnant moth. Bad timing and it was a stupid joke at a serious time.

Blessings I really like JJ and he made the show

GOD-BLESS ALL OF THEM ❤❤❤❤❤SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS 😢

What I had gotten from this show was that you may not know what Theorems or compare and contrast represent, but you have a talent that can be utilized. Cooking, Sewing, etc....His was ART. Yes, you need to crack open a book, but you have a talent that can be utilized to make a living.

I STOPPED WATCHING, AFTER THEY KILLED OFF JAMES!✔😢😢😮😮 !THOUGHT JJ WAS A BUFFOON!✔

I agree when John Amos left the show was never the same.

I’m so glad they’re still alive!!

Jimmie you got one things 💯 " PEOPLE LIE FOR KNOW REASONS AT ALL!

I'm Kinda Puzzled By Jimmie's Stand Offishness With The Good Times Cast Members. Maybe I Should or Shouldn't Be Because I'm Stand Offish Myself. But It Just Takes Time For Me To Get Comfortable Around People. I Would Think If I Was in Jimmie's Position on a Show For 5 Years, There Would Become a Time When I Would Speak To My Cast Members. 🤷🏾

I heard that his fellow Cast Members, especially Esther and John felt that the J.J character was Buffoonery and made the series Into a Stereotype Character "Dynamite" !!!! Was definitely funny but probably looked at like Tap Dancing, Bucking ,Buffoonery for the White Man , I'm sure most Black folks don't want to be portrayed or made to look like a Clown, Buffoon and take offense to that type of humor that seems to be a lot more Popular amongst white audiences than the Black Community. Jimmie Walker definitely a Great stand up Comedian. It could also be because he was a Conservative Republican. Many People feel like it's because, "Skin folk ain't always kin folk" . It's sad that the cast didn't get along or weren't friendly.

Thank you, Mr Walker!

James and Florida, we’re really like James and Florida and that’s respect! Peace!

Esther and John should have overlooked that because it was not Jimmy Walker's decision or idea to put him forth. So everybody watched the show because of him. Truthfully you can't get mad at that.

Jimmy Walker made the whole show! Without him, Good Times would not have been as funny as it was!

The character J J stepped up and became a better. By far better bread winner of either of his parents. I believe his character was a great role model. Showing how he overcomes the hardships left on his shoulders by parents. That struggled so hard just to make it from pay day to pay day. They each made their decisions and each made the show better in their own ways.

My cousin Timmy had one of those J.J. talking dolls and the Flip Wilson talking doll because I used to play with them all the time 😀

The show changed after John Amos left. I stopped watching it. It wasn't the same. They needed that Father figure.

True comedian! Loved JJ!

I was a teenager when that show ran, loved it at first, but the show started to depress me after a while, because the family seems like they could'nt get a break no matter how hard they tried, i understood the primiss of the hard times in the ghetto, but i could only take so much of it. I also did'nt realize how much of that tv show i had missed one day i caught an old rerun they had a lot of actors iv'e never seen before,

I absolutely loved that show as a kid! I even had JJs poster on my wall. Sad to find out the cast didnt like each other. I do think there was a bit of jealousy on the set. But how was that Jimmys fault? Everybody loved his character and wanted to see more of him. GenX had some great shows to watch.

You forgot to mention that Jimmie Walker and John Amos starred in "Let's Do It Again" with Sir Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby.

Well what john and Ester didnt realize is if jimmy walker walked away from the show, that would have ended the series right then. JJ made the show and his character carried the show.

I heard that Esther was very difficult to work with while John had a tendency to creatively clash with directors and producers. In the end, both came "crawling" back to Norman Lear. While John genuinely believed that the character of JJ was demeaning, I think Esther was simply jealous of the "star of the show" status that Jimmie had achieved. John was fired by Norman Lear but came back years later to star in the ill fated "704 Hauser Street' which was canceled after the fifth episode. Esther came back to "Good Times" when she found out that no one was calling upon her, but by then, the show was sinking. Ironically, JJ did become a respectable and responsible character, but that was one of the reasons why the show went down. Also, I am not sure if Jimmie, a very conservative Republican, made his political views known at that time, but if so, I would not be surprised if that earned him the resentment of John and Esther. (He probably did not announce his political views, as Lear would never have hired him).

Damn.......Jimmy speaking his truth

Loved JJ/the best part of the show !

Amos and Rolle were great actors, and I tend to agree with their positions in respect to the show.

I don't give a damn what nobody says, JJ was funny as hell on Good Times. One of the funniest characters I've ever seen in TV history.

Great show

Obviously, Jimmy Walker, the minstrel, had friends like Ann Coulter than Esther Roll and John Amos. America always embraced and promoted the buck dancer over our dignified characters.

I can understand the issues the senior actors had with Walker. He was larger than life on the show, and Walker out shine Roll and Amos. The show was no longer about a " typical blk poor family" but about J.J. (Jimmie Walker) the character.

I love Jimmy Walker he is amazing

I still watch regularly to this day. I will admit, however, that I don't care for the episodes without James and Florida.

I loved watching JJ. He was the star. And he was so easy going that he just made you feel like he could be your friend if he walked out of the tv into your living room.

When was the American Bandstand appearance?

I think Ja'Net DuBuios once said in an interview that if John Amos had not been fired, eventually James & Willona was steering toward an affair.

Jimmy Walker shows exactly who he was and is

Esther roll and John Amos was very good actors trying to have strong black family's I can see as JJ grow why they got mad JJ got silly at times and even a little stupid and annoying and it's still a test to show a strong black family I'm tired of jimmy Walker and his complaints about Esther roll and John Amos maybe they was not that nice but jimmy Walker wasn't close to one person on the show he's cricole and comes across arigint you can't tell me not one person on the show he couldn't get along with especially being on there for five years he played a roll in that he want tried to make sure writers he knows put him in each and ever show he said that he did that with writers he knew I'm sure he liked them so he needs to stop talking about how he felt about Esther roll or John Amos because both had other acting rolls and showed there talent prove to be good actors and they could get along with other actors I would say that to his face