Twenty years. It has been two decades since we last saw Bernie Mac break the fourth wall, look us dead in the eye, and ask for a little bit of help with those kids. Honestly, it feels longer. The show was a lightning strike of "tough love" parenting and genuine vulnerability that basically redefined the Black sitcom for the early 2000s. But when the cameras stopped rolling in 2006, the reality for the the Bernie Mac Show cast shifted in ways nobody really predicted.
Some stayed in the grind. Others? They just walked away.
The King is Gone: Bernie Mac’s Final Chapter
We have to start with the man himself. Bernie Mac—born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough—wasn't just the star; he was the heartbeat. Most fans know he passed away in August 2008 due to complications from sarcoidosis and pneumonia. It was a gut-punch to the industry. He was only 50.
But what people forget is how much he was juggling right at the end. He was filming Soul Men with Samuel L. Jackson and voicing Zuba in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He worked until the wheels fell off. His legacy isn't just the jokes; it's the fact that he was ranked #47 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads" list. Not bad for a guy who used to jokingly threaten to "bust" his nieces and nephew until they realized he was actually a big softie.
Kellita Smith: The Foundation
Wanda McCullough was the only person who could check Bernie. Kellita Smith played her with a level of sophistication that grounded the show's chaos. After the show ended, Kellita didn't slow down. You’ve probably seen her as Lieutenant Roberta Warren in Z Nation. She traded the suburbs for a zombie apocalypse and absolutely killed it (literally).
More recently, she’s been popping up in prestige projects like Netflix’s From Scratch. She’s one of those actors who just works. No drama, no tabloid nonsense. Just a solid, decades-long career.
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The Kids: Where the Paths Diverged
This is where things get interesting. Child stars usually go one of two ways: they become superstars or they disappear. The Bernie Mac Show cast kids did a little of both.
Vanessa (Camille Winbush)
Camille was the "rebel" niece. In real life, she’s incredibly sharp. She won three NAACP Image Awards for the role. After the show, she had a long stint on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. But in 2021, she made headlines for a different reason. She joined OnlyFans.
She was incredibly blunt about it, too. Camille basically told the world that those residual checks from a 20-year-old show aren't enough to pay a mortgage in Los Angeles. "I’m an adult," she told fans. She’s still acting—appearing in projects like Holiday Hideaway in 2022—but she’s also a gymnast and a singer. She’s doing things on her own terms now.
Jordan (Jeremy Suarez)
Jordan was the geeky nephew who couldn't catch a break. Jeremy Suarez was a powerhouse voice actor even before the show (remember Brother Bear?). But around 2020, he just... stopped.
He didn't go broke or have a meltdown. He just wanted a normal life. In a 2023 interview with Comedy Hype, he admitted he went back to "regular jobs." We’re talking construction work and a gig at AT&T. He called it a "fact-finding mission." He wanted to see the world outside of a soundstage. He’s recently mentioned he’s open to acting again, but he seems pretty content playing his guitar and living a low-key life.
Bryana "Baby Girl" (Dee Dee Davis)
The youngest of the bunch. Dee Dee Davis was the adorable breakout star. Unlike her TV siblings, she pretty much left the industry once the show wrapped. She popped up in a few episodes of ER and Strong Medicine, but by the late 2000s, she was done.
Today, she’s a mother of two. She occasionally appears on podcasts to talk about the "old days," but she isn't chasing the spotlight. She recently appeared on I Can See Your Voice in early 2024, proving she’s still got that personality, but her main focus is clearly her family.
Why The Bernie Mac Show Cast Still Matters Today
People are still binge-watching this show on streaming platforms. Why? Because it wasn't fake. Bernie didn't pretend to be a perfect parent. He was frustrated. He was tired. He was funny.
The cast had a chemistry you can't manufacture. In 2018, they actually had a reunion in Los Angeles. It was the first time they’d all been together since Bernie’s funeral in 2008. Seeing "Aunt Wanda" with the "kids" all grown up was a trip.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re feeling nostalgic for the McCullough family, there are a few ways to support the legacy of the cast:
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- Watch the Bernie Mac Foundation: The late actor’s wife, Rhonda, runs a foundation dedicated to sarcoidosis awareness. It’s the best way to honor his memory.
- Support the "Kids" Directly: Follow Camille Winbush and Jeremy Suarez on social media. They are both active and often share behind-the-scenes stories that never made it to the DVD extras.
- Binge the Spin-offs: Check out Kellita Smith’s work in Z Nation if you want to see her in a completely different light. It’s a wild ride.
The show might be over, but the impact of the Bernie Mac Show cast on television history is permanent. They gave us five seasons of "America, I'm tellin' ya," and honestly, we're still listening.
Actionable Insight: If you're a fan of 2000s sitcoms, revisit the series on streaming platforms to see the nuanced performances of the child actors, which often get overlooked in favor of Bernie’s stand-up style monologues. Their career trajectories offer a real-world look at the sustainability of child stardom in the modern era.