Living Single star and longtime comedian Kim Coles is back on TV in her first major regular role since the beloved sitcom ended in 1998. Now, she’s one of two new cast members, alongside Mark Curry (Hangin' With Mr. Cooer), on the seventh season of the long-running comedy In the Cut. In a conversation with ET about joining the Bounce TV series, the actress also looked back on the bonds she formed on the beloved ‘90s sitcom, which recently celebrated the 27th anniversary of its premiere on Aug. 22, 1993 over the past weekend.
Admittedly, Coles, who memorably played good-natured receptionist Synclaire James-Jones, forgot all about it this year until she received an “epic text” from one of her castmates, revealing that all six co-stars -- her, Erika Alexander, John Henton, Kim Fields, T.C. Carson and Queen Latifah -- have a text thread “that’s so funny and personal” they use to regularly stay in touch. “[It] just goes on and on and on,” she shared. “We check in with each other or we laugh at something or we celebrate births and deaths and marriages and divorces and all the things. And so this is just sort of an ongoing thing.”
The actress added that this way of communicating grew out of the family bond they formed over the course of five seasons of doing the show together. “You get to know people's moms, you know. When Queen Latifah’s mom passed away, we mourned with her because we knew her. We hung out with her, you know what I mean? When my dad passed away, the cast had met him when he came out to visit. You know, there's nothing but love there.”
While the cast may be reunited digitally, none of the six stars have gotten back together as a whole since the show ended 22 years ago. In 2008, Coles, Henton, Fields, Carson and Alexander got together for a reunion special. And later, in 2018, for the show’s 25th anniversary, Coles, Henton, Fields and Carson reunited once again.
Meanwhile, Friends, a series that’s often been compared to Living Single, is set for a highly anticipated reunion special on HBO Max. When asked if their series should be afforded the same opportunity, Coles said, “That would be a whole lot of fun.” But when pressed about what it would take to get all six stars back together, she added, “It will take all the forces that be to come together and make it happen.”
“I can only speak for myself. I would love for that to happen. So in order for it to happen, it just has to happen,” Coles concluded.
In the meantime, longtime fans can watch In the Cut, which returns on Wednesday, Aug. 26 with Coles joining as Trish Devoe, the new manager of Mable’s Tables cafe. “She is bold and ballsy and brazen,” the actress said of the part, adding that “she’s very different from any character I’ve ever played.”
While the character was something fresh and new for Coles to play with, it also didn’t hurt that she didn’t have to audition for it. “It’s a beautiful treat when a producer calls and says, ‘We want you. We love you. Come on in,’” the actress gushed, taking full advantage of the opportunity to put her stamp on the role and make Trish all her own.
RELATED CONTENT:
