On Wednesday (April 10), the cast of the beloved NBC sitcom A Different World was in Washington D.C. on the next stop of their reunion tour which is visiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the nation. They did make a special stop before visiting Howard University – they visited the White House to see Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Press Secretary Karina Jean-Pierre.
The visit was made more memorable as the cast members led the press room in a sing-a-long of the show’s iconic theme song, first done by the legendary Aretha Franklin. Veteran journalist April D. Ryan of The Grio captured part of the moment on video showing Jean-Pierre enthusiastically singing along with the cast members in the front row, which she shared on her Instagram account.
A Different World ran on NBC for six seasons from 1987 to 1993. The current reunion tour’s mission is to raise funds for scholarships at HBCUs. “By leveraging the star power and cultural impact of A Different World, we aim to inspire a new generation to choose HBCUs as their academic homes,” said the statement from the group which was released as the tour began on February 29 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The tour features the core cast members Darryl M. Bell (Ron Johnson); Charnele Brown (Kimberly Reese); Jasmine Guy (Whitley Gilbert-Wayne); Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Wayne); Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor); Cree Summer (Winifred Brooks); and Glynn Turman (Col. Bradford Taylor). Sinbad, who played Walter Oakes, has joined in virtually due to his recovery after suffering a stroke a couple of years ago. Producers Debbie Allen and Susan Fales are also on the 10-city tour, which will be announcing tour dates in the fall portion of the year.
