Why Esther Rolle Quit 'Good Times' - Here's Why 

I wish more people stood up and had more dignity like Ms. Rolle.

Esther Rolle gone but never forgotten she still rocks!!!!

Yes I’m proud of her she stood her ground and believes.

I am floored. They tried to make it a single mother show. Thank you, Ms. Rolle. Mr. Amos. Everyone. They fought a revolution behind those scenes. Wow.

Her chemistry with John Amos was so good. It's too bad the show went the direction that it did but those early episodes were so good.

When they killed off James Evans they killed off black America's dad. The show was never the same. I still Tear up when I hear damn damn damn!!😢

Esther Rolle didnt take BS. She did the talking, walking.. and put Hollywood in their place #Queen

The fact that John Amos is still alive today is a true blessing he also played a great father role in “my baby’s daddy”

I still watch Good Times. I was in grade school when I got hooked on this show. Now 57 and still love this show. God bless them all... 🦋

While working on Good Times, I submitted a show about an abused young girl. The Producers told me they would never do a show like that, but later introduced Janet Jackson with the same premise. I was told that the show often received letters and suggestions from viewers from which staff writers would take ideas and present them as their own work. As a paige, I was excited about submitting stories to Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin shows but finally stopped upon realizing that several of my ideas had been taken and manipulated to benefit the writing staff and producers. I kept the letters I received from the shows to which I submitted scripts and I continue to write knowing that one day I will produce my work.

Esther had such a beautiful face. High cheek bones, soulful eyes, brown rich skin and the warmest smile.

I love the fact that Ms. Ester stood and ground and fought for positive black images on tv. She didn’t sell her soul for money.

"Remember, I've been black the longest." Classic 🤣🤣

WOW!! she stood up for her people just Like “Esther” in The Bible! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

Without James and Florida Evans there would be no Cosby's or Winslow's. Thank you for your positive contribution to the culture John Amos and Esther Rolle.

The father was the reason I liked the show. He had a moral compass and great smile. I loved when he tried not to laugh.

Esther Rolle was and is SO important to the culture ❤️. Her tenacity as a actress rooted in her blackness and her unwillingness to go along with buffoonery is what's missing from today's black Hollywood actors.

I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Rolle as the Mother in a touring production of "A Raisin In The Sun" years ago. Her performance was so riveting and emotional that I still remember it to this day.

This lady had one of the most infectious smiles. I have recently watched her in Maude and whenever I see her, she makes me smile so much. She was such a beautiful lady.

Esther had integrity and values something that barely exists in todays world

They made the show about JJ the same way Family Matters made it about Urkle. They appeared to be about family at first but before ya know it dumbed them down an made it about their antics to get laughs

My mom took care of her before she died. rip

She was such an amazing actress. She's the only reason I watched good times. Rest in peace Esther Rolle

Thank you for this. I didn't know about all of this. It's inspiring to know the power of an actress choosing to stand her ground on her beliefs! ✊🏾

BLESS HER!🙏🏾 She spoke up when most would not and she was right. The show took a downturn after James left and he reminded me of my own Dad who's shares the same birthday as Amos.😆

I'm glad Esther stood up for her people we need more like her today peace

I'm Puerto Rican and grew up watching when John Amos and Esther Rolle were cast together it reminded me of how I grew up with a father down to do whatever he could to keep the family together. John Amos is from Newark NJ and is very well known for his theater work and a good man. He's still alive and thanks for your work always portraying your roles with dignity. I saw Haileys Comet it was a 1 man show staring Mr Amos 👏🏾🙌🏾

Esther Rolle, in my opinion, is a true trailblazer. The word has been used so much until it has lost its true meaning but its original meaning is accurate of Esther Rolle.

Totally agree with Esther Rolle, I was in shock when they killed off James. Since I had both parents growing up, that was hard. But then when my parents got divorced, I saw the kids suffering from no parents! I was happy about the happy ending everyone got through.

she stood her ground back in the day when that was unheard of. love her! (rip)

She's a Hero and I never knew it !

Super underrated show. Even to this day. I wasn't born when it was on but I watched the reruns as a kid in the 80s when they played on TV.

Esther Rolle was a strong amazing lady. Her acting was brilliant and so strong.

Thank you Mrs. Ester for taking a stand for the black family.

The family felt weaker when James passed. People were trying to take advantage of them more. Like the maintenance guy and others.

I always wanted Florida to finish school and James to start his own business I felt they had so many chances to really make it out but was always written to fail I wish we could’ve gotten to see Thelma exploring becoming a Doctor or therapist instead of just marrying a football player as her come up and I wish they would’ve explored JJ opening up his art studio and living on his own there were so many directions they could’ve went

It goes a lil deeper too. The showrunner had the idea of how he thought a black family should be portrayed - broken. He used JJ to split that family apart figuratively which then became literally. The same showrunner made the Jeffersons, they recasted Lionel but they didn't recast James Evans??? - which tells you how much he just didn't like the idea of a strong Black role model and he got the single black mother raising them kids in the PJs like he wanted smh. Could have recasted James if it was truly just beefing with John Amos but they didn't, so draw your own conclusions. RIP Esther Rolle, RIP Ja'Net DuBois

She was definitely one of our pioneers and a great role model! Treasure of our culture! 🖤

This has to be the best synopsis of what happened during that time with the cast and era. If there is an internet award for accuracy and brilliant selection of clips to make this eye opening, stimulating report it should be entered right away!

I was born in the right time. Esther really put her foot down. Having a Father in her spin off was integral. I'm glad that she did that. I really liked what they rejected. John Amos was the Bomb. The real African American Dad that most probably wished to have. Loved the show. Rest in Power Queen Esther.

I loved this show..if they made shows with positive messages like this again the world would be a better place

John amos may have lost the battle but he def won the war. His role on good times was a catalyst for shows like the cosby show which gave us a different world. Chain reaction for the culture. Salute to esther for standing her ground👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

She so beautiful! Missed her so much! A great mom on good times

I was a kid in the 1970s and watched every episode back then but this 7 minute video just taught me so much about the show that I didn't know.

The only thing that really bugged me about this show was on the wedding episode... Not one single mention of James.... Thats just wrong....they could have Thelma say one line about her Daddy walking her down the aisle... That was his "baby girl" after all

Ester Rolle was showing how a family was supposed to be. Notable exception of the Huxtables, I see though. The Cosby Show was a direct recipient of the "Good Times" recipe and nevertheless showed a whole generation how a good family, not just black, operates.

What an amazing woman

I miss her so much she was the best mother I loved her character❤

I have always loved Good Times, but the episodes with the ENTIRE family were my favorites. The storyline where Florida "fell in love" with someone else was not realistic. Florida and James loved each other dearly, there is no way she would have looked at someone romantically let alone married them so quickly. The show was never the same when John Amos left.

You can tell, when James got killed off it was never the same!! I can only watch the 1st 3 seasons and that's it

Esther Rolle you are greatly missed. Watched you in films and tv, such a great actress. The Angela Bassett, and Meryl Streep of her time. Such a jewel! ♥️❤️🥰

I love Esther Rolle, she was incredible on the screen !

We need more actresses like Esther Rolle on screen, in the writing room, and behind the camera.

Home town hero (East Orange, NJ). We're STILL proud of him.

I saw the series finale last year and I cried. I was so happy that it all worked out for all of them, and they finally came up!!! I grew up with this show!

Thank you Ester and John for your advocacy and efforts made toward the enhancement and representation of Black Culture. ❤❤❤

I hated when James and Florida characters left the show, it lost something. I do however like when Janet Dubois got more parts and Janet Jackson’s character Penny come along. I like that Thelma had married Keith ( Ben Powers) but it’s like they didn’t know what to do with him. It’s just make you angry how Producers can ruin good shows. Our shows that are Black oriented always get changed or cancelled because some head people screw with it. Like the show “Underground” a good series about Black slaves fighting back and with good ratings. They couldn’t wait to destroy it.

That was the 1st show that presented the black family to America and The Cosby Show was the 1st show to present a middle class black family to America. James Amos and Esther Rolle will always be Black America's 1st tv mom and pop.

As a 6th grader back in 1976 my class met Esther Rolle as she was invited to our school by my teacher. I was a big fan of Jimmy JJ Walker and asked her to say dynamite.She looked at me and said in her raspy voice," I'll leave that for fools like you and JJ. All my classmates laughed heck I laughed. It never phased me but many years later I would understand the beef her, and John Amos had with Jimmy Walker.

I loved this series growing up!! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Good times was not the same when John amos left the show it really went down after John left ..still a classic with John in it

I was sad to see Esther Role and John Amos leave the show. Now that I know why, I perfectly understand.

Thank you for showing so much respect 🙏 for a strong inspiring woman like Esther Rolle. She was a blessing.

I grew up watching Good Times and Esther with my first girlfriend and her family.... Ester still reminds me so much of her mom, Annette, a sweet kind lady I always remember. RIP Esther and Annette.

Seriously, the show was perfect in the beginning. But I think it was too difficult to leave a loving black family portrayed together on tv, complete with both parents. And that’s what we need to see-complete family units with a strong father figure guided by morals, principles and dignity. The show in the beginning embodied the fact that if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything. I agree with most others that after John Amos left, the show was never the same, and I am also glad that he’s still alive and going strong 💪Esther Rolle portrayed everything a woman should be to a man- opinionated and strong, but yet loving, obedient and a help/support to her husband. May her beautiful soul rest in peace

They were the show we looked forward to watching each night.

What a queen. Thanks for telling us more about her. LOVE reminders of REAL Black excellence.

Thank you Esther Rolle for standing strong...

2023 and that "Damn." moment still almost tears me up.

I loved her as the mother. She was so funny and caring. I still watch the show today.

One of the best segments you all have done. Good Times and Ester Rolle deserves all its flowers Jewish ppl know nothing of protecting our culture and what we actually need it shows in entertainment still!

This show is so important for the culture. I just turned 35 and I grew up watching this show. Once a classic always a classic 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

A huge contributing factor to the show's decline was when the co- creators Eric Monte and Micheal Evan's who portrayed Lionel on the Jeffersons...basically got pushed out by the White producers and writers after the show became successful...Eric Monte was the heart and soul of Good Times because he grew up on Chicago's West side in the Cabrini Projects...which was the setting of Good Times...according to what Eric Monte said...Norman Lear wanted the show to have more of a comedic tone but Eric just like John Amos and Esther Rolle hated to see Jimmy Walker strutting around with that Rooster on the top of his head...notice when the Florida character was reintroduced , JJ stopped delivering Chicken and Ribs...he got a job at a advertising agency and started to dress more conservatively...this video also did not mention the addition of Keith Anderson eventhough Thelma getting married was kind anti-climatic...it is sad ... the characters we grew to love for 6 years ...move out of the projects and get to live their dreams only after the network pulled the plug...like the bigwigs did not think a show about successful People of Color would not be a ratings powerhouse...the Jeffersons was on the air before and after Good Times !

I learned a lot from this video. Didn't know why there was so much drama.

I didn't realize what a wonderful matriarch she was. She's the kind of person we need to guide our youth. There's a reason we are taught to respect our elders. They understand the importance of a good strong family.

I loved the parents on good times. Great Characters!

🤔 Im Picking Up a Pattern; The Producers of *Good Times* and *Esther Rolle* seems to have the same sentiment of the Producers of *Family Matters* and *Jo Marie Payton* . In both shows J.J. and Steve Urkel Roles expanded after they received such a positive comedic reaction from the audience though they took moral value away from the show. Esther and Jo both had spin off shows after being such strong black female characters in previous white dominated cast shows. It seems like there was an agenda to show the black family with a Strong Black Woman but Not a Strong Black Father that could Lead in the home. Just seem like Someone in Hollywood does not want the black man to be portrayed as a Strong Father Figure that takes care of his family. The shows name were *Good Times* and nothing was good about those times. The other show was named *Family Matters* and Judy never came back downstairs 🤷🏾‍♂️ See where I'm headed with this...

Once they wrote off James, that ruined the family dynamics of the show! I love "Good Times" to this date, I watch reruns all the time. While the show was good through it's entirety, a lot of times I will only watch the episodes with James on them, when watching "Good Times" on cable, you can pick the Seasons that you wanna watch

Thank you Esther! Much respect to you!

Still miss this show. The parents were my favorite part of every episode. Thank you for sharing this beautiful walk through memory lane.

I thought it was very odd to pair Florida and Carl Dixon together and am glad they didn't bring back Carl for the last season.

I’m 30 years old, so I wasn’t around when the show was active. I love the first 3 seasons tho! I had them on dvd back in the day and James was always my favorite character because he reminded me of my father. When I found out they killed him off I had no interest to watch anymore seasons

I know Norman Lear had the last say so, on what happened on his shows. I want to know, whose bright idea, was it to call the show Good Times Calling the show Good times, when majority of the time they where bad times and they where miserable, what a paradox or is it a oxymoron 🤔 Thanks for sharing, I always thought she left because she got sick, became ill. She got sick and tired of how they portrayed Black men. I knew why John was fired, because he didn't like how JJ was portrayed, in a negative way, a 70's shuck and jive character I Know Mike Evans the first Lionel from The Jefferson was the creator and one of the writers on Good Times.

I truly respect everything she said!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 she told not one lie and didn’t hold back👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🥲🥲 This one for the books because she basically made history with that show and just stuck to her morals just really enlightened me.🙏🏾🙏🏾Ms. Esther Roll🙏🏾🙏🏾 #thankyou

I still watch Good Times!!

The show got bad after James died.

Imagine Janet Jackson at 9 or 10 pretty much saving the show for a time and giving it some integrity … 😩😩😩 she’s been a legend her whole life

One of the BEST shows to display a beautiful brown hard working family of the 70’s… that’s for taking us back to memory lane!!!

Amazing to hear about how Esther Rolle stood her ground. I have heard of other actors doing the same, such as Kate Mulgrew refusing a scantily clad love scene n Voyager as she didn't want to send a bad message to girls who were watching. It's great to hear such stories.

She was a good actress Rest In Peace

So basically the show would’ve ran a lot longer if the writers would’ve known what or who they were writing about.

This was my favorite show as a kid...my family still calls me JayJay to this day. I know...i'm white, but the show was so relatable to me...see, we were poor growing up...we never had food...lights was always getting cut off but we had love and I had jokes. I think the fact that this family was poor related to alot of poor white people as well...all the other shows the people had money, had everything. They took vacations to places never argued and shit..that was not any kinda life i was living. When james died, i felt like i lost my own dad. I took it hard. Penny was my first tv crush and I still just flip over Mrs. Jackson till this moment. This was a great show. Yes it got ruined in the end i know that now as an adult but as a child i never understood the reasons. When i think of strong parents, good parents...James and Florida still sit at the top of my list. I never saw them as a different color than i am, i only seen good parents. Thank you for this video.

Comedy Hype does it again ❤️ thank you for this!

Thank you for standing up for the culture Ms. Rolle. You brought that strong image out in Maude and you continued in Good Times as the matriarch of the family. You are one of our forever ICONS. ❤

Still one of my favorites

Born in 1973, i grew up watching Goodtimes, what's happening and The jeffersons These were the very first black sitcoms that set the stage for future black sitcoms.

The way the writers tried to force that relationship between Florida and Carl so soon after James died still doesn’t sit right to me to this day!

That's why I loved Esther Role.

I heard an interview recently with Jimmy Walker and he said there was lots of tension on the set. The actors would show up and say there lines and then just go home. Walker said there was no social niceties off set. He said he didn’t have any phone numbers of any of the actors from the show and when it came to Esther Rolle, he said in the entire length of the show he and Rolle spoke twice and that was it. She did not go for him at all. This is sad to hear because it was a good show!!

Idk why watching this made me tear up several times..