The Proud Family is a cartoon that follows 14 year old Penny Proud as she tries to gain her independence as a young, blossoming teenager.
With the help of her parents, Trudy and Oscar, and her grandma, Sugar Mama, Penny faces all sorts of comical events
With the first ever episode airing on September 15 2001, today marks 20 years exactly since the show first burst onto our screens and into our lives.
The American animated television series originally ran on Disney Channel from September 2001, until August 19 2005, when its final episode aired.
But fear not, because a re-booted revival, known as The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, was announced in 2020 and will premiere on Disney+ in 2022.
To celebrate two decades since the cartoon first graced the Disney-sphere, Daily Star is going to take a look at the original cast of the programme and see what they’re up to now.
Penny Proud voiced by Kyla Pratt
(Image: Disney)
Kyla Pratt was just in her teens when she took on the lead role of The Proud Family as Penny Proud.
Her role of Penny was a high-achieving student who had an on/off typical teenage relationship with her mum, dad, nan and siblings.
She was picked up for the role of Penny after starring in Mad City, Doctor Dolittle, and Love & Basketball.
Since she reprised Penny, Kyla has starred in the box office smash-hit Hotel for Dogs, and played Crystal in Let’s Stay Together.
(Image: FilmMagic)
More recently, the now 34 year old took the lead role of Randi in the TV series Call Me Kat, and also stars in many TV films too.
A seasoned singer, Kyla also sang in the 2019 Lifetime Christmas movie, There’s No Time Like Christmas.
The star gave birth to her first daughter, Lyric Kirkpatrick, on November 17 2010.
She then gave birth to another daughter, Liyah Kirkpatrick, on August 5 2013.
Lyric and Liyah’s father is Kyla’s fiancé Danny Kirkpatrick, a songwriter, hip-hop artist and tattoo artist.
Kyla is also gearing up to reprise her role of Penny in the 2022 reboot.
Oscar Proud voiced by Tommy Davidson
(Image: Getty Images)
Tommy Davidson featured in The Proud Family cartoon as the father to Penny and her siblings Bebe and Cece.
His other acting credits include Booty Call and Bamboozled, played Oscar until 2005, going on to appear in Black Dynamite.
Davidson recently popped up in 2016’s Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens and booked a gig in the indie comedy Frat Pack.
The now 57 year old has recently starred in Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine as John, and Frat Pack as Big Daddy. And he is set to reprise his role as Oscar Proud in the 2022 reboot.
Trudy Proud voiced by Paula Jai Parker
(Image: Getty Images)
Paula Jai Parker voiced Trudy Proud in the hit cartoon, who happened to be the mother of Penny, Bebe, and Cece. In the programme, Trudy worked as a vet.
Paula picked up the role in The Proud Family after earning previous credits for The Weird Al Show and Get on the Bus.
With a long list of acting credits, she has also appeared in Oscar-winning Hustle & Flow, as well as Idlewild, Life of a King, True Blood, and Ray Donovan.
Paula married Forrest Martin in 2004 after meeting on the set of Hustle & Flow – they have one son.
The now 52 year old has recently starred in the film Blinders as Evelyn, and the TV show Them, as Hazel. She will also reprise her role for the remake of The Proud Family next year.
Suga Mama voiced by JoMarie Payton
(Image: Disney)
JoMarie Payton played the head figure of the Proud family, Suga Mama – the mother to Oscar and grandmother to Penny, Bebe, and Cece.
With a long list of acting credits before signing up to the role of Suga Mama, she had already starred in Silver Spoons, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, and Will & Grace.
After wrapping her run as Suga Mama, she appeared in episodes of Reba, Desperate Housewives, and Mann and Wife.
The 71 year old star is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
(Image: WireImage)
JoMarie has been married four times and divorced three times. Her first marriage was to Marc France from 1980 to 1987 with whom she has a daughter, Chantale France, born in 1984.
From April 17 1993 until 1998, she was married to Rodney Noble.
Shortly after divorcing husband number two Payton married Landrus Clark in 1998, but the pair divorced in 2004.
JoMarie has been married to Leonard Downs since 2007.
More recently JoMarie Payton starred in Blaze and the Monster Machines as Grandma Ninja. She is now getting ready to step back into Suga Mama’s shoes for the 2022 remake.
BeBe and CeCe Proud voiced by Tara Strong
(Image: Disney)
Tara Strong voiced Bebe And Cece Proud for The Proud Family, and was picked for the role after voicing a number of roles throughout her esteemed career.
Before signing up to the cartoon, Tara had already voiced characters in The Care Bears Family, Extreme Ghostbusters, The Powerpuff Girls, and 101 Dalmatians.
After voicing the baby twins in The Proud Family, she lent her voice to Hoodwinked!), Rugrats, Teen Titans, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Kim Possible, Drawn Together, Ben 10, All Grown Up!, Chowder, and The Fairly OddParents.
In 1999, she met Craig Strong, an American former actor turned real estate agent. They were married on May 14 2000.
The couple have two sons, Sammy (born February 2002) and Aden (born August 2004).
The family lives in Los Angeles, where they run VoiceStarz, an Internet-based company that teaches people how to get into the voice-over business.
The 48-year-old voice actress has won many awards including the Annie Award and Daytime Emmy nominations and won an award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
DiJonay Jones voiced by Karen Malina White
(Image: Getty Images)
Karen Malina White played Penny’s best friend in the hit cartoon The Proud Family.
Prior to the cartoon, she had starred in The Cosby Show, A Different World, and Malcolm & Eddie.
When The Proud Family came to an end in 2005, she starred in The Bernie Mac Show, Southland, The Mentalist, and How to Get Away with Murder.
White has never married and has no children.
From 2000 until 2007, White dated actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
The now 56 year old will be reprising her role as DiJonay in the 2022 reboot.
Sticky Webb voiced by Orlando Brown
(Image: Disney)
Orlando Brown is an American actor, rapper, and singer, who is best known for his work as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Before starring in The Proud Family, he starred in The Jamie Foxx Show, Family Matters and Two of a Kind.
He reprised the role of Sticky Webb in The Proud Family from 2001 until 2005.
After his stint as Sticky, he starred in That’s So Raven, Max Keeble’s Big Move and Straight Outta Compton.
Controversially, in 2018 Orlando appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil, alongside retired psychologist Phil McGraw
He made false claims that he was the son of the late American musical icon Michael Jackson, saying his full name was Orlando Brown Prince Michael Jackson, Jr.
The episode aired on December 21 2018.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
