The 75-year-old actress says she was unable to walk or talk.

Family Matters’ Jo Marie Payton reveals health scare: ‘Keep praying for me, I’ll be back’

The 75-year-old actress says she was unable to walk or talk.

By Sharareh Drury

April 13, 2026 2:39 p.m. ET

Jo Marie Payton. Credit:

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

Jo Marie Payton is asking for prayers as she recovers from a recent medical emergency.

Best known for playing Harriette Winslow on* **Family Matters* and for voicing *Proud Family* matriarch Suga Mama, the 75-year-old actress shared a health update in early April on her Facebook page.

"Two months ago, I couldn't walk. I couldn't talk, at the start of this last year. But I'm walking better than I thought I would walk, talking better than I thought I would talk. I'm doing okay. Keep praying for me, I'll be back," Payton said in the video post, while not disclosing what caused her inability to speak or walk.

The actress also shared photos of her with family hanging out at the beach to celebrate Easter, including a photo of her in a wheelchair.

A caption for her post read, "Hello All!! Happy Easter and Thank You for all your prayers. It’s been a long 5 months, stay with me. I’ll be back! Slow and steady wins the race."

Prior to Payton's health update, the actress has not posted on social media since last fall.

In October 2025, the actress posted photos and videos of her reuniting with *Family Matters *co-star Reginald VelJohnson on* **The Sherri Shepherd Show* for a Halloween episode. Shepherd herself dressed up as Steve Urkel for the special episode, interviewing Payton and VelJohnson on a set recreating the Winslow's living room.

Payton recalled how she and VelJohnson — who played her onscreen husband, Carl — always got a large reaction from the show's live studio audience when their characters "made up" after an argument.

"When [the audience] saw that that mom and dad get through that day, no matter what happened. Our kids went to jail, whatever, we were broke, it didn't matter what it was. If we made up that night, and said that we loved each other, they loved that," Payton said before she and VelJohnson embraced on another.

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Speaking with ** for a cast reunion in 2017, Payton reflected on the decision to leave the series halfway through the final season, making her final appearance in the Dec. 19, 1997 episode — her 200th. (Judyann Elder took over the role for the last nine episodes.)

"I actually made the decision to leave the show two years before I left. I was unhappy about a lot of things; I was going through a divorce, I wasn't happy on the show — it didn't mean I did not want to perform as an actress or an artist," Payton said. "The way I explain it is that, when you're a baker, you don't always want to bake cakes or cookies; you want to bake pies, you want to bake bread. I wanted to do something else."**

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