Kym Whitley Lands Role in BET+ ‘Martin’ Spinoff ‘Varnell Hill’

Kym Whitley at the Netflix Tudum 2025 at the Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA — Photo by Jean_Nelson

Kym Whitley is adding another role to her acting resume.

The actress and comedy veteran announced on social media Thursday, she’s joining the cast of the upcoming BET+ series Varnell Hill, which is a spinoff of the iconic 1990s sitcom Martin.

Whitley shared the news in an Instagram Story and included screengrabs of an article from Deadline, which broke the casting news.

The outlet reported the comedian will play Kim Jones, loyal assistant and professional fixer to Varnell Hill, played by Tommy Davidson.

Related: Kym Whitley Doubts New ‘Friday’ Movie Will Ever Get Made

Whitley currently has a role in Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2. Her other credits include Act Your Age, Loot, The Upshaws, Twenties, and The Neighborhood. She also had roles in the films You People, Hubie Halloween and Next Friday.

Davidson is reprising Varnell from the original Martin, as previously reported.

He had a guest role as Varnell, a flashy late-night talk show host, whose catchphrase “Did you miss me?” was popular with fans.

According to the official description for the new show, the workplace comedy centers on a long-running late-night talk show known as “The Varnell Hill Show” and delves into the chaotic world of television production.

The eight episodes of the series will explore Varnell’s journey to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry and the corporate dynamics and politics involved in the making of the show.

BET+ gave the comedy a straight to series order in April. Martin Lawrence and Bentley Kyle Evans, known for his work on Martin and The Jamie Foxx Show, are co-creators. Lawrence executive produces and Evans will serve as showrunner and executive producer.

Additional executive producers include Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, Andy Horne, Stacy Lyles, Robert Lawrence, and Rae Proctor. Rose Catherine Pinkney and Jason Harvey are executive producers for BET+.

Production has already started in Los Angeles and Lawrence is expected to reprise his “Martin Payne” role on some of the episodes.

In an earlier statement when the spinoff was announced, Davidson said: “Did you miss me? Well, now you don’t have to! I’m excited and honored to be a part of such a creative project with the brilliant mind of Martin Lawrence, over 30 years in the making. Fans have requested it and now it’s coming to BET+!”

Martin aired for five seasons on Fox from August 1992 to May 1997. The series starred Lawrence alongside Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Thomas Mikal Ford, and Carl Anthony Payne.


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