Interview: Tommy Davidson on Bringing Varnell Hill Back and Going Full Circle With Martin Lawrence

More than 30 years after Tommy Davidson walked onto Martin as the wildly confident Varnell Hill and turned a guest appearance into one of the sitcom's most memorable moments, he's stepping back into those shoes. Only this time, Varnell has an entire show of his own.

Davidson sat down with The TV Cave for a conversation about The Varnell Hill Show, reuniting creatively with longtime friend Martin Lawrence, expanding Varnell beyond the character audiences remember and the surprisingly long journey it took to get the series made. For Davidson, bringing Varnell back isn't simply another role. It's a full circle moment decades in the making.

Tommy Davidson and Martin Lawrence Have Come a Long Way

Long before Martin, In Living Color and successful movie careers, Davidson and Lawrence were two comedians from the Washington, DC area trying to make it in Hollywood.

During our conversation, Davidson reflected on those early years and how surreal it feels to now be working alongside Lawrence on a television series centered around a character the two helped introduce more than three decades ago.

“Me and Martin went full circle,” Davidson told The TV Cave.

And full circle might be putting it mildly. Davidson talked about the years they spent working odd jobs, doing comedy and trying to establish themselves before their respective careers took off. Now, after decades of individual success, they're collaborating again on something directly connected to the television history they created together.

Why Varnell Hill Never Really Went Away

Varnell Hill didn't need an entire season of Martin to make an impression. Davidson appeared as the flashy talk show host during the sitcom's run, and the character somehow remained recognizable decades later. Ask a longtime Martin fan about Varnell and there's a pretty good chance you'll get a quote, a reference or at minimum a knowing laugh. Davidson told The TV Cave that he realized immediately that there was something special about the character.

“I already knew it resonated the day I did it,” he said.

Part of that came from Davidson's ability to improvise and build Varnell beyond what existed on the page. Those comedic instincts are also a major part of what he's bringing to the new series.

But the story of how Varnell went from a memorable Martin character to the center of his own television show is probably not what you'd expect. During our interview, Davidson revealed which fellow comedy star originally called him with the idea of resurrecting Varnell, how Martin Lawrence responded when Davidson approached him and just how many years passed between that conversation and cameras finally rolling. Let's just say The Varnell Hill Show was definitely not an overnight production.

The Varnell Hill Show Isn't Quite a Traditional Sitcom

If you're expecting The Varnell Hill Show to simply recreate Martin, Davidson makes it clear that isn't what they're doing.

The series plays with several different television formats, using Varnell's late night program as the foundation while incorporating sitcom storytelling, sketch comedy and an actual talk show component. Davidson sees pieces of both Martin and In Living Color in what they've created, but the combination gives the new series its own identity.

That format also gives Davidson an opportunity to use considerably more of his comedic toolbox than simply playing Varnell behind a desk. During our conversation, he explained how his years as a performer helped him figure out what a present day Varnell Hill should look and sound like. More than three decades have passed, after all. Varnell couldn't simply walk out of 1990s television unchanged. Davidson also revealed just how much of the Varnell audiences will see today comes from the man playing him.

Tommy Davidson as Varnell Hill in episode 1, season 1, of The Varnell Hill Show, streaming on Paramount+ 2026. Photo credit: Paramount+

Returning to Varnell Was More Emotional Than Difficult

You might assume the hardest part of resurrecting a character after three decades would be figuring out how to play him again. For Davidson, that wasn't the problem. “The only challenge was emotional for me,” he told The TV Cave.

Once production began, Davidson found himself surrounded by people he'd worked with at different points throughout his career. Crew members from departments including wardrobe and makeup had histories with him that stretched across previous projects. Suddenly, a show built around a character from his past was being created alongside people who had been part of that journey.

Davidson opened up during our interview about what that experience meant to him and why finally seeing The Varnell Hill Show become real occasionally felt almost too good to believe.

And What About Martin Lawrence?

Of course we asked. Lawrence's connection to Varnell Hill makes his involvement one of the biggest questions surrounding the new series, and Davidson wasn't about to spoil everything before audiences have a chance to watch.

What he did offer was a very interesting comparison to the original Martin.

Fans remember that Lawrence didn't simply play Martin Payne. He transformed into characters including Sheneneh Jenkins, Jerome, Mama Payne and plenty of others throughout the sitcom's run. Davidson similarly spent years showing his range on In Living Color. When asked what that history could mean for Lawrence's involvement in The Varnell Hill Show, Davidson left us with a tease rather than a straightforward answer. And yes, his answer immediately made us want to know more.

(L-R): Martin Lawrence, Kym Whitley as Kym, and Tommy Davidson as Varnell Hill in episode 1, season 1, of The Varnell Hill Show, streaming on Paramount+ 2026. Photo credit: Paramount+

Varnell Hill Is Back

There's an obvious nostalgia factor surrounding The Varnell Hill Show, but talking with Davidson makes it clear that returning to this character means considerably more to him than revisiting a popular episode of television.

It's connected to his friendship with Lawrence, the beginning of their careers, decades of comedy and a character that audiences simply refused to forget. Davidson also spoke enthusiastically about the show's cast and guest stars and what it means to have this collection of Black comedic talent together on screen.

Thirty years later, Varnell Hill somehow has another chapter.

And if you want to hear Davidson tell the story himself, including who first planted the idea for a Varnell Hill series, how Martin Lawrence became involved and what Davidson teased about Lawrence appearing on screen, watch the full Tommy Davidson interview on The TV Cave Podcast.