‘A Different World’: Vincent Jamal Hooper Reacts to Ellington’s Shocking Family Twist

In the finale of A Different World, Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon) found herself caught in a messy love triangle between Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), the five-star athlete son of Hillman alum — and legacy A Different World character — Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell), and the dashing Ellington (Vincent Jamal Hooper), the TA for Professor Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer), another original character and Ron’s former flame.

Though Ellington initially took credit for flowers Shaquille sent Deborah, he eventually came clean. But it was Ellington’s decision to sleep with RA Candace (Renee Harrison) that ultimately drove Deborah away.

As it turned out, however, the flowers weren’t the only thing Ellington was hiding.

In the final episode, it was revealed that Ellington’s last name is Kendall — as in Denise Kendall, the married name of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), the second-eldest daughter of the Huxtable family and the character around whom A Different World was originally centered. At the protest, he even told stories about his grandmother, who we now know is Claire Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad, sister of exec producer, director, and star Debbie Allen).

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'A Different World' Ending Explained: Will Lisa Bonet's Denise Return for Season 2?

Bonet starred as Denise during the show’s first season after bringing the character over from The Cosby Show. She ultimately left A Different World following Season 1 after becoming pregnant with her daughter Zoë Kravitz. Producer Debbie Allen has previously said she wanted to incorporate Bonet’s pregnancy into Denise’s storyline, but Bill Cosby rejected the idea.

That makes Ellington’s full name reveal particularly significant: He is Denise Huxtable’s son, making him another direct connection between the new generation at Hillman and the original series. It leaves the door open for an even bigger connection should the show continue — and possibly even a return from Denise herself. It also opens the door to another love triangle, as Denise was the first Hillman love of Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Deborah’s father, who is currently having marriage issues with his wife, Whitley (Jasmine Guy), Denise’s former frenemy.

Vincent Jamal Hooper shared with TV Insider the exact moment he learned that his character was a Huxtable.

“We had a Super Bowl party like the day before we started shooting, and I was talking to Felicia [Pride], our showrunner, and Des [Moran], one of our writers, and Des was like, ‘Hey, I have a secret! Like a reveal for your character later in the season.’ And I was like, ‘What is it? Should I know?’ So he consulted Felicia, who was like, ‘Yeah, tell him.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re a Huxtable.’ I was like, ‘Sorry. What?’ That’s crazy,'” shared Hooper.

For the second season, Hooper hopes “that my mom shows up. That would be very cool.”

 

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Whether Denise herself ever returns remains to be seen, but her connection to Hillman is officially alive and well through Ellington.

— Additional reporting by Avery Thompson

A Different World, Season 1, Now Streaming, Netflix