BernNadette Stanis, who played Thelma Evans on the iconic sitcom “Good Times,” recently set the record straight about longstanding rumors regarding alleged tensions between Jimmy Walker and veteran actors Esther Rolle and John Amos, clarifying that what many perceived as hostility was actually a misunderstanding of Walker’s lifestyle and professional dynamics on set.

Stanis explained that Walker’s apparent standoffish behavior wasn’t personal animosity but rather the result of his comedian lifestyle, noting that “he’s a comedian and he hangs out all night long, so getting up at 10 o’clock in the morning, he’s a groggy man in the morning” who “wouldn’t speak to anybody—he wouldn’t even speak to me, and I used to have to hit him: ‘Wake up! Hello!'”‘\

Despite his morning grumpiness, Stanis developed an understanding of Walker’s nocturnal schedule and personality, saying “I have an understanding of people, I understood him, I really did, and I was really cool with all of them.”

She shared a particularly memorable story about feeling isolated and “stuck in the house,” leading her to persistently beg Walker to take her out somewhere, and after much reluctance

he finally agreed to bring her to The Comedy Store, but the experience proved awkward and alienating as “he has all these guys in the car—Jay Leno, Freddy, David Brenner” and throughout the entire evening, “nobody really spoke to me or anything, Jimmy’s driving and they’re shooting jokes back and forth, everything they say is a joke,” leaving her as the only woman feeling completely out of place, which was so uncomfortable that she told Walker afterward, “You’ll never have to take me anywhere again.

” Walker also revealed an amusing detail about Stanis’s immense popularity, explaining that on tape nights (Thursdays), she would receive “lots and lots of dozens of flowers everywhere” from admirers, particularly NBA players, and Walker would cleverly volunteer to deliver the flowers to her dressing room but instead kept them for his girlfriend, which Stanis found “quite clever.”

Regarding the more serious rumors about tension between Walker and the show’s leads, Stanis explained it was less about personal conflict and more about creative direction and professional responsibility, as Esther Rolle and John Amos, being the stars of the show, naturally felt obligated to “make sure that the show is going in the right direction” and ensure storylines remained true to the show’s family values rather than veering into potentially problematic territory.

She recalled how in the first season, writers had JJ “finding things,” which to Esther and John meant “stealing,” and they successfully lobbied to have this element removed because “they did not want that,” demonstrating their commitment to avoiding negative stereotypes and maintaining the show’s positive family message, even if certain elements “could be funny” but might ultimately compromise the program’s integrity and social impact within the African American community.