Vivica A. Fox isn’t ready to wrap up her guest stint on Poppa’s House just yet — not when she could be involved in an onscreen love triangle with Damon Wayans Sr. and Essence Atkins instead.
“I’m waiting on that call to be very honest with you,” Fox, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly. “Because at first it wasn’t written and we did the table read and he was like, ‘Oh no, I’m writing some more. We’re not seeing you just once. No way.’”
Fox would come back to Poppa’s House in a heartbeat, adding, “So I hope I get the invitation to come back. I would welcome it with open arms. I really would.”
During the Monday, March 31, episode of Poppa’s House, Fox was introduced as Judge Say Wha?!, who forms a surprising connection with Poppa (Wayans Sr.). An argument between Junior (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Poppa turns into a day in court, which is when Judge Say Wha?! gets involved and shows a very obvious preference for the patriarch.
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“The beautiful thing is I know the entire [Wayans] family and I’ve worked with the entire family. So believe it or not, that chemistry was at the table read,” she recalled. “Everybody was rolling because Damon was just flirting.”
Fox said her chemistry with Wayans Sr., 64, was instantaneous.
“It literally just grew the week of rehearsals and then finally taping. We had automatic chemistry,” she explained. “I just think this is because I know the family so well and they’re just awesome. It’s a well-oiled machine over there at Poppa’s House.”
After working with five members of the Wayans family on screen, Fox said she jumped at the chance to reunite with the prolific family.
“There’s no ego at all. Everyone literally checks their egos at the door,” Fox shared with Us. “What they are there for is to just make the funniest and most creative show possible. Sometimes when you do comedies, the director and the writers are very married to the words and sometimes it can hamper creativity when it’s that way. But you didn’t feel that at all [on Poppa’s House].”
Fox isn’t the only one who has a history with the Wayans family. Atkins, 53, who plays Ivy, has also worked with the Wayans’ before joining Poppa’s House as Poppa’s love interest.
“The truth of the matter is that it’s always going to be an immediate yes when I hear ‘Wayans.’ This is my sixth project with that family. I have met all of them at this point and worked with the majority of them,” Atkins previously told Us. “I really wanted to work with Damon Wayans Jr. again [after Dance Flick] and I had always wanted to work with Damon Wayans, so that’s really all I needed to know. It was an immediate yes.”
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Atkins says she’s not in a rush to see Ivy and Poppa get together. “Initially when we were beginning the series, we thought it would happen sooner. But I think that there’s something really beautiful about them becoming friends first and that they really grow in respect for one another and admiration for one another,” she explained at the time. “Also in being able to see behind the curtain of one another, they have a little bit more trepidation and a little bit more caution about leaping forward.”
Atkins noted that both Ivy and Poppa are starting to develop an “awareness” of their connection, adding, “He’s gaining an awareness of like, ‘Well, what do I get? It looks good, but what does the inspection report say when you buy a home?’ That’s wisdom, and I think that that leads to a much more satisfying take when it actually happens. It won’t feel so jumped or rushed.”
She continued: “These characters have earned this closeness. We’ve seen them grow on each other. We’ve seen them get on each other’s nerves. I like the pace that we’re continuing at. As far as how long it will take, I don’t know. I definitely think that there’ll be moments this season where you’ll be rooting for it to happen.”
Poppa’s House airs on CBS Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
