Garrett Morris Praises His Late “The” “Jeffersons” Costar Sherman Hemsley: 'He Would Feed the Whole Cast' (Exclusive)
- - Garrett Morris Praises His Late “The” “Jeffersons” Costar Sherman Hemsley: 'He Would Feed the Whole Cast' (Exclusive)
Brenton BlanchetFebruary 7, 2026 at 7:00 AM
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Garrett Morris in 1985 (left); Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson in 1975.
CBS via Getty (2)
Garrett Morris appeared in five episode of the classic sitcom The Jeffersons
The SNL alum costarred on The Jeffersons with the late Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson
Hemsley died in 2012 at age 74
Garrett Morris is giving props to the late Sherman Hemsley.
The Jeffersons alum, who appeared on the show for five episodes as unexpected con-artist Jimmy, still has a lot of love for the actor behind protagonist George Jefferson.
Reflecting on his time on the show, Morris, 89, says Hemsley would "feed the whole cast" weekly during his time on set. Morris made his debut on The Jeffersons in 1981's season 8, while Hemsley was a fixture on the program for the entirety of its run, from 1975 to 1985.
Sherman Hemsley (left) and Garrett Morris on 'The Jeffersons' in 1983.
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"I was really happy when Norman Lear came up with that idea [for Jimmy] because I wanted to work with both Isabel [Sanford] and Sherman Hemsley," Morris says of his character, who tricked Hemsley's George and Sanford's Louise "Weezy" Jefferson into thinking he was a foster child in need.
"Really, he was great to work with, man," he adds. "Every Wednesday he would feed the whole cast. He would hire this Asian restaurant to come in and feed us."
From left: Garrett Morris, Sherman Hemsley and Franklin Cover on 'The Jeffersons' in 1983.
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Beyond pitching in for food, Hemsley — who died in 2012 at age 74 and shared a birthday, Feb. 1, with Morris — was one of the cast members who gave Morris "a lot of room to do stuff that I wanted to do," he adds.
"I could throw in a couple of words and a couple of things that had went on the page. Of course, if you know anything about writers, particularly then, you don't veer away from what they've written down, even if they ain't working," Morris says. "But it was a great cast to be with."
Elsewhere during his conversation with PEOPLE, Morris — whose work extends from Saturday Night Live to 2 Broke Girls — reflected on turning 89 and joked that he planned to celebrate his big day on Feb. 1 by "regretting the passage of time."
Garrett Morris at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2024.
Amanda Edwards/Getty
“I just felt if you enjoy your work, why not do it to the best you can in whatever way you are asked to do it until you transform,” Morris says, explaining his view on retirement. “I mean, let's be realistic. There are less roles for an 80 year old who's got arthritis — but there are roles out there.”
He adds, "I just act like time has not passed. I just act like there's got to be a role for somebody who's as old as I am. And usually I'm right. Because every other movie has an old person in it, and they'll get a young actor to do it and put on makeup. Why not get old motherf---ers like me to play the role? We don't have to stretch."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
