“Moesha” Star Shar Jackson & A Popular 90s Actress Are Cousins But Most Fans Never Knew

Posted On : July 27, 2017
Shar Jackson during “Moesha” era (via Pinterest)

Shar Jackson has been in the acting game for many years, but most fans know her for her role on Moesha, which opened many doors for her career. She went on to make appearances on shows like The Bernie Mac Show and MTV’s My So-Called Life. Shar also co-starred in the Nickelodeon film, Good Burger.

But apparently, she isn’t the only member of her family who caught the acting bug at an early age. Shar also has a well-known cousin who was regularly featured on a few hit 90’s sitcoms. All these years have gone by, but somehow they kept this on the low for the most part.

“Family Matters” & “Punky Brewster” Actress

Punky Brewster actress and Cherie Johnson (via Pinterest)

For those who don’t know, Cherie Johnson happens to be Shar Jackson’s cousin. Cherie made her acting debut at a very young age with her role on the hit 80’s sitcom, Punky Brewster. Ironically, she played “Cherie,” “Punky’s” best friend. But most fans remember her for Family Matters.

Years later, Cherie left her mark on television when she portrayed “Laura Winslow’s” best friend, “Maxine ‘Max’ Johnson,” on Family Matters. Cherie made regular appearances on the hit sitcom for eight seasons from 1990 to 1997 when the show was canceled.

“Urkel” and Cherie Johnson in “Family Matters” (screen-grab)

After Family Matters, Cherie turned her attention to the production side of the film industry and she even produced and starred in an independent film called I Do…I Did back in 2009. Shar also appeared in that film. Might have seemed like it was just a matter of good casting but the ladies were just keepin’ it in the family.

A while back Shar took to Instagram with a sweet post about her cousin. She shared a photo of them together and captioned it, “Beautiful things happen when my gorgeous cousin @cheriejohnson75 and I get together!!!!”

Beautiful things happen when my gorgeous cousin @cheriejohnson75 and I get together!!!!

A post shared by Shar J (@shar_jackson) on

These days, the ladies aren’t really in the limelight much but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working. Cherie has turned her attention to a different industry. According to reports, she has opened a restaurant in Houston, TX called, Datt’s It. Now married with two daughters, Cherie tries to stay out of the limelight. In an effort to keep her daughters’ names and photos out of the public eye, she has yet to release their names.

Shar Jackson is currently focused on raising her four children and she’s also made numerous appearances on reality TV shows. She’s appeared on ABC’s The Ex-Wives Club, MTV’s Celebrity Rap Superstar, and VH1’s Celebrity Boot Camp. 

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We salute the incredible people and beautiful memories of that "old school". We’re not saying that every artist and every facet of the soul era was perfect, but the artists’ contributions to soul music and the old school memories of that particular time are PRICELESS.