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Tichina Arnold Pushes Back on Colorism Claims About Martin, Citing On-Set Roasting

On a new podcast interview, she says Pam’s insults grew from a character rewrite alongside off-camera joking.

Overview

  • Arnold discussed Ari Lennox’s 2025 critique on Deon Cole’s Funny Knowing You podcast, acknowledging the singer’s feelings while disputing colorism as the intent.
  • She said Pam was initially conceived as a heavyset character and that her audition used fat jokes, which shifted once she was cast.
  • Arnold described a ruthless, competitive joking culture off-camera that writers often folded into scripts.
  • She emphasized that the barbs were delivered out of affection and performance one‑upmanship, saying they had nothing to do with skin tone.
  • Arnold recalled that Tisha Campbell faced negative reactions from live audiences in season one and frequent ribbing about being light-skinned.