Joey Lawrence was a pretty big teen idol in the 90’s. I remember seeing him on Johnny Carson in the early 80’s when he was just a little boy. What a cutie pie. He showed up on the TV show Gimme a Break a short time after that. I think he was well known at that time because of that show, but his teen idol stardom came when he did the show Blossom. And like most teen idols, he also became a singer. Yep.
Joseph Lawrence Mignogna, Jr. was born on April 20, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family’s surname was changed to Lawrence during his childhood. His first series was Gimme a Break with Nell Carter when he was only six years old. That show ended in 1987 after six seasons.
TV Career
Joey’s next big series in 1990 was Blossom where he portrayed dumb good-looking boy with great hair, Joey. His catchphrase “Whoa” became well known throughout the country. The Blossom years are when Joey became a teen idol and started showing up in the teen magazines. Blossom ended in 1995 but Joey’s popularity continued and he soon landed a new show.
Brotherly Love had all three Lawrence brothers (Joey, Matthew, and Andy). I liked this show. It was cute. Brotherly Love only lasted a few years, but that’s okay. Joey Lawrence still had plenty up his sleeve.
Joey went on to be in many other films and TV shows, including American Dreams, Run of the House, Half and Half, Melissa & Joey, Hawaii Five-0 and more.
Music
Joey Lawrence is also a singer! Okay. Actually, I think the guy is pretty talented. He had a mild hit in 1993 with Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix. The single reached #19 here in the States and #13 in the UK. He had a few other singles hit the top 100 over in the UK, but nothing more here. His self-titled debut album was released in 1993 and his sophomore release, Soulmates, came out in 1997.
Joey and his brothers, Matthew and Andrew, formed a group in 2017. How cute. Three brothers singing in a group. First Hanson, then the Jonas Brothers, and now Still Three. Their debut single is called Lose Myself and it sounds pretty good.
Reality TV
Joey competed in the third season of Dancing with the Stars in 2006. I first started watching the show that year because yummy Mario Lopez was one of the dancers that season. Mario should have won, but former football player Emmitt Smith walked away with the mirror ball trophy. Little Joey finished third.
Joey also did some hosting on the TV shows Master of Dance and Splash. He did some Food Network shows as well including Cupcake Wars and Guilty Pleasures.
I saw Joey most recently on Celebrity Big Brother. I love the regular Big Brother show but haven’t fallen in love yet with the Celebrity one. Joey seemed very relaxed and spiritual which I like, but it bugged me that he looked in the mirror so often.
Trivia
- Is older brother to Matthew and Andrew.
- Was married to Michelle Vella from 2002-2004.
- Has been married to Chandie Yawn-Nelson since 7/05.
- He met his wife while on vacation in Disney World in 1992 when they were teenagers.
- Has two daughters with his wife.
- He was the youngest celebrity to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
- Joey attended USC.
- Filmed a pilot with Gilligan (Bob Denver) called Scamps when he was six.
- Named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1994.
- Ranked #25 on TV Guide’s “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols”.
- Ranked #21 on VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Kid Stars.
Joey Lawrence is a talented and great looking guy who can do many things. I think his show business career will last for many more years. I wish him the best. Check out all of my Joey items in my eBay store.