Payton's big break came when she was cast as Harriette Winslow, the elevator operator on the ABC sitcom
Perfect Strangers, in 1987. Harriette Winslow was played by
Judyann Elder in the show's remaining eight episodes. In 2002, Payton appeared on the "TV Moms" episode of the
Anne Robinson version of
The Weakest Link, and was the third one voted off. In 2003, Payton and her daughter appeared on a Mother's Day episode of
Lingo, playing against fellow TV mom
Meredith Baxter and her daughter. Baxter and her daughter won. In 2005, Jo Marie Payton provided the voice of Suga Mama in
The Proud Family Movie. Her other television credits include
Desperate Housewives,
Reba,
Girlfriends,
Wanda at Large,
Judging Amy,
The Parkers,
Will & Grace,
The Hughleys,
7th Heaven,
Moesha,
The Jamie Foxx Show,
227,
Silver Spoons,
Small Wonder and
The New Odd Couple. She also appeared as Mama in the Canadian television miniseries
The Rev. In 2005, Payton co-hosted the 15th Annual
NAACP Theatre Awards with
Glynn Turman. In August 2009, she guest starred on
Meet the Browns as Shirley Van Owen. Payton then hosted her own show,
Second Chance with Jomarie Payton, on the Hometeam Network. In 2012, Payton appeared in the
GMC TV special
From This Day Forward. In 2017,
Entertainment Weekly reunited the cast of
Family Matters for an exclusive photo shoot and interview. During the interview, Payton said that she and White had a long talk, resolved any past animosity and reconciled.
Other ventures In 2004, in an effort to help raise funds for
Virginia Union University, Payton wrote letters to alumni urging them to donate money in amounts from $18.65 to $186,500, in honor of the university's founding date of 1865. ==Personal life==