A Different World Cast Extends HBCU Tour After Sold-Out Run: It's 'Lightning in a Bottle,' Says Darryl M. Bell (Exclusive)

Students just can’t get enough A different world!

A Different World HBCU College Tour — which includes cast members Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Jasmine Guy, Cree Summer, Charnelle Brown, Dawnn Lewis and Glynn Turman — has been expanded beyond the originally planned 10-city tour of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) due to popular demand and sold out crowds, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.

The tour has already visited academic institutions like Spelman College and Howard University — and the cast couldn’t be more excited about what’s next.

“It was really amazing,” Bell, 61, tells PEOPLE exclusively about the response. “There are all these students today who are super fans of the show, and none of them were alive when the show first aired — it all speaks to what resonates.”

“There’s also that permanent, evergreen display of issues that matter to students,” he continues. “So whether it’s the stress of classes, whether it’s how to pay for school, whether it’s student protests, you know, all of those things are still important. They’re all issues that resonate with kids today.”

“We all thought it was going to be really successful, but the response really has been incredible,” adds Bell.

From left: Kadeem Hardison, Glynn Turman, Cree Summer, Jasmine Guy, guest, Charnele Brown, Darryl M. Bell and Dawnn Lewis at the 2024 A Different World HBCU College Tour.

Nykieria Chaney/Getty

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The second leg of the tour kicks off at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, on Thursday, October 17, with further stops across the country through 2025. Wells Fargo and Cisco will continue to sponsor the tour, which also aims to raise money for student scholarship funds.

A different world ran on NBC for six seasons, from 1987 to 1993. Favorite comedy spinoff The Cosby Show followed the lives of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and other idealistic students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU in Virginia.

Although cast members such as Bonet, Marisa Tomei and Loretta Devine left the show after the first season, the show struck a chord with viewers, becoming a favorite among black viewers for most of its six-year run. The show is also often cited as the defining reason many black students chose to attend HBCUs.

Despite its success, Bell says he’s constantly surprised by the students who show their love for the show — especially his character Ron Johnson.

“Someone happened to me with, you know, glasses and a hat, and he looked like me,” the actor recalls. “And someone said, you know, ‘He could be your son.’ I said, ‘Oh my God, you really could!'”

“The other thing that was really amazing was seeing all the fans come dressed as their favorite characters. Amazing,” he notes. “It’s Halloween and on Instagram fans are sending us posts of their Halloween costumes. They come out as our characters, Ronnie, Dwayne [Hardison]that is, Whitney [Guy].”

Darryl M. Bell and Charnele Brown attend the 2024 A Different World HBCU College Tour.

Nykieria Chaney/Getty

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Part of the appeal of the tour has also been the strong bond between the cast over the years, Bell says.

“It’s so spectacular…lightning in a bottle just doesn’t happen all the time. It’s a fact and you hear people talk about it as a family,” he explains. “We always have been [way]we spend time together on purpose.”

“One of the things that’s palpable, the reason everything has worked so well on stage, is all of our chemistry off stage. And that’s one of the things that [fans] seen,” he adds.”[They say] it’s just amazing to see how much you two really love each other and it’s true.”

From parties to dinner parties, even as godparents, Bell notes that the cast’s connection extends far beyond the show and its tour. “We were all on this life’s journey together,” he says.

Overall, the actor adds, “We’re so happy to be with each other, and that’s one of the things that made this tour possible as well… It’s really about the passion of what A different world has meant to our fans, what it means to promote HBCUs, and it just gives us time to be together. We love being together again.”

‘A Different World’ Cast Jasmine Guy, Cree Summers, Glynn Turman, Dawnn Lewis, Charnele Brown and Darryl M. Bell.

Ryan Johnson

The college tour also contributes significantly to what Bell considers to be A different world a larger legacy.

“Our show was able to portray the African-American community from 18 to 75 and really diverse, not just a group of individuals, but backgrounds and ideas,” he explains. “There’s always been a place where someone could say, ‘That’s me,’ and I relate to that.”

“I think because our series, which was written, produced, directed and starred in by mostly college-educated black women, from Debbie Allen to Susan [Fales-Hill] and certainly, we had a more diverse writing staff. First, be smart, witty and try to be excellent. I think we did that and added a man [element] and I think that’s why the series continues to resonate with new generations.”

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A different world stream on Max, and you can find more information about the tour here.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education