Valerie Jones was the first actress to portray Judy Winslow on Family Matters

The first Family Matters episode

Were you aware that two actresses had the role of Judy Winslow on Family Matters and both were fired? It's well known that Jaimee Foxworth portrayed the youngest Winslow daughter, for four season until she was let go. In the very first episode a different actress, seven-year-old Valerie Jones played Judy.

In the pilot episode The Mama Who Came to Dinner Estelle "Mother" Winslow, (Rosetta Lenoire) moves in with her son Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) and his family after her husband dies. Richie Crawford's (Bryton James) mom Rachel Crawford (Telma Hopkins) was also a new widow which is why they moved into the Winslow home.

In the first episode of the series, Carl was apprehensive about his widowed mother coming to live with his family. Meanwhile, Judy wanted to hold Little Richie who at that time was protrayed by twins, Joseph and Julius Wright.

Laura Winslow (Kelly Shanygne Williams) teased her sibling several times with the fact that she was old enough to hold the baby and Judy was not. This led to contension between the girls.

Jones had chemistry with her onscreen sister

It looked like the beginning of a fun sibling rivalry, but Valerie Jones was only in that one episode. Jones and Williams exhibited chemistry and played well off of each other as sisters. Their banter would have made for great entertainment, but the higher ups did not agree.

Allegedly, the producers decided Valerie was not a good fit and got rid of her. They did the same to her replacement four years later. Many have wondered with Jaimee was fired. According to Jaleel White (Urkel) Foxworth was forgetting her lines. They gave her less screen time and eventually let her go.

What happened to Valerie Jones?

Regarding the first Judy, there is not a lot of information available, but here is what is known. Valerie Jones was born in Tustin, California in 1982. After leaving Family Matters, the actress appeared in commercials for Trident Gum and Pepsi soft drink. She only has two additional acting credits listed.

In 1990, Jones portrayed a character named Lisa, a Christmas caroler in the episode Deck the Halls, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 1992, she returned to the sitcom and played the role of a young Hilary Banks in the episode Will Gets Committed.

It's unclear why her career stalled after Fresh Prince. There is no other information related to the actress online except images of her 2016 wedding to Donna Hay. It looks like Valerie Jones may have left the entertainment business behind her.

Family Matters from beginning to end

Family Matters had a 9-year run. First on ABC from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997. The final season was on CBS from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. The hit series is the second-longest-running non-animated sitcom in the United States with a predominantly African-American cast.

Family Matters was a spin-off of the ABC hit Perfect Strangers, where Harriet Winslow was an elevator operator. Her family was developed, and the new sitcom revolved around them all.

The show remains popular today in syndication and has been available on TVOne, Hulu, Netflix and Roku. Jones, who played Judy in the pilot episode is never mentioned in reunions or articles about the cast from this long-running sitcom. Foxworth, her replacement is often spoken about regarding her exit.

We will never know where her talents might have taken her but Valerie Jones will always have the distinction of being the first Judy Winslow on Family Matters.