Black-ish is a hilarious sitcom that tells the story of the well-to-do Johnson family who lives in a wealthy area of Los Angeles, and are one of the only, if not the only, black family in the neighborhood.
The family consists of Dre, Bow, their five children Zoey, Junior, Jack, Diane, and Devante, along with Dre’s divorced parents Pops and Ruby. Dre is a successful advertising executive and Bow a respected anesthesiologist. This affords them a luxury lifestyle that includes a massive house, endless clothing and jewelry, and kids in private school.
And while they seem like the picture-perfect family, they all have their flaws. Here are the worst things each of the members of the family, as well as close friends and co-workers, has done.
Dre: Favors One Child
While it’s hard for a parent of multiple children not to have a “favorite,” Dre. makes no attempt to hide the fact that Zoey, his eldest daughter, is clearly his. He has five kids in all, including the newest, Devante, twins Jack and Diane, and eldest son and namesake Andre Jr.
But he and Zoey, who is arguably the smartest and most talented of the bunch, share a special kinship. They both have a love of fashion, share similar interests, and have a strong father-daughter bond. And while the others don’t seem to be bothered by it, it has to hurt just a little.
Bow: Made Junior Move Out
While this was technically a decision of both parents, Bow was especially upset about Junior not wanting to stay in college and take a year off to figure out what he wanted to do. She pushed her beliefs on him that college was the only way to go and forced him to move out and fend for himself if he wanted to be in the real working world.
It was perhaps the right decision, but Bow was really harsh on her eldest son who is at an age where while he shouldn’t be coddled, does need a bit of parental support.
Andre Jr.: Dropped Out of College
Bow and Dre had high hopes for Junior when he entered college. But them Junior decided it wasn’t for him, at least not in this point in time, and dropped out without a clear plan of what he might do instead. He tried to take odd jobs, lived in an apartment with a bunch of guys, and mooched off his parents.
In the end, he ended up getting a great internship at Dre’s agency and showed that he actually has a talent for the job. Still, he dropped out without having a clear plan.
Diane: Scares Charlie
Diane is scary to anyone, as she seems to love violence, fire, and other morbid things, even suggesting that she doesn’t know how to cry. But she has a special relationship with her father’s co-worker and friend, Charlie.
He seems legitimately frightened of her, looking the other way whenever he sees her while she gives him a threatening look or tells him to watch his back. It might all be in good fun, but Diane can be frightening at times.
Jack: Ditched His Best Friend
Jack wanted to look cool to his new basketball player friends, and in an effort to do so, he ditched his long-time best friend Mason. When Mason approached him to play with Pokemon cards, which he loves to do, he pretended its for kids and slammed his friend’s book down on the ground.
The joke was on him as he realized the mistake, went to apologize, and found that Mason began playing with a group of attractive young girls. The lesson was learned. While it’s tough being a kid trying to fit in, it was a mean thing to do, nonetheless.
Mr. Stevens: Constantly Says Racist Stuff
Mr. Steven’s, Dre’s boss, constantly makes racist remarks, seemingly unaware that he’s doing it. And while the crew seems to all take it in stride, shrugging it off because that’s just the way he is, that still doesn’t make it right.
He’ll often turn to Dre for advice on black culture or make comments that are offensive and stereotypical. He doesn’t make any effort to hide his racism (or nepotism) either, which makes it even worse. And the fact the staff tolerates it is just as bad.
Ruby: Insults Bow
While Ruby has done a lot of bad in her life, including shooting her ex-husband twice and even blowing up his boat in anger, in current times, her worst act is constantly making fun of and insulting Bow.
It’s clear she actually loves Bow, as was expressed during the brief separation between Bow and Dre. Still, sometimes Ruby goes too far by mocking Bow’s job or suggesting that she isn’t a good wife, mother, or cook and doesn’t provide for her family when she clearly does.
Charlie: Forgets About His Son
On many occasions, Charlie mentions his son Eastuce, often in reference to him forgetting about the boy. He has called Eustace useless, and even once bought a jet ski in his name, ruining the pre-teen’s (or teen’s?) credit rating before he even got a job.
He’ll sometimes even mention he doesn’t have kids and then says something like, “oh yah, Eustace!” and then runs away seemingly to care for the child he has neglected at home. Again, it’s all meant to be a joke but it would be pretty bad if it were true.
Zoey: Cheated on a Test
While this technically happened on the spin-off series Grown-ish, it was one a few episodes in which Dre and Bow appeared. They came to see Zoey in college after she was reprimanded for cheating.
Angry and upset, Dre cut off her finances, forcing her to get a job and laid down the law telling her she needed to buck up and pay more attention in school. It was a wake-up call that led Zoey to start cleaning up her act…sort of.
Pops: Got in Trouble With the Law
Alongside being a generally absent father, for which Dre has forgiven him, Pops also has a pretty sordid past. He cheated on his wife Ruby, had a gambling problem (and maybe still does) and got in trouble with the law on numerous occasions.
He has said that he’s one of his few old friends left who isn’t in jail. He used to pretend to fix TVs then steal them, was involved in a hit-and-run (which led to him moving to L.A.), and isn’t allowed in Canada, though no one knows why.
