The legendary sitcom "Girlfriends," which explored the complexity and friendships of black women, continues to be an iconic show in television history. Created by Mara Brock Akil, the show masterfully captured the lives, loves, and laughs of four dynamic women navigating their careers and personal dramas in Los Angeles. One of its many unforgettable moments was Antoinette “Toni” Childs-Garrett's constant ability — or perhaps unwillingness — to remember the name of Maya's son, Jabari. It was a running joke that made audiences laugh every time. This recurring satire brought a humorous dimension to the group dynamics while highlighting Toni's conceited attitude.
Played with style by Jill Marie Jones, Toni Childs was the group's stereotypical diva, frequently more preoccupied with the dramatic or spectacular events in her own life than with the minutiae of her friends' lives. Reliving Toni's nickname brainstorming session for Jabari allows us to see some of the quirky dynamics that contributed to "Girlfriends" becoming a beloved series.
1. Jumanji
In Season 1, Episode 10, titled "Never a Bridesmaid," Joan's insecurities bubble up as she juggles her personal and professional life while helping Maya plan her vow renewal. During a chat with the girls, Lynn mentions a few things Jabari enjoys, and Toni jumps in with, "And most of all he likes to be called by his real name, Jumanji!"
2. Jymboree
In Season 3, Episode 20 of "Girlfriends," called "Where Everyone Knows My Name," Maya struggles with her separation from Darnell. She convinces her girlfriends to hit up a bar they used to frequent for a change of scenery, though Joan already suspects she's hoping to run into Darnell. As they eat and drink, Darnell walks in with his new girlfriend, making for an awkward encounter. When the girlfriend introduces herself and shares her love for Jabari, Toni responds with, "We all love Jymboree, okay!" easing the tension with a laugh.
3. Juju-be
In Season 3, Episode 14, "Single Mama, Drama," Maya makes a new friend who’s also a single mom, finding someone she can relate to during her separation. While their kids are lounging, watching TV, and enjoying snacks with bootleg cable, Joan and Toni walk in unexpectedly. As the boys ignore their presence, Toni speaks up with, “I’m waiting, Juju-be.” Maya was quick to correct her shortly after.
4. Jacuzzi
While chatting on the phone with Maya, Jabari’s name comes up, and of course, that’s Toni’s cue to find yet another name to call him. When Maya mentions him, Toni doesn't even recognize the name and says, “Who’s Jabari?” Maya yells, “My son!” Toni then asks, “Jacuzzi changed his name?” Tired of constantly battling with her about his name Maya finally plays into it by saying “Yeah girl, you like it?”
5. Junebug
During Season 5, Episode 15, "The Way We Were," Toni drops the ball on Jabari’s name a few times. In one instance, the ladies are debating with Maya about her exaggerating things between her and Darnell. After a round of back and forth, Maya decides to take a swing at getting Darnell back. On her way out the door, Toni yells, "You go, girl! You, Darnell, and lil' Junebug deserve to be a family. Go get him, girl!"
6. Jabooty
During a heated dinner debate about Toni's motherhood, she lashes out at Maya for speaking about her unborn child. Arrogantly, she says, "Don't call my baby out its name. You don't hear me talking about Jabooty's big head, do you?"
7. Jaboobooboo
In “Girlfriends’” 100th episode, “The Mother of All Episodes,” Maya is concerned that Jabari might be ordering adult-rated movies and running up her cable bill. Looking for advice on how to approach the situation, she turns to Toni and Lynn. After sharing her dilemma, Toni chimes in with, “Now, Maya, if Jaboobooboo is engaging with pornographic pastimes, then obviously he’s at an age where things are happening. And I need to know exactly where those things are happening before I sit my non-starch guarded a** down.”
8. Jafifi
In "Kids Say the Darndest Things," Aunt Toni goes into full effect once she finds out Jabari snuck his Game Boy over to Joan’s house while on punishment. While Joan takes the passive route, asking him to put it away, Toni has a different approach. "Girl, you don’t ask children to do something, you tell them. Look a-here, Jafifi! You know you are on punishment, so this game is mine until I say so, understand?"
9. Jamiroquai
Another gem from "Never a Bridesmaid'' is Jamiroquai. In a particular scene, Maya explains to Toni that you're not supposed to leave 9-year-olds home alone. Taken aback by his age, Toni says, "Jamiroquai is nine now? Did Aunty Toni miss a birthday?"
10. Jungle Jim
The final time Toni butchers Jabari’s name in "The Way We Were" is unforgettable. After being loud and wrong with her first guess, she makes an even worse attempt. "Jungle Jim," she says confidently. The episode ends right at that moment, leaving viewers in suspense about how she eventually found him.
11. Juwanna Mann
In Season 4, Episode 11, "Merry Exmas," Maya hosts Christmas at her house and invites Darnell and his new girlfriend. She struggles to deal with her jealousy, while Toni, as usual, struggles to remember Jabari's name. As she sat next to him on the couch, she greeted him, "Merry Christmas, Juwanna Mann!" In defense, he said, "It's Jabari!" Unwilling to believe that she could be wrong, she responds, "No, it's Christmas!"
12. Jimmy Crack Corn
The second time Toni slips up on Jabari's name in “The Way We Were,” she takes him to the mall to give Maya some planned alone time with Darnell. While shopping and living her best life, Toni loses track of Jabari and has to check in with mall security. As she's describing him to the security guard he asks for his name. Puzzled and unaware, she calls Joan for reinforcement. “Hey Joan, what’s Maya’s son’s name again?” she said, once she got the information she blurted out “Jimmy Crack Corn.”
13. Jeep Cherokee
Lynn, Maya, and Toni sit down for their usual lunch, where they dive into Maya's less-than-stellar moments. Ignoring her own selfish tendencies and sometimes cold-hearted nature, Maya remarks, "This heifer here, she's got a heart of stone. Poor Jeep Cherokee!" In response, Maya defends herself, saying, "His name is Jabari," to which Toni retorts, "Oh, like you care!"
14. Jingle-Jangle
In Season 6, Episode 3, “And Nanny Makes Three,” Toni is struggling with being a new mother. After accidentally locking her newborn baby in the house during a temper tantrum, she feels guilty and seeks advice from Maya. During their heart-to-heart conversation, Maya reveals she once had a similar experience with Jabari. Feeling a little relieved, Toni asks, “You left Jingle-Jangle on the bus?” Maya responds, “No! I left Jingle-Jangle at the bus stop.”
15. Jehoshaphat
During this time, Toni is freshly pregnant and dealing with all the signs and symptoms that come with it. With her mind flooded with questions, she decides to talk to Maya about what to expect throughout her pregnancy at their favorite restaurant. She arrogantly walks up to the table and says, “Maya, girl, you’ve been pregnant, and your body never completely bounced back from carrying Jehoshaphat,” expecting sound advice in return.
16. Japento
In "Kids Say the Darndest Things," Maya has a big interview with Jet Magazine for her book "Oh Hell Yes" and needs Joan to babysit her son. Due to his teenage mood swings, Aunt Joan is instructed to enforce a strict no-fun rule for his entire stay. In true Toni fashion, she strolls in with her main-character energy, engaging in conversation without fully registering his presence. "What's Japento doing here?" she asks Joan, who corrects her and fills her in on Maya’s important day.
17. Jaboomboom
Season 6, Episode 9, “Sleeping Dogs,” begins with one of Joan’s infamous game nights with the girls, William, and special guest Darnell, who never wanted to be there. Once they arrive, his attitude doesn't improve, leading to an argument for everyone to overhear. To get out of the next game, Toni blurts out, “No, no, no, uh-uh! I couldn’t forgive myself if we were playing games while my good friends Maya and Jaboomboom’s dad are having problems.”
18. Jappuccino
In the Season 6 episode titled “Work in Progress,” Maya walks into Joan’s house upset with the girls because of the professional advice they’d given Darnell. She confronts them and asks what they were thinking. Toni chimes in with her two cents, “First of all, when would I have talked to Darnell? When I was at Home Depot all day with Jappuccino’s daddy!”
19. Jambalaya
During an engagement party at the J Spot, the girls are mingling and enjoying themselves when Maya starts making a few suggestions on what could make the party better. Up in arms as always, Toni responds, “Maya, this is an engagement party. Not one of Jambalaya’s birthday parties.”
20. Jolly Rancher
After nonchalantly acknowledging his presence and being filled in on his current punishment, Toni decides to break the ice. She takes a seat next to Jabari and says, "Hey Jolly Rancher," but this time Jabari stands up for himself and corrects her. Surprised by his reaction, Toni asks, "Why is he yelling at me in gibberish?"
21. Jam On It
During a deep talk with Todd, where she had already said Jabari’s name wrong, Todd corrected her, saying, “Toni, his name is Jabari.” Certain that’s what she said, she continued the conversation and told Todd, “Look, we're not here to talk about Jam On It,” with no regard for the correction he gave her.
22. Jamal
Maya brings Jabari on a lunch date with her and Toni. As the lunch progressed, Maya needed to step away, leaving the two alone. When she returned, Toni was eager to share what she'd learned about him during their aunt/nephew time. She told Maya, "Jamal is a smart young man." Of course, Maya corrected her, saying, "His name is Jabari!" True to form, Toni couldn't resist and responded, "But he looks like a Jamal."
23. Jalopy
At the very beginning of the episode “Where Everyone Knows My Name,” the girls are at Joan’s house waiting for Maya to arrive. When she finally walks in, she starts to apologize for her tardiness, but before she can explain, Toni interrupts as usual. "Yeah, we know, we know — drop off Jalopy. Get to the point!"
24. Jakarta
Amid their relationship woes, Toni found inspiration in Maya and Darnell's reconciliation. Over a lunch date with Todd, she opened up about her concerns, mentioning how Maya and Darnell "worked it out with Jakarta.”