"One on One" is celebrated as one of the most iconic Black sitcoms of its era, alongside classics like "The Parkers" and "My Wife and Kids." This 2000s series follows Flex Washington, a sportscaster whose bachelor, cool dad lifestyle is upended when he becomes the sole caretaker of his young daughter, Breanna Barnes. With funny moments and an authentic portrayal of a father and daughter growing up together, "One on One" became a memorable and cherished series. It ran for five seasons but unfortunately lost popularity in its final episodes due to significant changes in characters and storyline.
Curious about where the cast is now? Read on for an inside look at what the actors behind your favorite characters have been up to.
1. Flex Washington (Flex Alexander)
In "One on One," Flex Alexander played Mark "Flex" Washington, a charming single father and former athlete. While Alexander shares his name with the character he portrays, Flex’s life and experiences are purely fictional. Along with starring in it, the actor also produced the sitcom.
Since the 2006 series finale, Alexander's career has continued expanding on and off-screen. He has appeared in several shows, including "mixed-ish" and "Grey's Anatomy," stage plays and movies like Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, which received mixed reactions for Alexander's casting as the beloved superstar. He and his wife even had a reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, “Flex & Shanice,” in which they opened up about their marriage and financial struggles during a quieter time in the actor’s career
The Harlem native spoke on his reasons for taking the controversial Jackson role in a TikTok with his daughter, with whom he shares a podcast, saying, “Listen, the role came up, I took a meeting, and I didn’t think they were going to pick me. I really didn’t. I said, ‘I’m 6’4, there’s no way you’re gonna pick me.’ And they did. And you know, I had a family to take care of."
2. Breanna Barnes (Kyla Pratt)
You may also know Kyla Pratt as the voice of Penny Proud. The voice actress’ on-screen career began thriving at a young age with roles in Dr. Dolittle and Love & Basketball. A mom to two daughters, Pratt still focuses on pursuing her craft and never misses an opportunity to champion Black motherhood. She has lent her talent to series like “Call Me Kat,” “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder" and "A Black Lady Sketch Show."
In discussing her time on "One and One," the star told Blavity it's weird watching herself grow up in the series and revealed that she used to ask for VHS tapes of the episodes during filming. “People are always going to think that I’m that age because they watched it at that time… It’s a great feeling, [those are] my teenage years. I had so much fun shooting it with everybody,” she said.
3. Nicole Barnes (Tichina Arnold)
Tichina Arnold played Breanna’s mother, Nicole Barnes, who relocates to Canada for a job opportunity. Because she is living abroad, Nicole is only seen a few times throughout the series. Celebrated for her roles as Pamela “Pam” James on "Martin" and Rochelle Rock on "Everybody Hates Chris," Arnold has built a distinguished and enduring career. In addition to her current role on "The Neighborhood" with Cedric the Entertainer, she will reprise her character Rochelle from the 2005 sitcom in its upcoming animated revival, "Everybody Still Hates Chris."
4. Arnaz Ballard (Robert Ri’chard)
Robert Ri'chard rose to fame as Bobby Walker on Nickelodeon's ’90s sitcom “Cousin Skeeter” before landing the role of Breanna's love interest, Arnaz Ballard, on "One on One." He recently turned heads as the single father and exotic dancer Shawn in the popular Amazon series "Harlem" opposite Megan Good. Ri’chard was also a main character in the series "The Rich & The Ruthless" and lead in BET's original movie RSVP.
5. Spirit Jones (Sicily Sewell)
During the first four seasons of the sitcom, Sicily Sewell starred as Breanna's best friend, Spirit; however, she was fired before the final season. The former star has since left the spotlight and ended her acting career. Now, she's a chef and entrepreneur. In 2023, she co-founded The Kind Kitchen Group, a non-profit organization driving "social change through food, education and community empowerment."
Sicily addressed her decision to leave Hollywood in a recent interview, saying she didn't align with the strategic nature of the business and never felt like acting was her passion.
6. Duane Odell Knox (Kelly Perine)
Kelly Perine's comedic relief made him a standout as Flex's best friend and road dog, Duane Odell Knox. The actor, writer and producer still lights up the entertainment scene with his talents, recently starring in No Way Out with Marques Houston. In addition to writing and producing original films, Perine has appeared in numerous shows like "Between Brothers" and "How I Met Your Mother." Along with his love for the screen, he’s an ambassador for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
7. Lisa Sanchez (Camille Mana)
Season five of "One on One" completely switched gears from its earlier storyline. It follows Breanna and Arnaz as they move from Baltimore to Los Angeles for Breanna's college journey. There, they share a place with four roommates: Lisa Sanchez (Camille Mana), Cash Bagen (Jonathan Chase), Darrell 'D-Mack' McGinty (Ray J) and Sara Crawford (Nicole Paggi). Since her time on the series, Mana has portrayed characters in the CBS drama "The Equalizer" and Netflix's animated film Seal Team, along with other projects.
8. Cash Bagen (Jonathan Chase)
Chase, who played paparazzi roommate Cash in the sitcom, has since secured numerous recurring and main cast roles, such as Sam Parker in Tyler Perry's "Love Thy Neighbor" and Martin Allen in AllBLK's "Judge Me Not." He is also credited as a writer and director on the 2016 short, "Oh Em Gee," starring "One on One" co-star Mana.
9. Darrell 'D-Mack' McGinty (Ray J)
Ray J is no stranger to the limelight. The actor and entrepreneur has starred in several series, from his early days as cousin Dorian Long on "Moesha" to an episode of "Insecure." Additionally, he invests in many ventures, with his latest being a reality streaming network, Tronix, and has received much publicity throughout his career, often for his outrageous shenanigans and relationship with his on-again-off-again wife, Princess Love.
10. Sara Crawford (Nicole Paggi)
Although her time on "One on One" as steamy roommate Sara was short, Paggi acted in a few notable series, including FX's latest biographical drama "Clipped," "General Hospital" and the hit series "9-1-1."