Emmy Viewers Are Worried About Martin Lawrence’s Health

The 2024 Emmys was a celebration of some of the best in television, even if it was delayed by several months, and it was also filled with reunions from classic TV shows. Among those reunions was one from Martin, Martin Lawrence‘s sitcom from the 1990s. The show’s ensemble cast assembled to riff about the fact that they never won an Emmy, and Martin then presented the award for best actor in a comedy.

Following Martin’s appearance on the show, though, many were concerned about the comedians overall well-being. Here’s what we know about Martin Lawrence’s health, and about whether there’s any good reason for concern.

During his presentation of the award, Martin appeared to slur his speech at times and took several long pauses as well which made it seem like he was having trouble reading from the teleprompter.

“Can’t be the only one concerned about Martin Lawrence. What’s wrong, Marty-Mar?!” one person wrote following his appearance on the telecast.

Most fans expressed their concern in positive terms, saying that they hoped everything was OK with him.

Martin hasn’t announced any recent health events or been publicly diagnosed with anything, so if he’s having health complications, he has been dealing with them in private. Martin has had several health incidents in the past, but those occurred largely in the 1990s and were typically connected to prolonged exposure to the heat or dehydration.

In recent decades, no news has broken to suggest that Martin is in any way unwell.

Following his appearance at the Emmys, though, many speculated that Martin may have had a stroke which ultimately led to his difficulty speaking. There’s no evidence to support this claim, though, and it seems to be based largely on his issues at the Emmys.

“Did Martin Lawrence have a stroke just now?” one person wrote.

It’s also possible that Martin was experiencing some issue with the teleprompter, but ultimately we can’t say for sure without an explanation from the actor himself.

After presenting his award, Martin took the time to celebrate the chance the awards ceremony had given him to reunite with the Martin cast.

“Man, what a night at the Emmys! Feelin’ blessed and honored to have presented alongside my fam!” he wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a picture of the full cast.

While plenty of people were concerned about Martin’s health, others were simply grateful to see most of the cast back together again after more than 20 years off the air.

“This is the reunion we needed!!! We were overjoyed to see y’all onstage!!” one person wrote on Twitter.

“Loved seeing everyone. One of my top favorite shows in the ’90s and I can’t believe they never gave y’all an Emmy. That’s OK because we know Martin was the best comedy ever! Much love and peace,” another person added.

Martin is still getting plenty of love all these years later, even if it was never honored by the Emmys the way it should have been.