The 10 Best Sitcom Sidekicks of the '80s and '90s... and Their Twitter Accounts

One of the tried-and-true staples of '80s and '90s sitcoms was the goofy friend to a sibling. While parked on the couch watching a TGIF when you were in the 5th grade, you could always count on a hambone buddy to pop in on your favorite show.

At PAPERMAG, we've been missing some of our BFFs from those classic sitcoms, so we decided to see what they're up to now. And guess where we found them hanging out? No, not at The Max with Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski - they're all on Twitter!

 
10.
THE BFF: Miles Knobnoster, Mr. Belvedere

THE ACTOR: Casey Ellison, @ParkCasey 

Knobnoster, Wesley's BFF, was constantly mocked for his orthodontic headgear. Casey Ellison, the actor who played Knobnoster, currently works as the electrician on Mad Men (who knew!), and created a Twitter account, and checked in once to make this enigmatic announcement:


9.

THE BFF: Jazz, Fresh Prince of Bel Air

THE ACTOR: Jeffrey A. Townes, @djjazzyjeff215

Will Smith was nice enough to bring his musical sidekick, DJ Jazzy Jeff, along for the ride when he launched his acting career on Fresh Prince. We don't remember this from the show, but according to Wikipedia:

[Jazz] has had a long-standing crush on Hilary Banks, and almost every time his advances are rejected. Jazz eventually marries a prison inmate named Jewel who had appeared on an episode of COPS, in which she bites the arm of a police officer.

These days, DJ Jazzy Jeff is still spinning records, and sending jazzy Twitter updates like this:


8.

THE BFF: Alfonso, Silver Spoons

THE ACTOR: Alfonso Ribeiro, @alfonso_ribeiro

Before he became Carlton, Alfonso Ribeiro played Ricky's best friend on Silver Spoons. Nowadays, he's developing a new sitcom, Things We Do For Love, and uses Twitter to inform people that he will NOT do the Carlton Dance.

 
7.


THE BFF: Skippy, Family Ties

THE ACTOR: Marc Price, @SkippyTies

Alex P. Keaton's BFF now does stand-up, uses Twitter to workshop new material:

6.

THE BFF: Spike, Dinosaurs
THE ACTOR: Christopher Meloni, @melonichris

Remember Dinosaurs? If you do, you probably wish you could forget it, because it was THE. WORST. But you probably didn't know that none other than Christopher Meloni -- of SVU and Wet Hot American Summer -- voiced Spike, the black-leather-jacket-wearing Polacanthus friend to Robbie, who was a 15-year-old Hypsilphodon.

Meloni gave Twitter a brief whirl, delivering this insightful tweet about the weather:



 

5.

THE BFF: Boner, Growing Pains
THE ACTOR: Andrew Koenig, @JeSuisLeSinge

No list of sitcom sibling sidekicks would be complete without Boner from Growing Pains. Sadly, Andrew Koenig, the actor who portrayed Boner, committed suicide in 2010. In his too-short time with us, Koenig was a prolific, and funny tweeter:

4.

THE BFF: Six, Blossom
THE ACTOR: Jenna von Oy, @Jennavonoy

Blossom's BFF, who lives in Newton, CT with her husband, a data consultant, now takes to Twitter to give updates on her daughter. Why was she named Six? Because she was the sixth child in her family!



3.

THE BFF: Paul, The Wonder Years
THE ACTOR: Josh Saviano, @joshsaviano

He's not Marilyn Manson, but Paul from The Wonder Years is a Yale graduate, and now practices intellectual property law. Seems like a smart dude, but he ran into some trouble while trying to watch the presidential debates recently:


2.

THE BFF: Kimmy Gibbler, Full House
THE ACTOR: Andrea Barber, @andreabarber

Andrea Barber, aka the Gibster, quit the acting biz and is now works in Whittier College's Office of International Programs. She is popular on Twitter, and spends most of her time on the site answering questions from Gibbler fanatics:



 1.

THE BFF: Waldo Faldo, Family Matters
THE ACTOR: Shawn Harrison, @STFULoveShawn

The all-time No. 1 sitcom sibling sidekick, Eddie Winslow's best bud, Waldo Faldo, was constantly funnier than Family Matters' main stooge, Steve Urkel. These days, Shawn Harrison has a blog, and tweets about sports...mainly football and tennis: