open/close all folders
The Mitchells
Moesha Mitchell
Played by Brandy
The titular character, the show is about her perspective and her family. Moesha is a driven young woman and an aspiring writer. She quickly stepped up to fulfill her mother's duties after she passed, but her desire to be taken seriously and be seen as an adult sometimes doesn't jive against her parents' rules.
- '90s Hair: Box Braids loose or in updos or ponytails or pigtails, or pressed hair. Moesha's portrayer Brandy was considered the ur-example of fashionable hairstyles for young Black women.
- Affectionate Nickname: Pumpkin by her dad.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: With Q.
- Alliterative Name: Moesha Mitchell
- Big Sister Instinct: Despite their constant arguing, Moesha is always there for Myles, as shown in “A House Is Not A Home”.
- Brainy Brunette: She’s a mature (for the most part), intellectual teenage writer with black hair and good grades, what more can you ask for?
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Moesha sometimes comes across as quite bratty as she starts to chafe against Frank and Dee's rules and restrictions.
- Childhood Friends: With Kim and Hakeem. (She didn’t meet Niecy until 4th Grade).
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Hakeem.
- Dude Magnet: Has had quite a few boyfriends and Love Interests throughout the series.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: While she is very close with Niecy, she has been the closest with Kim.
- In-Series Nickname: Mo.
- Irony as She Is Cast: Moesha is played by Brandy, one of the best singers of her generation, and Moesha cannot sing a lick.
- Jerkass: She seemed to have this nasty attitude towards her friends and family members.
- Never My Fault: As shown in “Pajama Jam” and "A House Is Not a Home” she moves out her parents' house after her dad embarrasses her for being upstairs with a boy. Moesha doesn’t accept the fact that she lied about no boys at the parties and crossed the border without permission.
- Strong Family Resemblance: It is shown in flashback scenes that Moesha resembles her mom.
Frank Mitchell
Played by William Allen Young
Frank is Moesha's father and a Saturn car dealer (a fact he won't let you forget). He loves both his children, but is also firm in regards to discipline, especially with Moesha. He's also more traditional in regards to how men and women should act, which Moesha (and sometimes Dee) set him straight for.
- '90s Hair: Has a conservative high-top hairstyle popular with African American men of the decade.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Frank comes down on Moesha hard with punishments and starts to control her, especially as Moesha starts to date and has a boyfriend. But the one thing that keeps him from being a total Hate Sink is that he is not entirely malicious, and since he is only trying to protect Moesha, his actions can be somewhat understandable.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Responsible to Bernie's Foolish. Frank is a responsible and disciplined family man who owns his own dealership and house and has had two long committed relationships with his wives; Bernie on the other hand has several illegitamate children, requires his parents to pay his child support, lives in a studio apartment, and works for Mary Kay as a salesman (and the income isn't stable).
- Freudian Excuse: "(Grand)Poppa Don't Take No Mess" reveals he has a father who is a "Well Done, Son" Guy who acts like he prefers the more jovial Bernie to him and that his mother is similar to Frank in behavior, his parents are implied to have an Awful Wedded Life.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: To Dorian. Frank fathered him during an affair he had while he and his wife were briefly separated and he gave him to his sister as his wife refused to allow him to be raised in their home, with Dorian being brought up to believe that Frank was his uncle. Frank continued with this state of affairs even after his wife passed and the truth only came out after his Aunt Hattie accidentally spilled the beans during a family get together.
- Mama's Boy: His father accuses him of being this, especially because he and his mother are both people who plan events out to the letter and are more anal retentive compared to Frank's less responsible brother Bernie.
- Men Are Tough: Frank is well-meaning but does have some traditional views on men and women's roles.
- Parental Hypocrisy: He can be judgmental and distrustful to the point of being sanctimonious, especially in regards to Moesha's love life. He spent the better part of two years being an overly strict disciplinarian after catching her kissing Q in her bedroom, giving her so much grief that it eventually drove her to leave home for almost half a year. He also became irate when he discovered his daughter had birth control pills, despite Moesha being in her early twenties at the time. All of this from a man who is later revealed to have had an affair that resulted in a secret son that he gave up in order to please his wife and only acknowledged as his because circumstances forced him to.
- The Unfavorite: Feels this way compared to his brother Bernie when their father Roosevelt comes over to visit, especially because Bernie is more spontaneous compared to Frank. This is deconstructed when Roosevelt reveals, for all his bluster at enjoying and preferring the company of Bernie, Frank is a responsible family man and business owner compared to Bernie working as a Mary Kay salesman and needing their parents' financial assistance to pay all his child support.
Dee Mitchell
Played by Sheryl Lee Ralph
Dee is Moesha's stepmother and also teaches at Crenshaw. She and Moesha have a contentious relationship from the beginning due to Moesha feeling like she was trying to replace her mother. But Dee is caring, smart and fun and she and Moesha eventually form a tight bond.
- '90s Hair: Her long hair appears to be a cross between Hillary Rodham Clinton as a young First Lady and "The Rachel".
- Feminine Women Can Cook: She is noted for her excellent cooking skills.
- Good Stepmother: Dee and Moesha's relationship started off rocky, but Dee truly cares for her and comes to think of Moesha as her own daughter. She also has built a close relationship with Myles prior to the series.
- Wolf Whistle: Dee has a "cat's purr" that she does to get Frank in the mood.
Myles Mitchell
Myles Mitchell
Played by Marcus T. Paulk
Myles is Moesha's younger brother. He and Moesha constantly tease each other, but they both look out for one another and love each other.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Played entirely straight, but it's clear he and Moesha love each other.
- Mama's Boy: He enjoys a close relationship with his stepmother Dee, even joking with her and being conspiratorial.
- Uncertain Doom: The series ends with Myles being kidnapped, and has not been resolved.
Dorian Long
Dorian Long
Played by Ray J
- Likes Older Women: He dated an older woman towards the end of season 6.
- Troubled Teen: Ran away from home and constantly gets into trouble, trouble that's exasperated when it's revealed that Dorian is actually Moesha's brother, a secret her father Frank hid from family for years. From there, Dorian acts out even more, starts hanging around gangs and doing their dirty work, and steals a car from his father's car lot. By the end of season 5, Frank has had enough and sends Dorian to a juvenile boot camp to set him straight.
Bernie Mitchell
Bernie Mitchell
Played by Bernie Mac
- The Danza
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Foolish sibling to Frank's responsible sibling. While Frank is a established business owner, husband, and father with a house he owns, Bernie has worked as a salesman for Mary Kay and not making enough money to pay his child support to his baby mamas much less for his studio apartment.
Moesha's friends:
Hakeem Campbell
Hakeem Campbell
Played by Lamont Bentley
Hakeem is Moesha's best friend from childhood who drops by every day to the Mitchell home for breakfast and dinner. Despite the intrusion, the Mitchell family considers him one of their own due to Hakeem's shaky home life. Hakeem is friendly and affable, and always there for Moesha when she needs him.
- Big Eater: He's very fond of eating a lot of food.
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Moesha.
- Disappeared Dad: His father has been missing for quite some time before Moesha manages to track him down.
- Drop-In Character: He is always coming into the Mitchell's house.
- The One Guy: Hakeem does have guy friends, but most of his time on screen is with Moesha and her friends.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the friendly and happy-go-lucky red to Q's quiet and aloof blue.
Kim Parker
Kim Parker
Played by Countess Vaughn
Kim is Moesha's best friend. She's very fashion-conscious as well as boy-crazy. She had a huge crush on Hakeem since the beginning of the series until she finds her own boyfriend. After graduation, she attends Santa Monica College with her mother.
- Abhorrent Admirer: To Hakeem, until she gets her own boyfriend.
- Breakout Character: She leaves in Season 4 for her own spin off, The Parkers.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: She can never keep a secret and if another person confides in her about something, the whole world will inevitably know about it.
- The Ditz: She's flighty and shallow, boy-obsessed, and not very great at school.
- Fat Best Friend: To Moesha and the rest of the gang, though she hates the fat jokes.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Is prone to jealousy, whether it's romantic or if she feels her position as a "best friend" is threatened.
- Male Band, Female Singer: In the rap group CPQ, Kim serves as a backup vocalist.
Niecy Jackson
Niecy Jackson
Played by Shar Jackson
Niecy is Moesha and Kim's other friend. She's unlucky in love, and is usually dealing with her huge family but she's a good friend to both Moesha and Kim, and is Moesha's best friend in college.
- Butt-Monkey: Niecy often finds herself the butt of many a joke directed towards her.
- Genius Ditz: Despite her ditzy attitude, she actually does very well at school, much to her friend's amazement.
- Hollywood Homely: Although played by the adorable Shar Jackson, Niecy is frequently teased in-universe for not being attractive enough as her other friends and never having a boyfriend.
- Male Band, Female Singer: In the rap group CPQ, Niecy serves as a backup dancer and vocalist but doesn't get a billing, much to her annoyance.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Niecy has eight other brothers and sisters (four of each) that she helps out with.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: Niecy frequently flirts or develop crushes on guys easily, although the dates she lands are usually low-quality guys.
Andell Wilkerson
Andell Wilkerson
Played by Yvette Wilson
- Big Beautiful Woman: Andell receives plenty of flirtation and admiring gazes from men.
- Breakout Character: Along with Kim, Andell moves to the spin-off series, "The Parkers."
- Cool Big Sis: Serves as a relatable mentor for the teens, and often helps them with their problems.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Often bemoans her lack of a man and frequently flirts with attractive men. She briefly dates Frank's brother Bernie, but they break up.
Moesha's love interests:
Quinton "Q" Brooks
Quinton "Q" Brooks
Played by Fredro Starr
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Brooding Boy to Moesha's Gentle Girl. He is moody and tends to be emotionally closed off.
- Brooklyn Rage: He's actually from Queens, but is very temperamental and quick to pick a fight.
- Chivalrous Pervert: His introduction to Moesha is by the list that he and other high school boys made, rating their classmates by attractiveness. He picked Moesha for "Biggest Booty," which she took offense at but he meant as a compliment.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his rudeness, Q truly has feelings for Mo and is one of the few characters to get along with Dee.
- Lower-Class Lout: Q is frequently described as "roughneck," meaning "a rude and uncouth person." Frank dislikes him for this, especially since Q doesn't plan to go to college.
- Male Band, Female Singer: Q leads the rap group CPQ, Hakeem raps alongside him, and Kim and Niecy serve as backup vocalists.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the quiet and aloof blue to Hakeem's friendly and happy-go-lucky red.
- The Napoleon: One of the shortest characters and one of the rudest as well. Pretty inevitable since he's played by Onyx member Fredro Starr.
- Troubled, but Cute: His moody nature and tendency to mouth off at authority makes him very attractive to girls.
Jeremy Davis
Jeremy Davis
Played by Usher
