What Was the Real Story of ‘Gimme a Break!’ Star Nell Carter?

Warning: The following post contains discussions of addiction, drug use, suicide, and sexual assault. 

In the 1980s, Nell Carter was the heart of the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break!, which ran for six seasons. She played Nell Harper, a singer who becomes a housekeeper for a single father who is the town’s chief of police, as he does his best to raise his three daughters.

It was during those first few seasons that Gimme a Break! really flourished and allowed Carter to truly shine as an actress. At that point in her career, little was known by the public about her past or how difficult her journey had been to get where she was.

NBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

At the time of her passing in 2003, the UK newspaper The Independent shared a few details about her early life, “She was only a toddler when her father was electrocuted after accidentally stepping on a live power line in the field next to their home. At the age of 15, she was raped at gunpoint, and in the same year, she saw the clouds of smoke rising from the local church in which four of her friends died when a bomb planted by segregationists went off.”

Somehow, Carter persevered. During the late ‘70s, she found fame on Broadway with her Tony-winning performance in the musical revue Ain’t Misbehavin’. But even then, she faced challenges due to drug and alcohol addictions she developed to help her cope with her early trauma.

Michael Lutch/PBS/courtesy Everett Collection

In 1982, Carter married for the first time. Although there were highs and lows in that marriage, the couple divorced after 10 years. Carter married again, but that union was relatively short-lived. There were times during this period when Carter really struggled despite the fame she was experiencing on television.

In her 2018 article in The Weekly Challenger about Carter’s life, attorney Keisha Bell said this: “After Gimme a Break! ended, Carter continued to work — first returning to the nightclub circuit and with a five-month national tour with comedian Joan Rivers. It was during this time that she attempted suicide. How ironic? While Carter made audiences laugh, she was desperately crying inside.”

Despite everything she was going through, Carter soldiered on. Whenever she appeared on television, she was always a strong and sassy bright light. In 1990, Carter starred in another sitcom called You Take the Kids. Sadly, despite a fun premise and a couple of good episodes to kick things off, the show didn’t get the ratings the executives at CBS had hoped for, and it was canceled after just a handful of episodes.

CBS/courtesy Everett Collection

Carter’s final recurring role on a television series was during seasons two and three of the ABC sitcom Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper. She played Principal Moore, whom Mark Cooper not only worked for, but knew from years prior because she had been his babysitter when he was growing up.

While Carter continued to make guest appearances on TV shows like Touched by an Angel, Reba, and Ally McBeal, as time rolled on, she seemed more content to spend time with family and work on her personal life. Carter was excited about a new relationship and was still raising her two boys from her first marriage.

Sadly, on January 23, 2003, Carter collapsed and died at her home. One of her sons discovered her body that night. The coroner’s office ruled that her death was likely the result of probable heart disease, with diabetes being a contributing condition.

Upon learning about her death, Wm. Steven Humphrey, editor-in-chief of the Portland Mercury and contributor to the Stranger, said this about Carter, “She wasn’t just a fleeting summer. She was the crisp autumn, the snows of December, the tornadoes of March, the darling buds of May. She was an eon of seasons–and even though we were gifted with only six seasons of Gimme a Break!, that will never, ever be enough.”

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

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