Whatever Happened to Emmanuel Lewis From ‘Webster’?

WEBSTER, Emmanuel Lewis, September, 1983. — Everett Collection

What To Know

Emmanuel Lewis became a beloved child star in the 1980s as the lead in the sitcom Webster.
After Webster, Lewis made guest appearances on various TV shows and pursued a music career in Japan.
Now living a quieter life in Atlanta, Lewis is president of the Radio, Music & Film Alliance of Georgia.

Emmanuel Lewis may be 55 years old now and largely away from the spotlight, but fans will always remember him as the adorable little boy who starred in Webster in the 1980s. The ABC sitcom premiered in 1983 and followed Webster after he was taken in by his godfather, George Papadopolis, played by Alex Karras, and George’s wife, Katherine, played by Susan Clark. Lewis quickly became the heart of the show and, for a while, one of the most recognizable child stars on television.

Before Webster, Lewis had already been working in commercials, including ads for Campbell’s Soup, Life cereal, and Burger King. According to accounts of the show’s development, ABC programming executive Lew Erlicht saw Lewis in a Burger King commercial and wanted to develop a series around him. The project that eventually became Webster was originally centered more on Karras and Clark, who were married in real life, but when the casting director met Lewis, they loved him so much they decided to center the show around him, and audiences agreed.

Pastor Michael Todd and Emmanuel Lewis attend the Relationship Goals Atlanta Screening at Regal Atlantic Station on January 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia

Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Amazon

Webster ran for six seasons, airing on ABC from 1983 to 1987, then continued in first-run syndication until 1989. Lewis was still a teenager when the show ended, even though he had spent much of the series playing a much younger child. He was so small in real life that he could play younger roles longer than most child actors, but it also meant viewers had a hard time seeing him as anyone other than Webster.

After Webster, Lewis made appearances on shows and projects such as Family Matters, Moesha, Malcolm & Eddie, The Surreal Life, and the 2007 movie Kickin’ It Old Skool. He also appeared as himself several times, since so many fans still loved him as Webster. Later, Lewis also had a surprising music career in Japan. His single “City Connection” reached No. 2 on the Oricon chart.

In adulthood, Lewis built a much quieter life in the Atlanta area. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2024 that he had been living in metro Atlanta for decades and graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 1997 with a degree in theater arts. He told the outlet that Atlanta became a kind of safe haven for him after years of dealing with paparazzi in New York and Los Angeles.

These days, Lewis is listed as President & Ambassador of the Radio, Music & Film Alliance of Georgia, an organization that supports and connects people in Georgia’s radio, music, and film industries. The group’s 3rd Annual Radio, Music & Film Summit took place in August 2025 in the Atlanta area. Just this year, Parade reported a rare sighting of the former Webster star, noting that he appeared happy and healthy. In that 2024 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Lewis said he still does personal appearances and conventions, but he has turned down reality show offers in recent years, including Dancing with the Stars.

Now tell us, which child star should we catch up with next?