Martin Lawrence’s Family Revealed: Meet His Ex-Wives, Daughters, and in-Laws

Explore how Martin Lawrence’s Family Revealed: Meet His Ex-Wives, Daughters, and in-Laws is drawing attention with our thorough coverage.

Martin Lawrence met Patricia Southall in the summer of 1992 during a pivotal moment in his career. He was hosting Def Comedy Jam and starring in Martin, while Southall had recently earned national recognition after being crowned Miss Virginia USA in 1993. The two connected at a concert in Richmond, Virginia, beginning a whirlwind romance that quickly became a staple of nineties celebrity press.

The couple married in 1995 in an elaborate ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Virginia, attended by several hundred guests. In January 1996, they welcomed their daughter, Jasmin Page Lawrence. The intense pressure of Lawrence’s surging career, coupled with well-documented personal health struggles during that era, placed heavy strain on the young marriage. By 1997, Southall filed for divorce, bringing their two-year legal union to an end.

Rather than descending into extended public acrimony, Southall and Lawrence opted to protect their daughter's privacy. Southall later went on to marry Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in 2000, establishing a successful enterprise as a philanthropist and author. Over the years, Lawrence and Southall maintained mutual respect, regularly appearing together at Jasmin's high school and college milestones.