‘Brotherly Love’ Siblings Reflect on Growing Up With Childhood Stardom

The Lawrence brothers are back and taking a trip down memory lane with beloved fans during “’90s Con” in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Joey Lawrence, 48, is the oldest of the trio. He began his career as a child star at age 6, performing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
Despite his early success, Joey Lawrence says it never felt like work; instead, it was a hobby he enjoyed alongside his brothers as a family unit.
“Our parents are great,” he said. “We had our grandparents with us a lot, and we really had a large group that was constantly traveling and insulating and made it about the work. The work was primarily a hobby, treated like travel baseball or sports for a lot of kids. It was never life.”
His mother did her best to create a sense of normalcy for her children, especially when their youngest brother, Andrew, was born, he said.
“She kept me enrolled in my private school back in Philly. When Andy was born, she took Matt and I out of the business for three years,” he said.
Joey Lawrence commended his mother for how she decided to raise him and his siblings, noting that perspective on life and the family dynamic made navigating childhood stardom that much easier.
“It was always a hobby, never our lives. Our life we lived,” he said. “That perspective really kept the perspective right for us, so the successes and failures never predicated our success and failure as a human being. We had those, but it never had to do with the business. That was paramount in us being able to navigate.”
The series—which ran for two seasons—centered around an older brother who returns home to run the family business after his father’s death.
After the series’ short-term success, the Lawrence brothers all went on to pursue careers in the entertainment business.
Joey Lawrence had a lead role in “Blossom” before starring in his own television sitcom, “Melissa & Joey,” with actress Melissa Joan Hart in 2010.
Middle brother Mathew Lawrence, 44, starred in the film “Mrs. Doubtfire” alongside the late Robin Williams and appeared on the popular television series “Boy Meets World.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Lawrence, 36, starred in the 2010 CBS TV drama “Hawaii Five-O” and other Disney Channel productions.