Esther Rolle wanted Good Times writers to eliminate some of J.J. Evans' ''foolishness''

Esther Rolle wasn't a fan of J.J. Evans' outrageous sayings and antics on Good Times; she talked about it many times and showed her concern about how the character painted young black men in a negative light, which was supposed to be the opposite of the Norman Lear series.

Good Times was created as entertainment, but it also showcased the "good times" that can be produced from stressful situations and hardships. It showed life in poverty from the point of view of an African American family/two-parent household.

However, Jimmie Walker's character quickly took over the show, as we've seen and heard various times since the show debuted 50 years ago. It wasn't the actor's fault that viewers enjoyed J.J. Evans; it was the writers' urge to make him look "foolish."

Rolle, who played Walker's mom, Florida Evans, said the character negatively influenced young people.

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"I don't believe any young man walks around the house all day with his hat on and goes to bed at night with his hat on," the actress told The Atlanta Constitution in 1976. "I don't believe any young man walks around the house with his arms outstretched like a giant bird."

When J.J. Evans did walk around the house with his arms stretched out, he'd usually be reciting the lines, "Ya know, what can I say?" "Gettin' the door," or yelling, "DY-NO-MITE!"

These may seem like regular sayings, but it's the overdramatization of how it was said that rubbed Esther Rolle the wrong way. Again, it wasn't Jimmie Walker's fault; he was doing what the crew asked him to do, as many actors would.

"I cannot believe that a 19-year-old boy runs around the house saying silly things all the time, who says sassy things to his parents. If one of my brothers or sisters would have addressed my parents that way, [they] would have lost every tooth in [their] head," she continued.

She also talked about how, in many households, 19-year-old boys would help around the house, bring in income to support the family, and more. The character, now and then, made money from his paintings but never had a stable job until later seasons.

"I realize that Good Times is a comedy, and Jimmie is loved by much of his public. But I simply wish they eliminated some of the foolishness. Rather than get rid of Jimmie, I would like to see them eliminate some of the flippant things he does and make the character responsible, make him concerned about the problems the family faces from time to time."