family's religious voice and the glue that holds it together. A good cook, she had a restaurant service in one episode. She is quick to offer emotional and moral support to everyone in the family, such as when Janine returned home. In the fifth season, she briefly worked in retail, but throughout the series, she works at the local Help Center. In Season 6, she quits going back to school. Ella graduated from college and finally got her degree in Season 7. It is revealed that her middle name is Naomi. She tries to keep the family at peace the best she can, whether it's big or small. In the Season 8 episode "RIP: Rest in Payne", she keeps complete faith for her son Calvin when she hears that he got shot in C.J. and Janine's home. She loves her family and wants her husband to keep her safe and stand by her, which he does. Allen Payne as Clarence James (C.J.) Payne, Jr., Curtis and Ella's nephew, the son of Curtis' late brother. He moved his wife and kids into Uncle Curtis and Aunt Ella's home when their own house burned down after his wife Janine accidentally started a fire under the influence of drugs. C.J. is the father of Malik, Jazmine, Jayden, and Hayden Payne; these last two are the twin son and daughter born to Janine and C.J. after they reconciled and remarried. In the fourth season, C.J. found out he was adopted. He works at the firehouse with Curtis. At the end of the fifth season, he, Janine, and the twins moved to Chicago, but they returned in the sixth season after he was offered Curtis' job, and the family moved in next to Curtis and Ella. Despite being angry with and hostile towards Janine upon her return, C.J. never stopped loving her. In the early seasons, C.J. often has difficulty enforcing discipline with his children, but it is apparent that he is slightly more strict and hot-headed, often jumping to the wrong conclusions. In the Season 6 episode "Who's Your Daddy Now?", C.J. finally met his real father who happened to be white, making C.J. biracial. In the seventh season, he was promoted to fire chief commissioner, and also became the boss of Janine and Roland in the public-relations department. C.J. was portrayed as Curtis and Ella's son in the series' original format, but his