These days, I don’t think very often about Ally McBeal, but back in the late ’90s — before the series derailed into depressing self-parody — it was my weekly addiction. In fact, I remember coming home from work one fateful Monday night to find that someone had broken into my tiny Manhattan apartment and made off with my TV (among other prized possessions), and the first thought that popped into my brain was, "Gah! I’m gonna miss tonight’s Ally McBeal!" Okay, that’s kind of sad.
But here’s something even sadder. Watching Calista Flockhart on Brothers & Sisters earlier this week, I started wondering what in the world every happened to her Ally co-star, Lisa Nicole Carson (pictured, center, with Flockhart), who so winningly portrayed roommate Renee, then left the series before its fifth and final season, following rumors of difficult on-set behavior. (Back in 2000, she’d been hospitalized for "exhaustion," but reportedly called Star magazine and told them she was "a superbad bitch.") I hadn’t recalled seeing the actress in any role, big or small, since, and decided to go to her IMDB page to get the scoop. What did I find? (Crickets.) Not a single, solitary acting credit since the Ally series finale, PopWatchers. Which means this weekend, I’ve been searchin’ my soul, PopWatchers. And hoping our next installment of IMDB Check isn’t quite so fruitlessly glum.
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its like she dropped off of the face of the entertainment planet! maybe the diva-attitude damaged any chance of landing another role?
I’d been wondering what happened to her too. I was hoping this blog was going to tell me. Imagine my consternation. She was great in ‘Love Jones’ and ‘Eve’s Bayou’ maybe she decided to give up acting. There aren’t many roles for black actresses and if she’s waiting around for a good one then that explains why we haven’t seen her.
Not only was she doing Ally at the time but she was also a part timer on ER.She played the girlfriend of Eric Lasalle who got pregnant and I think got sick. She was a good actress.
Well, I don’t want to be starting something, but right after Ally McBeal ended there was an Enquirer story about Lisa and it was very sad. Seems she had either a drug or alcohol problem and acting batty at some NYC bars. After that poof – nothing! She was also in Eve’s Bayou and Life. She was on a roll…I think she burned out.
Wikipedia doesn’t have anything to add either…scary! We’d better get “Entertainment Tonight” or “Access Hollywood” on this. Maybe she ran away from a treatment center and fell and hit her head and has amnesia and is living on a farm in South Dakota! Or something.
It’s very sad but Lisa was Bi-Polar
Truly gifted but truly unstable
What seemed to be her problem was that she suffered from longtime mental problems and self medicated herself. Per that same IMDB page, she was arrested in 2000 for acting a little off the wall in public.
Funny though, she never went underwearless partying and didn’t shave her head. Maybe people would have cared for her more during the downward spiral if she had?
ALLY MCBEAL was and still is my favorite show, perfect blend of comedy and drama and well I wish I could marry Calista Flockhart she is so yummy lol!! sorry but I do think she is beautiful and smart, I always liked the chemistry Renée and Ally had…I hope Nicole returns someday to television, I remembet at some point she was on both “E.R.” and “Ally McBeal” at the same time.Wonderful actress!!!!
She was faboo in “Love Jones”.
She is a good actress that happens to be bi-polar. Since she’s not working, I hope its her choice, not because no one will hire her. Hell, if Margot Kidder, Shelly Long, Anne Heche, Martin Lawrence, etc. can still get acting jobs, someone with Lisa’s talent should get the same opportunity.
She was also a great singer. I love her singing in Ally McBeal… Such a talented, beautiful woman
weird…i was just thinking about her (i remember her more from ER because i didn’t watch ally) but i could have sworn that was her in a recent commercial…singing to downtrodded girl walking the streets….and then the girl gets a makeover…i cannot remember for the life of me what the commercial is for, but i really thought that it was lisa nicole carson in the commercial! has anyone else seen it? could i be wrong?
The stars must be aligning for this chick. I was think about her the other day. I loved her on ER.
Ugly Betty the new Ally McBeal?
Since she is black she won’t get a “100th chance” like so many white actors who have “isues”. Sad.
jomo
why the f___ would you inject race into this? do you have one shred of evidence that lisa’s been denied a comeback because she’s black? or are you one of those people who believe that anytime something bad happens to a black person – even if it’s their own fault – you’re still going find a way to blame the white man?
all i see are over a dozen comments which are overwhelmingly affectionate and supportive of her work.
i suspect like so many other celebrities – black and white – she is her own worst enemy. in other words – perhaps she suffers from being human. i too wish her the best.
I remember her acting crazy on the TV Guide awards and she disappeared from Ally McBeal and ER soon after. I also did a search on Lisa Nicole Carson not too long ago and there’s been no hint of any recovery.
This reminded me of another ER actress from way back. I can’t remember her name, but she played a nurse in the early seasons. I saw her on an episode of “Intervention” and she was afraid to leave her house and was spending all of her royalty money on Home Shopping Network stuff. She seemed really messed up and was blowing through all of her money from the series. She hadn’t worked since ER. Rehab didn’t work and she’s probably still suffering from her addiction.
Funny, there was a small DVD set of Ally and I was watching that and thinking the SAME thing — where is she and how has she been doing. I also remembered an interview with her where she said Calista and Peter McNichol were such pros while the grind of memorizing weekly scripts and getting into character was hard on her.
i thought for a while that she was one of Madonna’s backup singer (i think her name is Nikki Richards)…. how stupid did i feel when i found out that wasnt her? *blush*
The girl from ER (Gloria Rueben) and the girl from Ally McBeal (Lisa Nicole Carson) are not the same people. Gloria Rueben has been on LOTS of shows and movies since she left ER (1-800-missing, Law and Order, The Sentinel. She is not locked up in her house somewhere…she is steadily working.
Yea, she was on ER, Cari, she played dr benton’s girlfriend who got pregnant, she was the mother of his deaf son, and died (i forget how), causing the custody battle between her current husband/ boyfiend (i forget which) and dr benton.
Michael, I swear that you and I are on the same pasge TOO often! I loved early Ally McBeal. I also enjoyed the Robert Downey Jr days. I drew the line when Jon Bon Jovi became her love interest. The show really missed Lisa Nicole Carson, too.
This is so weird. Last week, I was wondering about her, too. I was watching Grey’s Anatomy and Eugene from The Practice was on it and was thinking how Shonda R. seems to hire such diverse people. I was wondering what happened to the other people from “The Practice” and then thought about the “Ally McBeal” crowd. Most everyone from AMc continues to be around on shows or at least visible in some way except for Lisa Carson. My guess was she dropped out from show biz because she had big problems at the end of the show. It might have been too much pressure for her.
I hated Ally McBeal, but Lisa had an amazing rack. I used to watch with the sound muted to see what they dressed her in. I miss the award show cleavage dresses she used to wear. *sigh*
I know no one will believe me, but I used to perform with Lisa down here in Gainesville, FL when we were teenagers. It was a teen oriented improv show about the usual stuff; pregancy, teen suicide, drugs, etc. The point is back then she was a sweetheart and a good actress and an even better singer! She was the only reason I watched ALLY MCBEAL; it was great to see a Gainesville resident on a hit show! Anyway, it was sad to hear how she disappeared from Hollywood. She was the total package, maybe she just forgot about what we were preaching about back in the ’80’s.
Still love ya Lisa!
That show sucked. Calista needs to mix in a McRib sandwich. And the entire writing staff needs to be gassed for that stupid dancing baby that I had to endure in thousands of mass e-mail attachments.
And for the record, Jomo is a racist idiot. Watch, Jomo, Whitney Houston is going to make the biggest comeback in the history of entertainment.
Vanessa Marquez is the former ER cast member that was featured on “Intervention”.
Also, to the poster that mentioned thinking Carson was Madonna’s backup singer, I can see that too. Wow. But yeah, I don’t think that’s her.
I miss Ally McBeal. The shows with Anne Heche were hilarious.