Good Times. . . Gone? Bern Nadette Stanis DROPS BOMBSHELL on Ben Powers — The Secret She Held for DECADES!

Well buckle up, nostalgia lovers, because your cozy 1970s comfort show just got hit with a drama bomb bigger than any “Dyn-o-mite!” catchphrase ever could deliver.

In an utterly jaw-dropping revelation that has the internet clutching their pearls and reaching for VHS box sets, Bern Nadette Stanis—yes, THE Thelma Evans, the original heartthrob of Good Times—has come out swinging at 71 years young with a confession so scandalous, even rerun purists are gasping for air.

What did she say? Oh, just the DARK TRUTH about her co-star Ben Powers that’s been buried deeper than a lost episode.

And now? The truth is out, and it’s uglier than a polyester bell-bottom jumpsuit at a church potluck.

If you haven’t heard of Ben Powers, then congratulations on being under 50.

But for those who grew up humming that Good Times theme song and watching James Evans Sr.

rule the household, you’ll remember Powers as Keith Anderson—the NFL-player-turned-husband of Thelma in the show’s final season.

A charmer with a tight ‘fro and a suspiciously smooth transition into family life, Keith was supposed to be the knight in disco armor for Thelma.

But according to Bern Nadette Stanis, that happy ending was more scripted than sincere.

In a recent interview that might as well have been filmed with a fog machine and thunderclap for full soap-opera effect, Stanis decided to set the record straight—well, as straight as any confession involving vintage sitcom tea can be.

“People always ask me what it was like working with Ben,” she began, probably sipping chamomile tea and smirking for dramatic flair.

“And I tell them… it wasn’t always good times. ”

Cue the collective internet meltdown.

Within seconds, social media exploded like Florida Evans in full “Damn! Damn! Damn!” mode.

TikTok amateur historians began piecing together blurry screenshots from season 6.

YouTubers posted 45-minute conspiracy breakdowns titled “Did Ben Powers REALLY Hate Thelma?” And Twitter—well, Twitter did what Twitter always does: overreact with GIFs and bold-font speculation.

“I KNEW Ben was shady!” screamed one viral tweet with 78K likes.

“There was something in his smile.

TOO charming.

TOO perfect.

Classic 70s deception energy. ”

So what exactly did Bern spill? While she didn’t accuse Powers of being a total villain, she definitely painted a portrait of a man with more secrets than a basement full of forgotten scripts.

“He came in during the final season and changed the dynamic,” she admitted.

“There was tension—not just on-screen, but off it too. ”

Stanis claims the chemistry fans swooned over wasn’t exactly mutual.

“Let’s just say. . . the sparks didn’t fly unless there were cameras around. ”

Ouch.

That’s enough to make any rerun feel like a lie.

But wait, there’s more! Bern Nadette didn’t stop at just vague tension.

She dropped the word “ego” like a glitter-covered grenade.

“He came in with a lot of confidence, which is fine—but sometimes confidence becomes ego,” she said, eyes probably twinkling with 50 years of suppressed shade.

“He wanted to change lines.

Redirect scenes.

Even told a writer once that Thelma should be more ‘obedient. ’”

Obedient?! Sir, this is not Leave It to Beaver, this is Good Times.

Thelma was the original strong Black woman icon who wouldn’t take nonsense even if it came with a side of soul food.

Naturally, this set the stage for the Fake Experts™ to chime in with completely unverified but highly entertaining opinions.

Dr. Wanda Dee-Licious, host of the podcast Sitcoms and Scandals, weighed in with a dramatic gasp before proclaiming, “Ben Powers was brought in to save a sinking ship, and sometimes when you throw a lifeline, you drag up the seaweed too. ”

Meanwhile, a fan who goes by @DynomiteTruthers posted a 60-part Instagram Story claiming Powers was secretly trying to spin off his own series and that he wore lifts in his shoes to appear taller than Jimmie Walker.

What makes this whole thing deliciously ironic is that Ben Powers, who passed away in 2015, had always maintained a squeaky-clean public image.

He left Hollywood in the late ’80s, settled down with his family, and lived a low-profile life in New Mexico, doing things like raising kids and not participating in drama—until now.

Posthumous scandal? That’s peak 2020s energy.

But Stanis insists this isn’t about character assassination.

“He wasn’t a bad person,” she clarified.

“We just weren’t friends.

People want to imagine that because we were married on TV, we were close in real life.

But the truth is, once the cameras stopped, so did the connection. ”

Translation: he was the human version of a rerun—nice in small doses, exhausting on repeat.

Fans who grew up idolizing Thelma and Keith are now questioning their entire childhoods.

“I feel betrayed,” said one Gen X fan with a custom ‘Thelma & Keith Forever’ mug.

“I modeled my marriage after them.

And now this?” Meanwhile, Boomers are sighing loudly and refusing to accept it.

“I don’t care what she says,” one Facebook comment read.

“Ben Powers was a gentleman.

And she’s just stirring the pot. ”

Okay, Barbara from Wisconsin, let us have this.

In the midst of the hysteria, someone even started a Change.

org petition demanding CBS release the unedited behind-the-scenes footage from season 6, presumably so fans can judge Ben Powers’ side-eye angles for themselves.

The petition currently has over 34,000 signatures and counting.

And as for Bern Nadette Stanis? She’s not backing down.

In fact, she’s doubling down, teasing a memoir with a title so shady it might as well come with a sunhat: “Beyond Thelma: What They Didn’t See On Good Times. ”

The book promises to spill on everything from costar beefs to makeup room meltdowns to “that time someone stole Esther Rolle’s hot comb.”

Stanis is done being silent—and at 71, she’s proving that age is no barrier when it comes to a good old-fashioned tell-all.

In conclusion, what have we learned from this retro-flavored drama sandwich? That even the most wholesome of shows can harbor juicy secrets.

That Hollywood chemistry is often faker than a laugh track.

And that Bern Nadette Stanis has absolutely no time left for subtlety.

She’s speaking her truth, she’s stirring the pot, and she’s reminding the world that behind every “good time” was probably a contract dispute, a side-eye, and a battle over who gets the best lighting.

So next time you’re watching reruns and swooning over Thelma and Keith’s perfect love story, just remember: according to Thelma herself, it was all for show.

Ben Powers may have had the looks, the charm, and the NFL backstory—but off-camera? The real MVP was Bern, sipping the truth like it’s sweet tea and finally giving us the drama we never knew we needed.