Joey Lawrence is just like Us when it comes to rooting for his brother Matthew Lawrence and girlfriend Chilli’s romance to last.
“I just want him to be happy,” Joey, 47, exclusively told Us Weekly of Matthew, 44, on Friday, March 15, while promoting his partnership with Listerine for its Clinical Solutions line.
Joey noted that he wants his youngest brother, Andrew “Andy” Lawrence, “to be happy,” as well, sharing that Matthew already has that with Chilli (real name Rozonda Thomas).
“Matt is happy and that makes me happy. And that’s just what it is. It really is not any deeper than that,” Joey explained. “But it is cool to see them together and they have a really cool thing going, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Brotherly Love alum told Us that he’s excited “for sure” to see Matthew leaning into this new chapter in his life. Matthew was first linked to Chilli, 53, in January 2023 after spending the holidays together in late 2022.
“It’s all about just trying to be happy. You got to be with the right person,” Joey said, adding that he has been “married a billion times” because he’s a “hopeless romantic.” (Joey wed Samantha Cope in May 2022 after splitting from wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson in July 2020.)
He hinted that even when things don’t work out, like Matthew’s nearly three-year marriage to Cheryl Burke, which ended in January 2022, you have to keep trying.
“You feel sad when something doesn’t work, but you know that you got to be happy,” Joey told Us, reiterating, “You want them to be happy, you just want to be happy. And life is short.”
While Joey knows a lot about his siblings’ lives, he said that working with them on their “Brotherly Love” podcast has been eye-opening at times. “We haven’t worked together like this in a while, and it’s been really neat,” he gushed.
“We talk about everything, things that we wouldn’t even really talk about in normal life, and we get sucked into conversations depending on the guest of things we wouldn’t talk about,” Joey continued. “There is no spin and there’s no filter. And I think that’s what people have enjoyed the most.”
Authenticity is something Joey tries to bring into all his ventures, including his recent partnership with Listerine Clinical Solutions.
“I’m that guy that uses the electric toothbrush and then I floss, and then I use Listerine,” Joey told Us about his dental routine, explaining that after talking about Listerine on his family’s podcast, the company reached out and told him about their latest product.
Listerine Clinical Solutions was developed by dentists to “tackle and help prevent top oral care issues,” according to the brand. Joey, for his part, has begun using Listerine Clinical Solutions Antiseptic Gum Health, which has made him say, “Whoa,” just like his Blossom character did week after week in the ‘90s.
“In a week. It felt better,” Joey told Us of his gum health. “And the first time I used it, no joke, I mean, it sounds cheesy and [like] I made it up, but it’s really true. I was looking at myself and I was like, ‘Whoa, that works.’ It felt better.”
He revealed: “I don’t do this a lot. I don’t get out there for brands and lines, but this was so real and so organic, and it is genuine because I’ve used it. My kids use it. … It just kind of made perfect sense.”
Learn more about Listerine’s Clinical Solutions line on their website.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi