Countess Vaughn talks about the cast of The Parkers, comparing her characters to Oÿ’s white co-star Jenna

Countess Vaughn knows all too well what it feels like to struggle with body image.

The actress is best known for starring in the popular ’90s sitcoms Moesha and its spin-off series The Parkers. On both shows, Vaughn portrayed Kim Parker. On “Moesha,” her character’s fuller frame was often used as a punch line in jokes. A similar pattern was sometimes used on Vaughn’s spinoff, which also starred a much fuller comedian, Mo’Nique.

But while the jokes were written into the show for laughs, Vaughn says the cast didn’t limit the laughter when the cameras weren’t rolling. “They used to make a fool of me on the show,” Vaughn said while speaking to “Family Matters” actress Cherie Johnson about her time on The Parkers. The series ran for five seasons from 1999 to 2004.

The supporting cast were former child actress Jenna von Oÿ, Ken Lawson and Dorien Wilson. “They said, ‘You’re a black girl and Jenna from Oÿ’s butt is bigger than yours and she’s a white girl.’ And that used to bother me a lot. That used to be the joke,” Vaughn said.

She went on to say that stereotypes about black women’s bodies fueled the jokes. “Because I’m a black girl and I’m supposed to have a big butt, you fall into these stereotypes,” she said. The actress continued by adding, “You feel like, ‘I should have this.’ And then you would see all the attention she would get for it. You would lose your mind. I’m like ‘a- is everything.’ ”

Looking back, Vaughn says she appreciates a younger body more. For one thing, she realized that she really wasn’t as tall as the jokes about her body made her feel. “And I get mad at myself because I was a lot smaller when I was on ‘Moesha’ and they made me a fat kid. The jokes. Even the first episode… the line was, “Oh, it’s baby fat” and what’s her name – “No, it’s fat, baby.”

In 2015, Vaughn opened up about weight loss and underwent plastic surgery to transform her figure. “I wanted to do a mommy makeover. I had done it after my eldest child. I really needed to treat myself, and I’m happy about it!” she told PEOPLE.