February 24, 2026 • 44 mins
Jurnee Smollett – Emmy-nominated actress known for Lovecraft Country, Friday Night Lights, The Great Debaters, and Apple TV+’s Smoke – has spent her life in front of the camera. But long before the accolades, she was a young girl raised in a home where art, activism, and self-reliance were daily lessons.
In this deeply personal conversation, Jurnee sits down with hosts Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Marc Kielburger, and Craig Kielburger to reflect on the moments that nearly pulled her away from acting – and the calling that brought her back. Joined by her plus one, sister Jazz Smollett, she opens up about growing up in a house of creators, refusing roles that didn’t reflect her standards, navigating insecurity, and redefining strength after motherhood.
Together, they share how:
- Failure can redirect you toward your true calling
- Refusing to conform can protect your purpose
- Strength is about discipline and willpower—not appearance
- Motherhood expands who you are—it doesn’t diminish you
- Art can heal both the artist and the audience
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You said Journey was boss from the beginning.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This is a good question to kick this off. I
want to see what she got to say.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Journey Smollette is the Emmy nominated actress whose powerful performances
from Friday Night Lights to Lovecraft Country to Apple TV's
Smoke I've earned her critical acclaim and the respect of
Hollywood's greatest.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You know, Denzel, he started like improving with me and
kind of like going at me in the best way.
And he called my manager afterwards and was.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Like alongside her. The sister who stood by her side
through it all. Jas Mollett, producer, interior decorator and star
of Living by Design.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
When she was doing Full House, I was in charge
of cutting up her overalls and putting patches on them.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
From Family Secrets to Motherhood. These sisters aren't holding back.
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Was there any jealousy? Competition?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You trying to get real deep?
Speaker 6 (00:51):
There was a point when you were broken on the
verge of quitting acting.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I was really kind of insecure about my looks.
Speaker 7 (00:58):
The roles were just awful.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Everyone was like, I don't want to be the best
friend that dies. On page thirty six, join host Martin
Luther King.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The third Andrea Waters, King, Mark Kilberger and Craig Kilberger
for a heartfelt conversation about sisterhood, determination and finding your
way back to yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Knew God was going You're either going to end this moment,
push through and become the most authentic version of yourself,
or you're going to become a love.
Speaker 7 (01:31):
Welcome to my legacy.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
Our guest today is Journey Smollett, an Emmy nominated actress
whose work has consistently centered stories of resilience and resistance.
Speaker 7 (01:41):
Journey, We're so honored to have you here.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
With us today, and as always on this show, our
guest brings someone meaningful along for the conversation. Journey, would
you please do us the honor of introducing your plus
one for today?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I love that for one. Thank you for that introduction.
I'm so humbled and honored. Yes, my plus one is
my big sister, Jazz, who is amazing in her own
right and really a force in our family and such
a pillar in our family and my best friend and
(02:17):
someone who I call for everything, mom advice, career advice,
dating advice, life advice, and Jazz is a producer, a creator,
a host, and just an all around amazing human being.
So I'm happy to have her with us.
Speaker 7 (02:37):
Welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Thank you, Jazz. You and Journey are two of six siblings.
And even though she is younger than you, you said
Journey was boss from the beginning. Can you share.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I probably did say that at some point. I'm sure
I know I said that. You know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So could you share a story from your childhood that
showed you Journey was always going to be a force?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Oh wow, Oh wow, this is a good question.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
To say, So I I guess I have to go
with the first thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
But I mean, there are many, but she just she
First of all, she had a walk that was like
of confidence, and she would just walk into rooms and
she would just feel You could feel her presence, you
could feel her smile and her warmth and her command.
(03:47):
But I the first thing that came to mind, for
some reason, when you asked that question, was that my
mom always told this story. So we were waiting at
home when they were at the hospital and Journey was
being born. So, because you talk about the beginning, right,
so when she was being born, I remember getting that
phone call on one of those phones that used to
(04:10):
hang on the walls and you pick up the receiver,
and my older brother picked it up. And this was
the first time we were home without parents. And they
called and they said she had been born and it
was a girl.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I was screaming.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
I had begged my mom for a sister, and I
was just so happy, and I just remember the excitement
of knowing I was going to have a little sister,
and then hearing the story and we had welcome home
signs and all these things, and hearing the story that
she had fallen asleep for two hours during in the
(04:50):
birth canal. Oh, so that was the story that my
mom always told. So I was like, you know what,
she coming out on her own time, she doing it
her way, that, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 7 (05:02):
Well you fell asleep in the birth canal for two hours.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
My mom has always told that story as in crediting
that story as to the reason why she made me journey.
But because she said she she was always saying, this
girl's a trip, this girl's a trip, like when she
was in labor, and that, yeah, I fell asleep at
two hours. I wasn't ready to come into the world.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
Yet clearly you are trying to make up your mind.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
So let's talk about your mom.
Speaker 6 (05:29):
Because your family moved thirteen times before you were a
teenager journey, but at every single home, your mother hand
built a table. What did that table represent for you?
And what memory comes up for you thinking about your mom?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Oh, that's such a beautiful question. You know, it's funny.
We have actually talked a lot about this table. We
even have a cookbook called the Family Table. She read
the Family Table because now I'm like, she's getting these
stories from the Family Table.
Speaker 7 (05:59):
We do a homework around here, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
She would build this table. She would go to the
local lumberyard and buy butcher block or buy four by
fours and like bond them together. And this table was
quite symbolic of a number of things. I think won
this spirit of just doing it yourself. If a job
(06:27):
needed to get done, she was going to do it.
And she expected us to have that same sort of
philosophy and life, so like, don't wait for someone else
to do it, and don't wait until you even have
necessarily the money to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It's like, if you want a table that would cost
five hundred dollars one thousand dollars, like go and make it.
You don't have to wait until you can afford it.
You can have nice things. You can live your life now.
And I appreciate that she made us very self sufficient.
She made us very independent, very sovereign, you know, and
and that I think is a quality we are all
(07:03):
blessed to have inherited because nowadays, whether regardless of the industry,
we all work in. You know, our youngest brother works
in tag. Another younger brother, Jake, is a chef, and
Jazz and Jake have this incredible design show called Living
by Design, and it's so it's like, you know, whatever
(07:24):
we do in life, it's not about us like waiting
until someone gives us the approval to do it. It's
about finding the tools. It's about finding the materials that
we need, the crew we need, the squad we need,
whatever it is. You know, that philosophy I think has
benefited us in our own lives. You know, of like yo,
(07:46):
just get it done, you know, like where's the need
and how do we how do we make it happen?
Not accepting no for an answer.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
So it also seems that it fostered creativity. So how
would you how would you say that your mom created
an environment that really did foster creativity.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Oh yeah, I mean it was all about creativity. Everything
was centered on creativity, cooking. You know, growing up, we
would watch nothing but classic movies, listening to classic music.
It was all raisin in the sun.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
In the living room. We were from the play, from
the page play. We were reading plays very early on.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
She she would put a plywood in the middle of
the living room, and if we wanted to learn how
to tap dance, okay, start tap dancing. Yeah. You know,
we had entire libraries in our living room.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
So we had the Encyclopedia Britannica, and you know, that
was like a major investment, a big deal at the time.
And then and they were on those homemade bookshelves. Was
like everything was about We were creating all day. Cooking
was a whole thing as well. She was baking bread
from scratch. We were learning how to do all of that.
(09:10):
We were cooking from like seven eight years old. We
learned how to be self sustaining. And so a lot
of that has carried over, like Journey said, and then further,
you know a lot of those building and cooking and
all of that have carried over into our careers and
also into our lives and Journey has a garden. I
(09:33):
have some fruit trees, you know that. We you were like, okay,
how can we be self sufficient? Like how can we
be sustainable? And she definitely definitely imparted that spirit and
the arts was such a center of our life.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
We had the ups and downs financially most of our childhood.
But for her, whether it was a birthday or Mother's
Day or Christmas, she did not want as buying her presents.
And to this day still she's like, I want you
to do a concert for me. Oh and it's like
y'all go all. But we was like, oh man, we got.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Because she had to bring it because if you were
doing in the sun, so I mean, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Listen, she was having my older brother Joeldo trying to
sing avalois love you. It's like, you know no. But
she definitely was like, I just want you all to
just share your gifts and cultivate your gifts. And that
was the greatest gift for her is to have us
(10:36):
deliver a poem or monologue or sing something or somebody
play an instrument. Truly to this.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Day, so you have this incredibly creative husshole, this artist
colony six kids. Many of you, of course end up
pursuing careers and entertainment. Was there any jealousy competition? How
did you guys like navigate all this as a family
having this wonderful experience.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
There really would have been no room for that because
the reality was we were like a farm family. We
always said everyone had to pitch in, everyone had to
do something. I remember when Journey was little and she
was doing Full House. I mean I took her to
the audition. Obviously I didn't drive. I didn't drive yet,
so I don't even remember how I walked her in,
And I remember her reading her lines and being able
(11:21):
to read from her script and being impressed by that
when going to the table read with her. But also
I make the point to say that when she was on,
when she was doing Full House, I was in charge
of cutting up her overalls and putting patches on them,
and designing these little overalls she had, which were basic overalls,
(11:42):
but then putting holes in them because she was this
really like scruffy kind of kid and attitude and all
of that, and so my mom was like or helping
twist her hair. So there was like all of these
ways that everyone was in the charac everyone did.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Yeah, so there was really no time or room.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
We were like our own little artist colony, like everyone's
collaborating and sharing and figuring out how to.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Get it done. Now when jas say is cutting up
my overalls, like it's the overalls for the character that
a war in the show. Because my mom never during
full House she was like, no, she's gonna wear her
own clothes and I'm gonna we're gonna do her hair.
No one's such in her hair. And so yeah, it
was such a thing of like if one person's winning,
(12:30):
we're all winning. You know, we're all pouring back into
the pot and everyone we're all invested. It was such
a it's such a tribal mentality, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
That.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I think it's so easy for us now that we're
adults to take for granted, but going to other people's
homes or you know, now being of an adult, you realize, oh,
this was actually really rare, Like most people didn't grow
up like this, and it's an incredible blessing that we
were given by our mom. Is like, yo, we all
(13:04):
in this together.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Well let's talk a little bit more too about why
you While you all were growing up as children. Because Journey,
you won this incredible honor at just eleven years old,
the critics' choice best Young Performer. But then as a
young woman, there was a point when you were broken,
on the verge of quitting acting.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
She did her research.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
Damn, can you take us back to that moment? See,
you all can adopt me. I will fit right in
with your family.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
I love it when you.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
Had to decide do I keep fighting for this or
do I is it time for me to walk away?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yes, yes, yes, there's definitely a moment. You know. It's it.
I've been in front of the camera since I was
ten months old, and so it's interesting because there was
a period when I was like a teenager and going
into transitioning into being a young adult. I broke out
with severe acne. I was really kind of insecure about
my you know, my looks and stuff like that. But
(14:08):
then also the roles were just awful, and it was like,
I don't want to be the best friend that dies
on page thirty six, you know. And my mom had
ingrained in me like this real standard of excellence and
what it takes to be a great you know, and
I was looking up so you know, the Sicily Tyson's,
(14:29):
the Catherine Herpburn's, the Diane Carroll's, you know, and I'm
going they wouldn't take these roles. And so, in addition
to being very creative, our mom is very political, very
very political, and so volunteering at a young age, all
of us were expected to be attending marches, going in
(14:49):
the voting booth with her, and when she was voting,
being on the corner holding up signs, protesting things. And
so while I wasn't finding real fulfillment in the arts,
I was finding a lot of fulfillment in the nonprofit world.
And you know, there was this organization called Artists for
New South Africa, which really was a village of artists
and activists that kind of you know, helped raise me
(15:12):
in a sense, you know, Sammue ol Jackson, Latanya Richardson Jackson,
Alfred Wood or Blair Underwood, all these people who were
at the time they founded the organization in the early
nineties to rid South Africa of apartheid, and then it
transitioned to more of an HIV AIDS prevention organization. And
(15:33):
I was doing a lot of volunteer work with them,
and I was their youngest board member, and I felt
so fulfilled with that work. I was going into schools
here in Los Angeles, taught through a program called Positively Speaking,
and I was speaking about HIV AIDS prevention and kids
would look at me and be like, what is the
chick from Road Bounds doing in my class right now?
(15:55):
Talk telling me how to put on a condom, you know.
And I was on a delegation on my twentieth birthday
to South Africa actually with artists for New South Africa.
And I went there and we were building a well
in Enguavooma, a township in South Africa, and visiting like
(16:19):
Kayalicha and all these different places, and it was just
a life changing for honestly in so many ways. One
it gave me a level of humility and gratitude and
an awareness of my own privilege and just being born
in this country right. And I saw the work we
(16:41):
were being able to do, and it dawned on me
really that well, this work is so essential, This is
like food for my soul. But we were able to
get there because of the platform that all these artists
were using, and they were using their platform to be
able to contribute to a bigger cause than themselves, right,
(17:05):
And I thought, well, if God's given me a gift,
you know, how dare I not use that? Right? And
interestingly enough, when I came back from that trip, I
was sent the script for Great Debaters, And I mean
I think it was probably four days three or four
(17:26):
days after I got back from that trip, and I
was like, okay, God, I'm on a mission, and I
was actually staying with Jazz. Jazz was going to NYU
and I went to the Schomberg Library and I started
researching Melvin B. Tolsen. And when I came back to
LA it was like months before I even was able
to get an audition. And my initial audition was not
(17:47):
even an audition for me. It was they called me
and asked me to just be a reader for the
Gentleman that Denzel was thinking of casting as the male character,
and they just needed a reader to read with it.
But I was like, Okay, you know, this is my opportunity.
(18:08):
And I had researched so much of the story and stuff,
and you know, Denzel, he started like improving with me
and kind of like going at me in the best way.
And he called my manager afterwards and was like she's
incredible actress. And from that moment when I was like,
this is no doubt. Even in the ups and downs,
(18:29):
I know this is a part of my calling and
I've never doubted it.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
Since scrolling won't change your life, but subscribing just might.
We're sharing real stories, heart won wisdom and unforgettable lessons
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count joys.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
I want to ask you about your calling because you've
been an actor, producer, chef, designer, host, author, and entrepreneur.
When so many people just want to stick with us
being come, You've done the opposites. Why is it so
important to you to keep on challenging yourself in the
way that you continue to do.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
I love a spice of life. I love variety. I
don't like getting bored. I like learning and growing and
having my hands and a lot of things. And I
feel like, at heart, like my base. I'm a producer
first because I love pulling people together. I love when
(19:30):
we would watch those musicals that Journey mentioned when we're
growing up, I always drew to the person.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I love the person who'd say, hey, kids, let's go
put on a show, and then they'd get everywhere together
and they'd make it happen.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
I love being the person who can make things happen
and take all of the creative components of a project
and pull them together. But I also love humanity and
I love working with people. So at the core of
what I do, my passion, my purpose is connecting people
in spaces of joy and storytelling and real connection. So
(20:09):
I don't like false, you know, connections. I don't like
surface I like going deep. And so when we do
our show, my brother and I Living by Design, we
host and produce that show as well. It's really important
to get into the minds of the clients who are
who we're redesigning for to really know how to bring
(20:30):
out what they want in their space and really make
their space feel like a sanctuary to them and make
it reflective of who they are. So when anyone walks
into their space, they're like, oh, this is definitely them.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I see their heart, I see their soul.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
And you're putting that into practice with your show, of course,
Living by Design that you just reference with Jake helping
millennial families create dream spaces of breaking the bank so
all right, we have a lot of millennials that watch
the show and listen to us. What are a couple
of things best hop tips from lazz here in terms
of what you can do to help spruce up that
(21:05):
house when money is tight.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yes. So first first, first thing I always tell people
is a new coat of paint. If your space has
not been painted in a while, you need to get
a fresh coat of paint. Whether you're changing the color
or whether you're just putting a fresh coat of the
color you have. It immediately brightens the space. It immediately
(21:29):
makes it feel fresher and newer. The other thing I
would say is don't be restricted to what you consider neutral.
So neutrals are not just tans and off whites and
creams and whites and things like that. Neutrals are also navies.
Neutral can be a sage green. You don't have to
(21:49):
be stuck with just the lighter colors to go neutral.
Don't be afraid of color if you love color. And
the third thing I would say is to really think
about the function of your space and the heart of
your space. So really think about if what you're doing
to the space is going to be functional, but also
stylish at the same time, and you don't have to
(22:12):
follow any particular set of rules. You can have your
sofa floating. It doesn't have to be against the wall.
That might not be the best suited for your particular
living room. So really think about how your living room
is structured. And then the last bonus tip I'll say
is bring greenery in. It's great to bring in live
(22:33):
plants and things like that, to bring the outdoors in
because we are natural human beings and nature makes us
feel it live.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
One of the things I love though about Also what
you all do in the show is you all thrift
a lot and you'll remodel like the old bookcase that
you get on Facebook for free, and you'll painted or
rebuild it.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I call it online thrifting, so a lot of it.
Because our budgets are also tight, we do a lot
of online thrifting, so gently use items that you can
either refurbish. Which one more story I do remember Journey's
high chair when she was little, was off the street
and our mom sanded it down and she repainted it,
(23:21):
uh a royal purple.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
So let's talk a little bit more about sisterhood because
outside of my relationship for me, outside of my relationship
with my husband and our daughter, my sisters are the
most important relationships in my life. And you all seem
to have this incredible bond that that only sisters can
(23:46):
bring to each other. Because sisters are the people that
can make us laugh the hardest. They are there when
we need them the most. They tell us the truth
when no one els will journey. What's one truth your
sister told you that you really needed, even if you
didn't want to hear it at the time.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Oh, you're trying to get real zed. Honestly, the thing
that popped recently into my head would probably have been
like some cooking advice, and.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
You didn't want to hear it.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, because you know you asked the question about competition.
We are not competitive at all except in two areas. Okay,
all six of my siblings, no five siblings, but all
six of us kids, right, we are We are so
not competitive. Unless you're planning a game or if you're cooking.
(24:40):
Jazz will come in there and she will taste a
dish and be like, mm mmmm, you gotta put it.
You gotta put more season than that. I'll try to
get No. Jazz is notorious for being the ones to
go and grab a spoon and you gotta be like
uh uh uh uh, it's not done yet, Like stay
(25:00):
out the kids, stay.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
Out in the pot like that.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
That's what we say. That's what we say to you.
Don't get my pots yet. So now, Jazz, look, now,
the same question to you.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Most times I do appreciate it, but there there's definitely
those little bits of advice of like, well, you don't
have to let that go. Like I think a recent
one was probably about motherhood. It was something I was
feeling guilty about something I was like, you know, like, oh,
but I'm not I'm not able to do this, or
like as far as like yeah, oh I wasn't able
(25:32):
to fix the situation for her, for my daughter, or
I wasn't able to I was. I was working this
on set this particular day, and my daughter was with
me and I couldn't take her to a specific thing,
and my sister took her.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
I brought I brought Nyla out to New York and
Jazz was living by design recently, and I brought her
out and I brought Hunter, my son, and Jazz had
schedule a day that she was supposed to be off,
and she she had scheduled this day. Listen, let me
tell you. She was going to take Nihilt to was
taking her the dancing at she was taking her to
(26:11):
the museum, she was gonna take her to see the
rock Yester that night. She had the day scheduled because
Jazz is she will pack a day. She's a producer,
exactly exactly, and she's like, I'm gonna show you the town.
I'm gonna show you, you know. And the set ended
up needing Jazz to work that day, and it was
the only day she was going to have off the
entire time. Nyla was going to be there. She was
(26:32):
so like, she felt so bad and so guilty, and like,
you know, we both have a tendency in certain areas
to struggle with mom guilt, which I think a lot
of moms all the way to yeah, exactly, And it's
not just working moms. It's like, you know, the gamut, yes,
and and so there's often times where we both have
(26:54):
to remind each other of that of like they're not
going to remember that, but they're gonna remember is it's
just how present you are there, how present you are
when you are there, and she's gonna remember seeing her
mom be this this this boss, one said, and she's
gonna remember, you know, how intentional her mom is and
(27:17):
how inquisitive her mom is. And if there's one time
that her auntie has to take her to the dance
class and her mom couldn't, she gonna be fine, you know. Yeah,
And it's the way Journey will say it.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
So like what you said about how she'll be a boss,
the way she'll say that is be like, you're.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Gonna have to let that go.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
And it's like pointed, it's like and you're like, because
she's saying it, she's saying it to me, she's saying
it to herself, and she's saying it to all the
moms in the world, and that one like it's the thing,
it's the thing of like, and so it hits you like,
I know, but I feel guilty, like, and you're like,
that's true. And at the exact moment you may not
(27:59):
want to hear it, but it's not that it's horrible
to you. It's just like, I know.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So you both have had this incredible success, but oftentimes
we learn more when things don't go as we planned.
I want to ask you both about a moment of
failure that became one of your greatest teachers.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Honestly, there was a moment I had a few years ago.
It was COVID and I was shooting. I was shooting
overseas and because of COVID, you know, at the time,
if you remember, like you had to quarantine and so
(28:44):
the studios were during this process where you quarantine for
fourteen days and then you could be one set. And
so it was the holidays, and it was probably a
really really low time for me because it was the
first time I had to send my son back to
(29:04):
the States and couldn't be there for Christmas. I mean,
I was devastated and I felt really depressed, honestly, and
like this just is not how life is supposed to be.
And it was in that moment, you know, I'm sitting
(29:25):
and it's wild because God will give you so many
gifts and so many blessings, right, but there's still those
moments of humility where you gotta go, all right, I'm
leaving it all at the altar. God, what you need now?
You need to deepen where are we going? You know,
and just trust and your faith is really tested because
you're like wait, but this is what I've worked so
(29:45):
hard to have, and yet it still feels empty, and
it still feels like, wait, this is not how life
is supposed to be. Like I imagine family would be a
certain way, and I imagine, you know, when you get
married and you think it's going last. All these things
didn't actually work out the way I thought it would.
(30:06):
And so I'm in this house by myself and can
leave and feel guilty for even feeling bad, you know,
because you're like you too, fripleaged these people in the
world that's like their life is really struggling. And I
was talking to one of my coaches, actually one of
my acting coaches, and he said to me, he was like,
(30:27):
when's the last time you read You read Danny the
Deep Blusy. It's one of my favorite plays. And my
coach she feels like everything is solved with art. And
so I went and I printed out a bootlet copy
of the play and did the play to an audience.
I'm no one but myself, And there was something about
(30:49):
that moment that I knew God was going You're either
going to in this moment push through and become the
most authentic version of yourself and lean into your gifts
and lean into to what calling I have on your life,
or you're going to become a lie. Thank God, God
brought me out of it and that moment, you know,
I've poured into my art. I've used it in so
(31:11):
many moments, have called on it in so many moments,
because I do believe I'm drawn to these kind of
characters where you do have to make a sacrifice, you
do have to leave something on the altar, and they
do require a lot of me and it requires me
to go to these dark places. But I also feel
like God wants me to portray these emotions on screen
so they could be healing for someone else, because I
(31:33):
think art is healing. It makes us feel less alone.
Like that play in that moment made me feel less alone.
It made me feel like, Oh, my experience is not
unique to me. It's universal, and failure is just an
opportunity to get back up.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
Now Journey.
Speaker 6 (31:53):
For your most recent role on the series Smoke, which
is on Apple Plus, you gain twenty pounds of muscle
to play Michelle, a former marine turned detective. What did
you discover about strength through that transformation? Both mental strength
and physical strength?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
I learned a deeper appreciation for willpower and pushing yourself
past your own limits. I never thought i'd be able
to become as strong as I became, and I give
credit to my trainer, Jeanette Jenkins. Shout out to Jeannette,
but I just, you know, physically felt stronger than I
(32:33):
ever have. And I think there was something that happened
to my body after I gave birth to Hunter. You know,
my limbs were kind of like all wobbly, and it
was really a new body I had, and I went
through this period of kind of grieving my old body
and grieving my old self, which unfortunately I don't think
(32:54):
we talk about enough as women. We don't share that.
It's like kind of taboo, and it's like people would
comment about to snap back, and you like, wait, that's
not the goal, because I actually don't feel healthy right now,
you know. And I was like doing fight scenes on
Lovecraft and like going off and trying to like pump,
you know, in between setups, and I remember just not
(33:19):
feeling still in my body, you know. And I think
there was something about this training session that I embarked
on with Jeanette where it wasn't about how I looked.
It wasn't about you know, trying to snap back or
have any sort of you know, sizes or anything like that.
(33:41):
It was truly about just being strong and it made
my character better. It made me understand her more, you
know than marine workouts, Like they are no joke, you know.
And Jeanette pushed me so hard where I was able
to literally like, I was so excited when I could
lift my own weight, and then she got me to
(34:03):
the point where I could lift double my weight and
I was like, oh, there is literally nothing I can't do,
you know, Like that's just where your mind goes, the
of like whoa the human will power that we're given.
You know, we think this is the ceiling and it's
actually not. And you went once you pressed through that
(34:26):
and you know it's look, it's it's it. I have
an incredible support team. It was it was hard, though,
like the pain of that and like the hours and
then you're still trying to be mommy. And Hunter once said,
so I started incorporate Hunter in my workout all the time.
It would be he would be mimmy, let's do some squats,
(34:47):
and I would just put him right in front of me.
And like hold under his legs and squat him, you know.
And I think you know that's now we evolve into
something beautiful where he and I now work out together
and he loves he's so athletic. He's always been that way,
but he loves It's like another way for us to bond.
(35:08):
But yeah, it was it was important for the character
to do, to do justice to the character.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
Okay, so motherhood. We could do a whole segment just
on on motherhood. And I know we've been talking about
these defining moments in your lives. Both of you all
are mothers. And Journey you wrote something beautiful about Jazz
on Mother's Day, and so I'm gonna read it. Motherhood
has been the most sole, expanding, purpose filled role of
(35:36):
my life. And to walk this journey side by side
with my sister, that's been one of the greatest blessings.
We've grown, learned and loved deeply together. But this question
is gonna be to Jazz. What do you admire most
about Journey as a mother?
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Oh? I love that.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Something I admire most about Journey as a mother is
her ability to get in there with Hunter. She mentioned
he's really athletic and she'll be out there playing with
him on the basketball court tirelessly. I admire that she's
a boy mom, because it seems like a whole different
(36:20):
beast to me. I admire her intentionality and her ability
to mostly like keep things in perspective, to not get
swallowed up by motherhood, if that makes sense. So I
don't know if that's about motherhood. It is, though about motherhood, yeah,
(36:41):
because I always admire her ability to love Hunter and
to be present with him but not get swallowed up,
and to remain true to her passions and her life
and her loves and all the facets that make her
a full one. I admire how she steps into her
(37:04):
womanhood in motherhood.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
A journey. We have a connection that many people perhaps
don't know about. I'm sure when you were twelve years old,
you were in a film called Selma Lord and played
the character of a friend of mine, Shyanne with Christberg,
who became a friend of my father's. In fact, was
the youngest, probably one of the youngest persons who marched
(37:29):
from Selma to Montgomery. But my sister Yolanda played your teacher.
What do you remember from that experience?
Speaker 2 (37:39):
One? How much I love your sister, you know, and
the friendship that we established, not just during Selma Lord Soema,
but into my adulthood. I would call her all the
time and ask for advice or you know, she was
such a phenomenal spirit. You know. I do remember shooting
(38:04):
the Bloody Sunday scene, and it was actually truly impactful
on me, you know, my mom in those moments when
whether it's Eves by You or Selma or Sea, these
were obviously adult heavy topics. Although Selma was made for kids,
I think, but it's still we went to places that
(38:27):
were dark, you know, and heavy for a ten eleven,
twelve year old. And I remember being so shooken up
by that scene, you know, like they had the tear
gas and the dogs and the police officers who were
like beaten folks up. And I remember talking with your
(38:51):
sister a lot about that of like just the disbelief
I had that Yo, our people survived this come from this.
You know. My mom grew up in the South, and
we grew up hearing stories about our grandmother working for
white folks and cleaning the homes of white folks and
(39:12):
how disrespectful they were and they didn't appreciate her she
wasn't even given a stool to sit on throughout the day.
They expected her to stand for the entire time, you know,
and just like the treatment that they grew up having
to deal with. Now. I can't tell you how many
people still tell me how much they loved that movie.
(39:33):
And oh, I grew up watching Selma, Lord Selman, you know,
And so I'm grateful to have been a part of
that project because I think you was very special and
obviously being able to be a part of anything with
you and your family, your lineage and your legacy, your
incredible father and incredible sister, incredible family is still you know,
(39:57):
it's an honor for me for all.
Speaker 6 (39:59):
Of our life listeners. I cannot recommend that movie high enough.
Speaker 4 (40:05):
It is.
Speaker 6 (40:05):
It is terrific, and it was well done, and it's
it's just in a way because it was made I
think it was shown on ABC but for Disney. So
it's dealing with a very hard subject but in a
way that children I think can truly see and understand
and without sensationalized but not I mean, it's a great movie.
(40:29):
So if anyone with little ones, particularly January and February,
sit down and watch Selma Lord Selma together as a
family now Journey. I want to end this conversation with
another one of my favorite movies that you were in,
The Great Debaters. Talked about it a little bit earlier,
and it's based on a true story of a nineteen
thirties debate team from Wiley College right in Texas, which
(40:55):
is an historically black university of black college fighting to
compete against elite white universities.
Speaker 7 (41:01):
I've heard that.
Speaker 6 (41:02):
You've shared that the film completely changed your life. How
does this experience on The Great Debaters and that story
continue to inspire you today?
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Oh, great question. I mean, I think on a number
of levels. Artistically, it was like taking a masterclass, you know.
I think having the opportunity to not only act alongside
some of the gat I mean, Denzel's me greatest actor
of all time, of our generation, you know. And I
(41:36):
think not just only acting alongside him, but being directed
by him. It was truly my university. And I had
my little notepad every day I was writing down all
the things he said. And there were so many tools
he gave me and things that I put in my
(41:58):
back pocket that I still use. Dame my approach to
the craft and my approach to building character. You know,
things like not over rehearsing, but rehearsing, you know, knowing
everyone's lines, studying the great writings of our time, all
the way back to Shakespeare. You know, he had us,
(42:20):
he had us actually doing Shakespeare in debate camp, and
it was just I think the biggest blessing he gave
us was he would say, all the time, trust your instincts,
Trust your instinct How would you do it? How would
you say?
Speaker 4 (42:37):
You know?
Speaker 2 (42:38):
And he didn't want us looking outside of ourselves to
him for the answers. He really wanted us to understand
the importance of lee breathing life into a character and
loaning your soul to that character in order for it
to have a soul and not try to copy him.
(43:02):
You know, yes, there are tools, there's ways of approaching
story and building a biography. Knowing everything about your character
when you step on said what kind of sheets does
she sleep on? You know, what does she eat for breakfast?
So I think it really is one of the It
(43:24):
definitely was a turning point for me with my craft.
You know. I think there were a few projects like
that where it's like, oh man, when you work with
the greats. You know I've been fortunate enough to work
with some of the greatest actors of all time. Let
alone you know of our time, but literally of all time.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
Well, Driniaz, thank you both of you for reminding us
that legacy isn't built on stages or screens. Is built
around kitchen tables, even those hand crafted by mothers who
believed in something bigger. It's built in ways that six
siblings learned to lift each other up. Is built in
the choice by keep on reinventing yourselves, by fighting for
(44:04):
justice and also walking through the journey of motherhood. Thank
you for your honesty, Thank you for your courage, thank
you for your passion, thank you for your love. Thank
you for allowing us to glimpse so briefly but meaningfully
into your family. And thank you for living your legacy
every single day.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Wow, thank you so much, and thank you for having us.
And truly we look to you all and your family
for so much meaning and inspiration on the daily. So
thank you for the contribution you made to our life.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Thank you for joining us. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a moment.
You said Journey was boss from the beginning.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This is a good question to kick this off. I
want to see what she got to say.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Journey Smollette is the Emmy nominated actress whose powerful performances
from Friday Night Lights to Lovecraft Country to Apple TV's
Smoke I've earned her critical acclaim and the respect of
Hollywood's greatest.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You know, Denzel, he started like improving with me and
kind of like going at me in the best way.
And he called my manager afterwards and was.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Like alongside her. The sister who stood by her side
through it all. Jas Mollett, producer, interior decorator and star
of Living by Design.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
When she was doing Full House, I was in charge
of cutting up her overalls and putting patches on them.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
From Family Secrets to Motherhood. These sisters aren't holding back.
Speaker 5 (00:46):
Was there any jealousy? Competition?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You trying to get real deep?
Speaker 6 (00:51):
There was a point when you were broken on the
verge of quitting acting.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I was really kind of insecure about my looks.
Speaker 7 (00:58):
The roles were just awful.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Everyone was like, I don't want to be the best
friend that dies. On page thirty six, join host Martin
Luther King.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The third Andrea Waters, King, Mark Kilberger and Craig Kilberger
for a heartfelt conversation about sisterhood, determination and finding your
way back to yourself.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Knew God was going You're either going to end this moment,
push through and become the most authentic version of yourself,
or you're going to become a love.
Speaker 7 (01:31):
Welcome to my legacy.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
Our guest today is Journey Smollett, an Emmy nominated actress
whose work has consistently centered stories of resilience and resistance.
Speaker 7 (01:41):
Journey, We're so honored to have you here.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
With us today, and as always on this show, our
guest brings someone meaningful along for the conversation. Journey, would
you please do us the honor of introducing your plus
one for today?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I love that for one. Thank you for that introduction.
I'm so humbled and honored. Yes, my plus one is
my big sister, Jazz, who is amazing in her own
right and really a force in our family and such
a pillar in our family and my best friend and
(02:17):
someone who I call for everything, mom advice, career advice,
dating advice, life advice, and Jazz is a producer, a creator,
a host, and just an all around amazing human being.
So I'm happy to have her with us.
Speaker 7 (02:37):
Welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Thank you, Jazz. You and Journey are two of six siblings.
And even though she is younger than you, you said
Journey was boss from the beginning. Can you share.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I probably did say that at some point. I'm sure
I know I said that. You know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So could you share a story from your childhood that
showed you Journey was always going to be a force?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Oh wow, Oh wow, this is a good question.
Speaker 6 (03:19):
To say, So I I guess I have to go
with the first thing that comes to mind.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
But I mean, there are many, but she just she
First of all, she had a walk that was like
of confidence, and she would just walk into rooms and
she would just feel You could feel her presence, you
could feel her smile and her warmth and her command.
(03:47):
But I the first thing that came to mind, for
some reason, when you asked that question, was that my
mom always told this story. So we were waiting at
home when they were at the hospital and Journey was
being born. So, because you talk about the beginning, right,
so when she was being born, I remember getting that
phone call on one of those phones that used to
(04:10):
hang on the walls and you pick up the receiver,
and my older brother picked it up. And this was
the first time we were home without parents. And they
called and they said she had been born and it
was a girl.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I was screaming.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
I had begged my mom for a sister, and I
was just so happy, and I just remember the excitement
of knowing I was going to have a little sister,
and then hearing the story and we had welcome home
signs and all these things, and hearing the story that
she had fallen asleep for two hours during in the
(04:50):
birth canal. Oh, so that was the story that my
mom always told. So I was like, you know what,
she coming out on her own time, she doing it
her way, that, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 7 (05:02):
Well you fell asleep in the birth canal for two hours.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
My mom has always told that story as in crediting
that story as to the reason why she made me journey.
But because she said she she was always saying, this
girl's a trip, this girl's a trip, like when she
was in labor, and that, yeah, I fell asleep at
two hours. I wasn't ready to come into the world.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
Yet clearly you are trying to make up your mind.
Speaker 7 (05:26):
So let's talk about your mom.
Speaker 6 (05:29):
Because your family moved thirteen times before you were a
teenager journey, but at every single home, your mother hand
built a table. What did that table represent for you?
And what memory comes up for you thinking about your mom?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Oh, that's such a beautiful question. You know, it's funny.
We have actually talked a lot about this table. We
even have a cookbook called the Family Table. She read
the Family Table because now I'm like, she's getting these
stories from the Family Table.
Speaker 7 (05:59):
We do a homework around here, and yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
She would build this table. She would go to the
local lumberyard and buy butcher block or buy four by
fours and like bond them together. And this table was
quite symbolic of a number of things. I think won
this spirit of just doing it yourself. If a job
(06:27):
needed to get done, she was going to do it.
And she expected us to have that same sort of
philosophy and life, so like, don't wait for someone else
to do it, and don't wait until you even have
necessarily the money to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
It's like, if you want a table that would cost
five hundred dollars one thousand dollars, like go and make it.
You don't have to wait until you can afford it.
You can have nice things. You can live your life now.
And I appreciate that she made us very self sufficient.
She made us very independent, very sovereign, you know, and
and that I think is a quality we are all
(07:03):
blessed to have inherited because nowadays, whether regardless of the industry,
we all work in. You know, our youngest brother works
in tag. Another younger brother, Jake, is a chef, and
Jazz and Jake have this incredible design show called Living
by Design, and it's so it's like, you know, whatever
(07:24):
we do in life, it's not about us like waiting
until someone gives us the approval to do it. It's
about finding the tools. It's about finding the materials that
we need, the crew we need, the squad we need,
whatever it is. You know, that philosophy I think has
benefited us in our own lives. You know, of like yo,
(07:46):
just get it done, you know, like where's the need
and how do we how do we make it happen?
Not accepting no for an answer.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
So it also seems that it fostered creativity. So how
would you how would you say that your mom created
an environment that really did foster creativity.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Oh yeah, I mean it was all about creativity. Everything
was centered on creativity, cooking. You know, growing up, we
would watch nothing but classic movies, listening to classic music.
It was all raisin in the sun.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
In the living room. We were from the play, from
the page play. We were reading plays very early on.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
She she would put a plywood in the middle of
the living room, and if we wanted to learn how
to tap dance, okay, start tap dancing. Yeah. You know,
we had entire libraries in our living room.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
So we had the Encyclopedia Britannica, and you know, that
was like a major investment, a big deal at the time.
And then and they were on those homemade bookshelves. Was
like everything was about We were creating all day. Cooking
was a whole thing as well. She was baking bread
from scratch. We were learning how to do all of that.
(09:10):
We were cooking from like seven eight years old. We
learned how to be self sustaining. And so a lot
of that has carried over, like Journey said, and then further,
you know a lot of those building and cooking and
all of that have carried over into our careers and
also into our lives and Journey has a garden. I
(09:33):
have some fruit trees, you know that. We you were like, okay,
how can we be self sufficient? Like how can we
be sustainable? And she definitely definitely imparted that spirit and
the arts was such a center of our life.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
We had the ups and downs financially most of our childhood.
But for her, whether it was a birthday or Mother's
Day or Christmas, she did not want as buying her presents.
And to this day still she's like, I want you
to do a concert for me. Oh and it's like
y'all go all. But we was like, oh man, we got.
Speaker 6 (10:10):
Because she had to bring it because if you were
doing in the sun, so I mean, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Listen, she was having my older brother Joeldo trying to
sing avalois love you. It's like, you know no. But
she definitely was like, I just want you all to
just share your gifts and cultivate your gifts. And that
was the greatest gift for her is to have us
(10:36):
deliver a poem or monologue or sing something or somebody
play an instrument. Truly to this.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Day, so you have this incredibly creative husshole, this artist
colony six kids. Many of you, of course end up
pursuing careers and entertainment. Was there any jealousy competition? How
did you guys like navigate all this as a family
having this wonderful experience.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
There really would have been no room for that because
the reality was we were like a farm family. We
always said everyone had to pitch in, everyone had to
do something. I remember when Journey was little and she
was doing Full House. I mean I took her to
the audition. Obviously I didn't drive. I didn't drive yet,
so I don't even remember how I walked her in,
And I remember her reading her lines and being able
(11:21):
to read from her script and being impressed by that
when going to the table read with her. But also
I make the point to say that when she was on,
when she was doing Full House, I was in charge
of cutting up her overalls and putting patches on them,
and designing these little overalls she had, which were basic overalls,
(11:42):
but then putting holes in them because she was this
really like scruffy kind of kid and attitude and all
of that, and so my mom was like or helping
twist her hair. So there was like all of these
ways that everyone was in the charac everyone did.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Yeah, so there was really no time or room.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
We were like our own little artist colony, like everyone's
collaborating and sharing and figuring out how to.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Get it done. Now when jas say is cutting up
my overalls, like it's the overalls for the character that
a war in the show. Because my mom never during
full House she was like, no, she's gonna wear her
own clothes and I'm gonna we're gonna do her hair.
No one's such in her hair. And so yeah, it
was such a thing of like if one person's winning,
(12:30):
we're all winning. You know, we're all pouring back into
the pot and everyone we're all invested. It was such
a it's such a tribal mentality, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
That.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I think it's so easy for us now that we're
adults to take for granted, but going to other people's
homes or you know, now being of an adult, you realize, oh,
this was actually really rare, Like most people didn't grow
up like this, and it's an incredible blessing that we
were given by our mom. Is like, yo, we all
(13:04):
in this together.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Well let's talk a little bit more too about why
you While you all were growing up as children. Because Journey,
you won this incredible honor at just eleven years old,
the critics' choice best Young Performer. But then as a
young woman, there was a point when you were broken,
on the verge of quitting acting.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
She did her research.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
Damn, can you take us back to that moment? See,
you all can adopt me. I will fit right in
with your family.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
I love it when you.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
Had to decide do I keep fighting for this or
do I is it time for me to walk away?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yes, yes, yes, there's definitely a moment. You know. It's it.
I've been in front of the camera since I was
ten months old, and so it's interesting because there was
a period when I was like a teenager and going
into transitioning into being a young adult. I broke out
with severe acne. I was really kind of insecure about
my you know, my looks and stuff like that. But
(14:08):
then also the roles were just awful, and it was like,
I don't want to be the best friend that dies
on page thirty six, you know. And my mom had
ingrained in me like this real standard of excellence and
what it takes to be a great you know, and
I was looking up so you know, the Sicily Tyson's,
(14:29):
the Catherine Herpburn's, the Diane Carroll's, you know, and I'm
going they wouldn't take these roles. And so, in addition
to being very creative, our mom is very political, very
very political, and so volunteering at a young age, all
of us were expected to be attending marches, going in
(14:49):
the voting booth with her, and when she was voting,
being on the corner holding up signs, protesting things. And
so while I wasn't finding real fulfillment in the arts,
I was finding a lot of fulfillment in the nonprofit world.
And you know, there was this organization called Artists for
New South Africa, which really was a village of artists
and activists that kind of you know, helped raise me
(15:12):
in a sense, you know, Sammue ol Jackson, Latanya Richardson Jackson,
Alfred Wood or Blair Underwood, all these people who were
at the time they founded the organization in the early
nineties to rid South Africa of apartheid, and then it
transitioned to more of an HIV AIDS prevention organization. And
(15:33):
I was doing a lot of volunteer work with them,
and I was their youngest board member, and I felt
so fulfilled with that work. I was going into schools
here in Los Angeles, taught through a program called Positively Speaking,
and I was speaking about HIV AIDS prevention and kids
would look at me and be like, what is the
chick from Road Bounds doing in my class right now?
(15:55):
Talk telling me how to put on a condom, you know.
And I was on a delegation on my twentieth birthday
to South Africa actually with artists for New South Africa.
And I went there and we were building a well
in Enguavooma, a township in South Africa, and visiting like
(16:19):
Kayalicha and all these different places, and it was just
a life changing for honestly in so many ways. One
it gave me a level of humility and gratitude and
an awareness of my own privilege and just being born
in this country right. And I saw the work we
(16:41):
were being able to do, and it dawned on me
really that well, this work is so essential, This is
like food for my soul. But we were able to
get there because of the platform that all these artists
were using, and they were using their platform to be
able to contribute to a bigger cause than themselves, right,
(17:05):
And I thought, well, if God's given me a gift,
you know, how dare I not use that? Right? And
interestingly enough, when I came back from that trip, I
was sent the script for Great Debaters, And I mean
I think it was probably four days three or four
(17:26):
days after I got back from that trip, and I
was like, okay, God, I'm on a mission, and I
was actually staying with Jazz. Jazz was going to NYU
and I went to the Schomberg Library and I started
researching Melvin B. Tolsen. And when I came back to
LA it was like months before I even was able
to get an audition. And my initial audition was not
(17:47):
even an audition for me. It was they called me
and asked me to just be a reader for the
Gentleman that Denzel was thinking of casting as the male character,
and they just needed a reader to read with it.
But I was like, Okay, you know, this is my opportunity.
(18:08):
And I had researched so much of the story and stuff,
and you know, Denzel, he started like improving with me
and kind of like going at me in the best way.
And he called my manager afterwards and was like she's
incredible actress. And from that moment when I was like,
this is no doubt. Even in the ups and downs,
(18:29):
I know this is a part of my calling and
I've never doubted it.
Speaker 6 (18:33):
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Speaker 5 (18:49):
I want to ask you about your calling because you've
been an actor, producer, chef, designer, host, author, and entrepreneur.
When so many people just want to stick with us
being come, You've done the opposites. Why is it so
important to you to keep on challenging yourself in the
way that you continue to do.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
I love a spice of life. I love variety. I
don't like getting bored. I like learning and growing and
having my hands and a lot of things. And I
feel like, at heart, like my base. I'm a producer
first because I love pulling people together. I love when
(19:30):
we would watch those musicals that Journey mentioned when we're
growing up, I always drew to the person.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I love the person who'd say, hey, kids, let's go
put on a show, and then they'd get everywhere together
and they'd make it happen.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
I love being the person who can make things happen
and take all of the creative components of a project
and pull them together. But I also love humanity and
I love working with people. So at the core of
what I do, my passion, my purpose is connecting people
in spaces of joy and storytelling and real connection. So
(20:09):
I don't like false, you know, connections. I don't like
surface I like going deep. And so when we do
our show, my brother and I Living by Design, we
host and produce that show as well. It's really important
to get into the minds of the clients who are
who we're redesigning for to really know how to bring
(20:30):
out what they want in their space and really make
their space feel like a sanctuary to them and make
it reflective of who they are. So when anyone walks
into their space, they're like, oh, this is definitely them.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
I see their heart, I see their soul.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
And you're putting that into practice with your show, of course,
Living by Design that you just reference with Jake helping
millennial families create dream spaces of breaking the bank so
all right, we have a lot of millennials that watch
the show and listen to us. What are a couple
of things best hop tips from lazz here in terms
of what you can do to help spruce up that
(21:05):
house when money is tight.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yes. So first first, first thing I always tell people
is a new coat of paint. If your space has
not been painted in a while, you need to get
a fresh coat of paint. Whether you're changing the color
or whether you're just putting a fresh coat of the
color you have. It immediately brightens the space. It immediately
(21:29):
makes it feel fresher and newer. The other thing I
would say is don't be restricted to what you consider neutral.
So neutrals are not just tans and off whites and
creams and whites and things like that. Neutrals are also navies.
Neutral can be a sage green. You don't have to
(21:49):
be stuck with just the lighter colors to go neutral.
Don't be afraid of color if you love color. And
the third thing I would say is to really think
about the function of your space and the heart of
your space. So really think about if what you're doing
to the space is going to be functional, but also
stylish at the same time, and you don't have to
(22:12):
follow any particular set of rules. You can have your
sofa floating. It doesn't have to be against the wall.
That might not be the best suited for your particular
living room. So really think about how your living room
is structured. And then the last bonus tip I'll say
is bring greenery in. It's great to bring in live
(22:33):
plants and things like that, to bring the outdoors in
because we are natural human beings and nature makes us
feel it live.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
One of the things I love though about Also what
you all do in the show is you all thrift
a lot and you'll remodel like the old bookcase that
you get on Facebook for free, and you'll painted or
rebuild it.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
I call it online thrifting, so a lot of it.
Because our budgets are also tight, we do a lot
of online thrifting, so gently use items that you can
either refurbish. Which one more story I do remember Journey's
high chair when she was little, was off the street
and our mom sanded it down and she repainted it,
(23:21):
uh a royal purple.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
So let's talk a little bit more about sisterhood because
outside of my relationship for me, outside of my relationship
with my husband and our daughter, my sisters are the
most important relationships in my life. And you all seem
to have this incredible bond that that only sisters can
(23:46):
bring to each other. Because sisters are the people that
can make us laugh the hardest. They are there when
we need them the most. They tell us the truth
when no one els will journey. What's one truth your
sister told you that you really needed, even if you
didn't want to hear it at the time.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Oh, you're trying to get real zed. Honestly, the thing
that popped recently into my head would probably have been
like some cooking advice, and.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
You didn't want to hear it.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, because you know you asked the question about competition.
We are not competitive at all except in two areas. Okay,
all six of my siblings, no five siblings, but all
six of us kids, right, we are We are so
not competitive. Unless you're planning a game or if you're cooking.
(24:40):
Jazz will come in there and she will taste a
dish and be like, mm mmmm, you gotta put it.
You gotta put more season than that. I'll try to
get No. Jazz is notorious for being the ones to
go and grab a spoon and you gotta be like
uh uh uh uh, it's not done yet, Like stay
(25:00):
out the kids, stay.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
Out in the pot like that.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
That's what we say. That's what we say to you.
Don't get my pots yet. So now, Jazz, look, now,
the same question to you.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Most times I do appreciate it, but there there's definitely
those little bits of advice of like, well, you don't
have to let that go. Like I think a recent
one was probably about motherhood. It was something I was
feeling guilty about something I was like, you know, like, oh,
but I'm not I'm not able to do this, or
like as far as like yeah, oh I wasn't able
(25:32):
to fix the situation for her, for my daughter, or
I wasn't able to I was. I was working this
on set this particular day, and my daughter was with
me and I couldn't take her to a specific thing,
and my sister took her.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
I brought I brought Nyla out to New York and
Jazz was living by design recently, and I brought her
out and I brought Hunter, my son, and Jazz had
schedule a day that she was supposed to be off,
and she she had scheduled this day. Listen, let me
tell you. She was going to take Nihilt to was
taking her the dancing at she was taking her to
(26:11):
the museum, she was gonna take her to see the
rock Yester that night. She had the day scheduled because
Jazz is she will pack a day. She's a producer,
exactly exactly, and she's like, I'm gonna show you the town.
I'm gonna show you, you know. And the set ended
up needing Jazz to work that day, and it was
the only day she was going to have off the
entire time. Nyla was going to be there. She was
(26:32):
so like, she felt so bad and so guilty, and like,
you know, we both have a tendency in certain areas
to struggle with mom guilt, which I think a lot
of moms all the way to yeah, exactly, And it's
not just working moms. It's like, you know, the gamut, yes,
and and so there's often times where we both have
(26:54):
to remind each other of that of like they're not
going to remember that, but they're gonna remember is it's
just how present you are there, how present you are
when you are there, and she's gonna remember seeing her
mom be this this this boss, one said, and she's
gonna remember, you know, how intentional her mom is and
(27:17):
how inquisitive her mom is. And if there's one time
that her auntie has to take her to the dance
class and her mom couldn't, she gonna be fine, you know. Yeah,
And it's the way Journey will say it.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
So like what you said about how she'll be a boss,
the way she'll say that is be like, you're.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Gonna have to let that go.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
And it's like pointed, it's like and you're like, because
she's saying it, she's saying it to me, she's saying
it to herself, and she's saying it to all the
moms in the world, and that one like it's the thing,
it's the thing of like, and so it hits you like,
I know, but I feel guilty, like, and you're like,
that's true. And at the exact moment you may not
(27:59):
want to hear it, but it's not that it's horrible
to you. It's just like, I know.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So you both have had this incredible success, but oftentimes
we learn more when things don't go as we planned.
I want to ask you both about a moment of
failure that became one of your greatest teachers.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Honestly, there was a moment I had a few years ago.
It was COVID and I was shooting. I was shooting
overseas and because of COVID, you know, at the time,
if you remember, like you had to quarantine and so
(28:44):
the studios were during this process where you quarantine for
fourteen days and then you could be one set. And
so it was the holidays, and it was probably a
really really low time for me because it was the
first time I had to send my son back to
(29:04):
the States and couldn't be there for Christmas. I mean,
I was devastated and I felt really depressed, honestly, and
like this just is not how life is supposed to be.
And it was in that moment, you know, I'm sitting
(29:25):
and it's wild because God will give you so many
gifts and so many blessings, right, but there's still those
moments of humility where you gotta go, all right, I'm
leaving it all at the altar. God, what you need now?
You need to deepen where are we going? You know,
and just trust and your faith is really tested because
you're like wait, but this is what I've worked so
(29:45):
hard to have, and yet it still feels empty, and
it still feels like, wait, this is not how life
is supposed to be. Like I imagine family would be a
certain way, and I imagine, you know, when you get
married and you think it's going last. All these things
didn't actually work out the way I thought it would.
(30:06):
And so I'm in this house by myself and can
leave and feel guilty for even feeling bad, you know,
because you're like you too, fripleaged these people in the
world that's like their life is really struggling. And I
was talking to one of my coaches, actually one of
my acting coaches, and he said to me, he was like,
(30:27):
when's the last time you read You read Danny the
Deep Blusy. It's one of my favorite plays. And my
coach she feels like everything is solved with art. And
so I went and I printed out a bootlet copy
of the play and did the play to an audience.
I'm no one but myself, And there was something about
(30:49):
that moment that I knew God was going You're either
going to in this moment push through and become the
most authentic version of yourself and lean into your gifts
and lean into to what calling I have on your life,
or you're going to become a lie. Thank God, God
brought me out of it and that moment, you know,
I've poured into my art. I've used it in so
(31:11):
many moments, have called on it in so many moments,
because I do believe I'm drawn to these kind of
characters where you do have to make a sacrifice, you
do have to leave something on the altar, and they
do require a lot of me and it requires me
to go to these dark places. But I also feel
like God wants me to portray these emotions on screen
so they could be healing for someone else, because I
(31:33):
think art is healing. It makes us feel less alone.
Like that play in that moment made me feel less alone.
It made me feel like, Oh, my experience is not
unique to me. It's universal, and failure is just an
opportunity to get back up.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
Now Journey.
Speaker 6 (31:53):
For your most recent role on the series Smoke, which
is on Apple Plus, you gain twenty pounds of muscle
to play Michelle, a former marine turned detective. What did
you discover about strength through that transformation? Both mental strength
and physical strength?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
I learned a deeper appreciation for willpower and pushing yourself
past your own limits. I never thought i'd be able
to become as strong as I became, and I give
credit to my trainer, Jeanette Jenkins. Shout out to Jeannette,
but I just, you know, physically felt stronger than I
(32:33):
ever have. And I think there was something that happened
to my body after I gave birth to Hunter. You know,
my limbs were kind of like all wobbly, and it
was really a new body I had, and I went
through this period of kind of grieving my old body
and grieving my old self, which unfortunately I don't think
(32:54):
we talk about enough as women. We don't share that.
It's like kind of taboo, and it's like people would
comment about to snap back, and you like, wait, that's
not the goal, because I actually don't feel healthy right now,
you know. And I was like doing fight scenes on
Lovecraft and like going off and trying to like pump,
you know, in between setups, and I remember just not
(33:19):
feeling still in my body, you know. And I think
there was something about this training session that I embarked
on with Jeanette where it wasn't about how I looked.
It wasn't about you know, trying to snap back or
have any sort of you know, sizes or anything like that.
(33:41):
It was truly about just being strong and it made
my character better. It made me understand her more, you
know than marine workouts, Like they are no joke, you know.
And Jeanette pushed me so hard where I was able
to literally like, I was so excited when I could
lift my own weight, and then she got me to
(34:03):
the point where I could lift double my weight and
I was like, oh, there is literally nothing I can't do,
you know, Like that's just where your mind goes, the
of like whoa the human will power that we're given.
You know, we think this is the ceiling and it's
actually not. And you went once you pressed through that
(34:26):
and you know it's look, it's it's it. I have
an incredible support team. It was it was hard, though,
like the pain of that and like the hours and
then you're still trying to be mommy. And Hunter once said,
so I started incorporate Hunter in my workout all the time.
It would be he would be mimmy, let's do some squats,
(34:47):
and I would just put him right in front of me.
And like hold under his legs and squat him, you know.
And I think you know that's now we evolve into
something beautiful where he and I now work out together
and he loves he's so athletic. He's always been that way,
but he loves It's like another way for us to bond.
(35:08):
But yeah, it was it was important for the character
to do, to do justice to the character.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
Okay, so motherhood. We could do a whole segment just
on on motherhood. And I know we've been talking about
these defining moments in your lives. Both of you all
are mothers. And Journey you wrote something beautiful about Jazz
on Mother's Day, and so I'm gonna read it. Motherhood
has been the most sole, expanding, purpose filled role of
(35:36):
my life. And to walk this journey side by side
with my sister, that's been one of the greatest blessings.
We've grown, learned and loved deeply together. But this question
is gonna be to Jazz. What do you admire most
about Journey as a mother?
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Oh? I love that.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Something I admire most about Journey as a mother is
her ability to get in there with Hunter. She mentioned
he's really athletic and she'll be out there playing with
him on the basketball court tirelessly. I admire that she's
a boy mom, because it seems like a whole different
(36:20):
beast to me. I admire her intentionality and her ability
to mostly like keep things in perspective, to not get
swallowed up by motherhood, if that makes sense. So I
don't know if that's about motherhood. It is, though about motherhood, yeah,
(36:41):
because I always admire her ability to love Hunter and
to be present with him but not get swallowed up,
and to remain true to her passions and her life
and her loves and all the facets that make her
a full one. I admire how she steps into her
(37:04):
womanhood in motherhood.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
A journey. We have a connection that many people perhaps
don't know about. I'm sure when you were twelve years old,
you were in a film called Selma Lord and played
the character of a friend of mine, Shyanne with Christberg,
who became a friend of my father's. In fact, was
the youngest, probably one of the youngest persons who marched
(37:29):
from Selma to Montgomery. But my sister Yolanda played your teacher.
What do you remember from that experience?
Speaker 2 (37:39):
One? How much I love your sister, you know, and
the friendship that we established, not just during Selma Lord Soema,
but into my adulthood. I would call her all the
time and ask for advice or you know, she was
such a phenomenal spirit. You know. I do remember shooting
(38:04):
the Bloody Sunday scene, and it was actually truly impactful
on me, you know, my mom in those moments when
whether it's Eves by You or Selma or Sea, these
were obviously adult heavy topics. Although Selma was made for kids,
I think, but it's still we went to places that
(38:27):
were dark, you know, and heavy for a ten eleven,
twelve year old. And I remember being so shooken up
by that scene, you know, like they had the tear
gas and the dogs and the police officers who were
like beaten folks up. And I remember talking with your
(38:51):
sister a lot about that of like just the disbelief
I had that Yo, our people survived this come from this.
You know. My mom grew up in the South, and
we grew up hearing stories about our grandmother working for
white folks and cleaning the homes of white folks and
(39:12):
how disrespectful they were and they didn't appreciate her she
wasn't even given a stool to sit on throughout the day.
They expected her to stand for the entire time, you know,
and just like the treatment that they grew up having
to deal with. Now. I can't tell you how many
people still tell me how much they loved that movie.
(39:33):
And oh, I grew up watching Selma, Lord Selman, you know,
And so I'm grateful to have been a part of
that project because I think you was very special and
obviously being able to be a part of anything with
you and your family, your lineage and your legacy, your
incredible father and incredible sister, incredible family is still you know,
(39:57):
it's an honor for me for all.
Speaker 6 (39:59):
Of our life listeners. I cannot recommend that movie high enough.
Speaker 4 (40:05):
It is.
Speaker 6 (40:05):
It is terrific, and it was well done, and it's
it's just in a way because it was made I
think it was shown on ABC but for Disney. So
it's dealing with a very hard subject but in a
way that children I think can truly see and understand
and without sensationalized but not I mean, it's a great movie.
(40:29):
So if anyone with little ones, particularly January and February,
sit down and watch Selma Lord Selma together as a
family now Journey. I want to end this conversation with
another one of my favorite movies that you were in,
The Great Debaters. Talked about it a little bit earlier,
and it's based on a true story of a nineteen
thirties debate team from Wiley College right in Texas, which
(40:55):
is an historically black university of black college fighting to
compete against elite white universities.
Speaker 7 (41:01):
I've heard that.
Speaker 6 (41:02):
You've shared that the film completely changed your life. How
does this experience on The Great Debaters and that story
continue to inspire you today?
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Oh, great question. I mean, I think on a number
of levels. Artistically, it was like taking a masterclass, you know.
I think having the opportunity to not only act alongside
some of the gat I mean, Denzel's me greatest actor
of all time, of our generation, you know. And I
(41:36):
think not just only acting alongside him, but being directed
by him. It was truly my university. And I had
my little notepad every day I was writing down all
the things he said. And there were so many tools
he gave me and things that I put in my
(41:58):
back pocket that I still use. Dame my approach to
the craft and my approach to building character. You know,
things like not over rehearsing, but rehearsing, you know, knowing
everyone's lines, studying the great writings of our time, all
the way back to Shakespeare. You know, he had us,
(42:20):
he had us actually doing Shakespeare in debate camp, and
it was just I think the biggest blessing he gave
us was he would say, all the time, trust your instincts,
Trust your instinct How would you do it? How would
you say?
Speaker 4 (42:37):
You know?
Speaker 2 (42:38):
And he didn't want us looking outside of ourselves to
him for the answers. He really wanted us to understand
the importance of lee breathing life into a character and
loaning your soul to that character in order for it
to have a soul and not try to copy him.
(43:02):
You know, yes, there are tools, there's ways of approaching
story and building a biography. Knowing everything about your character
when you step on said what kind of sheets does
she sleep on? You know, what does she eat for breakfast?
So I think it really is one of the It
(43:24):
definitely was a turning point for me with my craft.
You know. I think there were a few projects like
that where it's like, oh man, when you work with
the greats. You know I've been fortunate enough to work
with some of the greatest actors of all time. Let
alone you know of our time, but literally of all time.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
Well, Driniaz, thank you both of you for reminding us
that legacy isn't built on stages or screens. Is built
around kitchen tables, even those hand crafted by mothers who
believed in something bigger. It's built in ways that six
siblings learned to lift each other up. Is built in
the choice by keep on reinventing yourselves, by fighting for
(44:04):
justice and also walking through the journey of motherhood. Thank
you for your honesty, Thank you for your courage, thank
you for your passion, thank you for your love. Thank
you for allowing us to glimpse so briefly but meaningfully
into your family. And thank you for living your legacy
every single day.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Wow, thank you so much, and thank you for having us.
And truly we look to you all and your family
for so much meaning and inspiration on the daily. So
thank you for the contribution you made to our life.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Thank you for joining us. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a moment.
Hosts And Creators
Craig Kielburger
Marc Kielburger
Martin Luther King III
Arndrea Waters King
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