From sitcom star to powerhouse producer, Terri J. Vaughn joins Brandi Harvey for an inspiring conversation on longevity, reinvention, and walking boldly in purpose. 🎬✨Best known for her iconic role on The Steve Harvey Show, Terri opens up about her journey through Hollywood, the challenges of carving out space behind the scenes, and her mission to create stories that reflect the fullness of Black womanhood.This episode is a masterclass in staying true to your vision, owning your evolution, and creating impact through every chapter.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You get the role of Levita Alise Jenkins. Yeah, your
career just takes off.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I remember when they finally decided that the show was ending,
and I was like, we all been on a hit show.
We'll move on to the next. Wasn't quite like that.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I mean, you went out for the role on Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I get the first call back, Then I get a
second call back. How I'm going in and I'm meeting
with f Gary Gray and ice Cube and it's just
me here comes into the realm.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
NIA long they've been waiting for her.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The nineties was that wide open space for black creativity
to shine. You get the Steve Harvey Show, you got
the Jamie Fox Show.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
That was a very very beautiful time and it changed.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
When did you see the change or did you feel
it first before you saw it?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Did you see it coming?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And for you now to be at this part of
your career with a top ten on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The Steve Harvey Show wrapped, to me, it was a
no brainer. Oh you're going to have your own show. Yeah,
I did not think it was gonna take me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Ye.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Cannot put a time limit on your teaks, not if.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
They're really your dreams. And you gotta like over love
this stuff. I wrote it in my journal. I was like,
this is what God told me. We're gonna get multiple offers,
We're gonna be on Netflix.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
This is what I want.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
The conversation that most people who work with Tyler Pierry
have about him. He pays you your worth, He's given
you a shot to do your craft. Do you echo
those same sentiments? Welcome to Vaught in Power's Talk. So
we don't just scratch the surface, we dive deep into
(01:36):
the lives of some of the world's most influential change makers.
I'm your host, Brandy Harvey. Y'all, we got the legend here.
I've known this woman forever. The one and only Terry
Jayvon is a powerhouse in Hollywood whose career spans over
two decades.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
As an actress, producer, and director.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Best known for her beloved role as Levita Alisee Jenkins
on The Steve Hard Terry quickly became a household name,
earning three NAACP Image Awards. As the visionary and founder
of TJV Enterprises, where she produces socially conscious films that
center black voices, Terry continues to shape the industry on
(02:16):
her own terms, from scenes stealing roles in Greenleaf and
Queen's to directing award winning indie films, and, most recently,
her top ten Netflix series Tyler Perry. She the people
beyond the screen. She's a devoted wife to former NFL
player and actor Karen Riley and a proud mother of three.
Terry believes the nose don't really matter. Keep going bottom,
(02:39):
Power's Talk's welcome wife mother, actress, producer, and director Terry J.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Vaughn to the show.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Oh my god, Brandy, I don't need to give you
I'm gonna have to redo it in pops.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Just amazing.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I am so excited. I feel like family has come
to the set today.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I mean, Daddy earlier.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Listen when you said that, I mean that means I'm
I'm in the right space.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
That means the universe is doing this thing.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Yeah listen, yes, ma'am. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
This is awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I mean, Terry Vaughan, over two decades, twenty six years old,
you get the role of Levita Alisee Jenkins.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, and you your career just takes off.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, that definitely opened up the doors for me. But
it's funny. You know, I was on that show for
like five seasons. I think the show did six seasons.
I came in in the second season, so I did five.
And it was such a great show, right, it was
so fun. We made lots of impact and when Steve fine,
(03:53):
because I would ask Steve at the end of each season,
sure hope I come back. I sure hope y'all have
me back. So it became an ongoing thing. And then
I remember when they finally decided that the show was ending,
and I was like, you.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Know, we all been on a hit show. We'll move on.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
To the next, We'll keep it going. I would get
my own show. It wasn't quite like that when that
show ended.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I mean there was a lull.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
There was a lull. Yeah, I mean, I'm super blessed.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm so grateful and I am really blessed, And you
know I did when the show went down. The first
show that I got after that was Soul Food on Showtime,
And of course it's a completely different kind.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Of showma drama.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And so I've always been very thankful to Felicia Henderson,
the creator.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Of the legend in the business.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yes, because she just offered me that part, and a
lot of people were just trying to keep me in
the you know, in that comedic, the.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Side girl role.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, and so when she came to me and offered
me that, I thought that was really huge and she
knows I always thank her doing that.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Do you feel like you were type cast because of
the Levita Elisey Jenkin's role.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, I feel like that the attempt was there, but
I feel like, you know, I don't know, I've just
never been a I'm stuck, I'm in a box. I've
never had those kind of thoughts. But I can see
where people were attempting to tell me or show me
(05:42):
that those are the only kind of roles you should
go after, which is why when Felicia came with that,
it was such a big deal and I just never
bought into it. I just never bought into the fact
that I'm type cast it Now, Yeah, I guess I
could have, and then maybe I would have, but I didn't.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I mean, you went out for the role in Friday.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, I want to say it was Friday. Friday was
before Steve Harvey Show. Oh that was yeah, that was
before Steve Harby Show.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Because that was a ninety five, right.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, yeah, that I want to say that was like
my real first Hollywood gig when I moved to la
because I moved there in like ninety two, ninety two.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
And so Friday was the first.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Like I mean, I want you to tell people you
auditioned for what character in Friday?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
At first?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
This girl really did her work. I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I don't even remember the character's name, but it was
the character that Neil and so I remember because I
was so excited, like I was up for this part
and I kept getting callback. So I'm auditioning for that part,
and I get the first call back, then I get
a second callback, and I have to meet with the
director and my final callback, and each of those callbacks,
(07:05):
it was like a few girls in the room. So
it with a few of us going in for it,
and on the last time, it was just me. I
was waiting outside. They were in the office. Yes, like
oh my god, because now I'm going in and I'm
meeting with f Gary Gray and ice Cube and it's
just me and I'm like.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
They get this hard on here.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
With ice Cube and so I'm sitting there with just
waiting for them to come out, and you know, you
can hear them in there talking, laughing. So I'm like,
I'm just waiting. But while I'm waiting, here comes into
the room. N alone walks through the door.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Alone.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Oh my god. First of all, I have autographed.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And she just walks right in. They've been waiting for her,
so they have me sitting waiting. I guess maybe if
she didn't show up, I don't know why they had
me there. But she gets there and she goes right
in and they're all in there laughing and talking and
I'm just sitting out there listening to.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Them your rejection letter.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
So when she finally leaves and then they tell me
to come on in and they're like, well, we're gonna
give that part to Nia, And I was like, duh,
But you know, we really liked you so much we
want to offer you this part if you're willing to
do it.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Yeah, like absolutely, the first thing I ever did.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, that was the first thing.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I mean, it sets you up, it for something that
I mean, when we think about the culture, You've been
a part of all these cultural milestones. We talk about
black cinema, we talk about black television.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Your name is there, Yeah, I guess it is. Yeah,
I guess it is.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
You had to sit with that for a second, and
nobody like that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, because you know, you just keep going, Yeah, just
keep moving. I'm just going on to the next job.
I need to, you know, make a living, and you
don't really think about what the impact is of what
you're doing.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So it's it's really you know, no, I've never heard
it broke down like that.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
I mean, when we think about black cinema, we think
about black television.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I mean, because the nineties was kind.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Of that that wide open space for black creativity to shine.
I mean when you looked at Sunday Nights on wb
which turned into c W, that was a black network. Yes,
you know, so you get the Steve Harvey Show, you
got the Jamie Fox Show, you got the Waynes Brothers.
Then I mean we look on Thursday nights, you had
(09:48):
Living Single Martins, you know, all of those things where
the nineties kind of offered this this vast landscape for
us to really show not on only our buying power
when we comes to ticket sales and movies, our buying
power when it comes to ass sales on sitcoms and
television shows, but it was also you know, we could
(10:11):
to flex our muscle a little bit.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
We did, I mean, and these shows were created and
run by black people, Yeah, which was huge. So we
have a writing room that's mostly African Americans and you know,
writing for us and our voice.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
That was a very very beautiful time. Yeah, and it changed.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah when did you see the change or did you
feel it first before you saw it?
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Did you see it coming?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Well, when the Steve Harvey Show went down, we started
feeling it when we during those last couple of years
of the Steve Harvey Show, like some shows started getting
taken off. We our schedule got very different. We didn't
get picked up for a full twenty two, We started
getting picked up for thirteen. We started having to do
(11:04):
two or three shows a week instead of doing the
regular one show a week. Like things just started changing.
And I really think that, you know, just thinking about
Steve at that time, listening to him and what he
was saying, and how frustrated he was getting with the
limits that they kept offering, like it started turning into
(11:28):
crumbs for him. And it was like at some point,
you know, he's a grown ass man and has done
huge for this network, and now you're telling him he
can only do this amount of it and you got
to shoot this much and you got and he got frustrated. Yeah,
you know, and it was like it's not worth it anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So we started feeling that change then, and then we
saw what happened with the network.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, they flipped it. It became a totally white network.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I mean it went to Gilmore Girls and all the Buffy,
the Vampire and stuff shows went away. Yeah yeah, I mean,
but you've always been so vocal about inclusion and you know,
highlighting black voices and sharing our stories not only just
on screen, but then behind the camera.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
And so I want you to talk to our audience
because I don't even.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Know if people really understand the role that you've been playing,
even though they may not have seen you on camera,
that you've been behind the camera.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Yeah, you know, because it's important.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Like we were just talking about those shows, the Martins
and the Steve Harvey shows and Jamie Foxes, they were
black voices and it was black people writing those voices
for us to say, and that's important.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
I remember, this.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Is when my my perspective changed about what we were
giving to the world because during the time when the
Steve Harvey Show was on, and it was hot, it
was popular. You know, we had a great fan base,
and it was definitely my introduction into the world. And
people would always come up and say, oh, we love
(13:08):
the show. Oh you're so funny, blah blah blah blah,
and always grateful for that. But I remember there was
this one time I was going through the airport and
this woman stopped me and she's said, again, I love
your show. Thank you guys so much for what you do.
It's hilarious. And I'm like, thank you so much, thank
(13:29):
you for watching our show. And she said, I don't
think you're really understanding what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
My brother was dying of cancer and I would go
over his house and sit with him every night when
you guys' show would come on, and that was our
time to just laugh and forget about what he was
experiencing and his pain. Didn't think about his pain, he
was just laughing and we were having fun. That's the
(13:57):
impact you guys had in our home. Yeah, And that
hit me big. I was like, oh my god, we're
really blessing and gifting people with our talent and our
craft and our stories and Ever since that moment, I've
been like gung ho of representations, stories, our voices. Laughter
(14:22):
is so important to the world, and so I just
saw it differently. Now, it's important for us to show up,
it's important for us to be seen, it's important for
us to laugh. All those things are really important for
my ninety five year old grandmother to my ten year
old daughter and everybody in between. They should feel seen, heard,
(14:48):
and so it's really important for me to serve.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Us that way.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I mean, the career has hit so many different ebbs
and flows, and for you now to be at this
part of your career with a top ten on Netflix,
I mean, did you see it coming?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
You know? I always thought I should have my own show.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Once I did Levita and the Steve Harvey Show rapped
to me, it was a no brainer.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
Oh you're gonna have your own show.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
I did not think it was gonna take me twenty years.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I mean Terry, twenty years.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Years of pitching shows, of creating shows. I went, well,
your dad, I remember calling Steve and I was like, Steve,
I have the show idea for me and Wendy, we
would love if you would join us. Just being an
executive producer.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You don't have to do anything, just lend your name
to us, and so we can go out and pitch
and say, Steve Harvey is executive producer on this show starting.
So we did that, We went out, we pitched. We
just couldn't freaking sell a show until God's timing. I mean,
I'm gonna tell you why well.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
No no, no, no, no, no no no, is you you okay?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
So so I've always believed that I should have my
own show.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, and I.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Always believed that it was possible that it could happen.
But God knows better than yeah, we could ever know, right,
And I'm totally totally surrendered to the will of God,
and I have to trust in my heart when He
drops in my heart. So I knew he dropped in
(16:31):
my heart that I should have my own show. I
knew that, So I knew I had just had to
keep going until it happened.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
But he also or she also or whatever you.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Knows that I needed to be prepared for the moment.
Twenty years ago. I would not have been prepared for
the things, the level of things that come at you
at this stage of having your own shoe and being
the name and the face, the things that come along
(17:05):
with that. I wasn't ready, yeah, but I am now.
I mean anything eye opening? Oh I ain't really.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Oh can we cast something? Yeah, I didn't know that
all this came along with this. I didn't know that,
but now I know.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
I mean, I think that that is to so many
people out here who are listening and they're watching, and
their like, damn, it's a teary twenty years to get
the show. But I think the bigger point is, yeah,
the preparation.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
But you didn't give up. Oh yeah, you didn't give in.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
No. And most people they never see this side because
they've quit long before. They said, oh I'm too old. Yeah,
the time has passed. I got kids now, I've been
married for a long time.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I've done this. This is enough.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Right, And you said I'm gonna keep keep trudging because
he kept it's gotta I mean, because you said it.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
You said it on Sherry Shepherd on her show. You
said the nose. People will tell you no, but you
if you know that God got that feeling in you.
You you did, the feeling keeps coming up.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Feeling is there? Yeah, I know, I know, I know
it's him. I know. I know, I'm going to get
my own joke. Yeah, yep. It's been fifteen years. Yep,
but it's coming. Don't worry y'all, it's coming. Yep. I'm
fifty five.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
That's okay, it's coming.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
It's coming.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
But you're not fifty five though I know you fifty
five years old.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Yes, ma'am, Terry, what do you want me to do?
Let me say this.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Let me let me say this.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
When I was prepping and I started following you this
about a month or so ago, and we said you
was doing the show, yeah, and I saw your apps.
I said, I am coming for as in the season
of My Life, Currie. I'm in the whole app challenge
right now. I do I do a hundred plus. I'm
doing like three hundred right now today. I know I'm
(19:08):
trying to get up there. You got you five fun okay? This,
You live right, You mind your business, You drink your water.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
One thousand percent. You are one thousand percent correct behind
my business.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, there's so many things I don't know about that
goes on. Let's say we're talking about this earlier when
we were waiting to come in here, Like I don't
know about all this crazy madness.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Now it comes to me.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Yeah, yeah, it's never come to me.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I've been in this business thirty years. Some of the
stories I hear about what goes down and what goes
on and who did it's never touched me.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
So I don't even know.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
And I'm not saying that that's good that I'm that
naive that I don't know what's going on behind these doors.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Yeah, but I feel covered and protected and yeop if
it makes my skin and clear. I mean with the
water and the mind of my business.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
What what? What's the workout?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Because I'm gonna get back into the other stuff that
I said I want to talk about, you know, the
marriage and family, you know, Tyler pair all the things.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
Okay, what what we doing?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
You know?
Speaker 4 (20:14):
So I love spinn class.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I walk the hills in my neighborhood a lot, and
at my age, I have to stretch, like every day. Yeah, stretching,
that's important and.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
For the apps. Literally the only thing I do is
that roller thing.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I will That's what I'm gonna think it too.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Every day that will.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Okay, how many do you do a day?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Well, I don't do it every day, but I do
it at least two or three times a week, and
I do thirty.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Oh well, Terry, I got to have me some abs
in a minute because maybe.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
I'm gonna get it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
You're gonna get And then when on Hundry Brandy you
also it's that so water.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Oh I old you?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Oh yeah, no, no no. And I gave up alcohol. Yeah,
over one hundred days. I can't I gave it. I
gave alcohol over one hundred days. I stopped snacking. I
eat a whole food diet.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
But I will say this, the only time that I've
had visible like popping abs was.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
When I was a fitness competitor. That was the only time.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
But see, let me just be honest. Yeah, it's a
little bit of an illusion. Yeah, because they was the outfit.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
It just depends well, it depends on the day, it
depends on how that So if you noticed, I know
what picture you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah, okay, so but you see how high it came up.
But that's how it was the top of my ass,
of my stomach that was showing. It was not the
bottom half of my app because there's a little pool.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Were not gonna downplay that. We're not gonna downplay it.
We're not going down. Don't let this lady do this
to y'all. She found in real life. It's not no avatar.
This is not AI.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Okay, like there was real apps. Some of y'all don't
have none of that going on. Top oh bottom. Okay,
let me be real clear.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So now that I know that you're doing thirty on
the wheel, baby, I'm there, she tightoed, she be flat.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
But I want them like literally like I want them
like what's it?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
And I don't really want that. I don't care about that.
I'll look it for you. I just want to be fit.
I want to be fit. Yeah, I'm like, you know,
I like to eat, but I watch what I eat,
but I when I want to eat what I want
to eat, eat And you know I do enjoy my cocktails.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So you know there's a it's a balance.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Okay, So get on the ab, will drink your water,
mind your business. Yeah that's that's that's the biggest part.
And then you can have your cocktail too. Yes you
want to Yeah, okay, I mean you fit and fine.
You've been married seventeen years, yeah, seventeen years to the
same man.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Okay, you know you got to put that out there.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah, like, well I have multiple, Well I did have multiple.
My first one was five years old. So I've been
a married woman band for twenty twenty eight years.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Then okay, what does that? Well No. Five would be
twenty yeah, two, twenty two. We got you. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Math for me just a little bit. Don't ask me
to do any more than this. Yes, so, I mean
seventeen years Caron Riley. He is also your co star
in She the People. Uh huh on Netflix? Top ten
made top ten on Netflix.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Okay to number two.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
I was yes, I thought we were going to hit one.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
But that's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I know what you're talking about. I know who was
in the number one spot that week. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
It was Yeah. It was a different, different type of
show totally.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I mean it Kevin Bacon and and Juliana or Juliana
Yeah so yeah, different demo totally. But I mean you
all met, you know, while you were working, Yes, and
somehow now the stars in line and you all still
work together.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
We do, we do so we like you said, we've
been married seventeen years. We have so I have My
oldest son is from my previous marriage. He's twenty he'll
be twenty four on the fourteenth of June. Wow, So
that's when I was on the show. I was pregnant
the last season, the last season of the Steve Harvey Show,
(24:28):
I was pregnant with him, with that kid, Dylan, and
then Karan and I have a seventeen year old son
and a ten year old daughter together.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
But everybody lives at home. Okay, everybody's at home.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I mean, you've talked about the secret to keeping your
marriage together. Yeah, that's consistently growing together.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, I mean, and you have to find your right
teammate for sure. And if you think about it, just
whether you're single or married, as life goes on, your
always evolving, You're always growing, you're always changing.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Just alone you are. So imagine now you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Have two people who individually will grow, stretch, challenge all
the things. But you guys are cohabitating and building a
life together. And so I think that just like you
have to give yourself grace about how you're changing and
you're not the same. And now you do this, and
(25:27):
you have to be able to give your person the
grace to change too, because now they're not the same
person you married. But that's because he's human, and as
a human, you're going to keep changing, hopefully because you
should be growing. And so it's given that grace and
that space to each other because you don't always grow
(25:50):
at the same time. Sometimes somebody is growing up here
and you still down here, and it's like, WHOA, what
you're doing up there?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Like, well, what you're doing down there? You gotta give each.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Other a pass for that because then eventually that's gonna
come up and it changes.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And so it's the grace of allowing.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Each other to change and not giving up because now
it's different, because now you're different, now I'm different. So
that doesn't mean necessarily that oh now we don't fit,
now we don't go together. No, it just means give
each other grace. You still are, you know, have common
(26:27):
goals and you made a commitment and it's a beautiful
thing if you can get through those moments of stretching
and growing and change and it's ongoing.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
Yeah, marriage is tough.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Was he playing football when you all met?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
No?
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Okay, so he was.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
He was retiring when we met, so I didn't. I
wasn't around for all though, So.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I can imagine because and they talk about this so
much about NFL players NBA players, when they transition and
they retired, they go through a big, a whole overhaul
of their personality in their life.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
So you were on the on the beginning of that.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Yeah, yeah, and it was it was all of that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Yeah, what is the biggest lesson? What's the biggest lesson
that marriage just taught you about yourself?
Speaker 4 (27:18):
About myself that you know, I think I'm a battye.
I really think.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I think I'm pretty incredible because my husband is he
is bold and outspoken.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
He's not a quiet man, and.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
He seems like when I see him like online and
stuff like that, I always think that he's a little
more quiet.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And a little more reserved than you.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
No, no, no, madam, no ma'am, no, ma'am. I am
the quiet and reserved one. I went on.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
I think that that would be flip flopped.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
He is very opinionated, he's very he's he's a lion.
He roars all of those things. And you know, when
I look at myself in this marriage and all the
changes and things that we've gone through, I like think
I'm really a batty I'm like you did that and
(28:15):
you got him together and you you know, and you
kept yourself together, and you guys are still building. You
guys are still growing, and we're having fun. Oh my god,
he's the funniest person I know.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Wow. He makes me laugh all the time. That's key
for me. Laughter is my love language. And we laugh
a lot in our house.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I would have never thought this, though, Terry. I would
have thought that because I'm sure, and I don't. I
have not ever pegged you this way, right, and I've
met you before on numerous occasions, right, Yes, But I'm
sure people peg you is your character, right. They probably
think that you're going to be my boystress and a
lot more like in your face a little bit, and
(29:04):
you're like, no, I'm the total opposite of that.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yeah, I mean there's parts of me that that is
because your personality.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You have a very big personality. It's nothing small about
your personality.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
No, I think it's small. I think it's fun. I
think it's light.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
So there are definitely things about Levita that is totally me,
totally and not that I can't go there brandy and
be all those things. And because that is a part
of me, but my everyday existence in life, I'm pretty chill.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
I love being at home. I love as much as
my kids get on my damn. I love hanging out
with them. I'm a homebody. Yeah, I really am.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I mean, I think all of us as black women,
got a little alize drinkins in us, just a little
little alaze. I ain't en wanna say, Levita, we all
got a little You got a little alixe in there.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Okay, all of us got a little bit shit. It
can't come out.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Yes, no matter what space in time we're in, for sure.
Agreeah yeah, some more than others, for sure, Liza, Okay.
I mean what I think I'm most excited about in
having you in the seat today is you know, when
I look at you, the people, and your career and
(30:22):
your evolution, and I think that the conversation that most
people who work with Tyler Pierry have about him is
that he pays you your worth. He's given you a
shot to do your craft and do a will. Do
you echo those same sentiments I do?
Speaker 4 (30:40):
He gets.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I mean, his yes opened up so many doors for me,
right my goal when we came up with this show
idea and I've been working and developing it for years,
really huh, with a writer named Nya Palmer. So let
me tell how the whole show came to me. So,
(31:04):
as you know, I grew up in San Francisco and
London Breed was a friend of mine. Me and London
Breed both grew up in the hood in San Francisco,
and London, being a brilliant, black, sassy woman that she is,
she worked her way up through politics in our city
(31:26):
and she became the first black female mayor.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
I think you just this was just a write up
in one of the articles.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
I just it's every y.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I tell where the inspiration came from, because when she
became the mayor, it was so much uproar and so
much pushback in the city.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
They gave her so much drama.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
And you know, I'm watching her go through all this
and always smiling always, and I know she won't.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Because I know where she from, you know what I mean?
So why watching her do that?
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I was just inspired and I called her and I
was like this, I am so inspired. I want I'm
going to create a show that is going to that
is inspired by your journey becoming the mayor of our City,
and so that's where the inspiration came from.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So we started.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
I started developing the show idea. I brought on a writer,
Nya Palmer, and we started developing it. You know, I
made her a single a single mom, because I wanted
that dynamic of watching a black woman raising a teenager
and co parenting with her ex, because I think that's
(32:41):
you know, I wanted to show that kind of relationship because.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
And so when so we started developing it, and it's
this has been like seven seven years.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
We were working on it, and when the strike came
in our industry, when the strike and the actors were
on strike, and went tea, what was that whatever? So
I called Naya and I was like, Naya, let's write
a proof of concept and let's shoot the show idea.
(33:17):
Let's shoot it like we see it. Because we have
been pitching it to people, telling people about it, and
nobody wanted to do it.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
Nobody. Everybody was like, no, we don't want to touch
a political show. We don't want to do anything in politics.
And I was like, but it's a comedy.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
I was like, it's like deep, it's like you know,
it's r beep, It's like black Girl VP, and so
nobody wanted to touch it. So I was like, while
we're on strike, let's shoot it so we can show
people what we're talking about.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
And so we did.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
So, you know, I got my team together here in Atlanta,
and we shot this proof of concept. I called Jade
Nova because I think she's it's hysterical. She's so hilarious
in the show, so funny, she's so funny. I called
Joe Marie Payton told her what it was. I was like,
(34:09):
will you join me?
Speaker 4 (34:10):
She was like yes.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
But the big part was because it's a political show
and I'm not well versed in politics, I knew I
needed to find somebody the grounded and give it the
real so we have a real person to tell the story.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
So I called Keisha Lanza Botoms. I mean, yeah, I mean,
I'm right here in Atlanta. Why not?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Why not? Why not?
Speaker 4 (34:32):
Everybody?
Speaker 1 (34:33):
UNTI everybody was on there about to cuss us out
and compet if y'all don't get back on.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
Yes, Yes, So I called Keisha and I was like,
and I uh asked her for a meeting, and we
met for breakfast and I pitched her the show I did.
I showed her my pitch Deck and she loved it.
She was like, I love this idea, Terry. She was like, yes,
I will join you. I will produce it with you.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
And so once she said yes, I was able to
get the funding to shoot the proof of concept and
we did came out exactly like I wanted it exactly
because I was like it only we can only do
this if it's going to look like it could air.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
As we shot it, it's crisp, like it can air
on the ABC, and we did it. So we did that.
So now I got this piece of material.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
So when the strike was over, my agent sent it
out to a list of people that I wanted to
work with, a list of studios and producers that I
admire and wanted to work with, and we started getting
calls like people wanted to meet with us for the show.
So I'm like, okay, cool, it's like my goal with
(35:44):
this show. I wrote it in my journal. I was like,
this is what God told me. We're going to get
multiple offers, We're going to be on Netflix, this is
what I want, and we're going to go in awards
for my show.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
You wrote it down.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
I wrote it down journal. So now we're getting all
these meetings and I'm like, Okay, here we go, y'all.
So I'm prepping the team, me, Naya and Keisha. Now
so we got to pitch our show. So I'm like, okay,
this is how you pitch. This is what we need
to be ready.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
We need to d D D DA. So we're prepping.
So we have our first meeting and we're ready to pitch,
and they start pitching us why we should go with
them to do our show.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Wow. I was like, and they made an offer right
there on the table.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
We didn't pitch anything, wow, and they offered us an
offer on the table.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I was like, so so, and I wanted to be
clear because I've been doing this pitching thing.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
For twenty years.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
It was like, I just want to be clear. You
want the show, like you're this is an offer. This
is an offer on the table. This is what we're offering.
We want your show. It's like, okay, we have a
couple of other meetings. Can we get back to you.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Thank you. Every meeting was like that. We got offers
after offer after offer. We never pitched.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Because the off of that proof of concept was so thankful.
First of all, that God gave me that thought to
do that. I was so thankful that Naya said yes
and wrote something up. I'm so thankful that Keisha said
yes and joined the team. Like all these yesses just
kept happening, and so and there was there were some
(37:27):
I'm skipping over the nose because there were some people
that said no along this.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Journey, because the nose made room for the yes that
you truly deserved one.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Yeah, And so we had a decision to make, and
it was very stressful.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
For me because these are all people that you wanted
that I wanted, all of them, some of them are friends, called,
all of them. So coming to the decision with Tyler Perry,
it was it was what it was supposed to be.
It was supposed to be him for so many reasons.
(38:04):
We see the way he rocked, he owned his He
doesn't play by the rules, and I've never been a
rule follower. I've always been kind of outside in Hollywood
but out there.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Always, I've always been like that. Always, So it just
made sense to go with him, and so we did.
And it's just been a huge blessing, a huge blessing,
the just the collaboration of it all, you know, because
this isn't like a show that he's done before.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
And he said that to us several times.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
It is not right because most people have Tyler period
peg a certain way. Yes, yeah, yes, of the type
of content, yeah, type of shows and movies that he does.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yes, So his reassurance of you know him. So it's
a blend of his flavor and his sauce and all
our vision and our sauce. The show is definitely a
blend of it. So once TP got his hands on it,
to me, so he's the one. Because originally it was
based in Atlanta. It was his idea to move it
(39:14):
deeper south to Mississippi. And I was like, oh my goodness,
like that is crazy.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi. Yeah, yeah, woman Mississippi. And if
people really know black history, right, there were no after reconstruction.
There were two black senators, yes, from the state of Mississippi.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Somebody sent me that whole link and breakdown of that.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Two black senators after reconstruction. There were quite a few
black senators after reconstruction. I'm a history buff.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
We need yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
So yeah, so he added his sauce and what I
feel like the show gives me now is Deep Mixed,
which's Creek if you ever watched it, which is one
of my favorite comedy shows.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
That is one of my favorite I love, I mean
love the satire, the just off the water.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
You're like, wait a minute, yes, how are y'all straight facing?
Speaker 4 (40:18):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (40:19):
And the thing is, it's like a show like Creek,
right that I love and I laugh out loud and
it's so fun and so funny. It's very rare that
black people are accepted to do shows like that because
we hear it from our own about oh, it's so slapsick,
it's so this, and so that even LaVita got so
much pushback when she first came on, right for sure,
(40:42):
just why we have to show those kind of images.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
I'm like, dude, they exist, they exist, Let's have fine
with it, so you know. And so that's happening with
us right now too.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
We have mostly so much love and so many people
get the point of it, because there's a point to
this show. Yeah, there's a reason why are the governor
is so extremely stuck in the freaking fifties and extremely
sexes and races and all the things.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Hollering, the calling, all of it calling. When they sent
you down there to go do that hall calling?
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Was that not ridiculous? Can you imagine? So I imagine
what is that? And so we did it?
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Yeah, I mean, you know you all on the internet,
you know when she was in the car, like you know,
you all on the internet with this.
Speaker 3 (41:37):
It's a whole you mean listen.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
So yeah, but it's so real, I mean, and even
like the layers of motherhood and your daughter, and then
you even told me off camera that a lot of
these characters are named off of people that are already
in your family, in your circle.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Yes, so my daughter Lola, my real daughter's name is Lola.
My daughter on the show is Lola. Joe Marie Payton
placed my mother on the show. My grandmother's name is Khleil,
so I gave her that name Cleil. My character Antoinette
is named after one of my long childhood friends. So
I'm so happy she came out here for the big
(42:15):
premiere in the launch that we did that Netflix threw
for us, so she got to experience that. So it's
all about it's really just given homage to my life,
the people that have been a part of my life
and the ladies that look like us, like I said,
from my ten year old daughter, to my ninety five
(42:35):
year old grandmother, to you, to Shay, to my mom,
to all of us that look like us, this is
for us, because I love us.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
I mean when you describe it as v like the
show that was on what was it on? Show?
Speaker 4 (42:54):
Yeah with Julia, Yeah, Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Yeah, it is very much that. Yeah, yeah, it is
very much that. So I totally I'm like, oh, that's
a perfect example of what this is.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
And then you have these newcomers who are Internet famous.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
So the young man who lays Basil, Yes, put with
the suits, basy Dion brooks Son. First, what he's hilarious
off of his horn land up is hilarious? Is that?
Unhand me his Instagram? Yeah, baby, I die every time
unhand me listen. And the baby daddy situated listen.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
You know. So the fact that we see people who
are getting a shot on the big screen, I mean, yeah,
how could we be.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Mad about that?
Speaker 2 (43:46):
We always find something, you know, but I you know,
I just can't lean into it. I lean into the
people that get it, that support it, because it's for everybody.
It's even for the people that are are hating and
have negative things. It's for them too. Yeah, they just
don't want to receive it.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
Yeah, you know, So what do you have next on
the horizon?
Speaker 4 (44:07):
So, miss Brandy.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
Actually, I just wrapped directing an episode of one of
my favorite shows, and I have been wanting to get
over there and direct on a reasonable doubt.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
So I just rapped yesterday. It was like my birthday,
one of my favorite on third season on television.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
It's so good.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Let me say this, Corey Cash, maybe that Corey Cash, honey,
that Moore Chest and not play Corey Kash baby listen.
Oh we know, honey, we would be a It's so good.
I heard Cash Doll will be making an appearance on
this season. Yes, I mean, I think well written. It
(44:54):
shows all the layers, all the complexities of black love,
black lives, my family dynamics, professional dynamics, The fashions are crazy.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
The cast is absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
Like the sound, the music, the music you sxamin, why
are you listening while you watch it?
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Let me tell you, Ramla who is the creator of
this and the showrunner. All of those things are so
purposeful and I love it.
Speaker 4 (45:23):
It feels that way though one thousand percent.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
First of all, they love La, so they give homage
to La all through that, the music, the city, the
all of it, and I just I love, like you said, it.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Is black life, Yeah, it is black lives.
Speaker 2 (45:39):
These are professionals, but they still have the family dynamics.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
I love.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
I fell in love with this show the first season, yes,
because of how real black girl Emma Yatzi's character was.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Listen, professional and all that, but Jay got on the jacks, do.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Not cuts you out, oh in the most nice, nasty
professional with her birkin all the way.
Speaker 3 (46:08):
Like, I love it, all of it.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
I love our flaws. I love showing a real life
black woman flaws because that's the other thing that happens.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Sometimes they water down our character so much so they're
either just really sweet or they're super just ghetto, and
it's like we're all these.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
Things we're not. We're complicated and very flawed, and I love.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
That they ship that it is.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
The show is well written. The storyline is absolutely phenomenal.
I already know, girl, if you behind the chair, lest listen, listen,
I already know we got some stuff got.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
So that was a huge blessing. That was a huge,
huge blessing to get to direct.
Speaker 3 (46:56):
That is so awesome.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
Congratulations, Yeah, congratulations because I think that's on every you know,
black actor actress list right now.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
I think, yeah, you know, because that.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Is just that's a blessing to be able to work
right now with the climate the way the climate is
in our business.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
Yeah, I mean literally, I was talking to a girl.
We were in a meeting a few weeks ago, and
she runs a production company. They do really well, I
mean they do scripted television. And when she said, the
climate is not is very anti black right now, they
so many people are not working. Yeah, the climate is not,
they're not. Blackness is not in style right now. Yeah,
(47:38):
And that was a conversation. And I think for us
to continue to champion black storytelling, black voices, black, the
layers of us as characters in this development, I think
is so important. We have to because they think we
like we like you know, Jordan's or something. We go
in and our style or something and not a style
(48:01):
a style.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Yeah, we're not. We are a staple one thought.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
We are everything. We are everywhere creators exactly.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Nothing moves without us. Yeah, so you got your director
head on. It never came off.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
No, Yeah, and I do love I'm just a damn Brandon.
I'm just so blessed.
Speaker 2 (48:21):
Yeah, I do get to go back and forth in
front of the camera, behind the camera. I couldn't have
I couldn't have written that. I mean, I could not
have just thought that that was going to be my life.
Speaker 4 (48:34):
I didn't know. Yeah, I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
I just keep listening and going, listening and trusting and
just going and see what happens.
Speaker 1 (48:43):
I mean, but I feel like this is like in
today's episode of Just Like Keep the Faith, in today's
episode of Baby, if you if you only got five
years to give, you don't have enough.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
Cannot put a limit.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
You cannot put a time limit on your Yeah, you
just can't, not if they're really your dreams. Now, to me,
when people stop and I get it, because it's difficult,
it's very difficult.
Speaker 4 (49:12):
And I get it.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
If you stop, that just means you didn't love it enough.
And that is fine, because you got to like overlove
this stuff. This is heartbreaking. It breaks your heart left
and right all the time. So it has to be
a special kind of love for it, and a special
(49:34):
reason why.
Speaker 4 (49:36):
Your why has to be really special to keep going.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
So your why is the love for it.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
My why is because of you, because of my daughter,
because of my grandma. I can't stop because you need
to see you, you need to hear you. You have
to and our images around the world matter to me.
(50:03):
So I can't stop. Yeah, I can't stop, even with
all the nose.
Speaker 1 (50:08):
Oh wow, that's the feeling that you gotta feed, right,
that feeding feeling that is like constantly moving. You keep
going because God's going to give you the feeling. As
we begin to close out, Miss Terry jay Von, one
word you are committed to in the season of your life.
Speaker 4 (50:30):
Believe.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
Oh I think I know why, but go ahead and elaborate.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
Like I said, I always believed I was gonna have
my own show, but I feel like there's levels to believing,
and until I got to this point of believing, I
wasn't ready because because of all the stuff that happens
(50:59):
at this level, your belief has to be so strong
that you that you still where you're supposed to be,
because it feels like people trying to pull it down,
pull you down, tell you you're not supposed to be here,
that you've lied, you've cheated to get here, your belief
(51:19):
has to be strong enough to out shine all that,
to not hear all that.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
No ways, Yeah, it's a different level.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Level belief, a different level of belief. Terry Ja Von,
I am so honored that you sat down with me today.
I am so blessed. I mean, you just make me
feel so good being in your presence. Thank you, so
happy for everything that God has in store for you.
Keep believing Vought Impower's Talks another good one for the books.
(51:51):
Send this to somebody who needs to raise their level
of belief in the season of their lives. There is
no cutoff for your dreams. You gotta keep going even
when you get the nose until next time. I'm your girl,
Brandy Harvey eat well, give a damn move your body
every single day.
Speaker 4 (52:06):
Peace,
You get the role of Levita Alise Jenkins. Yeah, your
career just takes off.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I remember when they finally decided that the show was ending,
and I was like, we all been on a hit show.
We'll move on to the next. Wasn't quite like that.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I mean, you went out for the role on Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I get the first call back, Then I get a
second call back. How I'm going in and I'm meeting
with f Gary Gray and ice Cube and it's just
me here comes into the realm.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
NIA long they've been waiting for her.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The nineties was that wide open space for black creativity
to shine. You get the Steve Harvey Show, you got
the Jamie Fox Show.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
That was a very very beautiful time and it changed.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
When did you see the change or did you feel
it first before you saw it?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Did you see it coming?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And for you now to be at this part of
your career with a top ten on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
The Steve Harvey Show wrapped, to me, it was a
no brainer. Oh you're going to have your own show. Yeah,
I did not think it was gonna take me.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Ye.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Cannot put a time limit on your teaks, not if.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
They're really your dreams. And you gotta like over love
this stuff. I wrote it in my journal. I was like,
this is what God told me. We're gonna get multiple offers,
We're gonna be on Netflix.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
This is what I want.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
The conversation that most people who work with Tyler Pierry
have about him. He pays you your worth, He's given
you a shot to do your craft. Do you echo
those same sentiments? Welcome to Vaught in Power's Talk. So
we don't just scratch the surface, we dive deep into
(01:36):
the lives of some of the world's most influential change makers.
I'm your host, Brandy Harvey. Y'all, we got the legend here.
I've known this woman forever. The one and only Terry
Jayvon is a powerhouse in Hollywood whose career spans over
two decades.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
As an actress, producer, and director.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Best known for her beloved role as Levita Alisee Jenkins
on The Steve Hard Terry quickly became a household name,
earning three NAACP Image Awards. As the visionary and founder
of TJV Enterprises, where she produces socially conscious films that
center black voices, Terry continues to shape the industry on
(02:16):
her own terms, from scenes stealing roles in Greenleaf and
Queen's to directing award winning indie films, and, most recently,
her top ten Netflix series Tyler Perry. She the people
beyond the screen. She's a devoted wife to former NFL
player and actor Karen Riley and a proud mother of three.
Terry believes the nose don't really matter. Keep going bottom,
(02:39):
Power's Talk's welcome wife mother, actress, producer, and director Terry J.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Vaughn to the show.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Oh my god, Brandy, I don't need to give you
I'm gonna have to redo it in pops.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Just amazing.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I am so excited. I feel like family has come
to the set today.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I mean, Daddy earlier.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Listen when you said that, I mean that means I'm
I'm in the right space.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
That means the universe is doing this thing.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Yeah listen, yes, ma'am. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
This is awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I mean, Terry Vaughan, over two decades, twenty six years old,
you get the role of Levita Alisee Jenkins.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, and you your career just takes off.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, that definitely opened up the doors for me. But
it's funny. You know, I was on that show for
like five seasons. I think the show did six seasons.
I came in in the second season, so I did five.
And it was such a great show, right, it was
so fun. We made lots of impact and when Steve fine,
(03:53):
because I would ask Steve at the end of each season,
sure hope I come back. I sure hope y'all have
me back. So it became an ongoing thing. And then
I remember when they finally decided that the show was ending,
and I was like, you.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Know, we all been on a hit show. We'll move on.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
To the next, We'll keep it going. I would get
my own show. It wasn't quite like that when that
show ended.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I mean there was a lull.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
There was a lull. Yeah, I mean, I'm super blessed.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I'm so grateful and I am really blessed, And you
know I did when the show went down. The first
show that I got after that was Soul Food on Showtime,
And of course it's a completely different kind.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Of showma drama.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And so I've always been very thankful to Felicia Henderson,
the creator.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Of the legend in the business.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yes, because she just offered me that part, and a
lot of people were just trying to keep me in
the you know, in that comedic, the.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Side girl role.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, and so when she came to me and offered
me that, I thought that was really huge and she
knows I always thank her doing that.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Do you feel like you were type cast because of
the Levita Elisey Jenkin's role.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, I feel like that the attempt was there, but
I feel like, you know, I don't know, I've just
never been a I'm stuck, I'm in a box. I've
never had those kind of thoughts. But I can see
where people were attempting to tell me or show me
(05:42):
that those are the only kind of roles you should
go after, which is why when Felicia came with that,
it was such a big deal and I just never
bought into it. I just never bought into the fact
that I'm type cast it Now, Yeah, I guess I
could have, and then maybe I would have, but I didn't.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I mean, you went out for the role in Friday.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, I want to say it was Friday. Friday was
before Steve Harvey Show. Oh that was yeah, that was
before Steve Harby Show.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Because that was a ninety five, right.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, yeah, that I want to say that was like
my real first Hollywood gig when I moved to la
because I moved there in like ninety two, ninety two.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
And so Friday was the first.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Like I mean, I want you to tell people you
auditioned for what character in Friday?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
At first?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
This girl really did her work. I don't get that.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I don't even remember the character's name, but it was
the character that Neil and so I remember because I
was so excited, like I was up for this part
and I kept getting callback. So I'm auditioning for that part,
and I get the first call back, then I get
a second callback, and I have to meet with the
director and my final callback, and each of those callbacks,
(07:05):
it was like a few girls in the room. So
it with a few of us going in for it,
and on the last time, it was just me. I
was waiting outside. They were in the office. Yes, like
oh my god, because now I'm going in and I'm
meeting with f Gary Gray and ice Cube and it's
just me and I'm like.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
They get this hard on here.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
With ice Cube and so I'm sitting there with just
waiting for them to come out, and you know, you
can hear them in there talking, laughing. So I'm like,
I'm just waiting. But while I'm waiting, here comes into
the room. N alone walks through the door.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Alone.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Oh my god. First of all, I have autographed.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And she just walks right in. They've been waiting for her,
so they have me sitting waiting. I guess maybe if
she didn't show up, I don't know why they had
me there. But she gets there and she goes right
in and they're all in there laughing and talking and
I'm just sitting out there listening to.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Them your rejection letter.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
So when she finally leaves and then they tell me
to come on in and they're like, well, we're gonna
give that part to Nia, And I was like, duh,
But you know, we really liked you so much we
want to offer you this part if you're willing to
do it.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Yeah, like absolutely, the first thing I ever did.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, that was the first thing.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I mean, it sets you up, it for something that
I mean, when we think about the culture, You've been
a part of all these cultural milestones. We talk about
black cinema, we talk about black television.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Your name is there, Yeah, I guess it is. Yeah,
I guess it is.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
You had to sit with that for a second, and
nobody like that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, because you know, you just keep going, Yeah, just
keep moving. I'm just going on to the next job.
I need to, you know, make a living, and you
don't really think about what the impact is of what
you're doing.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So it's it's really you know, no, I've never heard
it broke down like that.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
I mean, when we think about black cinema, we think
about black television.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I mean, because the nineties was kind.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Of that that wide open space for black creativity to shine.
I mean when you looked at Sunday Nights on wb
which turned into c W, that was a black network. Yes,
you know, so you get the Steve Harvey Show, you
got the Jamie Fox Show, you got the Waynes Brothers.
Then I mean we look on Thursday nights, you had
(09:48):
Living Single Martins, you know, all of those things where
the nineties kind of offered this this vast landscape for
us to really show not on only our buying power
when we comes to ticket sales and movies, our buying
power when it comes to ass sales on sitcoms and
television shows, but it was also you know, we could
(10:11):
to flex our muscle a little bit.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
We did, I mean, and these shows were created and
run by black people, Yeah, which was huge. So we
have a writing room that's mostly African Americans and you know,
writing for us and our voice.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
That was a very very beautiful time. Yeah, and it changed.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah when did you see the change or did you
feel it first before you saw it?
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Did you see it coming?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Well, when the Steve Harvey Show went down, we started
feeling it when we during those last couple of years
of the Steve Harvey Show, like some shows started getting
taken off. We our schedule got very different. We didn't
get picked up for a full twenty two, We started
getting picked up for thirteen. We started having to do
(11:04):
two or three shows a week instead of doing the
regular one show a week. Like things just started changing.
And I really think that, you know, just thinking about
Steve at that time, listening to him and what he
was saying, and how frustrated he was getting with the
limits that they kept offering, like it started turning into
(11:28):
crumbs for him. And it was like at some point,
you know, he's a grown ass man and has done
huge for this network, and now you're telling him he
can only do this amount of it and you got
to shoot this much and you got and he got frustrated. Yeah,
you know, and it was like it's not worth it anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So we started feeling that change then, and then we
saw what happened with the network.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, they flipped it. It became a totally white network.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
I mean it went to Gilmore Girls and all the Buffy,
the Vampire and stuff shows went away. Yeah yeah, I mean,
but you've always been so vocal about inclusion and you know,
highlighting black voices and sharing our stories not only just
on screen, but then behind the camera.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
And so I want you to talk to our audience
because I don't even.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Know if people really understand the role that you've been playing,
even though they may not have seen you on camera,
that you've been behind the camera.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Yeah, you know, because it's important.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Like we were just talking about those shows, the Martins
and the Steve Harvey shows and Jamie Foxes, they were
black voices and it was black people writing those voices
for us to say, and that's important.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
I remember, this.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Is when my my perspective changed about what we were
giving to the world because during the time when the
Steve Harvey Show was on, and it was hot, it
was popular. You know, we had a great fan base,
and it was definitely my introduction into the world. And
people would always come up and say, oh, we love
(13:08):
the show. Oh you're so funny, blah blah blah blah,
and always grateful for that. But I remember there was
this one time I was going through the airport and
this woman stopped me and she's said, again, I love
your show. Thank you guys so much for what you do.
It's hilarious. And I'm like, thank you so much, thank
(13:29):
you for watching our show. And she said, I don't
think you're really understanding what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
My brother was dying of cancer and I would go
over his house and sit with him every night when
you guys' show would come on, and that was our
time to just laugh and forget about what he was
experiencing and his pain. Didn't think about his pain, he
was just laughing and we were having fun. That's the
(13:57):
impact you guys had in our home. Yeah, And that
hit me big. I was like, oh my god, we're
really blessing and gifting people with our talent and our
craft and our stories and Ever since that moment, I've
been like gung ho of representations, stories, our voices. Laughter
(14:22):
is so important to the world, and so I just
saw it differently. Now, it's important for us to show up,
it's important for us to be seen, it's important for
us to laugh. All those things are really important for
my ninety five year old grandmother to my ten year
old daughter and everybody in between. They should feel seen, heard,
(14:48):
and so it's really important for me to serve.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Us that way.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I mean, the career has hit so many different ebbs
and flows, and for you now to be at this
part of your career with a top ten on Netflix,
I mean, did you see it coming?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
You know? I always thought I should have my own show.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Once I did Levita and the Steve Harvey Show rapped
to me, it was a no brainer.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
Oh you're gonna have your own show.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
I did not think it was gonna take me twenty years.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I mean Terry, twenty years.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Years of pitching shows, of creating shows. I went, well,
your dad, I remember calling Steve and I was like, Steve,
I have the show idea for me and Wendy, we
would love if you would join us. Just being an
executive producer.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
You don't have to do anything, just lend your name
to us, and so we can go out and pitch
and say, Steve Harvey is executive producer on this show starting.
So we did that, We went out, we pitched. We
just couldn't freaking sell a show until God's timing. I mean,
I'm gonna tell you why well.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
No no, no, no, no, no no no, is you you okay?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
So so I've always believed that I should have my
own show.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, and I.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Always believed that it was possible that it could happen.
But God knows better than yeah, we could ever know, right,
And I'm totally totally surrendered to the will of God,
and I have to trust in my heart when He
drops in my heart. So I knew he dropped in
(16:31):
my heart that I should have my own show. I
knew that, So I knew I had just had to
keep going until it happened.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
But he also or she also or whatever you.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Knows that I needed to be prepared for the moment.
Twenty years ago. I would not have been prepared for
the things, the level of things that come at you
at this stage of having your own shoe and being
the name and the face, the things that come along
(17:05):
with that. I wasn't ready, yeah, but I am now.
I mean anything eye opening? Oh I ain't really.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Oh can we cast something? Yeah, I didn't know that
all this came along with this. I didn't know that,
but now I know.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
I mean, I think that that is to so many
people out here who are listening and they're watching, and
their like, damn, it's a teary twenty years to get
the show. But I think the bigger point is, yeah,
the preparation.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
But you didn't give up. Oh yeah, you didn't give in.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
No. And most people they never see this side because
they've quit long before. They said, oh I'm too old. Yeah,
the time has passed. I got kids now, I've been
married for a long time.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
I've done this. This is enough.
Speaker 4 (17:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Right, And you said I'm gonna keep keep trudging because
he kept it's gotta I mean, because you said it.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
You said it on Sherry Shepherd on her show. You
said the nose. People will tell you no, but you
if you know that God got that feeling in you.
You you did, the feeling keeps coming up.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Feeling is there? Yeah, I know, I know, I know
it's him. I know. I know, I'm going to get
my own joke. Yeah, yep. It's been fifteen years. Yep,
but it's coming. Don't worry y'all, it's coming. Yep. I'm
fifty five.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
That's okay, it's coming.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
It's coming.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
But you're not fifty five though I know you fifty
five years old.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Yes, ma'am, Terry, what do you want me to do?
Let me say this.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Let me let me say this.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
When I was prepping and I started following you this
about a month or so ago, and we said you
was doing the show, yeah, and I saw your apps.
I said, I am coming for as in the season
of My Life, Currie. I'm in the whole app challenge
right now. I do I do a hundred plus. I'm
doing like three hundred right now today. I know I'm
(19:08):
trying to get up there. You got you five fun okay? This,
You live right, You mind your business, You drink your water.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
One thousand percent. You are one thousand percent correct behind
my business.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yeah, there's so many things I don't know about that
goes on. Let's say we're talking about this earlier when
we were waiting to come in here, Like I don't
know about all this crazy madness.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Now it comes to me.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Yeah, yeah, it's never come to me.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
I've been in this business thirty years. Some of the
stories I hear about what goes down and what goes
on and who did it's never touched me.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
So I don't even know.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
And I'm not saying that that's good that I'm that
naive that I don't know what's going on behind these doors.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Yeah, but I feel covered and protected and yeop if
it makes my skin and clear. I mean with the
water and the mind of my business.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
What what? What's the workout?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Because I'm gonna get back into the other stuff that
I said I want to talk about, you know, the
marriage and family, you know, Tyler pair all the things.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
Okay, what what we doing?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
You know?
Speaker 4 (20:14):
So I love spinn class.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I walk the hills in my neighborhood a lot, and
at my age, I have to stretch, like every day. Yeah, stretching,
that's important and.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
For the apps. Literally the only thing I do is
that roller thing.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I will That's what I'm gonna think it too.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
Every day that will.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Okay, how many do you do a day?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Well, I don't do it every day, but I do
it at least two or three times a week, and
I do thirty.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Oh well, Terry, I got to have me some abs
in a minute because maybe.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
I'm gonna get it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
You're gonna get And then when on Hundry Brandy you
also it's that so water.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Oh I old you?
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Oh yeah, no, no no. And I gave up alcohol. Yeah,
over one hundred days. I can't I gave it. I
gave alcohol over one hundred days. I stopped snacking. I
eat a whole food diet.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
But I will say this, the only time that I've
had visible like popping abs was.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
When I was a fitness competitor. That was the only time.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
But see, let me just be honest. Yeah, it's a
little bit of an illusion. Yeah, because they was the outfit.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
It just depends well, it depends on the day, it
depends on how that So if you noticed, I know
what picture you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah, okay, so but you see how high it came up.
But that's how it was the top of my ass,
of my stomach that was showing. It was not the
bottom half of my app because there's a little pool.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Were not gonna downplay that. We're not gonna downplay it.
We're not going down. Don't let this lady do this
to y'all. She found in real life. It's not no avatar.
This is not AI.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Okay, like there was real apps. Some of y'all don't
have none of that going on. Top oh bottom. Okay,
let me be real clear.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So now that I know that you're doing thirty on
the wheel, baby, I'm there, she tightoed, she be flat.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
But I want them like literally like I want them
like what's it?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
And I don't really want that. I don't care about that.
I'll look it for you. I just want to be fit.
I want to be fit. Yeah, I'm like, you know,
I like to eat, but I watch what I eat,
but I when I want to eat what I want
to eat, eat And you know I do enjoy my cocktails.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
So you know there's a it's a balance.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Okay, So get on the ab, will drink your water,
mind your business. Yeah that's that's that's the biggest part.
And then you can have your cocktail too. Yes you
want to Yeah, okay, I mean you fit and fine.
You've been married seventeen years, yeah, seventeen years to the
same man.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Okay, you know you got to put that out there.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Yeah, like, well I have multiple, Well I did have multiple.
My first one was five years old. So I've been
a married woman band for twenty twenty eight years.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Then okay, what does that? Well No. Five would be
twenty yeah, two, twenty two. We got you. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Math for me just a little bit. Don't ask me
to do any more than this. Yes, so, I mean
seventeen years Caron Riley. He is also your co star
in She the People. Uh huh on Netflix? Top ten
made top ten on Netflix.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Okay to number two.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
I was yes, I thought we were going to hit one.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
But that's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
I know what you're talking about. I know who was
in the number one spot that week. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
It was Yeah. It was a different, different type of
show totally.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I mean it Kevin Bacon and and Juliana or Juliana
Yeah so yeah, different demo totally. But I mean you
all met, you know, while you were working, Yes, and
somehow now the stars in line and you all still
work together.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
We do, we do so we like you said, we've
been married seventeen years. We have so I have My
oldest son is from my previous marriage. He's twenty he'll
be twenty four on the fourteenth of June. Wow, So
that's when I was on the show. I was pregnant
the last season, the last season of the Steve Harvey Show,
(24:28):
I was pregnant with him, with that kid, Dylan, and
then Karan and I have a seventeen year old son
and a ten year old daughter together.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
But everybody lives at home. Okay, everybody's at home.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
I mean, you've talked about the secret to keeping your
marriage together. Yeah, that's consistently growing together.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, I mean, and you have to find your right
teammate for sure. And if you think about it, just
whether you're single or married, as life goes on, your
always evolving, You're always growing, you're always changing.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Just alone you are. So imagine now you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Have two people who individually will grow, stretch, challenge all
the things. But you guys are cohabitating and building a
life together. And so I think that just like you
have to give yourself grace about how you're changing and
you're not the same. And now you do this, and
(25:27):
you have to be able to give your person the
grace to change too, because now they're not the same
person you married. But that's because he's human, and as
a human, you're going to keep changing, hopefully because you
should be growing. And so it's given that grace and
that space to each other because you don't always grow
(25:50):
at the same time. Sometimes somebody is growing up here
and you still down here, and it's like, WHOA, what
you're doing up there?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
Like, well, what you're doing down there? You gotta give each.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Other a pass for that because then eventually that's gonna
come up and it changes.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
And so it's the grace of allowing.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Each other to change and not giving up because now
it's different, because now you're different, now I'm different. So
that doesn't mean necessarily that oh now we don't fit,
now we don't go together. No, it just means give
each other grace. You still are, you know, have common
(26:27):
goals and you made a commitment and it's a beautiful
thing if you can get through those moments of stretching
and growing and change and it's ongoing.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
Yeah, marriage is tough.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Was he playing football when you all met?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
No?
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Okay, so he was.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
He was retiring when we met, so I didn't. I
wasn't around for all though, So.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I can imagine because and they talk about this so
much about NFL players NBA players, when they transition and
they retired, they go through a big, a whole overhaul
of their personality in their life.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
So you were on the on the beginning of that.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Yeah, yeah, and it was it was all of that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Yeah, what is the biggest lesson? What's the biggest lesson
that marriage just taught you about yourself?
Speaker 4 (27:18):
About myself that you know, I think I'm a battye.
I really think.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I think I'm pretty incredible because my husband is he
is bold and outspoken.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
He's not a quiet man, and.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
He seems like when I see him like online and
stuff like that, I always think that he's a little
more quiet.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And a little more reserved than you.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
No, no, no, madam, no ma'am, no, ma'am. I am
the quiet and reserved one. I went on.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
I think that that would be flip flopped.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
He is very opinionated, he's very he's he's a lion.
He roars all of those things. And you know, when
I look at myself in this marriage and all the
changes and things that we've gone through, I like think
I'm really a batty I'm like you did that and
(28:15):
you got him together and you you know, and you
kept yourself together, and you guys are still building. You
guys are still growing, and we're having fun. Oh my god,
he's the funniest person I know.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Wow. He makes me laugh all the time. That's key
for me. Laughter is my love language. And we laugh
a lot in our house.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
I would have never thought this, though, Terry. I would
have thought that because I'm sure, and I don't. I
have not ever pegged you this way, right, and I've
met you before on numerous occasions, right, Yes, But I'm
sure people peg you is your character, right. They probably
think that you're going to be my boystress and a
lot more like in your face a little bit, and
(29:04):
you're like, no, I'm the total opposite of that.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yeah, I mean there's parts of me that that is
because your personality.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You have a very big personality. It's nothing small about
your personality.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
No, I think it's small. I think it's fun. I
think it's light.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
So there are definitely things about Levita that is totally me,
totally and not that I can't go there brandy and
be all those things. And because that is a part
of me, but my everyday existence in life, I'm pretty chill.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
I love being at home. I love as much as
my kids get on my damn. I love hanging out
with them. I'm a homebody. Yeah, I really am.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I mean, I think all of us as black women,
got a little alize drinkins in us, just a little
little alaze. I ain't en wanna say, Levita, we all
got a little You got a little alixe in there.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Okay, all of us got a little bit shit. It
can't come out.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Yes, no matter what space in time we're in, for sure.
Agreeah yeah, some more than others, for sure, Liza, Okay.
I mean what I think I'm most excited about in
having you in the seat today is you know, when
I look at you, the people, and your career and
(30:22):
your evolution, and I think that the conversation that most
people who work with Tyler Pierry have about him is
that he pays you your worth. He's given you a
shot to do your craft and do a will. Do
you echo those same sentiments I do?
Speaker 4 (30:40):
He gets.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I mean, his yes opened up so many doors for me,
right my goal when we came up with this show
idea and I've been working and developing it for years,
really huh, with a writer named Nya Palmer. So let
me tell how the whole show came to me. So,
(31:04):
as you know, I grew up in San Francisco and
London Breed was a friend of mine. Me and London
Breed both grew up in the hood in San Francisco,
and London, being a brilliant, black, sassy woman that she is,
she worked her way up through politics in our city
(31:26):
and she became the first black female mayor.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
I think you just this was just a write up
in one of the articles.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
I just it's every y.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I tell where the inspiration came from, because when she
became the mayor, it was so much uproar and so
much pushback in the city.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
They gave her so much drama.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
And you know, I'm watching her go through all this
and always smiling always, and I know she won't.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Because I know where she from, you know what I mean?
So why watching her do that?
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I was just inspired and I called her and I
was like this, I am so inspired. I want I'm
going to create a show that is going to that
is inspired by your journey becoming the mayor of our City,
and so that's where the inspiration came from.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
So we started.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
I started developing the show idea. I brought on a writer,
Nya Palmer, and we started developing it. You know, I
made her a single a single mom, because I wanted
that dynamic of watching a black woman raising a teenager
and co parenting with her ex, because I think that's
(32:41):
you know, I wanted to show that kind of relationship because.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
And so when so we started developing it, and it's
this has been like seven seven years.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
We were working on it, and when the strike came
in our industry, when the strike and the actors were
on strike, and went tea, what was that whatever? So
I called Naya and I was like, Naya, let's write
a proof of concept and let's shoot the show idea.
(33:17):
Let's shoot it like we see it. Because we have
been pitching it to people, telling people about it, and
nobody wanted to do it.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
Nobody. Everybody was like, no, we don't want to touch
a political show. We don't want to do anything in politics.
And I was like, but it's a comedy.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
I was like, it's like deep, it's like you know,
it's r beep, It's like black Girl VP, and so
nobody wanted to touch it. So I was like, while
we're on strike, let's shoot it so we can show
people what we're talking about.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
And so we did.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
So, you know, I got my team together here in Atlanta,
and we shot this proof of concept. I called Jade
Nova because I think she's it's hysterical. She's so hilarious
in the show, so funny, she's so funny. I called
Joe Marie Payton told her what it was. I was like,
(34:09):
will you join me?
Speaker 4 (34:10):
She was like yes.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
But the big part was because it's a political show
and I'm not well versed in politics, I knew I
needed to find somebody the grounded and give it the
real so we have a real person to tell the story.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
So I called Keisha Lanza Botoms. I mean, yeah, I mean,
I'm right here in Atlanta. Why not?
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Why not? Why not?
Speaker 4 (34:32):
Everybody?
Speaker 1 (34:33):
UNTI everybody was on there about to cuss us out
and compet if y'all don't get back on.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
Yes, Yes, So I called Keisha and I was like,
and I uh asked her for a meeting, and we
met for breakfast and I pitched her the show I did.
I showed her my pitch Deck and she loved it.
She was like, I love this idea, Terry. She was like, yes,
I will join you. I will produce it with you.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
And so once she said yes, I was able to
get the funding to shoot the proof of concept and
we did came out exactly like I wanted it exactly
because I was like it only we can only do
this if it's going to look like it could air.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
As we shot it, it's crisp, like it can air
on the ABC, and we did it. So we did that.
So now I got this piece of material.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
So when the strike was over, my agent sent it
out to a list of people that I wanted to
work with, a list of studios and producers that I
admire and wanted to work with, and we started getting
calls like people wanted to meet with us for the show.
So I'm like, okay, cool, it's like my goal with
(35:44):
this show. I wrote it in my journal. I was like,
this is what God told me. We're going to get
multiple offers, We're going to be on Netflix, this is
what I want, and we're going to go in awards
for my show.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
You wrote it down.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
I wrote it down journal. So now we're getting all
these meetings and I'm like, Okay, here we go, y'all.
So I'm prepping the team, me, Naya and Keisha. Now
so we got to pitch our show. So I'm like, okay,
this is how you pitch. This is what we need
to be ready.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
We need to d D D DA. So we're prepping.
So we have our first meeting and we're ready to pitch,
and they start pitching us why we should go with
them to do our show.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (36:28):
Wow. I was like, and they made an offer right
there on the table.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
We didn't pitch anything, wow, and they offered us an
offer on the table.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I was like, so so, and I wanted to be
clear because I've been doing this pitching thing.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
For twenty years.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
It was like, I just want to be clear. You
want the show, like you're this is an offer. This
is an offer on the table. This is what we're offering.
We want your show. It's like, okay, we have a
couple of other meetings. Can we get back to you.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Thank you. Every meeting was like that. We got offers
after offer after offer. We never pitched.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
Because the off of that proof of concept was so thankful.
First of all, that God gave me that thought to
do that. I was so thankful that Naya said yes
and wrote something up. I'm so thankful that Keisha said
yes and joined the team. Like all these yesses just
kept happening, and so and there was there were some
(37:27):
I'm skipping over the nose because there were some people
that said no along this.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Journey, because the nose made room for the yes that
you truly deserved one.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Yeah, And so we had a decision to make, and
it was very stressful.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
For me because these are all people that you wanted
that I wanted, all of them, some of them are friends, called,
all of them. So coming to the decision with Tyler Perry,
it was it was what it was supposed to be.
It was supposed to be him for so many reasons.
(38:04):
We see the way he rocked, he owned his He
doesn't play by the rules, and I've never been a
rule follower. I've always been kind of outside in Hollywood
but out there.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Always, I've always been like that. Always, So it just
made sense to go with him, and so we did.
And it's just been a huge blessing, a huge blessing,
the just the collaboration of it all, you know, because
this isn't like a show that he's done before.
Speaker 4 (38:38):
And he said that to us several times.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
It is not right because most people have Tyler period
peg a certain way. Yes, yeah, yes, of the type
of content, yeah, type of shows and movies that he does.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yes, So his reassurance of you know him. So it's
a blend of his flavor and his sauce and all
our vision and our sauce. The show is definitely a
blend of it. So once TP got his hands on it,
to me, so he's the one. Because originally it was
based in Atlanta. It was his idea to move it
(39:14):
deeper south to Mississippi. And I was like, oh my goodness,
like that is crazy.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi. Yeah, yeah, woman Mississippi. And if
people really know black history, right, there were no after reconstruction.
There were two black senators, yes, from the state of Mississippi.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Somebody sent me that whole link and breakdown of that.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
Two black senators after reconstruction. There were quite a few
black senators after reconstruction. I'm a history buff.
Speaker 4 (39:46):
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
We need yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
So yeah, so he added his sauce and what I
feel like the show gives me now is Deep Mixed,
which's Creek if you ever watched it, which is one
of my favorite comedy shows.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
That is one of my favorite I love, I mean
love the satire, the just off the water.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
You're like, wait a minute, yes, how are y'all straight facing?
Speaker 4 (40:18):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (40:19):
And the thing is, it's like a show like Creek,
right that I love and I laugh out loud and
it's so fun and so funny. It's very rare that
black people are accepted to do shows like that because
we hear it from our own about oh, it's so slapsick,
it's so this, and so that even LaVita got so
much pushback when she first came on, right for sure,
(40:42):
just why we have to show those kind of images.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
I'm like, dude, they exist, they exist, Let's have fine
with it, so you know. And so that's happening with
us right now too.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
We have mostly so much love and so many people
get the point of it, because there's a point to
this show. Yeah, there's a reason why are the governor
is so extremely stuck in the freaking fifties and extremely
sexes and races and all the things.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Hollering, the calling, all of it calling. When they sent
you down there to go do that hall calling?
Speaker 4 (41:21):
Was that not ridiculous? Can you imagine? So I imagine
what is that? And so we did it?
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Yeah, I mean, you know you all on the internet,
you know when she was in the car, like you know,
you all on the internet with this.
Speaker 3 (41:37):
It's a whole you mean listen.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
So yeah, but it's so real, I mean, and even
like the layers of motherhood and your daughter, and then
you even told me off camera that a lot of
these characters are named off of people that are already
in your family, in your circle.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Yes, so my daughter Lola, my real daughter's name is Lola.
My daughter on the show is Lola. Joe Marie Payton
placed my mother on the show. My grandmother's name is Khleil,
so I gave her that name Cleil. My character Antoinette
is named after one of my long childhood friends. So
I'm so happy she came out here for the big
(42:15):
premiere in the launch that we did that Netflix threw
for us, so she got to experience that. So it's
all about it's really just given homage to my life,
the people that have been a part of my life
and the ladies that look like us, like I said,
from my ten year old daughter, to my ninety five
(42:35):
year old grandmother, to you, to Shay, to my mom,
to all of us that look like us, this is
for us, because I love us.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
I mean when you describe it as v like the
show that was on what was it on? Show?
Speaker 4 (42:54):
Yeah with Julia, Yeah, Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Yeah, it is very much that. Yeah, yeah, it is
very much that. So I totally I'm like, oh, that's
a perfect example of what this is.
Speaker 4 (43:10):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
And then you have these newcomers who are Internet famous.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
So the young man who lays Basil, Yes, put with
the suits, basy Dion brooks Son. First, what he's hilarious
off of his horn land up is hilarious? Is that?
Unhand me his Instagram? Yeah, baby, I die every time
unhand me listen. And the baby daddy situated listen.
Speaker 3 (43:35):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
You know. So the fact that we see people who
are getting a shot on the big screen, I mean, yeah,
how could we be.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Mad about that?
Speaker 2 (43:46):
We always find something, you know, but I you know,
I just can't lean into it. I lean into the
people that get it, that support it, because it's for everybody.
It's even for the people that are are hating and
have negative things. It's for them too. Yeah, they just
don't want to receive it.
Speaker 3 (44:02):
Yeah, you know, So what do you have next on
the horizon?
Speaker 4 (44:07):
So, miss Brandy.
Speaker 2 (44:09):
Actually, I just wrapped directing an episode of one of
my favorite shows, and I have been wanting to get
over there and direct on a reasonable doubt.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
So I just rapped yesterday. It was like my birthday,
one of my favorite on third season on television.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
It's so good.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Let me say this, Corey Cash, maybe that Corey Cash, honey,
that Moore Chest and not play Corey Kash baby listen.
Oh we know, honey, we would be a It's so good.
I heard Cash Doll will be making an appearance on
this season. Yes, I mean, I think well written. It
(44:54):
shows all the layers, all the complexities of black love,
black lives, my family dynamics, professional dynamics, The fashions are crazy.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
The cast is absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
Like the sound, the music, the music you sxamin, why
are you listening while you watch it?
Speaker 2 (45:13):
Let me tell you, Ramla who is the creator of
this and the showrunner. All of those things are so
purposeful and I love it.
Speaker 4 (45:23):
It feels that way though one thousand percent.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
First of all, they love La, so they give homage
to La all through that, the music, the city, the
all of it, and I just I love, like you said, it.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Is black life, Yeah, it is black lives.
Speaker 2 (45:39):
These are professionals, but they still have the family dynamics.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
I love.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
I fell in love with this show the first season, yes,
because of how real black girl Emma Yatzi's character was.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Listen, professional and all that, but Jay got on the jacks, do.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Not cuts you out, oh in the most nice, nasty
professional with her birkin all the way.
Speaker 3 (46:08):
Like, I love it, all of it.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
I love our flaws. I love showing a real life
black woman flaws because that's the other thing that happens.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Sometimes they water down our character so much so they're
either just really sweet or they're super just ghetto, and
it's like we're all these.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
Things we're not. We're complicated and very flawed, and I love.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
That they ship that it is.
Speaker 1 (46:38):
The show is well written. The storyline is absolutely phenomenal.
I already know, girl, if you behind the chair, lest listen, listen,
I already know we got some stuff got.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
So that was a huge blessing. That was a huge,
huge blessing to get to direct.
Speaker 3 (46:56):
That is so awesome.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
Congratulations, Yeah, congratulations because I think that's on every you know,
black actor actress list right now.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
I think, yeah, you know, because that.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Is just that's a blessing to be able to work
right now with the climate the way the climate is
in our business.
Speaker 1 (47:15):
Yeah, I mean literally, I was talking to a girl.
We were in a meeting a few weeks ago, and
she runs a production company. They do really well, I
mean they do scripted television. And when she said, the
climate is not is very anti black right now, they
so many people are not working. Yeah, the climate is not,
they're not. Blackness is not in style right now. Yeah,
(47:38):
And that was a conversation. And I think for us
to continue to champion black storytelling, black voices, black, the
layers of us as characters in this development, I think
is so important. We have to because they think we
like we like you know, Jordan's or something. We go
in and our style or something and not a style
(48:01):
a style.
Speaker 3 (48:01):
Yeah, we're not. We are a staple one thought.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
We are everything. We are everywhere creators exactly.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Nothing moves without us. Yeah, so you got your director
head on. It never came off.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
No, Yeah, and I do love I'm just a damn Brandon.
I'm just so blessed.
Speaker 2 (48:21):
Yeah, I do get to go back and forth in
front of the camera, behind the camera. I couldn't have
I couldn't have written that. I mean, I could not
have just thought that that was going to be my life.
Speaker 4 (48:34):
I didn't know. Yeah, I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
I just keep listening and going, listening and trusting and
just going and see what happens.
Speaker 1 (48:43):
I mean, but I feel like this is like in
today's episode of Just Like Keep the Faith, in today's
episode of Baby, if you if you only got five
years to give, you don't have enough.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
Cannot put a limit.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
You cannot put a time limit on your Yeah, you
just can't, not if they're really your dreams. Now, to me,
when people stop and I get it, because it's difficult,
it's very difficult.
Speaker 4 (49:12):
And I get it.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
If you stop, that just means you didn't love it enough.
And that is fine, because you got to like overlove
this stuff. This is heartbreaking. It breaks your heart left
and right all the time. So it has to be
a special kind of love for it, and a special
(49:34):
reason why.
Speaker 4 (49:36):
Your why has to be really special to keep going.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
So your why is the love for it.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
My why is because of you, because of my daughter,
because of my grandma. I can't stop because you need
to see you, you need to hear you. You have
to and our images around the world matter to me.
(50:03):
So I can't stop. Yeah, I can't stop, even with
all the nose.
Speaker 1 (50:08):
Oh wow, that's the feeling that you gotta feed, right,
that feeding feeling that is like constantly moving. You keep
going because God's going to give you the feeling. As
we begin to close out, Miss Terry jay Von, one
word you are committed to in the season of your life.
Speaker 4 (50:30):
Believe.
Speaker 3 (50:32):
Oh I think I know why, but go ahead and elaborate.
Speaker 2 (50:38):
Like I said, I always believed I was gonna have
my own show, but I feel like there's levels to believing,
and until I got to this point of believing, I
wasn't ready because because of all the stuff that happens
(50:59):
at this level, your belief has to be so strong
that you that you still where you're supposed to be,
because it feels like people trying to pull it down,
pull you down, tell you you're not supposed to be here,
that you've lied, you've cheated to get here, your belief
(51:19):
has to be strong enough to out shine all that,
to not hear all that.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
No ways, Yeah, it's a different level.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
Level belief, a different level of belief. Terry Ja Von,
I am so honored that you sat down with me today.
I am so blessed. I mean, you just make me
feel so good being in your presence. Thank you, so
happy for everything that God has in store for you.
Keep believing Vought Impower's Talks another good one for the books.
(51:51):
Send this to somebody who needs to raise their level
of belief in the season of their lives. There is
no cutoff for your dreams. You gotta keep going even
when you get the nose until next time. I'm your girl,
Brandy Harvey eat well, give a damn move your body
every single day.
Speaker 4 (52:06):
Peace,
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