One of the things I love about your show is that it's different from most reality TV because it's not scripted. Was that a conscious decision?
Tia: Definitely. We didn't want to do a reality show if it was going to be scripted. We heard about a lot of the shows that are, so we stressed to the producers that we wouldn't do that with our show. The thing about my sister and myself is that what you see is what you get, so I believe that is one of the reasons why we have longevity in Hollywood. Even when I'm playing a character, I approach it from an authentic place—so to do a fake reality-TV show wouldn't work for me.
Tamera: Yeah, I mean, if we wanted to do a scripted show, we would've done that as well. So it was important to do something different from other reality shows, and we fight very hard to keep it as real as possible.
What made you two enter world of reality television, and how do you think it has benefited your career?
Tamera: Well, my sister forced me into it. [Laughter]
Really?
Tamera: I didn't want to do reality TV at ALL. However, I'm happy I did because it opened up a world that people have been longing to see. They see that we're now two grown women, and people don't have to wonder what we've been up to. They can just turn on the TV and watch it. So it definitely helped us stay relevant and because of that, a lot of opportunities have come our way.
Why were you resistant to doing reality TV?
Tamera: I'm a very private person. Very private. You know, I've lived my entire life in a fishbowl, so it was important for me to keep my personal life private because people can't talk about what they don't know. Still, even with the reality show, I have my boundaries.
That's probably why you're sane and not a hot mess.
Tamera: Exactly! I think you should always hold some stuff to yourself, especially if you're a celebrity. My husband [Fox News Channel correspondent Adam Housley] is not on the show all the time because he's very dear to me and we want to stay married.
Tia: Well, to start, I have to be frank with you: Doing reality TV is a lot harder than I thought because I come from the world of [scripted] television where everything is thought out and you know what's going to happen, your lines, what your wardrobe is going to be, etc. But with reality, it's very spontaneous and the cameras are around for 12 hours a day. That part is hard, you know, because your vulnerabilities and weaknesses are being exposed. On the flip side, I feel like Tamera and I have become relatable people and that has benefited me. For example, sometimes I feel like having a reality-TV show is the prerequisite to building your own brand like we did with NEED, the product line for pregnant women. If we didn't have the show, I'm not sure we would've been able to go down this road with the brand.
You have such diverse careers. Was it always the plan to be multi-hyphenates or did all of this happen organically?
Tia: That is a great question, and no one has ever asked me that before. Again, I think because the reality show, you're able to express different aspects of your personality—the mom, the sister, the actor, the wife—whereas when you're acting, you're just playing that one defined character. So to me, everything that's happened since the show has come organically, as opposed to being clearly articulated. For instance, I thought about yoga. I love it and I interact a lot with people on Twitter, which made feel like I wanted to help moms, so I came up with a DVD. Still, I don't think anything happens by chance. My work ethic has really helped with my career.
Tamera: For me, I think it was a choice because ever since we started doing Sister, Sister, we had a vision for where we wanted to go. And now a lot of the hard work is paying off. It has always been very important for us to show different facets of who we are. We're not just actors. We went to college. I like to think of myself as a very educated and smart human being, so I wanted to capitalize on that. I love everything about entrepreneurship and about owning your career and doing what you love to do.
If you had to choose, which part of your career do you enjoy doing the most?
Tamera: I think in general I love being a mom. That's the best job I've ever had. All the other stuff I love the same, but being a mom trumps all of it.
Does that love of motherhood make you want to have more kids, or are you done?
Tamera: Absolutely want more. If I had started younger, I would have three.
Tia, what about you?
Tia: Hmm, I enjoy all of it equally, but I will say that I really love being an entrepreneur and sharing my stories and experiences and creating products. My son [two-year-old Cree] has definitely given me passion and a drive to come up with ideas for other moms out there.
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Tia, you have two projects coming out: NickMom's Instant Mom and a romantic comedy, Baggage Claim. How did these opportunities come about?__
Tia: Basically, I met with the executive producer of Instant Mom, Aaron Kaplan. We talked about the show, and then he asked me to read the script and told me that if I was interested, he would love for me to be a part of it. I read the script and it was perfect timing for me because I had just left The Game and I was a new mom and had never been able to portray being a mom as an actor. So, to me, it was a no-brainer—now I'm producing on the show as well, which I love doing.
Baggage Claim came about because I auditioned for it. I've always wanted to be in movies, and the last one I had done was with my sister. I think that it is hard for TV actors to branch out into film because they often are defined by the role that played on a particular television show, so it's nice the part I'm playing [in Baggage Claim] is something people wouldn't necessarily expect me to do. Like I'm going crazy. [Laughter]
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Back to Instant Mom for a second: I remember being a little black girl, growing up in the '90s and watching shows like Sister, Sister and The Cosby Show. Now there's a dearth of sitcoms starring people of color. I feel like the next generation of kids are growing up and not seeing themselves reflected on TV. Was that a motivating factor behind your doing this show? __
Tia: That's great question, and I'm so happy I get to answer it! Yeah, I mean, I feel blessed that when I take on a television role, it embodies The Cosby Show. Sister, Sister was compared to that show. And with The Game, my character Melanie Barnett was a medical student, and when do you ever see black women being portrayed as medical students and going to school? Usually, we're shown pulling each other's hair out and calling each other names, especially on reality TV. It's a stigma that black women deal with. So I'm very happy that Instant Mom represents a realistic family that exists today, which unfortunately, because the divorce rate is high, I'm playing a stepmom. Usually, when you see stepmoms on TV, it's not in a positive light, and that's why I'm glad to play a woman who is a food blogger and loves her husband and wants to have a family.
Tamera, you're working on a new talk show premiering on July 15 called The Real. Was this a show you created, or were you asked to be a part of it?
Tamera: Let me just say that doing The Real is a close second to being a mom. As far as how the show came about, I don't want to give too much away because you'll see that this season on *Tia & Tamera *, but I will say that I was contacted about doing the talk show, so I was very honored.__
