-Avier Wanjou-Brass

Cousins!

Tamera Mowry is no stranger to the spotlight. The veteran actress has had an incredible career successfully thriving in countless popular films and television series. From being a child star on “Sister, Sister” to engaging on a popular daytime talk show, “The Real.” 

According to Essence, the mother of two kept it real on an episode of “The School of Greatness” podcast as she revealed parts of her career that were most challenging; including what it was like to be a co-host on a talk show. 

“Being on a talk show, and you can take it or leave it, is not a safe place,” the actress said alongside host Lewis Howes. “And I wish someone would have told me that because I would have been prepared, and I was not.”

“They will take what you say and they’ll use it out of context to fit their narrative of who they think you are,” she said. “And that’s what happened for years on that show,” she described, adding it was like “going to battle, but you don’t know you’re going to battle. And then people come and they start fighting and have to do all these things to [protect yourself].

Despite not knowing what she was getting into, Tamara says she is thankful for the lack of awareness. “I wasn’t supposed to know it wasn’t a safe place, because I wouldn’t be who I am now,” she said. “At the end I was fully armed. You can watch the beginning of the season to the end of the season, you see this strong warrior. I learned so much about myself doing that show.”

Tamera explains that she’s learned that she is good enough, and that, it’s ok to not be perfect. She says that she has also learned to deal with the responses of criticism based on her opinions and assumptions people made about her life. Tamera says that she’s learned to not shut down and say less, but to be herself fully.

“It is ok to be vulnerable. It is ok to speak your truth. Just because there are people out there who may not agree with your truth, it doesn’t mean there aren’t many people who do. What I found out is, I’d rather have people dislike me for who I truly am than who I’m pretending to be. That’s the reality of it.”

Tamera continues in admitting she learned , “Don’t take anything personal if they don’t know me personally, that’s what I learned. And then, I had to do a lot of inner work. I had to first recognize, ‘this is an insecurity of mine. Oh God. Why is it an insecurity?’ So it was a lot of self-reflection. That’s why that show, even though it was not a safe place, it has made me who I am today.”

Since the talk show’s debut in 2013, Tamara was a part of “The Real” until her departure in 2020. The actress was alongside original hosts; Jeannie Mai Jenkins, comedian Loni Love, 3LW alum Adrienne Houghton and recording artist Tamar Braxton.

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