Tabitha Brown had tearful reaction to landing role on ‘The Chi’
Brown made her debut during the Showtime series' season four premiere
Instantly becoming a viral sensation due to her online video content involving veganism, motivational speaking and sweet humor, Tabitha Brown has become a social media fan favorite earning over 4 million followers on TikTok and over 3 million on Instagram.
HuffPost has described her as “America’s Mom” thanks to her calming content and just recently, she announced she is releasing her first book.
Now, the multitalented 42-year-old is making her mark as one of the latest additions to the fourth season of Showtime’s hit series, The Chi.
Read More: Billy Porter, Angelica Ross, Tabitha Brown honored as AT&T Black Future Makers
The Lena Waithe-created series debuted its fourth season on Sunday, May 23, and fans were ecstatic to see their fave in her brand new role. One user wrote: “Y’all see my girl @IamTabithaBrown in the first episode of #TheChi !! I love itttt!!! Such a natural. Can’t wait to see how this story line plays out.”
Ahead of the premiere, Brown chatted with ET‘s Melicia Johnson, where she discussed her acting background, how she became a part of the show, and even opened up about being turned down the first time she auditioned for the series.
“You know, crazy enough, years ago when they first created the show and the pilot happened, I had auditioned and I’m glad I didn’t book it back then because I wasn’t ready mentally where I am now because I wasn’t operating in a place of freedom,” Brown shared with ET.
“Of course, here we are years later, Lena [Waithe] and I had actually had taken a meeting about something else completely different. Then in just conversation, she was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to have you on The Chi next season.’ And I thought, ‘OK girl, like, you know, people be talking.'”
“I was thinking maybe a cameo, maybe they gonna have me on there cooking something, I don’t know. You know? People forget or don’t know that I’ve been acting for over 20 years,” she continued.
But Waithe wasn’t just talking, nor did she forget. So when Brown’s team got an email from the show’s team confirming the promise the show’s creator made, Brown was ecstatic, to say the least.
“She remembered and she stuck to her word. So when I got the email from my team, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, six episodes?’ I was blown away, Honey. I cried,” Brown recalled. “I called later and was like, ‘No way!’ So it was really mind-blowing. It was an offer. I didn’t have to audition for this particular character, but I sewn the seed years ago.”
Read More: Lena Waithe announces new record label with Def Jam
Before becoming the Internet sensation that we all know and love today, Brown spent time in front of the camera. Back in 2002, she got a job as the co-host of a local Greensboro late-night show, where she interviewed celebrities and performed stand-up comedy from time to time.
Following her mother’s death in 2007, Brown attempted to revive her career as an actress, appearing in minor roles across many indie films and straight-to-video films. Although she developed chronic pain and fatigue that wouldn’t allow her to work for close to a year, Brown never gave up on herself or her dreams.
“I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m home.’ It was finally like my flesh connected with my spirit and said, ‘Girl, this is what we’ve been telling you. You used to be getting all crazy excited back then, and it was never right. That’s why you were all over the place,'” she shared. “When you’re where you’re supposed to be, it feels like peace. So it feels like I’m at home. It feels like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and it feels really good.”
It was announced in February that Tabitha Brown and Jason Weaver were tapped to join the cast. Brown will play a character named Octavia, an interior designer whose storyline is connected to Keisha, played by Birgundi Baker.
The Chi airs on Showtime on Sundays at 9/8c.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
More About:Television Entertainment
You Might Like
