La La Anthony is known for staying booked and busy, but during her appearance on ‘Sherri’ on Friday (Jan. 23), she made it clear the work closest to her heart isn’t about Hollywood at all.
In between discussing her latest projects, Anthony revealed she’s currently working on a collaboration with Canvas Beauty, a Black-owned beauty brand built on empowering its community through haircare and entrepreneurship. But the moment that left the biggest impression came when the conversation shifted to her nonprofit, the ThreeSixty Program, a prison reform and re-entry initiative.
“ThreeSixty is a program I started inside of Rikers Island about three years ago,” Anthony said.
According to Anthony, the program exists to meet young men where they are, allowing them the chance to look toward the future with more than hope and a release date.
“So what we do is, we get them ready, while they’re incarcerated, for the outside world,” she explained. “Whether that be job training, mentorships, self-esteem building, anything that they need, so when they come out, they’re productive citizens. We help them get great jobs, housing, clothing, whatever they need, and it’s been so successful, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
That mission isn’t theoretical. It’s visible in the stories coming out of the program, like 22-year-old Tylik Thomas, who was featured in a report about ThreeSixty as he prepared to return home after serving time on Rikers Island for a non-violent gun charge.
What makes ThreeSixty stand out is the way it restores dignity in a place designed to strip it away.
When asked why she continues to return to Rikers despite her demanding career, Anthony didn’t hesitate.
“It’s my life passion. It’s my life’s work,” she said. “I know how easy it is to write them off… A lot of their choices were because of the environment, lack of opportunity.”
The program offers mentorship, legal support, and re-entry skills—tools to help participants return to their neighborhoods without reverting to the same patterns. As Anthony put it, “You’re back in the same environment, but you’re not the same person.”
During ‘Sherri,’ the impact of that approach was evident in the audience when host Sherri Shepherd introduced alum Michael Rondo Bonilla, who credited ThreeSixty with changing his life. Anthony said he was “being modest,” but shared that after returning home, Bonilla went on to receive a scholarship to Columbia University.
Bonilla, now an organizer with REFORM, also had a message for young people: take opportunities seriously, especially when someone consistently shows up for you.
“When La first started coming, she kept on coming,” he said. He shared that he made a commitment not to waste the moment, staying in contact with Anthony during his time at Rikers and following up with her once he was released. “When I got out, she came. Authentic, no security, none of that. I listened to my mentors, I kept God first, and that’s why I’m at where I’m at today.”
In a world where prison reform is often treated like a talking point, La La Anthony’s ThreeSixty isn’t just about helping young men come home; it’s about making sure they come home with a plan, a future, and somebody in their corner.
