Reality television has become a guilty pleasure for people worldwide. From Run’s House to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, fans love to learn more about some of their favorite celebrities and get all the deets of their personal and professional lives.
While this kind of television is thoroughly entertaining, what we see on-screen may not reflect what goes on behind the scenes. The stars of these shows are still human and go through ups and downs like their loyal viewers.
To truly understand what it is like to put their lives in the public eye, it is important to be transparent and hear from the people themselves what the experience is truly like. On the ESSENCE Main Stage, festival goers could do just that. We heard from reality TV stars Toya Johnson-Rushing, Yandy Smith-Harris, Big Freedia, and the king of reality TV himself, producer Carlos King, about the truth of living life in front of the camera, managing their careers, the buying power of choosing what to watch, and more.
King: Before television, Yandy was behind the scenes—a music mogul, managing Jim Jones and working on developing artists. And then, she became a reality star and shut it down. What was that transition from being behind the scenes to being in front of the camera?
Smith-Harris: The hardest thing for me was transitioning as far as my look. I’m not the hair and makeup girl. So, stepping up and trying to keep up with people who look like this was hard for me. I was used to being behind the scenes, working with Jimmy, I worked with 50, I worked with Busta, I worked with Missy, and I was ripping and running.
So even when I was in production for the TV show, I was in sweats or jeans and flats all day. So when they said, we think you should be on camera. I was like, what? No. Because I was like, all this glam and hair and makeup, I don’t want it. So now, having…
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