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What’s Up With Oprah and Homophobic Preachers?
Warning: The following few paragraphs contain words that some may find critical of two-thirds of the most revered institutions in the black community: preachers and Oprah Winfrey. If you have ever experienced heart palpitations or have accused someone of blasphemy for daring to utter words of criticism toward the black trinity, please consult a physician…
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Rick Fox Discusses His Transition Into Acting and New Role in Greenleaf
Rick Fox retired from the NBA in 2004, but he’s been keeping busy by honing his acting skills, and on Wednesday night he’s making his debut on OWN’s hit series Greenleaf. Fox, whose foray into acting was a natural progression that started during his childhood, spoke to The Root about his new role. “I did…
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Greenleaf Returns, Self-Righteous but as Necessary as Ever
Last season, OWN premiered the church-family drama Greenleaf. I caught the previews between commercials for Tyler Perry’s soap opera, If Loving You Is Wrong, and made a mental note that it might be worth checking out, if only to see whether it veered left into Perry melodramatic land. Then I promptly forgot about it. Thankfully, Netflix’s…
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In the Hot Seat With Miss Robbie and Tim From Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s
Robbie Montgomery and Tim Norman are a mother-and-son duo from St. Louis, and they cook good food. Need we say more? If you’ve answered “yes,” do read on. For the unknowing, Miss Robbie and Tim, of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s on OWN, are reality-television stars that run a soul food empire, Sweetie Pie’s. They’re cheeky,…
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Iyanla Vanzant Is Out to Destroy the Myth of the Angry Black Woman
Iyanla: Fix My Life, the series featuring spiritual teacher and life coach Iyanla Vanzant, has been a fixture on the Oprah Winfrey Network since 2012, and the addition of scripted programming like Queen Sugar to the network has not changed that. For this season, Vanzant, known for her work with Basketball Wives’ reality star Evelyn Lozada…
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With Atlanta and Queen Sugar, TV Gets a Dose of Real Southern Blackness
“I’m criminally Northern,” from black Twitter stalwart and cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux about the epic Tuesday night of black Southern intensity fueled by new TV shows Atlanta and Queen Sugar. Clearly, the Chicago native, who now calls New York City home, was not alone, as similar sentiments also showed up on Twitter. Those from the…
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4 Reasons Why Greenleaf Is the Show the Black Church Needs
Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers. Having worked in a black church for over 10 years, I think I can say without concern of successful contradiction that church folks can be petty. From disagreements over who will sing lead in the mass-choir musical to bickering about what color the toothpicks will be at the…
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The Cast of OWN's Queen Sugar Explains Why Being a Part of This All-Black Production Is Important
It isn’t often that two mystical beings kick it in the same space. You never see a baby unicorn and Idris Elba on the same day. But it happened recently when the mystical black goddess that is Oprah Winfrey and God’s favorite film director, Ava DuVernay, combined their forces to make OWN’s Queen Sugar. Winfrey…
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10 Thoughts On "Light Girls"
1. Like it or not, a show, song, role of hot buttered wax called “Light Girls” is going to be met with a million side-eyes BEFORE anybody even sees it. It’s an uphill battle from the second the title hits the ether. To that end, there’s nearly no way this can be successful by doing…