It’s A Family Affair: Meet the Stars of Hit Reality Show – ‘Braxton Family Values’

One thing fans of reality TV really love is families. From shows like The Osbournes to Keeping Up With The Kardashians, if a network gives us a fun family to watch, we love to tune in each week. One of the families that most recently joined the reality show world is the Braxton family. Braxton Family Values quickly became We TV’s most watched show to date, when it premiered in 2011, allowing us to follow the five Braxton sisters and their mother, Evelyn, as they dealt with the highs and lows of being such a tight-knit family. The show is now set to have a third season which premieres on August 16^th.

Before the show, most people may have only been familiar with R&B legend, Toni Braxton. However, it did not take long for Toni’s sisters, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar, to make a name for themselves apart from their superstar sister. PopCulturez recently caught up with the the sisters about their career endeavors, their love lives, the new season of Braxton Family Values, and more!

(L to R: Traci Braxton, Trina Braxton, Towanda Braxton)

When asked about whether or not she ever thought her family would become reality TV stars, Traci Braxton said, “Growing up, I always had dreams of becoming known as a singer. I never gave up the hope and neither did any of my sisters, as far as travelling the road of being singers. With the beginning of a small discussion between Toni and Tamar, and thanks to WeTV, here we are years later being blessed to be reality stars. I honestly don’t think any of us ever imagined this.”
Along with the amazing success of their reality show, the Braxtons have very deep roots in the music industry, and their natural talents reflect that. That talent and love for music definitely did not stop at their eldest sister, (six time Grammy winner, Toni Braxton). All the Braxton sisters have showcased their talents on the show, but only Tamar, Trina, and Toni are currently working on their solo music.
Trina Braxton, second-to-youngest of the Braxton family, is currently working on her first solo EP as a pop artist. Trina’s first single, ‘Party or Go Home’ was featured on the season two finale of Braxton Family Values. Trina told PopCulturez what it felt like to break away from singing with her sisters, saying, “It has always been a fear of mine to sing without my sisters, so when I started making changes in my life, my music was one of those that were at the top of my list. I have no regrets. I am actually embracing being a solo artist quite well, because I am able to be ‘Trina.’ My music reflects me as a person.” On what the fan reaction has been to her solo endeavors in the pop genre, Trina added, “My Boom Boom’s (Trina’s nickname for her fans) are actually receiving my music as a solo artist very well. I was very nervous in the beginning, thinking I would not be taken serious with the genre I chose, but they make me aware every day that I have made the correct decision.”

Trina isn’t the only one making big career moves. Towanda recently launched her own school for personal assistants, and shared with us why she decided to start the school, “When Toni has a new assistant it is up to me to train them and people we often associate with are always asking me if I know of any assistants. So, I came up with the idea of The Secret Squirrel, which is a full hands-on 6-8 (week) course where we train you to become an Executive/Personal Assistant.” When we asked if she still is Toni’s personal assistant, however, she joked with us, saying, “I am no longer Toni’s assistant; I now have my own assistant (Laughing), so yes, I have fully graduated!”
On Braxton Family Values, we also saw Traci embark on a career in the hairstyling industry. When asked if she’s still going after that dream, Traci said, “I do have a very strong passion for doing hair. Therefore, I take doing hair seriously.  I still plan on opening a salon, naturally, my first choice to open a salon would be in the DMV area, but it’s a long process that I’m still working on.”

This past week, a teaser for the upcoming third season of the hit show was released by We TV. One of the clips showed Toni searching for new background singers to do shows with her, as opposed to having Towanda, Trina, and (formerly) Tamar backing her up. Towanda shared with us why this may be a difficult process for Toni, “Keep in mind whomever comes along to become Toni’s assistant, I will always be appointed to train them, because Toni is very picky when it comes to this position. Which is also why me and Trina are still background singing with her. Everything is a process for Toni, because she is so used to her sisters always being there with her.”

The teaser also showed bits of Trina and her ex-husband, Gabe Solis, along with clips of Towanda and her husband Andre Carter.  Undeniably, those two couples have had the most drama over the past two seasons of the show. We watched as Trina and Gabe fought to keep their marriage together, but unfortunately, it ended with Trina filing for divorce at the end of season 2. After dealing with a long road of infidelity, Trina had this to say about filing, “It was a moment where I had to do something for me. I dealt with a lot, so, as they say, everyone has their breaking point, and at that moment I had reached mine.” So where do Gabe and Trina stand today? “Me and Gabe still remain to be great parents to our two children,” Trina said, adding, “So on those terms, we’re still in full contact, because he is a strong male figure in their lives.” Meanwhile, Towanda and Andre legally separated after spending a long time trying to iron out issues of how Andre could better support the family. Andre, who is a writer, had a tough time finding a job, but was always there for his children. In the season three teaser, we see that Andre is now living with Towanda and their kids, and we see Towanda say that things are “getting a little better” between the two of them. In regards to her relationship with Andre, Towanda told us, “We’re still a work in progress, but please be aware Andre is an excellent father to our children.”

When we asked about the upcoming season, each sister had their own little bit to add:
Trina: You’re trying to get me in trouble (laughing), but what I will say is, you will see more of the process I am taking to become a solo pop artist.
Towanda: Season 3 is still in the process, but you will see more on my new business venture, The Secret Squirrel.
Traci: I would like to share a lot, but I’ll let each episode do that for me.  I do believe that you will enjoy the third season just as much, if not more, as you did the first and second.

Pleasingly ‘real,’ it is apparent that the Braxton family is truly made up of the love, values, and talent that they exude on the show.

“We hope you all will tune in to the six-week special of Braxton Family Values when it premieres on August 16^th at 9pm/8c on We TV!”

You can follow ALL the sisters on Twitter, @ToniBraxton, @TraciBraxton, @TowandaBraxton, @TrinaBraxton, & @TamarBraxtonHer. You can also learn more about Towanda’s “The Secret Squirrel” at TheSecretSquirrel.com.

Photo Credit:
We TV

-Aggi Ashagre