Baller Alert
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
Baller Alert
No Result
View All Result

Kenya Barris Addresses #BlackAF Colorism Backlash: “This Is Based On My Family”

by RaquelHarris
May 1, 2020
Reading Time: 3 mins read
1
Kenya Barris
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Kenya Barris opens up about viewers’ reaction to his new Netflix show #BlackAF and discusses his divorce from his wife.

Barris is the creator of several hit shows, including Black-ish, Grown-ish, Mixed-ish, and now his new series on Netflix, #BlackAF. Like most of Barris’ shows, “#BlackAF gently replicates some of Barris’ real-life experiences on screen. During a sit-down on #TI’s podcast Expeditiously, Barris addressed some of the backlash he received from fans who called out the show for having a predominately light-skinned cast.

“People have called me and told me ‘this is my favorite show,’ people have called me and said, ‘I hate this,’” explained Barris. The showrunner then spoke on how people were critiquing #RashidaJones, who plays his wife on the show, for being cast. Barris explained that, like Jones, his wife is also biracial, which is why he cast the actress.

“I won’t speak on Rashida, but I will say this about her: she’s the only person I ever wanted to do that role. She did it in a way that is perfect. She held me up and carried me through that. I feel like she’s done a pitch-perfect job. This was based on my family. She’s playing a version of my wife, who is biracial. My kids look like those kids, who are amazing. If you dug just a little bit under the surface, you will find this is biographical,” said Barris.

While he and his wife are portrayed as married on screen, in reality, Barris and his wife, Dr. Raina, “Rainbow” Barris Edwards, are filing for divorce. The two were married back in 1999 and share six children together. This is the second time the couple has filed for divorce. The first time was in 2014, but they reconciled and withdrew the documents in 2015, according to Bossip. The two have reignited the divorce, and Barris says it’s the “the toughest thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”

“It is part of life. When I was growing up, we didn’t have—I never saw Cliff and Clair argue. If you look at sitcoms and our stories, we’re supposed to be okay. But 52% of marriages don’t work. And the notion of understanding—We didn’t know about therapy or really understand it. We didn’t know about really having the church or other married friends that would have given us the skeleton to make it in another sort of way. So I feel like talking about that to a generation of people who might be going through what I’m going through, it makes them say, ‘Hey, there’s other people out there like me. Maybe we can make it. Maybe we can’t.’ I just want to be as real with my sh*t as possible. It is the toughest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” said Barris.

He went on to say that the divorce makes it hard for his children as well, “Somehow, some f*cked up way, it got announced on my birthday I didn’t file on my birthday, but it got announced on my birthday. I don’t know that people care about me getting divorced. I’m not anybody, especially at that point. And all of a sudden, it’s in the papers as I’m getting off the plane coming from Atlanta. I have my wife calling me. I have my daughter, who’s a sophomore at USC, calling me. I have my daughter, who’s a senior in high school, calling me because her friends are talking about it. I’m just not used to…it’s a different world than I ever expected, and I’m trying to experience it with the audience in real-time. This is all happening to me as it’s happening on air.”

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Discover more from Baller Alert

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tags: BlackAFblackishKenya Barris

Related Posts

2024 Election Lawsuit Questions Missing Votes in Rockland County
News

Apparently, She Voted for Herself and Still Got 0 Votes?— Now a Lawsuit’s Questioning the 2024 Election Results

June 10, 2025

A 2024 U.S. Senate candidate allegedly received zero votes in several Rockland County districts—despite multiple voters swearing they picked her....

Nearly 2 Million Dozen Eggs Recalled Over Salmonella Fears, 79 Infected Across 7 States
News

Nearly 2 Million Dozen Eggs Recalled Over Salmonella Fears, 79 Infected Across 7 States

June 10, 2025

Nearly two million dozen eggs are being pulled from shelves due to a salmonella scare. On June 6th, the FDA...

Young Kids Are Spending Big on Skincare Trends That Could Harm Their Skin, New Study Warns
News

Young Kids Are Spending Big on Skincare Trends That Could Harm Their Skin, New Study Warns

June 10, 2025

A recent study published in Pediatrics reveals that children as young as seven are diving into pricey skincare routines promoted on TikTok,...

9th Annual Culture Creators Brunch
Entertainment

The Culture Showed Up and Showed Out at the 2025 Culture Creators Brunch

June 10, 2025

Los Angeles was glowing with Black brilliance as the 9th Annual Culture Creators Brunch returned for another unforgettable celebration. On...

Next Post
Kim Kardashian Revealed That Her Son Saint Tested Positive for Covid-19 in 'KUWTK' Sneak Peak

Kim Kardashian-West and Kanye West Have Reportedly Been “Arguing A Lot” At Home During Quarantine

Comments 1

  1. Patricia Manuel says:
    5 years ago

    We already know this is based on his family! It’s getting old!

    Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Baller News

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

* indicates required

Follow Us

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© Copyright 2024, Baller Alert Inc. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
%d