Tamar Braxton is speaking out for the first time since her attempted suicide. Braxton says her family’s longtime WE tv reality series played a huge part in her depression and wanting to end her life. She explained to Tamron Hall on her talk show that the pressure for high ratings and entertaining content led to the destruction of her family.
“I love my family. And I don’t want to fight with my family. And I don’t want to be an example of a family who fights and argues and always have turmoil. And now we’re at the point where it’s assaults and threats. This is not the show that I created,” she says. “I created the Braxton Family Values because I wanted to be an example part of the Black community with five Black amazing sisters, with all different walks of life, who can inspire and help and people can learn from our experiences along the way. We wasn’t teaching anything but being devilish and I didn’t want to do that.”
The first few seasons of the show depicted happier times with the siblings, typically singing together and participating in family cookoffs. But for the past several seasons, the sisters have been at odds. Fights have transitioned to social media and have gotten even more intense. But Braxton says she’s not innocent in the current outcome of the show.
“I’m not going to sit here and act like a complete victim. I played a part in that. I know what it’s like to keep up ratings and keep up having the number one show on a network and having all of those bells and whistles and that comes with a price,” she says. “Sometimes you that comes with embarrassing your friends or embarrassing your siblings. I don’t think I sold my soul [to keep the show on]. I don’t think at the time I knew exactly what I was doing. I think that for the show and for my family we wanted to have a great show and sometimes that is making the deal with the devil and that is doing things that you wouldn’t normally do.”
Braxton says she’s done with reality television as a result. Despite such, her final appearance on Braxton Family Values for season 7 begins airing Thursday, Nov. 5.
Photo: WE tv
