Toni Braxton had one major rule when she decided to do a reality show.
“They were not allowed into bathrooms,” Braxton said in a conference call with reporters last week. “I said, ‘That’s it. I have to be able to tinkle and brush my teeth and wash my boobies in peace.’”
The Grammy winner and her four sisters — Tamar, Traci, Towanda and Trina — are featured in “Braxton Family Values,” premiering tonight at 9 on WEtv. Towanda is her assistant and Trina and Tamar are her backup singers. The series follows the siblings as they support Braxton’s career while dealing with their own lives and personal problems.
The series provided the 43-year-old singer with the opportunity to respond to all the tabloid stories. In recent years she has battled heart problems, gone public with the fact that she suffers from lupus and filed for bankruptcy.
“My sisters told me that ‘It’s time for you to tell your story, tell it.’ Stop letting other people read about it what’s not true,’ ” she said. “So for me I’m using it as a platform to finally tell what’s going on in my life with my health, which led to my financial woes.”
While the mom of two is open about her financial and health issues, Braxton’s divorce from husband Keri Lewis is not part of the show. “My marriage I don’t talk about ever on the show,” she said. “That’s not even an option because I have kids, a special needs son and I don’t want them to know what’s going on with Mom and Dad’s life unless they hear it personally from Mom and Dad.”
Braxton admits that she was hesitant to participate right until filming began. “It was a week before we started shooting, I called and said, ‘I’m not going to do it. I changed my mind.’ Because I was so uncomfortable with people being in my space,” she said. “So definitely I’m still aloof. Of all my sisters you’ll find I’m still the one that’s still aloof.”
And while “Braxton Family Values” shows the sisters disagreeing and arguing, viewers won’t see some of the outlandish antics found on other reality series. “As African-American women we wanted to make sure we were positive and representing correctly,” she said. “Even though you can go through pain and go through things in your life, it doesn’t have to be buffoonerish.”
