Chanita Foster, wife of NFL vet tackle George Foster, is reality TV's newest villain. On VH1's "Football Wives," Foster, like notorious reality starlets Omarosa, NeNe Leakes, New York, and Danger, isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. Standing six feet tall, the mother of six, who was bashed when the show first aired, is everything but what the cameras make her out to be. ESSENCE.com chatted with the Detroit diva about all the rumors, the "Football Wives" beef, and how at the end of the day she's more real than reality TV...
Here's what you had to say:
Nicole commented via Facebook: "I like Chanita Foster. She reacts the same way I do when you mess with my kids."
Tameka wrote via Facebook: "I like Pilar Sanders and Melani Ismail."
Chanita Foster, wife of NFL vet tackle George Foster, is reality TV’s newest villain. On VH1’s “Football Wives,” Foster, like notorious reality starlets Omarosa, NeNe Leakes, New York, and Danger, isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind. Standing six feet tall, the mother of six, who was bashed when the show first aired, is everything but what the cameras make her out to be. ESSENCE.com chatted with the Detroit diva about all the rumors, the “Football Wives” beef, and how at the end of the day she’s more real than reality TV… ESSENCE.com: Tell us what the show hasn’t told us about you yet. CHANITA FOSTER: I have four college degrees, I have a non-profit and we’re building a school in Africa, and I worked in sports management for 11 years. More on the NBA side, but still well-respected amongst my peers. These are all things the at times my mouth and attitude can outshine. ESSENCE.com: Let’s use this time to clear up things: rumor has it that you and your husband are broke. FOSTER: This is driving me crazy. The Fosters are not broke, we just spend our money differently than other people. If I wanted to drive a Bentley, I could drive a Bentley but I would have Cheetos and bubble gum all on my floor. ESSENCE.com: Does George playing in the UFL make you more frugal? FOSTER: People need to understand that every football player doesn’t have a billion dollars. I’m very comfortable with who I am, and if people do their research before calling me broke, they know that my husband was the #1 draft pick in 2005, my husband’s signing was $3.5 million dollars, plus the millions he’s made over 11 years. The way I deal with money is a difference in choices; we wanted to provide a realistic lifestyle for our children. Everything we have, we own. ESSENCE.com: Do the other football wives spend too much? FOSTER: Amanda (Davis) has a $20,000 dollar mirror on her wall, and that’s fine because that is her choice. But I know if I ever got in a financial bind, do I really want to look on my wall and see a $20,000 mirror? I can barely look at some of my $3,000 purses. We own everything we have outright, every car and each and every home. No leases, no mortgages, no credit cards, if we can’t buy it, we don’t need it. ESSENCE.com: What’s the hardest part about being married to a football player? FOSTER: All the injuries, it’s such a brutal sport. My husband is hurting right now, and losing his memory. Lineman get dementia at 45 years old, some of the players don’t even remember their kids at 50. I’ve been to more NFL funerals than people I know. ESSENCE.com: You and castmate Pilar Sanders have issues. Where did all this start? FOSTER: I’m bothered when people say, ‘Oh Pilar is so classy…’ Pilar has made the statement ‘Who is that girl?’ and I’m like ‘Pilar, you know me.’ We sat on a women’s empowerment panel together not too long ago. ESSENCE.com: You and Pilar are very different… FOSTER: In the football world we have people who feel like they are entitled because of what their last name is, how much money their husbands make, and so on. Certain people on our cast, because of their last name, feel they can have people wait two hours for them, or think when they walk in a room their husbands don’t have to speak, we should speak to them. I feel like people should give the same respect they want given to them, and I’m not kissing nobody’s tail. I promise you. ESSENCE.com: Did former castmate Mercedes get thrown off the show because she threw something at you? FOSTER: It’s true she threw something at me, but I’m not sure that’s the reason she’s not on the show. The whole thing was on camera though. ESSENCE.com: Who are you the closest with on the show? FOSTER: I know it cheesy, but everyone — with the exception of Pilar. “Football Wives” airs Sundays at 10pm on VH1.
