Tamar Braxton is opening up about what really happened with her recent firing from The Real.
Following a week full of rumors, subliminal messages and even a few tears, the former talk show host sat down with Steve Harvey on his morning show to dish on everything that went down, who gave her the news, how she feels now, Vince’s reaction and much more.
A few days after the news of Tamar’s exit from The Real began to pick up steam, a new Braxton Family Values clip showing a distraught Tamar receiving the news of her firing began circulating around the internet. The songstress says she was thoroughly caught off guard by the news and the cameras happened to be there to catch her very real and raw reaction.
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“To be honest about it, [the scene] is pretty much two hours after it all happened,” she told Steve Harvey. “I was actually on my way to shoot a scene for the Braxtons and, that’s when I got the news from Vince. The cameras just so happened to be there and, you get a really clear, candid picture of my sisters being there for me and me pretty much having to be open and honest about my feelings. It’s kind of hard for me because I don’t really like when people see me break down and I did because I had nothing to really hold on to besides my family and my sisters and they really show up for me.”
Although she’s not particularly fond of being so vulnerable under normal circumstances, Tamar says she’s thankful that the upcoming episode will allow viewers to see another side of who she really is and hopefully gain a better understanding of her as a person rather than a celebrity.
“Everyone, I think, at some point in your life, feels like the rug is being pulled from under you but, no one is actually there to see it. I don’t really look at myself as a celebrity and I know that sounds crazy but, I’m just being myself and it’s just being documented. So, at the end of the day you really get a chance to see Tamar in human form and understand that I don’t think I am above and beyond anybody else, I’’m just like everybody else. I’m a regular person, a regular woman. I have feelings and, at the end of the day, I got my heart broken. It just wasn’t by a man.”
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In addition to receiving word of her firing on a Saturday afternoon, which she described as “unheard of,” Tamar also revealed that no one ever called her directly to let her know. She instead heard the unexpected news from Vince.
“Well, I actually didn’t get a call, to be honest. Vince made a call because (this was so random) he was calling them to talk about glam for ESSENCE Festival and literally (this is what he told me) she was like, ‘oh, I’ve been meaning to call you.’ And then went into, ‘well, you know we’re not gonna have her back for the panel’ or whatever. I was actually in my glam room and when I came back downstairs, I saw this look on Vince’s face; he just looked distraught and confused. I thought something happened to somebody in my family and I was like ‘what’s going on?’ And he was just like, ‘I think you got fired.’ And I’m like ‘what are you talking about? Fired from what?’ And he was like, ‘The Real.’ And honestly, my heart sunk into my shoes.”
Surprisingly, Tamar had nothing bad to say with regard to how she felt about her job. Although some speculation suggested that there was friction between the hosts, she says she loved what she did as a co-host of the show and had ‘no issues’ with anything.
“I loved going to work, I’m just like everybody else. I love driving myself to work. I would work out in the morning and go straight to the set and be there, shoot two or three shows. Then [I’d] come home and shoot a scene or two for The Braxtons or, you know, Tamar events or record a record and go to bed at 11 and wake up at 5. You know when you love your job, it’s no issues. You’re not complaining about much, you’re not fighting with anybody, me and the girls got along. And we’ve been on hiatus for three months so, for this to just come out of nowhere is really astonishing to me.”
To further complicate the abrupt firing, Tamar also says she still has no idea as to why she was let go and admits that the lack of reasoning given is one of the things continuing to bother her.
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While she admits she hasn’t personally reached out to anyone connected with the show to get further clarification on her firing, she says her team has reached out but has yet to hear anything back. However, despite the way things played out, Tamar made it clear that she has every intention on continuing to push forward.
“I just want to say, getting fired or being let go from a situation does not mean that you shouldn’t value your worth because I do. No, I don’t see myself as a celebrity but do I see myself as a superstar? I do. And I just feel like I’m just not going to allow anybody to dim my star or dim the way that I see me because it took me a long time to see myself or take myself for who I am. So, I can’t let this one situation make me lose my self esteem or not see myself as being who I am and the direction that I want to go in my life. This is not a setback, this is a set up. I feel like if you don’t look at things as if it’s a blessing, then it won’t be a blessing. So, I definitely feel like it is and I feel like from here it’s onward and upward and I have to keep telling myself and I want to tell the listeners that you have to speak positivity over your life.”
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She also emphasized the importance of keeping a positive mindset in the midst of difficult times and encouraged others going through similar situations to do the same.
“When things like this happen, you have to speak positivity over your life even more or you’ll find yourself in a depression. Or you’ll keep looking at yourself or try to make things wrong and it’s not. There’s nothing that you have done. And I don’t feel like there’s anything that I have done or that I would go back and do over again. But, I just have to tell everybody that I just don’t feel like I’m the same person that has been through things like this in life and in this situation, you have to be positive. And you have to move forward, push yourself and move forward.”
She wrapped up the lengthy chat on a positive note, adding that she’s looking forward to trusting God’s plan for her bright future.
“I don’t feel like my future is not bright, I feel like it’s brighter than ever. Sometimes, we all have that feeling inside of us when it’s time to leap and jump and when you don’t, God will push you over the edge. He will do it for you! And sometimes, it’s unexpected and when it’s unexpected, that’s when you’re hurting. I don’t see this as anything negative, I see it as everything positive because God is moving in my life and I have to really depend and trust Him.”
The emotional episode of Braxton Family Values airs tonight at 9pm on WEtv.
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