The Braxtons Should Never Have Returned to Television

The Big Picture

• Braxton family viewed as musical royalty with talent and fame beyond reality TV norms.
• Tamar’s Twitter rant exposed family dysfunction, casting a dark shadow over the show.
• The Braxtons
  should consider ending their new show to focus on healing and their individual talents.

Some experiences are better left while one is riding high. Most reality television shows fit this bill, as most fans would rather miss the magic of a series than long for it to eventually die. Figuring out when enough is enough, isn’t an easy objective, as most reality stars are slaves to the paper (money), and the perks that accompany being a television star. Unlike most reality stars, the Braxton family is music royalty adjacent because of the legendary status of Toni Braxton’s career. If one R&B icon in the family wasn’t enough, baby sister Tamar is a musical force in her own right. Tamar has golden pipes and there aren’t many vocalists that can come anywhere near her range or tone. The remaining Braxton sisters are also vocally gifted and years ago had stars in their eyes, much like Toni and Tamar. Urban music historians tell a tale suggesting the entire family was supposed to be signed to a record deal with LaFace records when the divisive CEO decided to rip Toni from the group and make her a solo act. Toni became a huge superstar but would forever feel guilty for leaving her sisters behind. An opportunity to make things right appeared via WE tv and Toni agreed to be on a reality show if her family could join her, giving her sisters their own shot at celebrity instead of being her doo-wop background singers while on tour. The entire family was grateful for the opportunity and Braxton Family Values was introduced.

The series ran for nearly a decade, seven seasons, and multiple spin-off series and specials. Iconic singing moments were filtered in with intense group therapy sessions, estrangement between the sisters as fame grew, and an eventual standoff with the network over contract disputes. It ended abruptly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with Tamar vowing never to return to reality television. Fans were rocked in 2022 when news of Traci’s death from a private battle with cancer made headlines. After a three-year hiatus, with the reboot of The Braxtons coined as a tribute to their late sister, fans were mixed about the show’s return. And if the first three episodes are an indicator, the family should keep their turmoil off the small screen.

Family Drama Has Always Taken Center Stage With the BraxtonsUnderstanding the family’s history makes it easier to understand why the show was immensely more popular than most reality shows introduced to audiences. Toni’s longtime fans and Tamar’s new fans tuned in for behind-the-scenes intel on their faves and fell in love with the rest of the sisters along the way. It was apparent early on that there wasunspoken resentment between some of the Braxton crew, but overall it was sister-on-sister drama and audiences allowed it. The sisters didn’t just fight among themselves, they also fell in and out of love, withTrina,TowandaandTamargoing through divorces throughoutBraxton Family Values. All three sisters found love again and even encouraged Ms. Evelyn, their mother to get back into the dating pool. The sisters fought mercilessly and even left the show during season 7, leaving Traci to hold the series down with some fellow reality stars.

Audiences demanded the entire clan back, and they returned in season 8. The dysfunctional relationship between the sisters grew on their audience, with fans picking sides and stating their faves. Unfortunately, the family was struck with tragic news when Traci discovered she was battling cancer. She fought hard, but succumbed to the cancer in 2022. Many believed Traci’s death was the nail in the coffin for Braxton Family Values because the dynamic between the five sisters is what kept the show in the No. 1 spot on WE tv. The sisters and their mother, Ms Evelyn, returned with The Braxtons in August 2024, almost two years to the date of the anniversary of Traci’s passing. Losing their sister has taken a toll on the group in unspeakable ways.

Trina acknowledged struggling with the grief of being there with her sister when she took her last breath. Traci’s son Kevin is struggling with seizures and with a bitter divorce. Toni is struggling with her own health issues and both Tamar and Towanda are disconnected. As much as audiences love the Braxton clan, there is an underlying feeling that the family should’ve allowed their foray into television to end on a high note with Braxton Family Values.

It’s Always Tamar Braxton vs. Everyone

If the bulk of the family believes in keeping up appearances, Tamar is the wild card that will inevitably spill her beans and everyone else’s. After releasing a tear-jerking video of her sister’s last moments, 24 hrs later, the baby of the family went on a rant throwing her entire family under the bus along with her friend/fiancé/alleged husband JR. She tweeted a series of erratic tweets before deleting most of her social media profile.

“JR means the world to me. Thank God for him… my husband and my children has saved my life!! But I’m so mad at my life…my family is TOXIC!!! I should NEVER have went back to BFV!! NEVER!!!” she wrote in an Instagram Story.

Later she following up with, “Ya’ll I’m going through it. I’m single and sad and this tv sh*t is a lot. Y’all have NO idea!! NONE!! This gas lighting is CRAZY!!! And I’m going back into treatment!!! OMG I just pray that my marriage can be saved, and my life can be spared. My family is AWFUL!!!”

Tamar’s rants weren’t unexpected, but they cast an ominous shadow of the dysfunction that’s inevitably on the way with The Braxtons. Reality fans enjoy laughing a cynical reads and picking sides on petty family drama; however, the heaviness that is on the family at this time does not make for entertaining reality TV banter. Toni is dealing with serious issues with her heart that could possibly complicate her lupus. Trina is dealing with alcohol and food addiction, along with PTSD from watching her sister transition. Traci’s son is struggling and quite possibly needs therapy and support that isn’t shared with a national television audience to heal. Tamar’s outbursts are usually regarded with a grain of salt, but this one feels rooted in grief over her sister’s death and the inability to put things back neatly for a television audience.

‘The Braxtons’ Needs To End

True Braxton fans aren’t enjoying these episodes of the sisters flailing about emotionally unable to cope with their sister’s death. It feels like the series returned to television far too early when energy could’ve been much better spent on healing and re-building the family foundation. The Braxton’s are a talented group of women. Tamar has one of the most celebrated voices in R&B, Towanda has several acting credits under her belt and Trina has her hands in various business ventures. Ms Evelyn and Tamar have a cooking podcast and several other ventures on the table.

WE tv had to break the family off with a nice check, but it can’t be worth sacrificing their peace and mental health. It’s regrettable that the family didn’t bow out from their relationship with WE tv with Braxton Family Values, but here’s hoping ‘The Braxtons’ ends after this freshman season, allowing the ‘Braxton Family Values’ to be the memory imprinted on reality TV fans when they think of Toni and her sisters.

The Braxtons airs every Friday on We tv and can be streamed on ALLBLK.

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