Give Them Their Flowers: The Top 20 Black Reality TV Icons We Will Always Root For
These 20 reality TV stars are only a few of the causes we are, as Issa Rae stated, "rooting for everybody Black,"
By Elizabeth RandolphFeb. 26 2024, Published 12:24 p.m. ET
When it comes to reality TV, I, like my fave Issa Rae, revel in rooting for everybody Black. While the reality genre of tv has ceaselessly highlighted skill of all races, it’s undeniable that some of the most iconic moments of more than one reality presentations heart on Black stars.
It’s additionally unattainable to deny what number of of the gifted unscripted stars used their status to spearhead appearing, music, and entrepreneurial careers.
Some turned into such a success that few even keep in mind seeing them on Bravo, VH1, etc, for a number of seasons.
In honor of Black History Month, I’ve crafted a list of some of the top Black reality TV icons who deserve their vegetation lately and every day! Also, please notice that everybody in this checklist is iconic, and there’s no score machine right here!
1. Tiffany Pollard
If you idea I, a Black reality TV stan, would ever have a listing of Black reality TV icons and NOT come with Tiffany “New York” Pollard, I don’t know what to let you know. Since Miss HBIC started her stardom in Seasons 1 and a pair of of Flavor of Love, giving us many catchy traces like “Beyonce?! You look like Luther Vandross, and the handiest response to the spit heard ‘round the world, Tiffany has continued killing it in the reality TV recreation.
After launching her personal display, I Love New York, she created a number of more displays for VH1 and likewise starred in Season 17 of Celebrity Big Brother. With just about twenty years on reality TV, Tiffany has no plans to decelerate, as she starred in Season 2 of College Hill: Celebrity Edition and House of Villains in 2023.
2. Mo’Nique
Many omit that Mo’Nique’s spectacular career contains being a reality TV big name. Thankfully, the North (it’s me, I’m the “North”) remembers she hosted the first season of VH1’s Charm School. During her time on the show, Mo’Nique spoke lifestyles into several Flavor of Love alumni and remains a meme queen on social media as a result of of it (the “she is taking it” meme immediately comes from Mo’s time on the display).
After Charm School, Mo’Nique won an Oscar for her position in Precious, hosted a talk display on BET, and has been candid about her remedy in Hollywood.
3. Tami Roman
Tami Roman started her reality TV career on the first major reality display, MTV’s The Real World. Tami starred in Season 2 of the show, which happened in Los Angeles, Calif. She quickly become a scene stealer with memorable moments like wiring her jaw and having an abortion on air. The abortion was an unscripted tv first.
Years after The Real World, Tami starred in Basketball Wives, stamping her as a reality TV icon. However, in Season 8 of the VH1 show, Tami decided to step clear of reality TV to focus on her appearing profession, which has paid off. She often remains booked and busy with roles on The Miss Pat Show, Truth Be Told, and Vicious.
5. Cardi B
Cardi B is one of the A-listers you virtually disregard began her profession in reality TV. However, her time on the show will remain in Love & Hip-Hop lovers’ minds “foreva.” Cardi starred in Love & Hip-Hop: New York for 2 seasons earlier than quitting to focus on her tune occupation. Soon after her go out, the rapper launched “Bodak Yellow,” her career flourished. She now has a couple of Grammys, acting roles, and a fashion “it woman” popularity.
6. Kandi Burruss
Now that Kandi Burruss has some extra time, she may train a masterclass on the right way to get as many reality TV cash as imaginable. In 2009, the singer-songwriter joined Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and has remained a pillar in the Bravo universe ever since.
During Kandi’s 14 year-run on RHOA, she developed and produced multiple spinoffs for the community, together with Kandi’s Wedding, Kandi and the Gang, and, my favorite, SWV & Xscape: Queens of R&B. Mrs. “Keep a Bag” Burruss-Tucker may be nonetheless active in track and may be performing and producing Broadway and YouTube displays in her spare time.
7. Karamo Brown
Karamo Brown is every other Real World alum, making his television debut on The Real World: Philadelphia. After The Real World, Karamo went directly to megastar in Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye and is now the host of his sunlight hours talk show, Karamo Show.
8. RuPaul
In 2009, Drag queen legend RuPaul gave us one of the perfect reality competitions ever to grace TV, RuPaul’s Drag Race. As the host and government producer, RuPaul leads the display into 16, multiple spinoffs and 29 Emmy wins.
9. Shea Coulee
RuPaul’s Drag Race introduced many iconic queens to the forefront, together with Shea Coulee. The Indiana local starred in Season 9 of Drag Race and went directly to win the festival in the All-Stars season. Shea’s occupation has persevered rising, as she gave the impression in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty display in 2020. Shea could also be touring and working on her song career.
10. Carlos King
Carlos King has each and every proper to name himself the “King of Reality TV.” The producer started working for The Oprah Winfrey Show prior to turning into one of the producers accountable for The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s previous seasons. Carlos was once an government producer all over RHOA’s very best season, Season 6, which remains one of Bravo’s highest-ranked seasons.
After 9 seasons on RHOA, he created and produced a number of reality displays for Oprah’s network, OWN, together with the Love & Marriage franchise and Belle Collective. Carlos could also be the host of his reality TV podcast, Reality With the King.
11. Tyra Banks
After a successful modeling profession, Tyra Banks created a reality display about the behind-the-scenes process of becoming a runway famous person with America’s Next Top Model. For 24 “cycles,” Tyra took a number of fashion hopefuls via challenging but debatable tasks individuals are nonetheless debating about these days. Nonetheless, Tyra’s display was once the first of its sort and was once the first time a Black type starred and executive produced a reality display.
12. NeNe Leakes
NeNe Leakes deserves all of her vegetation for being one of the masterminds behind RHOA. The former real-life housewife approached Bravo about becoming a member of the show and has been credited with bringing together the first season’s forged. Although NeNe left RHOA in 2020, she remains one of the top Housewives in Bravo historical past and has numerous one-liners to show. Bloooop!
13. Karen Huger
Karen Huger, known as the “Grand Dame” of The Real Housewives of Potomac, is understood for bringing the hilarious friend staff in combination. Karen is also the only big name of the Bravo show to obtain her derivative, Karen’s Grand Dame Reunion.
14. Carla Hall
Carla Hall’s occupation has for sure surpassed her time on reality TV. After appearing on Bravo’s Top Chef in Seasons 5 and 8, the “kooky” chef has continued starring on shows like The Chew (RIP!) and several other of your favourite Food Network Championship presentations, together with her hosting gig on Worst Cooks in America.
15. Kenya Moore
Kenya Moore could have begun her leisure repute as Miss U.S.A., however her time on The Real Housewives of Atlanta has made her a reality TV icon. On RHOA, Kenya became the villain fans love to hate and has been known as one of the ‘better halves to avoid wasting the show in Season 5, together with her frenemy, Porsha Williams. Through her reality TV popularity, Kenya launched her beauty line, Kenya Moore Hair Care (I dare you now not say it without singing!), and has a salon in Atlanta, Ga.
16. Flavor Flav
In the early 2000s, Flavor Flav become the self-proclaimed “Blackhelor” (Black Bachelor) along with his iconic VH1 relationship display, Flavor of Love, and reality TV was never reasonably the similar. Flavor of Love came after Flav’s split from former fashion Bridget Nielsen, whom he met on the Surreal Life a number of years prior. After Flavor of Love, Flav changed into a TV personality, regardless that not anything compares to the courting show that gave us Tiffany Pollard, Hoopz, and, of path, Goldie.
17. Fantasia
It’s laborious to consider many of us wouldn’t know (*20*)’s gorgeous voice had she no longer auditioned for Season 3 of American Idol. After profitable the singing festival in 2004, Fantasia consistently launched new music, with seven studio albums under her belt. She has also been on Broadway as Celie in The Color Purple and went on to superstar in the film adaptation, which debuted in December 2023.
18. Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson’s occupation has soared since she was unfairly eradicated from Season 3 of American Idol. After her first film position as Effie in Dreamgirls, Jennifer gained an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In 2022, Jennifer became an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, an honor handiest prior to now held through one different Black woman, Whoopi Goldberg.
19. Mariah Huq
Mariah Huq may have left reality TV behind, however she is chargeable for creating Bravo’s Married to Medicine, changing into one of the most effective Black ladies to take action. Mariah starred in the display she created until 2020, even though she showed on Carlos King’s Reality With the King in 2024 that she’s still the display’s executive producer.
20. Mona Scott-Young
Mona Scott-Young was a tune supervisor for over a decade before she parlayed into reality TV. In 2010, she introduced Love & Hip-Hop: New York on VH1; the leisure is reality history. The MonaMi Entertainment CEO has multiple shows under the LHH umbrella, together with Atlanta, Hollywood, and Miami. The MTV Movie & TV Awards additionally awarded her the “Reality TV Royalty” Award.
May those iconic reality stars continue to grace our televisions for years to come!
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