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he first time I interviewed Jamie Foxx was backstage at the Urban One Honors ceremony in Washington, D.C., in December 2019. He was receiving an Icon

Award, though as he told me that day, he didn’t yet see himself as one. In June, the 57-year-old actor, comedian, and vocalist received an Icon Award at the BET Awards 2025 - now he sings a different tune.

Never far behind is daughter Hazel, 4, who appeared on Monét’s seven-time Grammy nominated album Jaguar II which launched her into the mainstream zeitgeist after more than a decade of penning songs for artists like Ariana Grande, Nas, and Chloe x Halle, and building a personal fanbase with early projects such as Nightmares & Lullabies and Life After Love. Just in the past two years, Monét has won three Grammys, two Soul Train Music Awards, and two BET Awards, but there’s another, more subtle indicator Monét sees as a sign that her time has arrived.

Monét’s ever-growing reach is undeniable; her Jaguar II tour sells out across North America in a matter of minutes and brings out stars such as Kelly Rowland, Issa Rae, Zendaya, and Justin Bieber to shows—names Hazel likely wouldn’t bat an eye at around the Monét household.

Yet it kind of is for a toddler who’s already walked (or been carried across) major red carpets and made history as the youngest ever Grammy nominee for her feature on Jaguar II’s “Hollywood,” the song title perhaps a foreshadowing of her future following in her mother’s famous footsteps. There’s a bit of strategy behind Monét’s decision to bring her daughter into the public eye, though she admits overall, “I'm kind of winging it.”

“It’s always great to get it from your people, especially in today’s time where we’re being challenged on—not our merit—but our very existence, where we’re kind of scratching our head, and you go, ‘Well, I thought it was about the price of eggs.’ I guess t’s not,” he says. “It’s time for us to look within ourselves and acknowledge ourselves and prop ourselves up because it’s getting kind of weird out there.”

One of the residents of Foxx’s ranch property is Cheetah, the horse he rode in Django Unchained. His take on the titular character in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 revisionist western sits alongside Willie Beamen in Any Given Sunday, Max in Collateral, Ray Charles in Ray, and Walter McMillian in Just Mercy, as one of Foxx’s greatest performances. It’s been 20 years since the Terrell, TX, native was up for an Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, for Collateral, in the same night—ultimately winning the Oscar for Best Actor for the 2004 biopic of the blind soul music legend.

Two things stand out to Foxx about that time in his life. “We were partying too much,” he says, admitting the first. The second is Oprah Winfrey getting him together by taking him to see Sidney Poitier at the home of one of his mentors, Quincy Jones. “She reached out and said, ‘Hey, this is important. Because the Ray Charles performances a great performance’—decent,” he interjects, humbly correcting himself. “‘But it was a performance of redemption. It was a performance of a blind Black man becoming a world icon.’”

“To be able to win did a lot for us. I think it opened doors for ‘Whoop That Trick,’” he says, referencing Hustle & Flow, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “It's Hard out Here for a Pimp” in 2006, “and Dreamgirls and things like that, so now they mention those movies in the Oscar category.”

Foxx isn’t self-righteous when it comes to the responsibility he says Belafonte—and also Poitier—passed on to him the night Winfrey introduced them at Jones’s home. “Everyone doesn’t have to do it. That doesn’t mean that every Black entertainer has to be the Blackest person in the world and do the Blackest things in the world. But if you’re able to, it means a lot. When you stand next to Sabrina and Trayvon [Martin]’s family, it means a lot. When you stand next to George Floyd’s family, it means a lot.”

family—particularly his sister and daughters, Corinne, 31, and Anelise, 16. Foxx made his first public appearance since his health crisis on December 3, 2023, when he accepted the Vanguard Award at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television: Honoring Black, Latino, and AAPI Achievements. One year later, on December 10, 2024, he premiered his Netflix stand-up special, amie Foxx: What Had Happened Was..., detailing the harrowing experience—just three months after walking his eldest daughter down the aisle at his home.

“I feel 85 sometimes. Sometimes I’m 75. Sometimes I’m 65. But I’m blessed, man,” Foxx says of his health six months after the special’s release. “We talk about algorithms and things like that when you’re doing a special, and I would always say in my head: I’m not an algorithm. I’m a miracle.”

A detail Foxx didn’t include in the special was that he didn’t remember any of the 67 nurses at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA, who helped keep him alive. When he went back to the medical center to meet them, one nurse told him that he was what she called a “three-percenter” —because fewer than three percent of people who come to the hospital in his condition survive.

“The reason I may go on with my jokes a little longer is because I didn’t think I was going to be able to tell a joke,” Foxx says, adding context to the quips he’s treated us to during the interview. “The reason I may sing or try to get my sister to laugh is because my sister was watching me fight—and that wasn’t in the handbook.”

“When you dream, you dream the best of everything. You dream this,” he says, holding out his hand as he looks around the room. You don’t dream that your sister is met with a decision that, if she doesn’t make it at that time, you’re no longer here. So I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t let anything get me down.”

now he sings a different tune.

“[I give credit] first to God, without him, none of this would be possible, and for giving Tyler Perry the vision,” says Crystal Renee Hayslett, who’s starred as paralegal and girl’s girl Fatima Wilson-Taylor on the series since season one. “Tyler has built a name for himself where people are going to come, it doesn't matter what it is. So [I credit] God and Tyler for believing in us and following the vision that God gave him. And then for us running with it.”

We haven't seen Tunde’s character, Madison Truitt, yet, but we have seen Cheyenne, who came in with a bang. Viewers have all sorts of thoughts about your character, Jordan, tell us in your own words who Cheyenne Barnes is. Jordan Coleman: I want the audience to warm up to her, so I don't even like to say who she is yet because, for one, I don't think Cheyenne quite knows who she is yet. And I think when someone, especially a young girl, is acting out, it's usually because something happened. She's running from something. There's some trauma there. I said this in another interview: be patient with Cheyenne. It's going to be like an onion, and she's going to keep peeling back the layers, and it's going to be slow. I know you can't tell right now, but I do think everyone's going to love Cheyenne. We know absolutely nothing about Madison. Is there anything you can tell us about your character, Tunde? Oyeneyin: Madison, she's very confident and bold and successful, and she's a woman about her business. I think that Madison is at this place in her life where she realizes that she put her career first — and I don't know whether she thinks that that's bad or good. I don't think she's judging it, but now she's like, 'Where is love? ' I am ready to open myself up to that. KJ, Andi’s got her mama and her sister in her house now. Tell us where your character is this season and where she might go. KJ Smith: Andi is facing herself with her mom popping in uninvited and unwarranted, and shaking her life up. Andi has created, in her mind, what she wanted to be: this perfect little life. She's getting everything she wanted. She's released Gary (Chido Nwokocha). She's now a partner at the firm. And then her mom pops up and starts crossing every boundary that she has, including bringing her sister, Cheyenne, who wouldn't know a boundary if it bit her in the butt. [Andi’s] a very controlled person. The chaos usually finds her. She's not typically creating the chaos, so they're a part of what she ran away from. Some parts of Cheyenne are triggering for her. And her mom reminds her of how things used to be, and she has to make a decision: I don't want things to be the way they used to be. So we see Andi standing on business a lot. She stands on business with her family more than she does with these men — clock that!

which I was blessed enough to have,” Foxx says of his property, referencing the failed land deal that freed slaves were promised after the Civil War. “Now, if we could just get everybody to get at least half an acre or something—or whatever they can give us—we’d love to get it rolling.”

Mignon, episode three this season, was a difficult watch for Danni’s story. The audience wants their girl to find the right guy and be happy, but it also feels like this is an important story to tell. What was it like for you acting out those scenes with Officer Marcus (Billy Dunston) and did you feel it was an important story to tell? Mignon: I'm not at a place where I am yet sure if we need it, but I know some people go through it, and my hope is that there is another side; we're walking through this valley of the shadow of death and not camping in it. We've been there a while; she’s been spat on, and it's been a lot of trauma, and I'm hoping we see her win in the end. There are a lot of women who have experienced a lot of trauma, and they need to see themselves win. And seeing themselves through Danni and seeing her win makes it possible for them to believe that there's love for them, there's peace for them, there's hope for them. There's joy for them.

Jordan, that makes me think of “All American: Homecoming” being cancelled. Were you worried about what’s coming next when that happened? Coleman: I just remember every time I thought I was failing, I had to lean into God. And I know that he had a path that I just can't see yet. But I can't fail him by quitting or thinking that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I must keep putting forth 150 percent every single day. I said this to a group of kids one day, “If you knew that you weren't going to get your big break until you were 50, would you keep acting? And if you say no, then I don't think it's for you.” Every day, God has proven time and time again that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Coming in on season 10 [of Sistas] is a blessing, but it's not the easiest thing in the world either. And I truly think that God's timing brought us here.

Crystal, viewers get a lot of joy from witnessing Fatima and Zach (DeVale Ellis)’s relationship. What's it like for you managing that fandom? Crystal Renee Hayslett: It's crazy. When this show really took wings, we were in masks, so those first years of “Sistas,” I was able to kind of fly under the radar. It wasn't until I was in Target one day, wearing a mask during COVID, talking to my dad, when a guy came around the corner and said, “Fatima,” and I was like, “It's here.” It's taken adjusting. I love our fans. They are ride or die. They support us in everything that we do. And I'm so appreciative because that's how we've gotten 10 seasons. But it has taken adjusting because I am an ambivert, so I'm very extroverted, but I can also be very introverted. And sometimes it's a lot. People are looking at you, and you forget, oh, you watch me on TV. They also want to know when they’ll finally see that baby bump on TV. Hayslett: They’ve seen it on “Zatima.” We need “Sistas” to catch up. So we're trying to figure out how we can merge the two worlds where we're on the same timeline because it's kind of hard to explain how she turned around one day and was like out here on “Zatima,” and I'm barely even showing [on “Sistas”]. I just got a little food belly from lunch (laughs). Take me back to season 1 in 2019. Did you think you'd be here 10 seasons later? Smith: No, my first pilot that I booked, I was so excited. It was for Fox, and they were like, ‘We could go 20 seasons,’ and it didn't even get picked up. So you kind of get jaded because you keep going out for projects, and you keep doing chemistry reads for all these opportunities. So when Tyler presented [Sistas] to me, I was like, "I'm excited, but with a grain of salt this time" because I remember the heartache from before. So this is really an honor and a blessing. This industry can be very tough, and to get an opportunity like this is not as easy as it looks. And to have the supporters that we have, Tyler Perry Studios, they love on us so much that we can give our art to the world, which is our purpose in life. So I did not imagine it, but now I'm like, let’s do 10 more. Crystal and Mignon, I’ve listened to each of your podcasts, “The Orbital Tribe” and “Keep It Positive, Sweetie,” and you’ve both talked about divine timing. How do you maintain that belief in an industry like entertainment where there’s so much uncertainty? Mignon: God has a track record. I think the only time we need to look back is when we need evidence for the things we're believing for the future. We worked through a pandemic, strikes, and we haven’t missed a beat. One of my friends, who's an actress, and she said, “You have something I've never had.” And I was like, “What's that?” She said, “A season two.” And this is the beginning. It's interesting when you look at it, this is a small thing for God. For us, we're like, “It's so hard.” “Who's going to help me?” But he's like, “Sweetie, you are fine.” And he will get you down to your last— I had $12 to my name, let's be clear. But I love how he'll do that just so that when you get there, you know that if it had not been for the Lord on my side. So now you can go forward and face anything. Hayslett: I was reading the book of Esther, and Mordecai was like, “Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.” And I feel like when you think about when God created you, before you were in your mother's womb, he thought of everything, even the time period that we would be living in, and he was like, “I know you can handle this.” “You're built for this.” So when you look around the world and see all these things happening, and we don't understand, I always pull back to Esther. I'm here for a reason. I was born for such a time as this, and God, what is it that you want me to do in this time?

Tunde, you were a makeup artist for 15 years before all of this, so this is hardly your first pivot. What gives you the courage to make these big career changes? Oyenin: I just keep listening to the call. With makeup, I fell into, it was never necessarily the plan. With fitness, I fell into it. It was never the plan. The book (Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be), I always knew I wanted to tell my story. I always knew I wanted to write. But everybody says, “I want to write a book.” I didn't actually think I was going to write the book. So I'm just trusting that when I have an itch, an inkling, a desire, a hope, or a goal to do something, that's the plan. Just do it because it is going to work out. Doesn't mean that everything's going to run smoothly. Doesn't mean that things have been easy. Doesn't mean that I haven't heard “no” one million times. But to Jordan's point, it's persisting beyond the known. When it comes to your personal lives, how has “Sistas” changed the type of friend you are or the types of friends you allow into your life? Smith: It's made me such a better friend. I didn't realize how bad a friend I was until this show. Because it calls out, “Why didn't you call me?” “Why aren’t you checking on friends?” And I was like, “Oh my goodness, I would never do that… Oh, I've done that.” So it's made me an incredible friend. And watching the show has made me stand 10 toes down on friendship. This is the friendship I require because I deserve it. And you deserve it. So now I have friendship standards. Mignon: It's made me reflect on my friendships and what I've accepted — and relationships. I think they're all the same. Relationships require investments, and some friendships, you love them, you care about them, but it's charity. You can't invest in it. You have to spend time with the high-yield or returning ones; you invest where it's coming back. And then the people who reach out to you, when you've got the time, “Yeah, I got a second.” I care. I want you to do well in life. I want you to be loved. I want you to prosper. But I can't invest anymore because there are no returns.

ccording to Nielsen data, the January 7 season 10 premiere drew 1 million total viewers in just 3 days. This after 2025 end-of-year reports from the ratings research company revealed the show was on track to be the No. 1 scripted cable series of the year among Black adults 18-49 for the fifth consecutive year, as well as the top cable series among all Black viewers for the third year in a row.

JAMIE FOXX @IAMJAMIEFOXX

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Crystal Renee Haylsett, KJ Smith, Mignon, Jordan Coleman, and Tunde Oyeneyin open up about divine timing, professional pivots, and season 10 of their hit BET series.

Written by Brande Victorian

Carrying on that vision alongside Hayslett this season are O.G. cast members KJ Smith, who stars as attorney Andrea “Andi” Barnes, and Mignon, who portrays former airline worker Danni King, as well as newcomers Jordan Coleman, who plays Andi’s younger sister Cheyenne, and Tunde Oyeneyin, who will appear as Madison Truitt. Longtime cast members Novi Brown (Sabrina Hollins) and Ebony Obsidian (Karen Mott) exited the series in season nine. “I came into [the show] nervous and not knowing what to expect,” Oyeneyin admits. “We had some time together before we started shooting and I remember at one point I spoke with each of these women and they were like, ‘I don't gatekeep; if there's anything that you want to know how I do it or how to do it, I will share it with you. I believe that we can all be great together.’ The second that that energy was put into me, everything was great. And [that feeling] continues to grow as we develop our relationships and connections and friendship and sisterhood.” The cast of “Sistas” opens up about their characters’ storylines this season, their personal, spiritual journeys as actresses, and how the BET series has made them better friends in real life. Tunde, we know you from the fitness world. You’re a huge influencer in that space, stemming from Peloton, and you haven't let on any hints that acting was even a passion, let alone anything you were pursuing. How did you land here? Tunde Oyeneyin: Well, I believe when you're working on something that you really want to do, sometimes when you tell too many people, they put their energy on it or their limit for you or them, almost wanting to pull you back. People have the power to put their energy on your blessing. So I didn't tell many people I was even pursuing it. How did I get here? I really don't know. I can tell you why I'm here. I'm here because I have this wild belief that I'm capable of doing anything and everything I want, so I decided to try something, and I'm here doing the something, and I believe I can.

“Tyler Perry’s Sistas” has returned for its 10th season with some major changes, but fan fervor around the BET series remains the same.