CMR
It’s Cafe Mocha with Loni Love. Yo-Yo, I’m Angelique on the line. One of our favorite people. Terri J. Vaughn, welcome back to Cafe Mocha.
Oh, thank you. Thank you, ladies, for always inviting me. And I appreciate that.
We are so excited for you. You are the executive producer of this new comedy. She the people. It’s a political comedy. Can you tell us a little bit about your character?
Yes. So it is a comedic, it’s a political satire very much in the in the vein of deep you guys ever watched that show. And so my character is Antoinette Dunkerson and we start the season.
OK.
Yeah, yeah.
With her running for Lieutenant Governor in the state of Mississippi, and yes, so all the things just that old. Everything that was in that, oh, Lord, that’s exactly what we get to unpack on our show.
Oh Lord.
So I think it’s, you know, it’s it’s, she’s smart, she’s worked her *** off. She comes from very humble beginnings. She basically grew up in the hood. Her family is still very hood though. She’s, you know, just been smart and worked her way up through politics. And now she’s in the space where she is going to become the Lieutenant. First black female Lieutenant governor in the state of Mississippi. And, you know, watching her. Her. We get to watch her code switch. You know, in the political space, there’s one way. But then when she’s with her family and her friends, it’s a whole nother version of her. She gets to let loose a little bit more. So watching her balance.
A little bit or a lot, a little bit or a lot.
There’s a lot that she has to deal with, a lot that she has to, you know, the governor. He’s a very red white. Republican figure and watching her have to deal with him and you know he’s racist. And he’s belittling and a fun way that she has to find out how to navigate through that so. Watching her juggle that and she has two kids. She’s a single mom, Co parenting with her ex-husband. And she has her ghetto *** cousin is her assistant. And you know, and she’s trying to really make a difference in her state for her community, for her people. And she runs up against a lot of, you know, there’s a lot of blocks, a lot of roadblocks that she has to navigate through.
I love it. She the people is the second series under Tyler Perry’s multi year first look creative partnership with Netflix, which he’s writing, producing and directing films and face based features. To me, Terri, we’ve been in this business a long time. And to be able to have this type of project. Is this something that you always like hope with? With would come and come through someone like a Tyler Perry?
Yeah, well, this is a project, so I’ve, you know, I’ve always wanted to have my own television series. I’ve I’ve been, you know, on the ground, pitching for the past at least 20 years. Show ideas. And this show is a show that. Came to me about. And literally, when I say came to me, I mean came to my spirit about seven years ago, seven or eight years ago, when my girlfriend London Breed became the first black female mayor of the city of San Francisco and watching.
Yeah.
All the stuff that she had to go through, knowing her upbringing, her background, I’ve always been really proud of her. And then once she got put in that position, just all the stuff that she has to deal with and it was always, yeah. So it was always a great.
Ohh boy, did she did she?
For me, like when she became Mary or and she won and she had to do this whole special election because they just was not having it and she still won. I was like, Oh my God, that would be a great television series because I’ve always loved the beep. And I was like, that would be so good. This black girl from the hood. She works her way up, she’s in politics, and she becomes the mayor of this great city. So I’ve always thought that story was amazing and and they could be told in a very comical way so that we can address some really serious heart issues that we have to deal with in real life. But being able to make it more digestible through a comedy.
Hmm.
So again, so I have been working and actually pitching this show for years. And I I teamed up with a writer whom I loved. I finally met the white writer because I was having meetings with writers to try to team up with, to develop the show idea, and I was finally introduced to Naya. Palmer and we just hit it off right away. I just love her. She got me, I got her. Her style of comedy was just really irreverent. And. It was just like what I love. She’s the type of comedy writer that I love. So we teamed up and we developed the story out more. And, you know, she got busy working because she was writing on run the world. I was getting busy just working on shows. Directing shows and movies. So we had kind of put the project. And what was that 2023, when the writers strike and the actor strike happened and none of us, all our jobs, went away? All of my work went away, and I was sitting at home, and I was like, this cannot be OK. I cannot be in this position. What can I do?
Yeah.
Oh.
And so I was like, let me pick up. She the people. And so I picked it up. I called naya. I was looking. Naya. Look, I know we’re all on strike. But would you be willing to write a proof of concept that if I can put a team together to shoot a proof of proof of concept of this show, would you write it and she was like hell yeah, let’s do it. And so during the strike we we were at work, we were writing this, getting this together. I because of the topic of the show, I thought it would be really important to have someone who was well versed in this world, this political world and. Someone that I like of course, and so I thought of Keisha Lance bottom and I reached out to her.
Oh.
I reached out to her and I was like, look, Keisha, I’m putting. Together this show. I would love to tell you about it. And so she met with me. I told her the show idea and she loved it. She was like Terry. I love this idea and absolutely whatever you need from me. I’m in. I’m down. And I was like what? Oh, what a.
Go ahead and I just wanted to remind people that Keisha Lance Bottoms was the I know people in Atlanta know her, but she was she was the mayor of Atlanta.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, she was our wonderful mayor here in Atlanta and went on to be on that advisory team for Biton. So, you know, this is really her wheelhouse. And having her to be able to share stories of things that she has experienced, you know, being in that world. As a black woman, it just added more meat for our story. And so we did. So we shot this proof of concept. Just put all our heart and soul into it. And when the strike was over, I had my team, my agents. I was like, look, you guys, I got this product and I showed them everyone loved it. I was like, I want to pitch it. I want a picture for a show and so they started sending it out. And. Every one that called. Every meeting that was set up, I’m thinking let’s get prepared for this pitch, guys. And they were pitching us why they should be the ones. To do our show.
Wow, that’s wow. Wow.
And that never happened to me. That had never happened to me. And so, you know, Tyler was one of the first people that we met with his team over there. And you know, they they laid out the case while they were the best one and. It’s like OK, y’all decide what y’all want to do and I’m so. Thankful I am so thankful that he’s the team that we teamed up with because it has been the most beautiful, the most exciting, the most collaborative project that I have ever been able to work on. And he gets it. He’s not afraid. That’s the other thing.
Nice.
Tyler’s not afraid. To tell the stories to tackle the the you know tough topics and he’s a genius when it comes to comedy and improv and the way we work, it’s just it’s been incredible. It’s been an incredible experience. I cannot wait for you guys to see this. It is my baby.
We can’t wait.
It’s. Yeah, you guys are going to love it. It’s for you. It’s for all of you. It’s us. It’s our voice. It’s realistic. It’s. It’s funny as hell. You know, she’s flawed, but she’s resilient and she is smart. And she’s relatable as well as aspirational. And I can’t wait for you to meet.
It’s Cafe Mocha on the line. Terri J. Vaughn, she is the executive producer and star of her new show, she the people. It will premiere May 22nd on Netflix, you know, can you talk about how are you guys? Balancing the realness, but also the funny, you know, and and and how are you guys doing that?
Yeah, yeah.
Sure.
Well, I mean, if you really look at what’s going on, I mean, you know, for the past, even the past eight years in politics, it’s been the most entertaining **** ever. It’s an extremely entertaining it’s been the highs and the lows. It’s been laughter. It’s been tears. It’s been all the things.
Yes.
MHM.
And I can’t think of a better time when when I say that God is amazing because I’ve had to show forever. I was told no. Oh, so many times we’re not interested in doing a political show. We’re not interested, but the timing you guys got is amazing. The timing could not have been more perfect because when we started this journey, even when we got the green light and the yes from Tyler and we started working on it. Kamala had not. Was not in position for running for President as of yet. That hadn’t happened and we were working shooting this show when all that. Happened. We were like, Oh my God, what have we stumbled into? And so it’s perfect timing and balancing the absurdity of the all the things that is happening, that is laughable. And I often wonder, like what? A black woman in a space like this. Like, what do you do behind closed doors? It’s like, you know, you have to be politically correct when the cameras are on and you know you’re talking to your constituents and your. Years. But then when you go home and you’re like, what just happened? And you know when you get to, you know, you got to have these conversations with your kids and your friends and you drink wine and you let loose. I want to see that. And so we get to do all of that and make fun out of what’s going on in the world and how absurd people are.
I love that. Who are some of the other people featured on the show with you?
So I have, well, Keisha Lance Bottoms is an EP on it as well as Naya the Co Creator and EP on it, acting on it with me, Joe Marie Payton from Family matters. She plays my mother, yes. And you guys are going to get a kick out of seeing her because she is not miss Winslow on this is amazing. Oh. So it’s fun playing with her Jade Nova. She plays my cousin. She’s hilarious. And I’m so happy for her. This is her first acting gig and I fell in love with her from watching these skits that she posts. But if you guys know Jay? No, but she’s an amazing singer. She is an amazing.
Yes.
Singer. But she would do these skits and these impersonations of Beyoncé and Carly B and Erykah Badu, and they were hilarious.
MHM.
And so I have been a fan of her and have been following her, and we did this podcast that I was doing for ether rays company. And Jake came in and read one of the characters in this podcast. And it was my first time meeting her and I was like, you’re so funny. And I was like, do you mind if I get your number just thinking? And this is years ago, this was years ago. And I was like, just in case something comes up, I would love to get your number. So I called her when this when I was shooting a proof of concept for this and she she’s going to. Till the show, she does. Don’t do it, you guys. So I can’t wait for you guys to see her and this license hilarious, Deon. Oh, God. What’s Deon’s last name? He’s a comedian. He plays her boyfriend on the show. He’s hilarious. TC Carson plays a friend of mine on the show. He’s hilarious. Of course. Denise Butay and the whole house is hilarious. I have an amazing cast. Have an amazing cast so.
Yeah. But you’re not the one on the call sheet. So how you know, being #1 how, how did you feel like?
For me please.
That responsibility not only as an executive producer as a Co producer, a Co creator, but now you’re number one, was there a lot of pressure on you?
Yes and no. I guess I guess. Being number one on. The call sheet. That’s so funny because I just watched that docu series. I watched it twice. And the biggest thing? That I still still is similar is when I show up to direct on a set like as a director I kind of I’m the leader. I set the tone. I got to get people comfortable in their best positions to shine their best light. And that’s the same thing I do as being #1. As the actor on the car on the sheet. Is I want to make sure my team is happy. I want to make sure that we are having fun. I want to make sure that we are showing up for each other. I want to make sure that we are, you know, having each other’s backs. All of that is important to me because if anyone is not having fun and enjoying the process, they’re not going to perform at their highest and we want this show to be on forever. So that means we got to have the chemistry has to be real.
Right.
Because the audience feels that through the screen when it’s real and I’m so blessed because I have it, I have it.
I’m so happy for you. I mean, we’ve talked to you for years. We honored you. Our first trip to Atlanta, and we did the Salute Her Awards and as warm and as sweet as you are.
Yeah.
Like on TV is how warm and sweet you are in person. I wanna you know, for people who don’t know your back story, can you tell a little bit about some of the philanthropic work that you do in the community?
Yeah. So years ago when I was on the Steve Harvey show, that was, of course, my big break. And that’s when I first started making money in this business. Really. And one of the things that was that was very dear to my heart was wanting to show the girls in the neighborhood that I grew up in, which was 100 point in San Francisco showing those girls that I too have just like them growing up in the same block that y’all grew up in. And I have. I have this amazing life and this amazing career and I wanted them to know that they could do it too, to be able to believe in. Themselves. So I started this.
OK.
Foundation called Take Wing Foundation and basically it is a mentoring program for young girls that were going up in public housing and the foster care system. And at risk communities and we basically just teamed them out with different type of mentors, we would be them for be there for them as mentors just in any field or any area that they feel like they wanted to go in and for careers or big hopes and dreams that they had. It was our job to make sure that they were. Confident and believed in themselves that they could actually pursue it, that they could pursue being a firefighter or a lawyer or a singer or an actor or a director, that they know that if it’s in their heart, it’s that it is their dream. You can do it. You just have to do the work. But you’re capable. Just because the dream is yours, you’re capable. So we. So that’s what we we did. We did that for many, many years. We. Did it for like 20 years and then when COVID hit and everything kind of shut down, we also shut down and our funding kind of went away. So we still, I still have the relationship with the girls. We just don’t run it through the foundation anymore. I still have a bunch of mentees. That I mentor just through life and they all came through that tickling foundation.
Nice. Yes.
Well, you know Terry, we are so excited for you and we cannot wait May 22nd on Netflix. She the people, this is the wonderful, wonderful thing we want everyone to check it out. And thank you again, congratulations again and we’ll be watching out for it.
Please.
Yeah.
We will, yes.
Thank you guys so much. Thank you and hopefully the trailer and all the stuff will drop soon within the next week or so. So you guys can really see how fun it is. It’s amazing. So thank you guys for having me. Thank you for promoting the show and thanks for helping make it the number one on Netflix.
Yes, all right. Yeah.
