INTERVIEW: Brandee Evans On 'Reasonable Doubt', Caregiver Appreciation Month + More

Don't know.

Every day click up the Breakfast Club morning.

Everybody's d j n V. Just hilarious, charlamage the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Indeed, she's in season three A Reasonable Doubt, which starts on September eighteenth, So it's.

Out right now. Brandy Evans, welcome you.

I'm amazing. I'm in New Yorker. I love New York. You do, yes? I do?

Like literally now, I'm trying to figure out how I can be like in the l A Coast and in the we in the East Coast.

You're from Memphis, I am wanting raised. Yes, okay? Cool? And so you you you like New York? I do?

I feel like, you know, New York people keep it real, and I feel like sometimes I love you La, but sometimes y'all be a little sensitive.

So I think, I I that's what I like about New York.

That's what kind of keep it fake, real, fake real to each other. Really, yea, he.

From New York. Okay, from somewhere You from, Oh you Southern like me?

You already know?

So what does that mean that you're just you're trying to figure out Folks, out here.

No, I've been figuring them out and thinking about a long time ago.

That's not true.

Long time ago, queen Okay, okay, we were just talking about going to Queen's.

Okay, ask me.

If you've been to a Didty party?

What Ask him?

He's gonna lie and say no, ask him.

I've not been to Okay, okay, And if I have, it was way do you see what I'm saying.

There'm no judgment. I used to dance for Diddy, so she was.

Assistant, Lari and Gibson all that I never saw the things that people.

You missed the lie because the lie was so good. First that I ain't never been no Didty party, and if I did, it was.

Way way way back in.

I was joking, joke, I never been no damn Diddy party party.

I ain't never been on one iground.

I went home to get my mama down the stage.

I feel good. I feel amazing.

It's caregiver appreciation months speaking up taking care of my mama. So this is my respite break to just being out here in New York doing what I want to do, seeing some art, enjoying some cold weather.

Because I feel like we don't really get that in LA.

Who's all the caregivers out there? Man? Break down?

What exactly do caregivers do? Because it's such an unappreciating service that they that they provide.

That's a good question.

Everything care like for me my mom, Diane Harrington, she has multiple sclerosis, she has Alzheimer's and she's paraplegic. So basically it's like having my newborn with me at all times.

And it just depends on what you're dealing with.

It could be from feedings, the doctor's appointments, emotional support, just sitting with them, taking them out.

You just never know.

But caregivers need love and check on us too because we ain't all right.

All the time.

And you know, people, I'm sure I don't know if you're through the system, but you know, people get paid for that.

Not everywhere. That's I'm glad you mentioned that New York is a blessing. LA is a blessing. I think I heard Florida has a little bit, but everywhere else it's been frustrated.

And that's why I had to move Mama from Memphis.

Wow.

So and then I moved it to Atlanta season one when I was filming Pea Valley and had to move a back because I lost all my benefits. So it is that's that we just did care Fest out here, and that's what we were talking about, getting the care because people aren't doing that, and either all of us are either going to be caregivers for somebody or somebody's gonna care for us at one time in our lives.

So I don't know what's up with the government. So who does care for you?

Then?

Because you've been doing this for a long time, you take care.

But I've watched your journey just over the years, even before I met you, and you are like your mom is your baby in between rolls, and I even shot a project with you, and on a break, you on a phone mama, making sure everybody is in place while you're doing the things that you have to do to keep making the money right. And then as soon as you finish, you and you go, you wit your mom,

When I'm filming season one, A p.

Valley had a caregiver walk out and I checked the live camera stream, I'm like, what's going on? What's going on in Mama's room. He had connected all of my friends together. Then they took turns taking care of my mother while I filmed because the caregiver walked out.

So my friends on.

My ride or Diyes Sasha, you know, my Bestisasha. Sasha's at the house of Mama now, like they, I just have a good village, a good chosen family, which is a blessing.

Would you ever put your you know a lot of people talk about putting their moms or parents in the home. Would you do that?

And while glad that actually I promised my mama ever would and she did go in one. So that's my story. On her birthday in twenty and fourteen, she had a fall. I was dancing background for Lettercy at the time. My little brother called me. He was like, Mama fail, she has to be in a rehabilitation center. And I'm like, the one promise I made to Mama, which was never put in a nurse home, she had to be in it,

Just a repost is a blessing.

And we raised fourteen thousand dollars in four days, and I got my mama out of that nursing home. When that was December twenty first, it'd be nine years. I've had her since that day.

The reason I ask is, you know, sometimes parents will say, you know what, I don't want to, you know, be a problem with your Like I don't want to, you know, you know, mess up what you have, So put me in a home so that way there is help.

And then there's some people that say, you know, I'll never put my mind in a home.

But having that kid twenty four to seven, I mean, I'm sure you know it's almost impossible.

Right then it's nine thousand dollars a month, right to be exact.

So my wife's had dementia in all times, and we had a full day, and if.

We didn't have a nanny helping, it would.

Be almost impossible, because you know, there's been times when she didne walked out the house and just kept walking, while there.

Was times where you know, she didn't know where the toilet was. So you know, it's like having a newborn at times.

There's been times when you know there's so much going on, So how do you deal with that twenty four seven and still work and still.

Take care of God?

Because at this point it's just got to be all God because I'm so exhausted in New York. That's the first time I don't have the baby monitor about my ear, and so when you hear that cough, you don't know, just like with your baby, are you choking or are you coughing? So then you're getting up, running into the room trying to have that rest.

It is exhausting. It is very exhausting.

But I also don't knock people that have to do that because everybody's situation is different. I think that if you have to put them there, you got to stay on top of them.

I was stalking the home like I was showing up.

I was popping up. At one point. They was like, we feel like you're watching us.

I am.

I am because it's my mom and that where she was. My mom probably wouldn't be alive right now if I wouldn't have gotten her. One time I popped up and Mama was like laid over with a fever and I had to break her fever.

By the way, you can.

Break your fever with alcohol, just rub it on the baby's back. Mama taught me that when I was a little girl, rub rubbing alcohol on the back.

But yeah, I honestly don't know. I'm still trying to.

I'm working through it with therapy and just trying to find my peace and taking more vacations and things for myself too. And that's hard too, because now Mama had a meltdown about me coming to New York because she's like, why are you leaving me? And I can you know with kids. I know y'all overstanding, you don't want to leave the babies, but we gotta work.

We gotta have some time for us because I came for from the empty cup.

I loved this conversation so much because years years and years years years ago God blessed the dead. Andre Herrel called me and had a whole conversation about this exactly and introduced me to the world of cadgive was and introduced me to a woman named Gina Lisa Montacero. And she's the founder of the Medicated Visory Group and they're a consulting company who assists elders and family caregivers. And so, you know, she helped my family with some stuff, and she helped a lot of my friends.

I think it's just something that people don't know about it and.

We don't think about it until we have to be in that situation, right, because I never thought about it, and then I realized, oh, this is Medicare, Medicaid, all the different things like it's hard and if you don't have it, you can't get your supplies, you can't pay and paying for these supplies at the house is very expensive if you don't have that help.

So that's what Gina Lisa does.

She helps you just navigate the help get system because it's complex.

Yes, yeah, and they don't want us to know about it at all. They definitely don't want us to know about it. So yeah, and so you said therapy, so you are currently. Yes, I gotta find new therapist.

Though the last one I had, I'm like, it's been a minute and she ain't really answer that phone.

So I need to find me.

But then it's finding the right people, and they're trusting people too, because I'm like, it's like, I don't really want you to talk about.

What I do.

I just want to I want to be Brandy. I don't want to be the actor. I just want to be Brandy the caregiver and.

Just talk about things.

What about y'all?

Is that hard for y'all to do when you go to therapy? Y'all go to therapy.

I'm on my.

Second yeah, trying to find that right fit.

It's like, yeah, I haven't I heard it. It's like I haven't started therapy yet. I would like to, but I just I haven't started yet. But I hear that a lot in people like my son's father. He's like, Yo, I just can't find the right person, you know what I mean. And then he also battles with trusting, like, yo, how can this person tell me anything?

How can he fix me? If he never been through what I've been through?

If they don't look like me or you know, so he's battling like trying to find a black man to talk to you.

I got a good one for him.

We need to share talk about my first my first therapist. I wanted somebody that was completely opposite, so I was looking. I actually was looking for like an Asian woman, but I ended up with a white woman and she was cool. But it is something about having a black male therapist who's culturally competent.

You don't got to explain too much. A lot of things he already understands.

Yeah, yeah, now, but.

You always gonna be kind of hard because he to deal with you.

So I needed to you know what, Excuse me.

I didn't.

Like how I'm doing.

I'm doing good. I'm very better now. Ye Season three, Reasonable Doubt. I'm so proud of you. What drew you to the character Monica? Well, first of all, I wasn't drawn at all to the character Monica because she's a mess. But I was drawn to the show total opposite. So I've always wanted to be Unreasonable Doubt. I've been watching the show. It was on my vision board, and I

And they finish dragged me and these internet streets.

But that's when I knew it was gonna It's gonna be worth it, and it's a great story, not a great but an important story to tell. Because have y'all seen it yet? It's okay if you haven't, No, okay, all right. So I'm playing an agent and there's this child star named Ozzie Edwards and just like most child stars they growing up with, you know, they got the money, the fame. But the gag is I'm his agent who's been molesting him since he was thirteen years old, which is terrible.

But a lot of.

Times people let that pass with boys because they think, you know, it's dope that there's an older woman trying to turn him on. But it's not cool, so he kept it hidding. The secret comes out and it's a gag. And I have six nephews.

You're trying to be funny, They can't share nothing with you.

I'm asking yeah, I'm fine, are you No? No, no, but I didn't want to make sure he wasn't triggered. That's what happened to him. He was blested by an older woman. Yes, but the reason he wanted it to white, the reason because she had a Jerry I.

Didn't like to smell her jerak that's what I saw. Yeah, but I actually didn't like what she was doing to me. Okay, but I told myself it was just smelling her Jerry crow when I was eight.

Okay, yes, but you know what different things to cope this This young man on episode nine, the younger version of me says to him, Oh, I'm sorry to know you were gay, which is terrible. And that's what I feel like some women will do to young boys too, to try to push them off and make them feel like, you know, that's why you want. Yeah, they do all types of stuff. And and she was wrong, not you so well.

He was talking about drink girl.

And then therapist.

Okay, but then when he got old it happened again. He would sitting on laps.

It was just.

This is how much work it was.

Like it you would have been ugly to be to you boy.

And I'm doing all this work.

What well, the finale dropped last week, okay, okay, And at the end because his his attorney Jax, who is Amiazi, she plays the star in the show, Well, she finds out what happened, she puts Monica on the stand and it comes out to the family everybody, and then at the end, Monica decides to go in and shoot the place up. Yeah, and we don't know who she shot.

So emotional place you've ever had to go to for a role with it.

That probably that absolutely.

I got six nephews and so just to think about my baby boys like i'd be in jail or hell, did it?

Absolutely not?

Because I think it's my job as an actor to tell the stories, even the ones that are difficult. And I've had fans that are like, I can't believe you do that. After Mercedes, we love Missades, why would you come do this? Maybe they'll make you pay attention to your baby boy when they come home. Maybe they'll make you ask different questions or if you see him shifting. So that's why I always want to take on roles that tell important stories.

We work out. I love working out, going hiking.

Honestly, I've been with Mama so much, did I just have to just tamp away from it? But yeah, just stay in touch with who I am and step twelve of the actor the actor Handbook for me is let it go.

So it's not real.

I was gonna ask, so, how are you with your nephews? Do you have different conversations with them now? Like, hey, let me talk to you for a second.

Oh, always, because I know DJ, because I know you listening. Yes, that my nephews are cute too. So I've already had that situation with them with older women and I pick up the phone and call. I told one girl, I was like, I will find you and you will go to jail. And I'm just gonna leave it at that. So nephews, absolutely, Jesus, absolutely, they do it all the time. I mean, so, I'm not crazy so seeing this, I also did my research on it. But I've also seen it.

You know, you know your brother final he's married and he's younger. You know, so yeah, you look at.

People, sorry, do you look at people differently when you see like so not a big thing in our community is you'll see like a thirty year old dating an eighteen year old or a forty year old dating a twenty year old. Do you look at people differently now because of that, because of the role you play.

No, I don't think so long as they are of age, I need them to be of age, because I mean, as long as they've grown, that's that's their business.

I stay out of it. But longer but under age, I'm absolutely und I'm snitching.

I think it is very important that you did bring up the fact that when it's like a double standards. Yeah, when it when it's a woman, right, who is older going after a guy? I mean, you know a young guy, people tend to like leave that.

Yeah it's okay. Oh you you did that, that's what you told her. It's not okay.

And the whole time you don't even know how the young person is thinking. These young men, their minds are not even like they trying to be cool at the end of the day, and the whole time it's like, damn, I was really molested.

I was That's appropriate.

You wouldn't even make jokes about it if it was a woman.

No, that's that point. That is a huge point.

No one's making a joke about it when it's someone. Why are we joking about it when it's man? That's a wonderful question.

No, for sure, don't try to act figure even now.

Yo, you make fun of.

Yours? Are you cold?

I'm really hurting on the inside. No, Brandy.

When you think about your evolution from dancer the actors, what part of your past shows up the most in your your acting today.

I think as a dancer, we learn how to take direction, and we learn how to take direction quick because you ain't got time for that. And if you if you were Loria and Gibson and she said I need you to point that toe and get to the end of the stage by the next eight count, you're gonna figure it out.

So I feel like I took that, especially with.

On P Valley, because we had to do dancing and things of that sort, I was able to take that direction. So I think directors enjoy that. And I've always heard that dancers are the best actors because they can take direction easily. And we not, we not, we have thick skins. So you literally could yell at me and be like that sucks, and be like, for real, no, what you need on the next take to make it not sound like I just it's real hard for me to get in my feelings about that.

How was your auditions for p Valley chow a vary over there?

My friend he helped me choreograph it, so I was already teaching dance classes and so, but I did a slow routine because I felt like everybody the first routine, I did a chair routine and it's actually on the internet if y'all google Brandy Evans Valentine's Day neo hip hop and heels, and I did the slow routine and they were like, where you come from? Because I couldn't get an audition, they told me that I didn't fit any of the roles that they were currently casting for pre vally.

Right.

They said, we.

Don't fit any And I found out on Valentine's Day twenty eighteen. So my agent was like, I was like, yeah, this is show. My friend just called me about if you heard about it. She's like, yeah, we already tried.

They said no.

So then a couple months went past, my homegirl sends me the script. She was like, my sister auditioner for this, and I really think it.

Should be you.

So I was like, oh that little strip of show. That's how I had an attitude at that point. I was like, they don't want me, and so she was like, just read the script. And so then I took pictures. I'm a PK preacher's kid. Took pictures of me being a PK. Mercedes is a PK. Took pictures of me teaching Miss Tina how to dance at the Hip BT experience. Took pictures of me and my daddy at church, like whatever you needed. Then I got the audition, did the chair routine when there was no one even in the

From the side.

She was like, where are you from? I was like Memphis, She's like where you been? I said, waiting on y'all to call me in. And so then I got the call back and I called ivari. I was like, listen, we got it up to Andy now. And so I read the script that said that it was six inch hills was in the pilot script. So I said, I'm gonna do the routine and six inch chills and so by the time we finished that routine, I was doing

Yeah, this is this is great for me being a dad, right, for daughters, two sons. My two girls dance, right, and it's a lot of money. Yesterday, it's a lot of money. And they dance. I mean they get out of school at three o'clock. They dance from four to eight, six days a week, competitions, we fly all over the place.

But I always just like, well, what's the end goal?

You know what I mean?

Because you spend so much money.

And I like it because it keeps them away from boys, It keeps them out out off the phone, off the internet, or out the malls.

But I always like, well, what is the the.

Well I paid a school was paid for so I got a full scholarship at the University in Memphis, and they can get the scholarship there. They can get scholarships. If they don't they don't want to go to college. They just want to go and train, you know, Alvin Ailey, you know different things.

So there is an end goal. Katie Perry.

I toured the world with her, so and then I became a choreographer, So all of that is very important.

They're gonna need that on that resume. So there's an end go.

They paid mama's medical bills, it might be paying yours one day.

You never know, how did you feel? Because when they do dance and they just don't do hip hop. They they do tap, they do baallet, they do everything. Actually you need it, they really into it. But how does it feel because there's not too many of us out there? Like when we go to these competitions and.

We go, oh, yeah, I was the only black girls.

That only black girls. It's good because they're recognizable. Soon as they see me, they be like, oh, that's your kids. But how did that affect you mentally?

I think because I went to perform in our school where we were very diverse, but like on Memphis Elite, I was many times I was one or two black girls when I was the only black girl on scholarship my freshman year at the University of Memphis, and back then it was just known that it was going to only be one and I remember I was fighting for that one scholarship but I was like, how many black girls one?

But I really didn't think anything of it.

I think because my dad kept me in such diverse schooling. Are they at a diverse school? Yes, I think that that's the world, though I feel like a lot of times we may be the only one. So for me, I felt like it's been a blessing for me because some of my friends are actually unable to navigate that diversity and like, you know, it's only one of us, And I'm like, I ain't paying no attention to that

You know, people talk about the physicality of Pep Valley all the time, but what's something mental about that role of Mercedes that people don't realize.

Oh, that's a really good question. My back is still in the workman's comp though.

Right now.

But I think mentally for me, let me just say, because I talked to high school English, so then I jumped into that accent so hard back home that a lot of times my friend be like, you can you get out of chuck Atleasta? Because what happened to your like what happened to your dialect? So I feel like it shifted that. But mentally, we were filming so late at night, you almost like you almost felt like you

Lyric would have been the same.

Age as Azaria or Tererica on Pa Valley, So that part, you know, mentally for me was tough because I felt like Azaria, it was like my daughter in real life, so things like that, detaching from that at times so that those.

Scenes were emotional.

Those were the most emotional, but they were the most beautiful to me. Because it felt like I got my baby in a sense. It's like God gave me a Zaria who played Terarika in that same age, So it was like I was able to have my baby girl.

In season two of Pivley.

Now that you say that, yeah, you were more your Mercedes definitely was more emotional, and it was a lot more scenes where the stories were crying too, trying to think all the steaks at hand of trying to save her baby, and that was the whole thing, just trying to make life better for herself and her child and then her mother exactly the exactly. It was very tumultuous, and that was my real life a little bit not like that. And now she wasn't Patrice Woodbine, but me

In life?

No, not just in life. I think it was just that mother daughter dynamics. Sometimes that could just be like that. But when I start caring for her, you know that had to shift because you gotta forgive. But I was able to use p Valley season one to get out everything I'd never say to my mama, And oh, I get to say what now okay, so just healing, healing through p Valley.

I feel like that was a very healing.

That was a great segue because I was going to a playing that dynamic change how you see generational trauma.

Absolutely absolutely, I was just talking to someone about that certain things isn't necessary, isn't necessary to get that whooping, isn't necessary to beat them? Can you actually talk to them and tell them what's going on?

You know?

Can we can we communicate better? So I do think playing those different roles, you don't have to yell and scream and and be little, you know, because the hope this is the same person that you're belittling. It's the same person you want to come to you and trust that you can. They can tell you their deep secrets.

Come to me, come to me. We don't want to be scared.

So that that to me made me pay attention to you know what, if im I'm blessed to be able to be a parent, I would parents so differently. But I also the older I get, I also know we all do the best we can because I feel like all of us, you know, our kids could probably say the same thing, like when you did this, you did that, you're doing the best you can, and the older you get, you start realizing, you know what, my mama, Mama really did the best you could.

But I do realize as a parent, every child challenges you do.

Absolutely.

You think you're gonna parent all of them the same, you can't.

No, No, I mean there's a core foundation of love, right, I know you love them, but no, they all will challenge.

You in different way.

Yeah. Absolutely, words, did you challenge your mother? I don't know. Mama will swing on me so quick. I don't.

I don't know that I got that challenge. I might have tried to challenge one time and never again. Yeah, I still to this day. But I also love that healthy respect because to this day, I don't care if she in that wheelchair. I'm nothing to go talking crazy to her at all. That's my mama. And I feel like you only give one you respect your parents. Yeah, So how does she feel about your success? Have you ever just sat down and just talk to her about it? How does she I'm not gonna cry, I'm not. I

Of who I am, but she remember, Does she remember you? I was gonna ask that at a days.

Yes, Sometimes she doesn't, and I go and hide in the closet, and that's the biggest acting job I've ever done. I'll go put myself on speakerphone and I'll go call her daughter, Brandy, and then I'll hide in the room and talk to her, and I'll come back and it's like almost like the notebook. Sometimes like she'd remembers sometimes sometimes she doesn't. I'll say, you know, where do we live?

She was so upset. I was like, Mama, it's not real. I really did not touch that boy.

But then then I'll come back and then she'll be like, I was like, that's me and she was like really, you know. So it's just I've learned to not not make them confused more by it and just be like, yeah, you know what, it's okay, it's okay.

That was one of the toughest things I've ever seen my wife deal with. We were actually on the plane. We were coming back from overseas Dubai and we were in first class and she got up and she was trying to go downstairs because she said she.

Had to go to work and they're like, go to work, there's work. So she woke up. I was like, no, mom, this standing heel and she did not know who her daughter was.

And my wife started crying because she was like, how does my mom not know who she was?

And then when I got up, she knew who I was and it was the weirdest. It was the weirdest thing, like she knew me.

Here was showing I'm just trying to go to work and I'm like, no, mama, this is we're in the plane. But she didn't know who my mom was, and but when we landed she did. But it was just it hurt so much because I was like, this is my mother, Like I'm her carry give but I'm the one.

That makes her take a medicine.

Watch it and where you grow on a plane. Yes, it's very My MoMA asked me for car keys the other day. I just want to lay them on her lap, like you just got it. At this point, we just smiled and played again. I said where you going. She's some about to drive to turl from She's from turl Arkansas. I was like, okay, then, well it's a little late right now, but I'm put the keys right here. I'm gonna go to bed, you know, like I've learned to play with it. But then I go back in that

What if you to sleep that car crank up.

Miss, I've probably been happy.

I would have been happy if like girl getting getting a passion seats over?

Yes, and I dream about that? Does your wife dream about that? Does she dream about Oh? I dream about her walking?

You know she walked and she did.

You know, there was a couple of times like I remember one time she walked out the house. So my daughter was watching, and my daughter was young at the time, sixteen, and she said, Grandma, and you know, she walked out.

My daughter Grandma, where you going? And so you know, Grandma said, get off me. She was like no. So Grandma slapped her right and she's like, where are you going? She was like, I'm going home, Grandma. You can't go home, and there's beers out there. She was like, well, pray for the beers.

I't worried about my baby. They don't like for you to correct them, now, don't.

That was one and another thing that we still have to watch what she well, watch what she watches on television because her favorite show was Judged.

You they Maury love that.

Well, what happened at night? You know the way we like feed the dogs and feed that. She would cry every day because you see that and think she had to give to the dying dogs and dying cats and dying kids in Africa with the flies, like that would affect her like she would be balling.

I'm so glad you said that because I tell my caregivers that. I said, we keep it light in here. We don't watch the news in the house. No, we don't turn on. I was like, if there's a movie and you see something said, if you about to cry, turn it, like because I don't want her crying. So we are very clear were watching Martin, We're watching girlfriends, you know what I mean, Watching joyous.

Things and things that make you smile. For sure, that's so important. I love that. And you actually document a lot of that too.

Girl.

You talking about you, your fans and followers.

They love more than they love me. I'm like, I'll post something.

I'd be like, yeah, watch my new show. They don't be saying no. I look up Asta mama, two million followers.

I've looked too many likes.

I'm like, god, Mama, but yeah, thank you for loving my mom.

How does the experience of being a kid given for your mother's sharpen your emotional strength as a performer?

I think patience. That's a good question, emotional strength.

I just feel like if I can make it through caregive and I can make it through anything, because most times I will jump on the carpet and you don't know if I've just left the emergency room or I'm trying to manage a UTI or trying to set up scheduling. You know, just yesterday walking down walking down the street in New York, and I'm like what, I'm like, Lord, I just want one day where I don't have to

What will happen later on in life?

I don't know, because my whole career has been while caregiving for Mama. Season one, I had her with me, So when we were wrapped the show, I know my castmates were probably like.

Dang show, never want to go nowhere with us.

I was with Mama, and I was embarrassed to tell them what was going on with Mama. But if Iri knows that all my furniture got broke when I came to Atlanta, and I was hiding that I was sleeping on the floor the whole first half season of Pea Valley, only my best friends knew that. Wow, because I didn't want the network to find out and think that I couldn't handle it.

So a lot of times I do hide what's really going on. You know.

I mean, it's got to be like this. It makes you thinks like what is what is your purpose?

Right?

Because I have the service in a way. But then it could also feel like your purpose because I feel like what you're doing, documenting it and telling people who's gonna help so many other people.

But then you're also an actress, so it's like, what is Brandy?

I think I'm still trying to figure that out. That's that's why I'm still trying to figure out. I know that I love acting, but I love my mother more, and so she's gonna always always say I'm a caregiver first and then I'm an actor. But then I was crying to my friend should other day. I was like, so if mama passes, what do I have? Like though, that's just authentic being authentic right now, like what do I have? I keep saying I'm hustling for mama, hustling for mama.

What about me?

So I don't even know what that is right now because all I can see is where's this next job?

Because I gotta feed my mama and I got to take care of it. I mean, we are.

When I audition for Pee Valley, Mama was on a camera in my phone because I couldn't afford a caregiver. So I woke up early, I fed her, and I put the phone in my purse, rushed to will share the audition was like Mamma, on the way back, rush back, Like, I don't know what it's like to just live and be in the career.

So what does what makes Brandy happy? Like what do you do? Do you ever just go out to dinner?

Yes, I'm by myself a lot, Like you know, I love a good dinner. Yeah, I'll find the time because the caregivers like, I'm like, y'all please, can y'all just stay? And some nights I'm like they're like, well you're back home. I'm like, can you spend a night so I can just sleep through the night because I'm not going to sleep. But I love to watch movies. I love to go to a movie. I love to go to run your canyon and just hike. I love to sit at the

Yeah in every way.

Yeah, yeah, how did faith guide you during like moments when acting roles weren't coming in as fast as you.

Hope everything, because I didn't get my first acting role until I got Mama. But that was my prayer, like, God, please bless me to be able to take care of my mother and have the job now.

Need to be a little bit more specific, Lord, please.

Let it be able to be smoother so I'm able to have the jobs to take care of her now. But it's so stressful, like sometimes it's not fun because it's it's like everybody's like, look what you're doing. I'm like, but you don't know that by the time I go back, Like when I get off of this, I got to go FaceTime make sure do y'all have all the groceries y'all need in La?

Do y'all have this?

So I'm praying for a moment of peace to truly know that I can go away and Mama will be okay, and then I don't have to micro manage everybody.

But God is everything to me everything.

Of course, now I know people Valley's coming back, but why did it?

I don't know.

I have no idea it's coming back. And baby is so good.

We wrapped up on it last season. Yes, we or last year, rather, we shot last season. We finished in was it November maybe October of last year.

Before, and it's just been sitting on it when it's coming out.

You know what, I will say, they're sitting on it. I think they're just perfecting it even more. You know, our show runner co Tory Hall is very specific, and that's the reason y'all love it so much is because she pays attention to those details. She makes sure that everything's perfect. I mean even our closed caption. We want to make sure it's right, so y'all know what we're saying. So she just posted a couple of months ago that post production is done, So I think we're just.

Waiting to get the word. But I'm waiting, like y'all because it's a it's a good one.

You're happy with what the next chapter of Mercedes.

Oh I'm so happy with the next chapter of Mercedes, Like it's beyond my wireless imagination.

It's gonna be crazy and y'all, y'all gonna lose it too.

And the show couldn't have been casted any better. Like everybody, everybody's so good, oh so great?

Yes, I know. I tried to, but I couldn't speak to girl.

Yeah, y'all want them down now?

I wanted them down there, girl.

Yeah, I think that our audition for Oh my God is.

She played on and the girl who got the role.

That I auditioned for she played she kills it too, she would She played the crag kid on Snowfalls.

She was let.

And girl, I couldn't get the trust the chuck a Lisa all down. I was like, damn for real, I couldn't. And then they wanted me to, like, you know, do some dances.

Now.

I wasn't flexible like you, Brandy.

I couldn't shot like Gail killed it though, I love you, But yeah, that was Gail John.

I love.

I love, I love her.

She's phenomena just as well. But yeah, it was. It's perfectly cast and I can't wait.

But even more, I can't wait to see your role in a reasonable doubt. Yes, thank you, Yes, I want you to see different. Yeah, it's crazy, Like I knew it was crazy. I went in a store yesterday and somebody was like, don't just be walking up in here after you shot somebody. I was like whyzy, Like I will post a picture of my mom and they like, does she know you like to shoot people?

I was like, oh my goodness.

Yeah.

They going hard for Brandy to be Oh and you know the finale, I took the wig off and I came out with the set it off braids and it was like, yo, yeah, but.

Yeah, don't break it down.

I've got two more questions. It's about Mercedes.

But what's the lesson from real life Brandy that Mercedes that's really needs.

Oh oh, that's a good question. A lesson from Mercedes is pretty dope.

Maybe that even when things look like they aren't gonna go the way you want them to keep going, don't let it break you. Because I feel like at times you saw Mercedes break a little, but she always picked herself back up. But I think I've gotten better with as of late just being like, all right, it's gonna have to work out, because we a lot of times we freak out first and then we circle back. I'm getting better. Ain't there yet, but I'm getting better with just being like.

It's just is what it is. It's gonna work out.

Yeah, So let's flip it. What's a lesson from Mercedes that real life Brandy.

Needs that hustle. Oh that's good.

You know what, don't be afraid because I think about you know, Mercedes going after her gym, and I want to.

Write my book. So as you as you called me out on this in this moment, what you're so scared of Brandy write your book right?

Yes?

Brand okay, all right?

Yeah, because she went after it anyway when things and I always keep saying, yeah, I know why I got time to write.

I got mama, I got this and that Mercedes figured it out. Thank you to get my girl up here. Thank you so much, Thank y'all for having me.

That's right, it's Brandy Evans. Thank you for joining us. Thank you so much everything.

Thank you, thank you, and y'all make sure y'all get y'all some caregiver merch. I have a Caregiver Strong March shop dot Brandyevans dot com. And I have one that says the shirt that says I don't have a capacity because it's okay to not have the capacity sometimes, and one that says caregivering Strong, because it's a different type of strength when you're a caregiver, all right.

And the Evans is the breakfast Club, Good morning, Hold up every day I wake up, pake your ass up. The breakfast club.

Y'all finish, y'all done,