INTERVIEW: Erika Alexander & Kim Coles On 'ReLiving Single' Podcast, 'Living Color,' ‘Friends,' TC Carson +More

Wake that ass up in the morning.

The Breakfast Club.

Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning show to Breakfast Club. Charlamagnea God, just hilarious. DJ Nvy is out, but Lauren Lerosa is in and we have some super super special guests. Man, some legends are in the building, Erica Alexander and Kim Caley. They have launched the Reliving Single podcast. New episodes come out every Wednesday, starting on May seventh on YouTube.

Absolutely.

What inspired the creation of the Reliving Single podcast?

You start, well, you know, looking at my Gucci, it's about that time.

Why not.

It's been thirty years, actually thirty years two years ago. Actually it's thirty two years that we had the anniversary of our show. The problem was it was during the strike and no one was allowed to say anything about anything that was on a studio and or network type of thing. So then nothing happened. And for a very long time I was asked about reboot and I always said, I always said yeah, I said.

Consistently because I didn't want to go.

I'm very identified with that character Maxie Shaw, attorney at law, and I love her. But perhaps, and I always say this very honestly, if I had a big film career or something that would offset it that would be nice.

So it wasn't just a matter of me saying no.

I would be stepping into something that I didn't think I could shake as easily as you know other people.

And so this.

Opportunity came and was approached by Eric Eddings at a heartbeat, and he said, do you want to do this? I said, now, not really, I don't want to do it. But he kept asking, and I thought, well, makes the thirtieth anniversary. People really love it, they're doing things.

All the time. Why not?

And it's an opportunity because of you. Charlemagne learned very well with Color Farm, and you've given us opportunities with Finding Tamika and also with Kevin with Sorry, with the reprecations, the big payback that you can go deep in podcasts where you can't do that even in documentary, and with the episode after episode we'd be able to talk. And then they approached Kim and I.

Said, yes, I'm waiting. I actually think that you know this is this is shallow. I know, I think we all still look good. Let's do the reboot while we listen. Everybody's busy and everybody has their own other thing that they're doing, and so this was an easy way to give the fans and the friends of the show a taste of what they want. For sure, everyone will come on the show, and I can't I don't know if I can give away that someone has already come and

I didn't know that about this that was going on.

Behind the scenes.

And so the audience will be let in on something very powerful that could not even happen on a reboot.

So you're welcome.

So many white shows do it, scrubs, I can't remember that. Brothers Donald and and this is.

Us, Yes, this is us, the Office, the first rewatch shows.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we.

Are probably hosted by the actual cast members that I can think of. I could be wrong, but I can think of I feel so.

So it feels like the right time and we're having a good time doing it.

Have you guys ever thought about if you did do a reboot where the character's lives would be, now, Like, what would the storylines be?

I have and I don't know if I'm right, you know, like you know, there there was talk on the on Living Single that Sinclair and Overton would have twins and their names would be sin Cloverton and Overclaire. We have twins grown up there, you know, loving so all the things, all.

The things that Maxine would be governor, yeah, you know, probably ruling like she has always been.

You know.

Obviously she has to be tied up with TC's Kyle Barker and they had a child on Half and Half.

I don't know if that child still exists. I don't know.

I mean, you know that's a good question. She might be in a in a bar somewhere. I mean, it's sorry, in the Mexican jail somewhere, doing her damage. You know, maybe she was burnt out by life.

Who knows.

I mean, you go that fast pace, you don't always win, and a lot of lawyers burn out.

That could be so good because I mean, even even Cadi, what she would have to make changes, There's no such thing as the printage.

She would be a medium mogul supposed But here that's the other thing too. I remember, you know, the fans always say, where's a reboot? Reboot, and one time I saw somebody say, no, I don't want to see where they've gone, because in my mind they live in a perfect space and a perfect place. And so anything that we do, there will be somebody who disagrees with it.

Well, why is she in a jail?

Why is she you know, whatever it is like, there will be no it lives in a perfect space where it is right now.

So maybe let it be definitely a jail storyline.

We wouldn't want that situation, you know what I'm saying, meaning she was having too much fun? I mean why you know, you're saying something very real or in fact meets fiction. That's where we are coming and talking about something that's very fact. You know, Maxine Yaw is a

What moments on set of living single helped shape who you all are off camera, not just as actresses with his women that had to navigate fame and friendship and career pressure.

M what moments shaped who?

What moments helped shape who you are off cam?

I think we got along really well, very quickly. I felt the energy from the first table read, and so there was an energy and a respect and a friendship and a sisterhood and a brotherhood that developed so quickly that that permeated everything else that we did. Like we would go and hang out together. Karica and TC have the same exact birthday the same day. John Hinton's birthday is two weeks later, so we would go out and like, what do y'all want to do for your birthday?

Salsa dancing, Let's go.

So we became family really quickly, and so I think that that helped infuse the energy on the set and in our characters.

We really were friends, and we really are still friends.

But then we're also you know, movers and shakers. If you're twenty three years old and I'm faking like I'm a lawyer, I have a high school degree, and I think it made me want to level up. I mean, in my reading and how I, you know, approach life. I mean, she was a killer, she was a real winner. So I'd like to say that that shaped me a lot. I think it was already there, but I really liked how she was. She had integrity. I don't know that's a really good question.

He really is.

But I think that a lot of things that have happened after the show have been very, very consistent with what our characters might have done. Well.

I try to think about that question and unpacking on the reliving single.

Okay, we don't think about it. That question smitted this question.

You are the fans and the friends of the show can sending their questions.

And so we call it true blue. Did it blue?

Yeah, so we will make sure that one so you heard it here first, and then we'll unpack it further. Thank you.

He's giving us.

Homework, Erica or miss Alexander. What do you want me to call your Okay, Erica the great Eric.

Got you the great period.

I was reading this article on msn and MSNBC's website and the writer was talking about how you're she discovered she was late. She had discovered living single for the first time a year ago, and like deep dived and like went and read conversations around it, and she was trying to figure out why you.

Didn't want it, Emmy for your performance.

Oh that's good.

And I when I read it, I'm like, first of all, late to the party, but welcome. But I thought about it, and I was like, I mean, like, what's that feeling like for you? Because yeah, like you said, you were how old portraying the character twenty three portraying we would have never known you sold it. You did it like the storylines that y'all dive into, you know what I mean? Like, did you ever feel like there were things that should have happened.

For you in that role?

For many people, I'm unfortunately in a club that no one wants to belong to. And especially if you think that, and you know, I'll take the compliment, say thank you very much. But I was right alongside people like Cely Tyson and all these other people would never want anything for the work that they had done. And Cecily Tyson has since gotten an oscar and she got it before

They don't let you go for so far. And that's real. So it's tough.

That's real, and so I'm very gratified, but it's nothing you can do about it. There's people like Abbott, Elementary and all the other people, and they've come and doing very well. But you know, being a dark skin actress and also being funny and maybe not being the ideal of what they thought funny. Girls looked like they know what to do with me. And I got offered nothing after I finished that show.

Absolutely nothing.

No, as long as I'm alive, I will never understand that because I feel like we grew up as far as TV is concerned. In the peak, you know, black excellence, experience of television. Cosby Show was the number one show in the country. Different World was the number two show in the country. What more to black people have in proof when.

They got that Felicier for Shad never nominated for Felicia Rashad eight years? I mean, yeah, there's no explanation except for, you know, the gender and race disparities that have plagued America for all this time, and it's not unique among you know, just political people, creatives always y'all dealing with it now, y'all in the So that's what that's that's our race, Harriet Tubman did hers, that's ours.

How they work on all livings. Change change a change your view of black sisterhood? And did it shift the way you approached friendships in you your real life?

Not for me, because I have incredible female relationships, incredible if at my high school we just celebrated our forty fifth anniversary last week, I couldn't come because I was headed here.

For y'all, and so I've already had next week. You got me here now.

I'll see all tighten it up, so I'm real cute by then. But the point is I always had really good friendships and and and actually it felt normal to me to be around women that I respected. Were all different, but I respected and loved and so I had that and I had that strength. So it just felt like that felt like home. I don't know if that's the right answer. What was the questions.

You're talking about the family?

Sorry for the women friendships, you know, I was an all girls high school Philadelphia High School for Girls got to give a shout out.

And I wasn't good with girlfriends.

I always loved boys. I always love men. I'm a guys girl, I always have. I grew up in Arizona. I'm a tomboy. I always thought of men way no, no, no, no, It's not that.

It wasn't that I'm used to having good girlfriends.

I understand.

But for all that I went to an all girls high school, I didn't necessarily think that I practiced much because that was my preference. It kind of still is. I just think that there was a lot of freedom I thought that men had. They took me, took me for I don't say one of the guys, but once you show you could stand up with them, I got a lot of truth about who I was next to them, and I thought sometime I was pulling my punches with women, like oh, don't say that, you're gonna make her feel

I always went where the guys went.

I'm hanging on the court.

That's how I became so quick on my feet with being exactly having jokes, throwing them back, the throwing them at me. I didn't feel guys didn't get offended when I'm joking with them. You know, girls they a little bit more, you know, and I'm saying, they like, I'm not one. No, it was like, you know, kind of you know, you like protected in that space too. I feel very protected and respected. They do respect that, you like, Oh yeah, that's how girl. You know.

So I've been like that as well.

What I wanted to ask was, do either of you think that Friends the show Friends truly owe some of its success to the groundwork laid by Living Single.

One hundred thousand percent. One hundred thousand percent.

Moving on next question, and I always you know, this is a little fact that most people don't know, is that the president of the network of their network, NBC at the time, had been asked if there was any show that you wish you could have purchased for this, you know, upcoming season season. He said, I wish I bought Living Single, and then a year later there was Friends, and so it absolutely tracks and yeah, a great show, and wish them all well but it absolutely was influenced.

We influenced them.

And it was also tough because you know, we were both Warner Brothers production. We were on this little ranch lot, you know, off to the side, and they.

Were on the big lot.

We have a cafeteria and you have little try you know, bicycles to get from hither hither and then and and the salary.

Was huge, very different.

What the access they had to marketing, the access they had to all the money and all the things was very different than.

What we Yeah, we had craft service table run by this old, beautiful, old white dude named Pops and he's putting things out like rich crackers and pickled eggs.

We're like, we're gonna fart all day. But it did get better. We had to ask for that though, and had to.

I had just come from The Cosby Show, the biggest show in the world. I wasn't expecting it to have that kind of you know, leverage. But you did know when you thought you were being treated less than. And they didn't have to because, like a lot of productions, if you put very little into black people, we give you more. Black show Biz gives you more. And when they see that the investments not necessarily there, and that's what you really miss out on.

The Living Single. Even did it get pitched the NBC because it would make so much sense, Like you said, you were on the Cosby Show. The success of the Kybee showing different world NBC should have stood for nothing but colors after that's what success.

And that's not what didn't happen.

Actually, the good thing about it, if you if you watch, if you listen to the show and watch it, Kim has the origin story.

Kim is the origin story.

The show was created around Queen Latifa and me. A lot of people don't know that. They called me into immediate Warner Brothers and we want to do a show and a lot of people don't know this either.

The idea for the show. The impetus was, you remember the movie Jungle Fever.

There's a scene that they called the War Council and its a group of women sitting around talking about men and relationships and you know what they're dealing with. And they said to me, and I'm assuming they said to Latifa two in a separate meeting, we want to do a show.

That's about this.

And I said, if the show is about bashing men. I'm not interested and not that that scene in Jungle Fever was only about bashing men, but they were handling a particular topic and they were like, oh, okay, because I love men, and so if we can talk about the relationships and you know, the growth and you know, being driven and what do you want? I was like, I'm in. And they were having the same meetings with Latifa.

We got to give her props because both she and Latifa asked for a black show runner. There are very few black in especially in Hollywood. The writers, let alone the showrunner. Vet Lee Bowser happened to be on different world doing her things. She was on hanging with mister Cooper. She had the background, but they weren't necessarily going to just give that to her.

So you guys.

Asking and somebody female.

That was a yeah, that was like a yeah.

They just they just gave into that because during that time, I.

Think and if you you know, you get two people that you've created a deal around and we both go, yeah, she's the one.

They go, okay, well let's give her a shot.

Wow.

And also that we both were at the same agency, so our agency helped and and and Evett was also at the same agency.

It's called a Hollywood package. And so was Kim Fields in that agency, and so was John Hinton. The only two people not in that agency were me in TC.

So did you guys talk because a lot of times now on TV, people are like, we sha conversations behind the scenes, rally together and then go to the forefront and act for We went, did y'all did you wan queen and t for y'all?

Agents get to do that?

We did?

We did so that list and us we each met with her separately and we both together said, oh, she's the one, let's go with her. And then you know, the agents do their do their movements.

You know that that we.

Do know about and that we don't know about. But yeah, there was like, for example, the name of the show was not originally Living Single. It was My girls and I tell a story on the podcast of we were like they wanted to change the name to Living Single, and we thought it was horrible.

Who says that? Nobody talks that way? Yeah, what's up, I'm Living Single.

It's like, so I have a memory, and I don't know, Dana would have to correct me. If we got into a.

Little golf cart and went from the plantation lot where.

Over to the big lot and got invited into the office of the president of the network, like, you know, president of production company right like.

We would like to protest.

And I was like, all right, well, thank you very much forgiving you and I think, thank you for your feedback right now. And it's like, oh, that's a terrible name. Now it's the best name. What else would the show be called?

Basic?

Right now?

We got back on the golf cart the ll.

You know, I can't wait to hear the episode with TC costs And because he's spoken about, you know, being fired from Living Single after you know, uh, for their treatment, for that treatment compared to Friends, So how did the cast is a whole field When he got fired, there was grief, a lot of grief, anybody fight for him.

Well, then we all fought for him, but it was done before. Here's what the timing of it is. He was let go just before the you know they call the announcements for the shows, the upfront. We all come to New York. There's a big announcement. You were on stage with Fox and all the other Fox shows. I didn't find out until in the hotel room, you know, the day before. Oh, by the way, TC won't be there.

To come to work.

I wanted to it was I thought that once we got on set that we would talk about it and maybe just say we're not gonna work.

That's like hardcore. But it didn't go down that way.

And in fact, two years before I tried to leave myself and got threatened to be sued. So I already stepped up and I knew where I could go.

I was like, I wasn't Lord. See, I don't want to start. I wasn't. I wasn't happy.

And the thing was, I didn't think that I was being used well and it's it's a longer story than that, and I don't want to It needs more context for Vetley Bowser's saying, because Vettie Bowser had a lot to do with six different characters, and there were lots of things going on. But also I want to say something that emotionally, a month before I got that show, originally the pilot, my father had passed.

I had had a lot of things that I deal with mentally.

Yeah, and we didn't know that Erica, I never talked about that mess.

But the whole.

Time you were there, you never talked about your father passed.

A No, because I don't complain. I don't talk. I do my work. Like you can.

Knew that her father passed away at some point because we talked, but I don't think I knew that that had happened a month before. And to know that this is one of the revelations that happened on this podcast, it's like therapy.

You're welcome. I didn't know.

Yeah, and No, but there was a lot of things going on that you know you want to you think you want to talk about differently, maybe with your character. And maybe the reception wasn't where I thought it was. But I just said I gotta go because I'm like i'd been in theater and been doing other things, and I said, I can go back to New York. I don't need this. And it didn't work out the way I got. I got threatened to be sued and all that.

There's another reason you probably didn't tell everybody what you was actually dealing with, because they'll do stuff like that, I will.

Sue you exactly.

And I didn't have the most powerful agent. I didn't have that. I'd always gone on sets alone, you know, so I was there alone, and that just trying to think it through. And I thought, at the very least I could just go back to what I was doing now, back to TC, because that's what I think that he didn't have. That we didn't have the armor, and.

We also were darker.

And I have to say, there's something to that feeling like you're unprotected, and when you get back and there is no plan and you don't necessarily you know, friends had gotten together and they all got together to talk about their salary. They stopped going in and they got their salaries corrected tremendously.

It wasn't that feeling.

Although we were all rebels and very supportive in our own way, I don't think we knew what to do. And it hurts my heart because TC deserved more support and there was nothing I could do. And I even said, look, fire me one who would like to to go, and it wasn't. It wasn't something that could happen, and it was wrong to do. It was wrong to do.

That was he mad at y'all because he spoke up for the treatment that you know, the unfair treatment of y'all's receiving. And you would think that would be a collective thing, like you know, none of y'all got my back.

So if this is happening behind the scenes, and if you don't know, okay, we know that we were.

Getting not getting the right treatment.

If his if the decision to you, it's not like we were brought into the meeting by the way, we're gonna let TC go.

It's not I didn't know that.

Latifa didn't know that. We didn't know that in advance. I didn't it was unexpected. And you wait until we arrive in New York to go by the way, TC won't be there because of this. Dana and I get on the phone and go, what the hell's going on? We get on the phone with Evet, and Evet it is like, that's it, that's it. I didn't know there was something else that I could do in order to bring him back. If it's been if you're being told that it's done, that's it.

Deal with it, and we don't.

Go to work.

That's because we were young. Of course, there's something we could have done.

If we all ban together and said we're not going in, we could have made something happen. He could have called the INAACP. We could have done these things. But these are things that we didn't think about. You know, you didn't know how much leverage you'd have after that. I'm telling you that I know, I thought. I know, I sat down with Evet. I know I had these conversations, and I don't think he knew that. And it took years, and we had a conversation where he said, why didn't y'all stick up for me?

I said, that's not true, that's not true, that's not true.

At all, And I hate that you went all these years thinking that didn't happen. But it's also his story to tell, and there's some parts and pieces that he thinks win a certain way, and there's certainly I feel very much my outspokenness might have put him in a position too. He thinks his outspokenness, But I was very outspoken.

I was writing letters to.

The network and doing coups and walking out, you know, And I don't think that that was necessarily always taken well by people who want to control you, and they broke apart to people and him.

And it's also there's another story to tell, you know, there's our story, there's history, and then there's the story on their side. Maybe this is a conversation that you know. I don't know if he Vet has ever talked about it publicly. I don't know if Warner Brothers ever would or if theyre ever cared to so so I feel.

Like all those people are gone now from Warner Brothers that we.

Knew, but we we're bearing the burden of why didn't we do something different and not not getting a chance to get another view from what was what was happening.

They were saying it was a money issue. It's not a money issue. That's what that's paid enough for it to be a money issue. Wasn't a budgetary issue. Wasn't because we bought on a new cast member and we bought on they Dallas, and so that's not true.

I don't know what's true. All I know is that he was gone. It was right.

And let's go on record to say he's a magnificent actor, always on time, always knew his lines. It did not make sense, and there you're living in a world that doesn't always make sense and certainly is.

Not fair on the pack.

If I had Instagram, would you have gone live and just aired out the whole cast and.

We had nothing back?

Then?

We had nothing back? Of course we would have.

I would have. I'm telling you what I did that. I did that great, yes, you know.

And I didn't think that my badge was gonna work the next day because I came in and I came in here speaking of everybody. Anybody speak back, and I knew, I, uh.

Huh, whatever, No, you know. You you said give me because.

I was so mad, like what happened on me?

And you called me whack. It was a lot going on it's growing.

It's not a conversation you could have had privately with them to fix with me.

Conversation before after that. So yeah, I wasn't wrong.

It was wrong the way I did it.

Did the negotiation work for you? That period?

Family?

The family?

We are here and we are family.

Family. Yeah, this conflict.

You don't go through this life with everything personal collaboration, conflict and you know, confusion.

Yeah, leads the confession. We got that period conversion. They gotta go do, Sherry.

I know you're gonna answer this, but I hope you're gonna get into the beauty center and the weight los stuff that Queena Tiava talks about that they threw on you.

Guys. Make sure you're getting in the podcast. Please. I would love to hear the.

Conception and they said they're gonna have me on there.

Absolutely please, she.

Said have me to or she's gonna go back live again.

You're welcome, Thank you.

That would be our the legends, Erica, Alexander and Kim Coles. Make sure you check out the Reliving Single podcast, new episodes every Wednesday starting this Wednesday, May seventh, on YouTube. And Yes, I am going to talk to Erica about getting the audio on the black effect. Goddammit.

Yeah, you have to protest to.

The club.

Wake that answer up in the morning.

The Breakfast Club MHM.