Tamar Braxton Joins Returns to Reality Tv Years After the Pressure of Drove Her to the Brink
Tamar Braxton is returning to the small screen years after claiming the pressures of reality television contributed to her purported 2020 suicide attempt.
Braxton, who has been a part of reality television since 2011, will join “The Surreal Life” reboot. “The Surreal Life” was broadcast on VH1 from 2003 to 2006 and follows a group of celebrities living their everyday lives in a California mansion.
Tamar Braxton opens up about joining the reboot of “The Surreal Life” years after revealing that the pressures of reality television pushed her to the brink of committing suicide. (Photo: “Entertainment Tonight” screenshot)
Braxton will appear in the show’s rebooted 2022 season alongside Dennis Rodman, August Alsina, Frankie Muniz, Kim Coles, Manny MUA, CJ Perry, and Stormy Daniels. In an Oct. 18 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Braxton revealed that she accepted the offer to be a cast member on “The Surreal Life” because she was a “huge fan” when it first aired.
She said, “I was a huge fan. That’s the reason why I joined the show.” Further in the conversation, Braxton admitted that despite liking the series she didn’t know what she was getting herself into.
The 45-year-old said without revealing any details about the upcoming season, “The truth is about this new reboot of ‘Surreal Life’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Oh, baby, buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
As the discussion shifted to Braxton’s well-being following the tumultuous time in her life in 2020, the “Love & War” songstress disclosed that she is in a better state now than she has ever been.
She said, “I’m doing great. I’m a prime example that you don’t have to stay where you are. You can put in a lot of hard work and challenge yourself and really make the decision to want to be better and do better, and I did that. I am from where I was a year and a half, two years ago. Just for the next person who feels there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel, here I am.”
On July 16, 2020, Braxton reportedly was hospitalized following a purported suicide attempt after being found unconscious in her home. Weeks after the incident, on July 30, 2020, Braxton took to Instagram to thank fans for their support and give insight into what contributed to the incident.
Braxton claimed in the lengthy message that the promises We TV offered her to “protect and portray” her life story as authentically as possible were never met. At the time, Braxton worked on numerous projects for the company, including “Braxton’s Family Values” and “Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life.”
But instead, Braxton claimed that she was taken advantage of, overworked and underpaid. The “Pieces” vocalist also said when she tried to cut ties with WE TV and be freed from her contract by sending a letter to the company it went unanswered.
One day following Braxton’s allegations, We TV would part ways with the mother of one.
Although it is unclear what prompted Braxton’s change of heart about joining reality television again, fans can see the star in action when “The Surreal Life” reboot premieres on VH1 on Oct. 24 at 9 p.m. ET.