Fans of many classic Black shows of the 90s and early 2000s that were noticeably absent from streaming platforms got their prayers answered when it was announced that many of these shows would now be available. Shows like “Sister Sister,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends,” “One on One,” “Half & Half,” “The Parkers,” and “Moesha” were all said to finally be available on streaming giant Netflix in the coming weeks.
With this news of Moesha’s debuting on Netflix, and of the release of R&B star Brandy’s latest album “B7”, new details are emerging from past instances concerning the show. For years, rumors have run rampant of contention plaguing the set of the hit 90s sitcom.
Reports that Brandy and her co-star Countess Vaughn, who played “Kim,” Moesha’s best friend on the show, were quite the opposite, as rumors continuously swirled that the two were constantly butting heads. This, adding on to the already widespread rumors of a feud between Brandy and fellow R&B star, Monica, would follow them for years to come.
In a 1998 interview with Vibe Magazine, Brandy confirmed there were indeed issues between the two, implying that Vaughn was jealous of her, and that is where the feud stemmed from.
“I think she’s very funny, very talented,” she told the publication. “I just feel like she wants to be in the position I’m in. People tell her, ‘You’re the reason why the show’s successful.’ And she’s told me that before. And she’s called me a b—h to my face. She said, ‘I’m the reason why the show is successful, b—h.’ In front of a lot of people. And I looked at her like, ‘Wow.’ I couldn’t say nothing about her because I wasn’t about to. She knows. She wakes up and looks at herself in the mirror and gets disgusted. I don’t.”
However, Vaughn seemed to see the situation differently, when she appeared on “Sinbad,” a late-night talk show hosted by the comedian, also in 1998, and had the following to say: “It happens in families. But I love her. I love B! I love you girl…that’s my sister.”
After years of a strained relationship, it was reported the network seemed to figure out a solution. With Countess Vaughn’s character being extremely popular, they developed a spin-off of the show centered around her and her mother, “Nikki Parker,” played by comedian and Oscar-winning actress, Mo’Nique. The show would go on to become a success of its own for five seasons.
An article posted in the “New York Post” in 2000 said the hatchet seemed to be buried between the two as Brandy skipped the Grammy’s ceremony that year, even though she was nominated, and stunned Vaughn as well as the live studio audience by surprising her on the set of The Parkers.
This was the first time Norwood visited the set, even though she tapes her show on the same studio lot just yards away.
However, a report has resurfaced that contradicts that things seem to have been amicable when they split. A 1999 LA Times article said that the show’s creator, Vida Spears, had been fired from the show due to a “power struggle with Brandy and her mother and manager, Sonja Norwood.” The article reports, “the ousting of Spears, which took place Tuesday, was not wholly unexpected to those working on the series where tensions had been building for weeks over the show’s creative direction. Brandy also wanted to be named as an executive producer, which Spears opposed.”
It is alleged that the Norwoods, as well as the network, wanted to introduce more dramatic and gritty elements to the show, while Spears wanted to stick to the family-oriented comedic roots that the show was rooted in.
Pertaining to Vaughn’s departure, they continue, “The popularity of “The Parkers” was particularly galling to the Norwoods … The two actresses were seen fighting constantly, and Brandy finally demanded that Vaughn be taken off the show. Because Kim was one of the comedy’s most popular characters, producers decided to create a new show involving her.” Years later, Countess Vaughn would feel led to apologize for her role in the tumultuous relationship. Taking to Instagram, she penned a lengthy apology to her former co-star.
“At the end of the day,” she says, “I had to learn in find myself why not be friends when we’re both talented, Why call you names when your [sic] just an amazing person? I’m proud of you for being you and working to rise to the best you inside of you. You are an amazing being with amazing God-given capacity.”
Brandy eventually accepted the apology, and the two reunited in 2018, with the rest of the cast on the daytime talk show, ‘The Real.’ The cast discussed different issues, including a potential reboot of the show or a finale episode to conclude the series, since the last episode of the series left fans with a cliff hanger.
Brandy has recently hinted at the reboot finally happening, or a sequel, after the show debuted on Netflix.
Brandy confirms "Moesha" reboot during a Moesha reunion at the DIVAS Foundation Against AIDS pic.twitter.com/h5k60FXVGR
— BRANDY LEGION | #B7 (@BrandyLegion) December 4, 2019
