Jenifer Lewis on Her Memoir, The Mother of Black Hollywood

As long as we can remember, Jenifer Lewis has played a mom or that outspoken auntie in black TV shows and movies. She is funny, outrageous, and always witty.  The actress, currently playing Ruby on Black-ish, has been a regular on our TV screens since the days of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but she actually got her start in Broadway. She now has a memoir that delves into her massive career and deeply personal stories. It is titled “The Mother of Black Hollywood.”

The title, of course, fits her career perfectly. But don’t let the mother figure fool you. Ms. Lewis gets frank about her sexscapades in her years on Broadway and how she used men to cope with her undiagnosed (at the time) bipolar disorder.  The story gets much darker as she honestly talks about the sexual abused she suffered at a young age by a pastor.  She was also raped by an intruder that broke into her apartment.

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Vanity Fair sat down with the legendary actress for an in-depth interview recently about her memoir, her long and colorful career, and why she dubbed herself the mother of black Hollywood.

Read the full interview here.

Here is Jenifer Lewis appearance on The View.