01x01 - The Braxtons are Back!

[bunniefuu]

[Camera shutter clicks]

Toni:

Trina, hurry up.

Trina:

I'm coming right now!

Man: We've got Trina

in makeup.

Toni's here.

Towanda is on the way.

Towanda: You good?

You ready for today?

Um, I'm getting ready

emotionally, yeah.

I'm getting made up for it,

but emotionally, eh, we'll see.

Are you good?Yeah, I'm in a good space.

Woman:

Tamar is in route.

Man:

Miss E's in the kitchen.

She's gonna be cooking.

We should be sh**ting

in about 20 minutes.

"The Braxtons."

The Braxtons are back, guys!

Look at God.

Man: All right, y'all,

let's get last looks in

so we can get this going.

Let's get this party started.

This is my first

green screen.

What's the black gonna

what's the background gonna be?

In the back?

-Yep.

Miss E:

It's been a long time coming.

We've dealt with a lot,

and so we have a lot to share.

Matter of fact, the Braxtons

never should have gone away.

How 'bout that?

Wouldn't you agree?

I love you guys,

in case you didn't know.

Yeah, baby.

Now we talkin'.

I think that the Braxtons

remind every family

of themselves in some aspect

[Cheering]

whether it's

the music aspect

Oh, Mary, don't you weep

[Vocalizing]

Mother, don't you Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!

Let's watch these Let's watch

these pitches, honey.

When you ready for me,

let me know.

-Oh, you tryin'.

-I can't I'm standing.

whether you're getting along,

whether you're not

getting along

Well, since you left

the group, Toni, somebody

had to take control.

[Laughter]

the cliques that's

within the families,

it somehow reminds you

of your own.

Hey. I'm so glad

you're cooking.Mwah!

Trina: With our family,

there's always an opportunity

for things to go left.

[Laughs]

I am just really excited

that things are going right.

[Laughs]

-[Sighs]

-Aah!

Towanda: You know, I'm glad

that we're back.

But the other part of it is,

I know that we have

a missing piece

that is never gonna be

the same without her.

Toni: This week is the second

anniversary of Traci's passing.

Traci wanted everybody to know

that she was a fighter and that,

you know, her illness was

not going to break her spirit.

She was gonna

always remain the Traci

that we all knew her to be.

Hey!

Hi. Why y'all so excited

to see me?

My sisters are here.

Traci may not be here

physically,

but her spirit and her energy

will alwaysbe here.

It'll be here forever.

Toni:

Give it up for Traci!

Miss E:

She called me.

She said, "Mommy,

I have cancer."

Toni: I felt so helpless,

like I couldn't do anything

to save her.

I feel like we need to have

some type of support.

-Like grief management?

-Grief management or

because that's a lot.

I had the echo done.

I had the EKG.

I had bloodwork done.

What's wrong

with your heart?

[Crying]

Suppose that I got my boys.

What's gonna happen

to Denim and Diezel?

I am who I am. You accept me

or you just don't accept me.

It's just a part of who I am.

I have alopecia,

and that's just it.

Trina: We're just calling

to check in on you,

see how you feeling,

see how you doing.

I don't want him

to go into a downward spiral.

We need to go ahead

and go in grief counseling.

Tell me, what do you feel

like you need help with?

I don't think

I'm ready.

So I have no idea

what to expect.

Any idea for what

may need to happen tonight

in order to make sure that it

stays in a positive direction?

♪♪

[Tape rewinding]

♪♪

♪♪

-All right.

-Unh-unh. Unh-unh.

Braxtons, baby.

Let's get it.

♪♪

Come on, Caleb.

Take care.

All right, love you.

Trina: You, too.

Have a great day.

What is that

you're making?

Beef chorizo.

I am hungry.

I haven't had any food today.

Oh, shocker.

Are you putting

all that cheese in there?

Uh, no, not unless you want to

stay in the bathroom

for the next

couple of days.

Yeah, I'm good.

When's that

gonna be done?

In a few minutes.

What are we gonna eat

with it?

-Chips.

-That's it?

It's dip.

Mm. Any broccoli?

Trina:

Von and I have been married

for almost five years now,

and our blended family

has blended together

quite beautifully, and I'm

still so much in love with Von,

it's like the first day

that I married him.

["Bridal Chorus" plays]

Walk all the way up

and then let it go.

Man: Pause.

-Yeah.

-Now spread out. Ooh!

-Oh, [bleep]

-I got you, I got you,

I got you, I got you.

Got you.

She slipped.

I did.

I knew my pants was too long.

I couldn't hold my pants up

and hold Trina dress up

at the same time.

It was either her or me.

I ain't drink nothing.Watch your boob.

Watch your boob.

Watch your boob.

How you feeling

about the show coming back?

I'm a little leery.

It's been three years now

since we've last done the show.

And then ever since everything

happened even with Traci, I

I would have thought

that maybe, you know,

it would have brought

everybody to a different place

where we're closer

and things like that.

But that's not

what happened here.

And I just wonder

how that's gonna be

actually working together again,

'cause we haven't really done

any kind of works together,

not collaboratively.

And that's it

that worries me.

I won't say that my sisters

and I have become estranged

since Traci's passing.

I feel like no one really wanted

to address it and talk about it.

So my feelings were enclosed.

They were put in a box.

And especially for me,

that was unhealthy.

I should have had my sisters

to lean on to be those people

for me to talk to,

but it just didn't feel

like that's what they wanted

for themselves.

You know we're supposed

to be going to dinner

with Toni

and the girls tonight.

Well, not youWho is "we"?

-but me and

-Okay, cool.

Towanda and Tamar

and Mommy.

Nice. Y'all need some time

together.

I'm really glad that Toni is

in town for a couple of days

because we never see each other.

okay?

Tonight will be

a good check-in to see

how everyone's doing,

especially as we get close

to the two-year anniversary

of Traci's passing.

Mommy's been pushing for us

to talk to a grief counselor

together, but we haven't decided

if we're ready to do that yet.

We're gonna talk about,

you know, Traci.

We never really sat and talked

about it as a family

ever since

That day.

you know,

we had her memorial service.

Yep.

How are you feeling?

It's been difficult.

It's been difficult.

Grieving is a very real thing,

you know what I mean?

That's a given, yeah.And it's

That's why it's so important

for us to stay in contact

with Baby Kevin,

with Little Kevin.

Little Kevin is

not just Traci's son.

He's her only child.Hey!

They had the deepest bond

in the whole entire world.

Hey, Kevin!

I think the loss of Traci

for Little Kevin

was one of the most

detrimental things

he's ever been through

in his life,

and we need to make sure

he knows that

just because he lost his mother,

he isn't alone.

Dude lost his mom

very early in life.

But he doesn't speak

to his dad as much either.

What?

I didn't know that.

Not as often as I would

I would think.

I won't speak negatively

about his dad

because his dad

was grieving, too.

No matter my personal opinion

toward him,

he's still a grieving husband.

But when your surviving parent

is shut down

and the parent that you lost

is gone,

who do you

who do you have?

It's almost a loss

of both parents.

I think we should check on him,

see how he's doing.

I just don't know

The situation was

tough for everybody.

Yeah.

It's tough for everybody.

But Toni said that

she has something to say to us.

But you just never know

what it's gonna be.

Good or bad?

I don't know,

Toni, in true Toni fashion,

asked the family

to come to dinner,

and she had something

to tell us, you know.

But this time, when she told us

that she wanted to talk,

the setting of her tone

was very melancholy.

And I'm really afraid 'cause

Toni has always been recluse

when it comes to her feelings.

She's never really been

this person

who just wants everybody to know

what's going on with her.

-You know what?

-Hmm?

It don't matter

what she wants to talk about.

The fact of the matter is

that all of y'all be together.

Now, that I agree with.

♪♪

Trina: We've never truly grieved

together since Traci's passing.

'Cause I don't think

I'm ready.

I haven't talked

to anyone at all.

I just try to live

with a broken heart.

This is really messed up.

I'm scared, like, every day.

[Crying] And I can't even

handle that feeling.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

-Hey, Mama.

-Hey.

-Everybody looks amazing.

-Nice.

I would just like to say,

for the record,

I'm not paying because y'all

do this to me every time.

Who's paying?

Towanda. She's late.

[Laughs]

Miss E: This family dinner is

the first time

that everyone's together

filming again.

It feels so good to have

everyone in the same room.

However, I'm missing Traci.

How's everybody been?

I ain't seen everybody.

I haven't seen or talked to you.

Where you been?

I know.

I've been working.

-Good.

-I'm excited.

I haven't worked

in 15 months.

These days, I'm a bit bicoastal

between L.A. and Atlanta,

but I've been seeing in L.A.

more lately

since I've been rehearsing

for my new Las Vegas show

with Cedric the Entertainer.

It's called "Love & Laughter,"

and it's a variety show with

singing and dancing and comedy,

which is kind of new for me,

but I'm getting more

and more excited

about the challenge of it all.

-You feel like you ready?

-I'm a little nervous.

Yesterday I was like,

"I'm nervous, Cedric.

I haven't performed in "

I'm never nervous like this.

So just anxiety,

that's all.

-You got this.

-Yeah, you're fine.

You got this.

I actually had a Vegas show

over 15 years ago, in 2007,

and while I was doing that show,

I had chest pains.

That's when I was diagnosed

with lupus.

And I was told then that I may

never be able to perform again.

And I was scared to tell anyone.

The truth is that

I have lupus,

What do you mean?

I've been battling it

for a while,

and I didn't want to tell anyone

'cause everyone's like,

"Oh, you can't tell anyone

'cause you can't work.

You don't want to tell anybody

'cause it might defer people

from wanting to work

with you."

So anyway,

now I'm tired of faking it.

[Sobs]

I'm a little scared 'cause

I haven't performed it so long.

But the doctor said 15 months,

and this is exactly 15 months.

Oh.

Ugh. I know I have to tell the

girls about the health scare,

which makes me feel

some kind of way,

'cause the last health scare

we heard was Traci.

My family know

that a few months ago

I had to have a stent

put in my heart,

which was extremely scary,

but I haven't told them the

nitty gritty, the details of it,

what really has happened.

So I gotta make sure

that, you know, I tell them

without making them

I want them to feel at ease,

I should say.

And it's not easy

to talk about for myself.

But on the brink

of Traci's stuff,

I don't want to get

them riled up.

"Ooh, is Toni okay?"

So I don't even want

to tell them.

Maybe I shouldn't.

I don't know.

You look really good,

by the way.I do?

I can tell you've been

over there in that

California lifestyle.

I'm over here in

this Georgia lifestyle.

It's a little different.

I hate living

in Lemon Pepper Island.

-You know what?

-Where's that?

-What's Lemon Pepper Island?

-That's where I live at.

Everything is lemon pepper.

They probably got

lemon pepper pedicures.

It's lemon pepper everything.

Lemon pepper and hookah.

Hookah, lemon, hookah, lemon,

hookah.

But we have guacamole.

We eat avocado toast.

-I'll eat that.

-What?

What about you?

Is you single? What's the tea?

Oh, that's a big tea.

Ah, I feel like

I'm single.

I feel like

I'm pretty much single.

What's that mean?

"Pretty much"?

I was engaged.

I'm not married.

I'm not engaged anymore.

And I'm not married.

And that's all I'm gonna say.

So you got a boyfriend?

I'm focused on my two boys

and my work.

It's been a strange time

since Traci's passed,

but I am happy in my life

overall.

Just not in a place

for a relationshipright now.

-Yeah. What are you checking?

-Under my eye.

What are you doing,

First Wives Club?

-Under my eye.

-Oh, yeah.

-Ahhhhh!

-Wow.

-[Laughs]

-Oh, wow. Twins!

-Y'all did this on purpose.

-We did not.

Oh, my God!

Why are you copying

off of me?

Nothing wrong with it.

They did it on purpose.

I did not, I was

I didn't see Trina all day.

All I want to know is,

what's new, pussycat?

Y'all used to dress like this

when y'all were younger.

-I'm flabbergasted.

-Oh, my God!

Traci is, like, 100% looking

down, cracking up.

I mean, I've been missing this.

Whenever we get together,

there's always this crazy

and silly moments.

And with Traci,

it was even crazier.

She made everything fun.

Traci: I have to pee right now.

I can't wait.

Woman: Don't pee, Traci,

just 'cause it's ocean!

Don't pee. Traci!I have to pee!

Wait for a bathroom,

Traci!

[Whistling and singing]

Where do you get

that big Bob Marley one?

[Laughter]

It just don't seem right.

It's like a seat's missing.

-Yeah, it is missing.

-Traci's holding our purses.

-Yeah.

-Not exactly.

"I'm not holding

everybody purse."

"Everybody take their own.

Here you, here you,

and here you."

I hear all the time

from our fans

how they miss watching

our antics

♪♪

[All screaming]

laughing with us.

[Laughter]

No, no!

[Indistinct conversation]

Clink, clink, clink, clink,

clink, clink, clink.

-Yes!

-That's that old Whitney clap.

Whitney gonna get you.

Have a seat.

Mm!

Toni:

and crying with us

I don't want to

talk about that.

But it's the truth.

and singing with us.

The trumpet

Sound

[Singing indistinctly]

Because

[Singing indistinctly]

♪♪

She got four kids,

and that's enough ♪

She don't want no more kids,

and that's just ♪

Dear dog

Dear dog

We don't like all y'all

Dear dog

Happy birthday to you

-Thank you, guys!

-Yes!

When we were filming

for your birthday in L.A.,

she was telling me and Trina,

she was like,

"I can't even swallow.

It hurts. It burns.

Oh, my God. It burns.

Burns when I swallow.

Ooh, it burns.

Ooh, it burns.

Can I get a Ketel One?"

[Laughter]

-Yeah.

-She was sick.

When she finally went

to the doctor

When she went is

when she get homeI was in LA.

-Yeah.

-And she called me.

She said, "Mommy,

I have cancer."

That was

She said,

"But I'm gonna beat this."

I said,

"I know you will."

When Traci got diagnosed,

it didn't seem real at all.

It still doesn't.

For me, family is the most

important thing in my life.

I spent my whole life caring for

and protecting my sisters.

But this was different 'cause

there's nothing I could do.

I felt so helpless,

like I couldn't do anything

to save her.

That's really hard

for me to digest

because I was the sick one,

not Traci.

Anyway, I'm sorry, guys.

I just need a moment.

[Clears throat]

[Exhales]

Okay, here we go.

[Clears throat]

I can't mess up my makeup.

You know, I feel like we need to

have some type of support.

-Like grief management?

-Grief management or

because that's a lot to

-It's a lot.

-You know what I'm saying?

-Yes.

Miss E: Everybody is dealing

with it in their own way.

But I think Trina really

and truly

need extensive counseling

because she was there

when Traci took her last breath.

Has anybody gone to

grief counseling?

I probably should have

after Traci.Yeah.

I have before,

but not after Traci,

and I probably should have.Yeah.

Every time I see

your necklace

-Oh, yeah.

-I don't have mine on today.

-I think of Tray.

-Traci wanted us to wear this.

And she just

She's like, "I want my sisters

to all wear"

No, she said she want us

to take her wherever

All: We go.

Traci loved hummingbirds.

There was a just this whole

mural on her back.

It was five hummingbirds,

so it represented every sister.

Before she passed,

she told us that she always

wants us to take her with us

so she can continue her journey.

So wherever I go, whatever

I'm doing, I take her with me.

She's still here.

She's still here.

Now, the only time

I ever take Traci off

is when I'm in a moment

with my husband.

I'm sure she doesn't

want to be there.

Sorry, Traci, but I'm sure you

didn't want to be there.

[Laughs]

How's Little Kevin doing?

He's going through

some things,

you know, he's going through

a divorce, so

Wait, what happ

what what happened?

He told everybody what happen?

What happened?

I am taken aback

that Little Kevin is going

through a divorce

because I see Little Kevin

all the time.

We have dinner and catch up

and things like that.

But he's never told me about

his situations with my niece.

Traci would be sad about that,

very sad.

Toni: Has Little Kevin done

grief management?

-No.

-No, no, no.

'Cause loss of his mom

that's a lot.

His best friend.

[Sighs] I heard that

Kevin was getting a divorce,

and I know

I think of Traci.

That would break her heart.

And 'cause it's breaking mine,

for God's sakes.

Towanda: She about to cry.

What's wrong?

-I'm not.

-Yes, she is.

It's time.

Tamar: You can't touch Trina

when she's crying.

Mnh-mnh.

As time go by

Don't! Don't handle my plate

like that!

[Laughter]

-Let's change the subject.

-I'd like to hear Toni's news.

I went to the doctor.

♪♪

-Here's to Traci.

-I'm not above you.

-Clink, clink, clink.

-I'm not below you.

Together:

I'm right here with you.

How are you guys feeling

about being here tonight?

What's going on?

Y'all got so many secrets.

-I don't have any secrets.

-It's so irritating.

Trina's going tapping,

and it's like

But this is not the forum.

This is not the forum.

Trina: I would like to hear

Toni's news.

I went to the doctor.

My heart was aching.

It was like I had had

every test done.

I had the echo done.

I had the EKG.

I had bloodwork done.

And I went to get the angio

and the doctor was like,

"No, that's your pre-op.

I said, "What you mean,

my pre-op?"

"No, you having surgery.

Gotta look inside your heart."

What's wrong

with your heart?

If the heart attack

had happened,

they caught it

just before it happened.

If I had had a heart attack,

I wouldn't have survived.

I wouldn't be here

right now.

But it was something

called the Widowmaker.

They told me, "Your sister

was watching over you

'cause you, by rights,

should be dead today.

You should not

be alive today."

I've always known

Toni's health was serious.

I didn't take it lightly.

As a mother, I worry.

And I think she feels

that if Traci can leave now,

so soon, well, maybe me too.

The thing that's

really messed up

doctor I was told that

It's okay, Tonieven though

I got the stent in,

you will eventually need

bypass surgery.

Because if I have

a heart attack, I won't survive.

I had to have

a stent put in my heart,

which was extremely scary.

It's very scary procedure

itself.

But when my doctor told me

I might not ever be

able to do a tour again,

okay, I heard it before,

but this was different.

They say you may never be able

to do another tour

because you could have a heart

attack and it could k*ll you.

It's, like, crazy anxiety.

It's like

[crying] I just think about it

all the time.

What's gonna happen

to Denim and Diezel?

Who would take care of them?

This is really bad stuff, so I'm

scared, like, every day.

If I have a heart attack,

I won't survive,

and I can't even handle

that feeling.

Just because they say it

doesn't make it true.

-Oh, absolutely.

-Can I offer you something?

All I could think about

were the boys.

And I hate saying it

out loud even now,

'cause it's real.

It's real life.

So I have to be scared

every day.

Every day!

You can't even understand.

Like, oh, is that heartburn

or am I having a heart attack?

The Bible says, "Speak things,

although they are" what?

"so. And so it is."

-That's it.

-That's how that works.

It's a personal thing.

As soon as you feel that

the fear is comingAmen.

in here, you demand it

to leave and it will.

That's just it.Did you point

to my vag*na?

Yes. You made you made it

to leave, and it will.

Well, if you don't

use it

-You don't use it

-You lose it.

Now, that's a fact.

Trina: Seeing my family

rally around Toni

with so much love and support

reminded me of

how many times

we've hugged each other

and loved on each other

in the past,

and it gives me hope that we can

be as close as we used to be.

And it might take time, but

we always have Traci with us,

making us stronger.

Toni: I needed this more than

I wanted to admit to myself,

and I honestly think we all did.

-Aw, you'll be fine, girl.

-Yep.

-You're already okay.

-You're already good.

Trina:

You're already okay.

For me, the main reason

for wanting to do "The Braxtons"

again is because of Traci.

She wanted us to do the show.

She wanted us to talk

about her cancer, her illness,

in hopes that it would help

someone else maybe battling it.

Whenever there's a loss,

a death in the family,

it can go either way

it can bring you closer

or further apart.

And I think this was her way

of making sure we stay together.

♪♪

-And it is so.

-Let me tell you something.

You already living.

You can't be afraid to live.

[Crying] I thought I was

strong enough,

but I wasn't strong enough

to see it.

And if somebody said,

"Trina drink too much,"

well, I'm sorry!

That's what Trina needs

right now!

You act like

you guys are enemies.

I can't take it!

It's too much!

Turn it up

You look adorable.

-So do you.

-Thank you.

I got you a drink,

and I got me a drink.

All right, but after today,

I'm on a hiatus.

So, why?

'Cause I need my stomach

to be flat.

[Laughs]

Umba and I

have always been super close.

You know, Towanda

and I live in Georgia.

Toni and Tamara

lived in California.

My brother Mikey and Traci

lived together in Maryland.

So it just made more sense

for Towanda and I

to gravitate towards each other.

But especially after

Traci's passing,

we've gotten even closer

because you just never know.

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

So, you know, Trina,

a lot of people

were sending me messages saying,

"Oh, my God.

Is Towanda sick?

Is Towanda sick?

Oh, my God.

Is she sick, too?"

First of all,

you remember that we all said

that we were gonna cut

our hair, right?

Butyou didn't

cut your hair.

I have a face that's round

like Mommy's.

[Laughs]

Y'all have slender faces.

Mine is round.

That was my inheritance.

I hadn't exactly told

the world that I have alopecia.

A lot of people assume

a lot of different things.

I took pride in how I looked,

and I have to be honest

I didn't think about my body.

It was what was going on

in the inside.

And that was, "Oh, my gosh.

People are gonna know

that I have alopecia.

Oh, my God.

Maybe people aren't gonna

like me anymore."

How do you feel

about it now?

I am who I am. You accept me

or you just don't accept me.

It's just a part

of who I am.

I have alopecia,

and that's just it.

-I like it.

-Well, thank you.

There's this video of Traci.

And she got her long,

little, skinny fingers.

And she's just rubbing

on Towanda's head.

And Towanda has all these

patches, you know,

of, like, missing hair.

Traci used to always do my hair,

didn't you, Trace?

Mm-hmm.

Remember that?

Only Trace would just always

just rub it, just

just rub Towanda's hair.

And

Towanda

cut off her hair,

and Traci said

that she should do it.

And

[Exhales] I need a second,

'cause you're not gonna get me.

You're not gonna get me today.

Mm. I don't know why,

but Little Kevin's on my mind.

-Is he really?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Want me to call him? Okay.

-Yeah.

Towanda:

Since Traci passed,

we have really been trying

to be there

for Little Kevin as much

as possible.

I know we can never fill

that void of losing his mom

and his best friend,

but we are definitely doing

the best that we can

to be there for him.

-Aunties.

-Hi!

-Hey!

-How y'all?

We're just calling

to check in on you,

see how you feeling,

see how you doing.

Towanda: Well, I love you.

You look amazing.

Who did your hair?Yeah, your twists are cute.

Thank you.

Wait, wait. What?

What?! Your wife

braided your hair?

When did she do that?

-But she did your hair.

-Right.

Little Kevin is Traci's

only son,

and I think

that the death of Traci

has really affected

his marriage.

-Gotta keep it moving.

-I'm sorry.

Especially in the middle of

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

He's lost a mom

and a best friend,

and he's losing his wife,

so I can only imagine what

he's going through emotionally.

We were all together

last night,

and what we understand is

that we need to go ahead

and go in grief counseling.

Okay.

After last night, we all agreed

to have family grief therapy,

and we're deciding that we're

gonna go to Toni's house.

Mommy and Trina are cooking

Traci's favorite meals,

like oxtail and turkey wings,

to celebrate her.

And we're also gonna meet

with the grief therapist.

This is a different journey

for us,

and I'm very hopeful

that maybe whatever's going on

with everybody in the family,

maybe they can get it out,

because I think

that's important.

Would you want to be

a part of that, too?

-Yeah.

-Mm-hmm.

Of course.

Of course.

-Yeah.

-I know you do.

I don't want him

to go into a downward spiral,

you know,

especially during holidays,

especially during

those commemorative moments.

That's when a lot of people

get so downtrodden,

you know, they just don't want

to have to deal with the stress.

They don't want to have

to deal with the hurt.

They don't want to have

to deal with their feelings.

He's gotta get it out

of his body.

But you know, we're gonna

get through this together.

Yes.

I love you!

Kisses.

Bye.

-Here's to Traci.

-I'm not above you.

Clink, clink, clink,

clink, clink.

-I'm not below you.

-I'm right here with you.

Yes.

Ahh.

Tell me, what do you feel

like you need help with?

Towanda: When we go through

therapy sessions,

a lot of things are revealed.

I have to call y'all back.

-Are you okay?

-No.

-Okay.

-Go check on him, Towanda.

-He has a warrant.

-Wait a minute. What?

♪♪

♪♪

Onions?

No, ma'am. I need you

to slice the, um

the onions

and the garlic.

Oh, no!

I can't get that stuff

in my clothes.

Well, I hadn't

changed yet, so

-I'll have Michelle to do it.

-Oh, my God!

-Yeah, girl!

-Prima donna.

Everybody knows that.

That's my middle name.

This week is the two-year

anniversary of Traci's passing,

and we're getting ready

for our family grief therapy

at Toni's house.

I invited a therapist,

and her name is Spirit,

and she helped me so much

in the past,

and I'm hoping she can do

the same for everyone else.

Mommy and I came early

to start cooking

some of Traci's favorite dishes,

but Tonihas to get camera-ready

and Towanda and Tamar

are on their way now.

[Line ringing]

-Umba!

-Hey, Tone.

Toni:

Are you on your way here?

Towanda: Yeah.

I'll be there in a few minutes.Okay.

Like, I'm just doing

the temperature check.

You good?

You ready for today?

Um, I'm getting ready

emotionally, yeah.

I'm getting made up for it,

but emotionally, uh, we'll see.

Good.

I'm in a good space.

You know,

I'm eager to listen.

I'm eager to learn.

I'm eager to grow.

Yeah. Yeah, I haven't I

haven't talked to anyone at all

about Traci stuff.

I've been dealing with it

on my own, so

I'm optimistic

that this will help me.

Yes. Yes!

Toni: I'm optimistic that

this grief management thing

will work, but

I just miss her.

[Crying]

I just miss her every day.

I try to make myself think

of something positive,

like the butterfly doesn't know

it used to be a caterpillar,

and a caterpillar doesn't know

it's gonna be a butterfly.

So Traci's a butterfly.

You just try

to live with a broken heart,

and it's really difficult

trying to make yourself live

with a broken heart.

Toni: Well, you know what?

This is gonna sound real corny.

It's hard to try

to live with a broken heart.

So maybe she can help

unbreak our hearts.

I know that sounds

real corny.

Toni Braxton!

You had to put your song

in there, "Unbreak My Heart"?

I wasn't even

thinking about

I'm talking about

Johnny Mathis version.

I'm singing Johnny Mathis

version.

Oh, no. Unh-unh.

No. No, no.

That is amazing.

Well, at least we can smile

and laugh, you know?

Well, I'll see you in a minute.

-All right. See you.

-Bye.

♪♪

♪♪

Hey!

Tamar: I think grief counseling

is very important.

Whether you lose someone

to death

or lose someone

in a relationship, you know,

I just feel like it's something

that you have to do.

Why you Why you got on

surgical gloves?

-Hey, there, Mother.

-'Cause I had to clean oxtail.

Tamar: Oh.

Miss E:

Traci loved buttermilk biscuits,

so I'm making her in her honor.

-Let's have some cham-pag-ne.

-I got a quick question.

So, what's the objective

of today?

I think it depends

on the individual.

What do you want

to accomplish?

Oh, I'm here

for moral support.

I've been to I've been to,

uh, counseling.

I've been to every kind

of counselor.

I've been to a psychiatrist.

I've been

to a spiritual counselor.

I've been to EFAs. I've been

I've been to everybody.

Different things call for

different kind of people

to explain it to you properly.

The way my help is set up,

I don't care where it come from

as long as I get it.

Grief counseling is

a lot different than

regular counseling.

'Cause I've been to regular

counseling before.

Let me ask you a question.

This is not

I'm not trying

to be derogatory.

No, ask the questions

that you want to ask.

Where Spirit come from?

Why is you calling her

Spirit?

-That's her name.

-That's her name.

Oh.

Obviously,

she didn't come from you.

Well, I've actually known her

for a lot of years.

Towanda: Okay, what was the

first experience with her?

HonestlyPlease.

the first time that

I had a conversation with her,

and this was

almost five years ago,

and that's when

Gabe passed away.

Oh.

It was very helpful.

But I just wasn't ready.

-No, I feel you.

-I wasn't ready.

I'm asking you

to marry me.

Before I was married to Von,

I was married to Gabe

for 14 1/2 years,

and we were on and off

for the last few years.

[Laughs] What the [bleep]

did you do to your hair?

-You don't like it?

-No!

Trina: He loved me.

He loved my family.

They loved him in their own way.

Put on some pants.

-Mm, mm, mm.

-What?

Nobody want to see d*ck Van d*ke

all over the place.

-Wait!

[Laughter]

Trina:

After Gabe and I divorced,

we stayed really good friends.

And when he passed away

from cancer,

he was only 43 years old.

And even though I was

very happy with Von

at the time, and still am,

the pain was unexpected,

'cause I lose someone who was

a really big part of my family

and in the lives of my children,

and that wasn't something

I was ready for.

So when you asked her to come,

"Can you help my family?",

what did you ask her

to help?

I just knew, even from

a short period of time,

how she helped me.

She asked questions

that I didn't want to face

at the time,

but I knew

that I had to.Okay.

Well, can we get this show

on the road, because

I'm ready.We gonna get

this road on the show.

I gotta go upstairs and change.

I brought my stuff.

Why do you

have to change?

'Cause I brought an outfit

that Traci gave to me.Oh, okay.

Oh, that's what

you doing today?Very Traci-esque.

That's what

I'm doing today.

-Okay,

-I'm gonna tell you what I need.

Tamar: Let's make some tea.

Let Trina go get dressed.

When you come back down,

we're gonna set up over here

and get all comfortable

so whatever's happening,

we'll be ready.That part.

Be also ready.

Okay.

Where's your fancy stuff?

Where's

the Toni Braxton stuff?

[Laughter]

Go get the Toni Braxton stuff.

Go get the Toni Braxton stuff.

Okay, I do have a little bit

of fancy Toni Braxton tea stuff.

I'm a tea girl.

I love tea parties.

I like collecting tea sets.

And Tamar she loves it.

What are your

Toni Braxton trays?

I haven't been here

in Atlanta in a second.

I've been in L.A. working on,

you know, that show stuff.

You cannot find, like,

paper cups and bowls and spoons

in her house

unless I bring it there.

It's Toni Braxton. She got

expensive [bleep] house.

[Laughs]

Like, what you think she got?

Tamar:

You got a tea towel?

I have everything,

I just don't know where it is.

-Oh thank you, Mommy.

-Oh, you look beautiful.

-Thank you.

-You go, girl.

[Doorbell rings]You hear the doorbell?

Trina, can you answer?

'Cause I don't know her.

I'm gonna take off my robe.

That'd be nice.

Come on, let's go sit down.

Hurry up.

Hurry up. Let's sit down.

-I'm coming.

-Come on.

-Why are we running?

Because we want to be seated

when she gets here.

We're not late

for class.

Knocking, knocking.

It's me and Spirit.

Tamar: Hurry up. Let's sit down.

Come on.

-I don't get a lot of space.

-You got space right there.

Nuh-uh. That's mine

over here. Go ahead.

Trina: Yes, sir.

♪♪

Trina: Yes, sir.

Okay.

-Okay.

-He's still up?

My daddy's up?

He took a nap.

-Everybody got slate?

-Cameras all speeding.

♪♪

-Hey, everybody.

-Hey!

-This is Spirit.

-Hi.

-That's Mom. Tamar.

-Hi, Spirit.

-Towanda. Toni.

-Hello.

Miss E:

After the passing of Traci,

everybody's trying

to deal with their pain.

-Okay. Is this my chair?

-Yes. That's your chair.

I want them

to have grief counseling

because they need it,

for God's sakes.

I need extensive

grief counseling also.

-Hey, Daddy.

-Hello.

-Hi, Dad.

-Y'all good?

[Laughs] Daddy got

his name tag on.

Trina:

That's hilarious.

Hey, Mom-Mom.

Hi, handsome.

Mwah!

Hey, Kev.

Spirit: One of the things that

I like to start off by saying is

grief looks different

for everybody.

And sometimes we think

that we're grieving one thing

and we start

to pull on that,

and then we realize that

there's a whole lot of things

that are connected

to that,

because grief is really

just a feeling.

But I'm wondering, since

you're the person that called,

tell me, what do you feel

like you need help with?

Can I not go first?

Why don't you want

to go first?

'Cause I don't think

I'm ready to say how I feel yet.

Hmm. Okay.

Toni:

We're clearly nervous about

this family grief counseling

session.

And the truth is, we're

not great communicators, okay?

We don't know how

to communicate with each other.

We don't.

We just shut down

and the next time

we see each other, "Hey!"

But we never talked about it.

We just brushed it

under the rug.

I miss you all terribly.

Toni: I'm worried

that holding our feelings in

will be the worst thing for us

in the long run.

So I think this is really

just really needed.

Okay.

Who else?

What are you all

feeling?

We've always dabbled

in a little bit

of family group therapy,

and I think in a lot

of cases it has worked.

I love you girls.

When we, as a family,

go through therapy sessions,

a lot of things are revealed,

like, things

that have been suppressed,

conversations

that have been suppressed

that we didn't deal with.

So I don't think that today

is gonna be any different.

Sometimes

everybody is ready

and sometimes nobody

really wants to.

How are you guys feeling

about being here tonight?

[Clears throat]

Um

I have no idea

how to feel yet.

So are we just kind of

disconnected from our feelings?

No, not disconnected.

Maybe a little.

But I haven't done

grief management before,

so I have no idea

what to expect.

Okay.

How do I help you?

I wish I could give you

some answers.

I want this to be what I like

to call a no-judgment zone.

I do not believe in pitting

individuals against each other.

I do not believe

in creating conflict.

And I do not believe that any

individual is ever a problem

in a situation.

I believe that the problems

are the problem,

and it is up to you

as a family

to be able to work through

those problems.

It's shifted.

It's gone past how we feel

in this whole bereavement

situation.

I can't help you

if you guys aren't clear on

what you actually want

to talk about as real problems.

♪♪

Miss E: You act like you guys

are enemies.

Woman: Her death, instead of

bringing all of you together,

has created

a bit of division.

Man: Why the decision

to return to the show?Oh

Being a Braxton is my legacy.

It's my birthright, right?

Look at God.

Oh, b*tch!

[Laughs]

[Laughs]

This is fast!

It's too fast!

Toni:

I'm telling some jokes.

They didn't tell you

to stick to singing?

I'ma tell you what

your joke sounds like.

Ask me if I'm a tree.

-Are you a tree?

-No. [Laughs]

Hit it!

Family is very important

for all of us.

How was school?

If I hit the bull's-eye,

get a grandbaby.

You told my children

to get vasectomies?

If they don't want kids,

yeah.

Aren't you setting

something up for me?

I'm gonna do it.

Get you a date.

-You ready.

-Ready, friend.

Last time we talked,

y'all were gonna

take it another step.

I just have one question

for you.Okay.

[Screams]

I haven't performed

in over four years.

Toni: Just a few months ago,

I had a major scare

involving my heart.

Every day I'm like, I just hope

I don't get sick.

I hope I don't get sick.

I just lost a child!

Trina: There are parts of my

story that has to be told.

[Crying]

I wasn't strong enough.

I wasn't strong enough

to see it.

I'll stop the entire show.

[Cheers and applause]

♪♪