The last month, fans of Tamar Braxton have sent their well-wishes for recovery after Braxton was hospitalized in Los Angeles due to reportedly overdosing on alcohol and pills. On Thursday, she doled out thanks to her supporters and explained the pain that led to her suicide attempt.
The “Love and War” singer has been treated at a mental health facility after being hospitalized July 16. Thursday, she revealed in an extensive Instagram post that she attempted suicide after buckling under the demands and broken promises to protect and portray her story, referring to her more than 11-year business relationship with WeTV. Braxton, the youngest of seven, became the breakout star of her family’s hit reality show “Braxton Family Values.”
Before sharing details of her “cry” for help, the 43-year-old thanked those who prayed for her, thought of her and sent her love during this trying time.
She later explained that she felt her happiness was being jeopardized for the sake of the demands of her career. She said as a Black woman she sought to “shape” her world and tell her story as inspiration to the audiences watching her show.
Over the past 11 years there were promises made to protect and portray my story, with the authenticity and honesty I gave. I was betrayed, taken advantage of, overworked, and underpaid. I wrote a letter over 2 months ago asking to be freed from what I believed was excessive and unfair. I explained in personal detail the demise I was experiencing. My cry for help went totally ignored. However the demands persisted. It was my spirit, and my soul that was tainted the most. There are a few things I count on most to be, a good mother, a good daughter, a good partner, a good sister, and a good person. Who I was, begun to mean little to nothing, because it would only be how I was portrayed on television that would matter. It was witnessing the slow death of the woman I became, that discouraged my will to fight. I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of a corporations gain and ratings, and that killed me.
WeTV, which debuted the hit show “Braxton Family Values” starring Braxton and her sisters in 2011, made an announcement earlier this week about Braxton’s new show “Get Ya Life.” The network planned to premiere the show Thursday, July 30, but the show was scheduled to be delayed until Sept. 10 out of respect for Braxton’s recovery.
On Friday, the cable network sent a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding Braxton’s comments. The network said it will honor her wishes to end work with WeTV.
“Tamar Braxton has been an important part of our network family for more than a decade. As she focuses on her health and recovery at what is clearly a difficult and personal time, we will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network. We wish her nothing but the best.”
Braxton was hospitalized July 16 in Los Angeles after her boyfriend David Adefeso found her unconscious after she reportedly took a toxic mix of pills and alcohol. The vocalist had been in the midst of working on multiple reality shows.
Late last week, Adefeso spoke about the impact of Braxton’s hospitalization. He made the initial 911 call, and it has been reported that the family is not pleased with his statements regarding Braxton’s mental health nor the subject of the alleged suicide attempt.
“This is an extremely difficult time for Tamar and her family as she navigates professional and personal struggles including her battle with depression,” he continued. “Tamar is currently receiving the best available medical attention to address those struggles and strengthen her mental health, and her family and I will remain by her side throughout her treatment.”
Braxton quickly became a fan favorite due to her outspokenness and unfiltered stance that she deserved the same musical success as her celebrated, older sister Toni Braxton. She would go on to aspire to that goal by putting out hit records including “Love and War” and receiving several Grammy nominations, with the latest being for her song “If I Don’t Have You” in 2016. In 2019, she was the winner on the reality show “Celebrity Big Brother.”
In her Instagram post, Tamar Braxton is pictured with her 7-year-old son Logan, who is also the son of her ex-husband and music producer Vincent Herbert. Braxton asked that her fans keep in mind the severity of mental illness for the sake of their children and families.
“Mental illness is real. We have to normalize acknowledging it and stop associating it with shame and humiliation,” she revealed in the raw statement. “The pain that I have experienced over the past 11 years has slowly ate away at my spirit and my mental.”
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