Season 7 of Braxton Family Values is nearing its end and it’s been the shortest season in the show’s history. With COVID-19 impacting filming coupled with the famous family in conflict, it’s been an interesting season for viewers. Noticeably absent more this season is the youngest of the Braxton clan, Tamar. She cites issues with production and editing and says the show is to blame for much of the sisters’ estrangement at times.
While Tamar has issues with the show and the portrayal of her family, Trina Braxton shares opposite sentiments. The self-proclaimed party girl of the bunch has shared her ups and downs in her love life, career, and at times, has also had strife with her tight-knit sisters. But through it all, Trina maintains that the show is doing its job in showcasing what families truly go through: the good, bad and the ugly.
And while Tamar wants no affiliation with the show moving forward, Trina says she will continue to participate in the show as long as other families watching can learn from her family’s journey.
“I think that in any family you’re going to have tumultuous times, whether it’s televised or not. That was actually the premise of doing the show — to begin with anyway — to show the world that they’re not exempt with family problems,” Trina told Shadow and Act in an interview.
“I cannot speak to whether or not certain things would have happened to our sisterhood had we not done the show. No one can predict that,” she continued. “But I will say that as family, you go through periods of great times and periods of low times. For me, I love every last one of my family members. And as long as there’s a new day, then there’s time for healing. When we get to a point and if we get to a point where we can no longer help people, that’s when I say it’s time to pull the plug.”
Tamar isn’t the only sister who seems to have reached her boiling point in season 7. Traci is also on a journey of rediscovering her place within her family. Viewers watch as Traci fights to set boundaries with her family, demanding that she’s treated equally. Some believe that Traci is still bitter over not moving forward with her sisters in the mid-1990s when she was unable to sign a recording contract upon becoming pregnant. However, Trina believes that Traci is validated in setting her boundaries and enforcing them.
“I think right now for Traci’s growth, she has to tell her truth and in an effort to do that, I think she may be, and I can’t speak for her, but maybe she feels like she has to set boundaries that she’s never set before,” Trina said. “And who’s to say that it’s only with her immediate family, meaning her sisters, mom, dad, and brother. It could be on her marital side as well. So you can’t judge anything before it’s the time because you just never know how many boundaries she’s setting right now.”
As far as whether or not Traci harbors ill will toward her family for the contract dispute, Trina says Traci is not wrong if she does feel such. Trina also takes part of the blame for contributing to Traci feeling left behind and unheard.
“People need to heal in their own time and Traci still felt a certain way about it. And we can’t absolve her feelings in any way, shape, or form. And I think that’s how she feels,” Trina explained. “The way I observed Traci was that she just never felt heard. I felt like sometimes that I didn’t hear her. I felt like sometimes I was like, ‘OK, well it happened so long ago, get over it.’ And that’s not right for me to say.”
While Trina remains in good standing with her sisters, she understands the need to set boundaries as Traci is doing. Fans remember the marital drama between Trina and her ex-husband Gabe Solis. During season 6, Trina promised that moving forward, her boundary would be to not involve her family, or the world, in her romantic relationships.
“When you invite other people into your relationships, and you and your mate decide to move forward from whatever drama but your family or viewers don’t, that causes extra stress,” she said. “Sometimes, you have to reserve something for yourself. Of course, I speak to my friends and family during certain moments of girl talk, but I chose not to be as free as I was before it came to divulging information.”
Trina’s boundary has worked in her favor, she recently celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary to her husband Von Scales and she’s still basking in marital bliss. For Trina, her marriage with Scales is her best relationship yet, and for a multitude of reasons.
“Von is six years older than I am and there’s a certain something that I wish I knew before about a mature man,” Trina says. “[Our marriage works because] we’ve both been married before, we already have our children. We both know what we want. We both know what we don’t want. We’ve lived enough life. We both traveled enough to know exactly what we want and what we’re looking for. And when you become a certain age, you just don’t have time for the games.”
As for what else Trina’s fans can expect from her this season, she’s proudly expanding her entrepreneurship portfolio. The restaurant owner has added a candle line, hot sauce line, and bourbon line to her already impressive brand. All of her products can be found on her website. But one thing Trina is not eager to jump back into is her solo singing career.
She previously repealed two singles but admits that because some viewers were not receptive to her pop sound, it discouraged her from moving forward. While she’s been encouraged to get back in the studio, she’s not excited about the work it takes to make her music a success.
“This is a difficult time to begin again. I’m 46, not 26. I feel like that time has elapsed,” she declared. “If God opened that window or that door and says, ‘Hey, Trina, you need to step through it,’ I’m not going to spit in God’s face. But I have no real true desire anymore because the politics of the music business snatched the fun out of it. I love singing but I am enjoying expanding my businesses right now and the work-life balance it allows.
Trina isn’t counting music out totally. By the end of our interview, she promised that she’d pray for direction. She’s even open to another album with her sisters, or a potential solo EP. Only time will tell.
The season 7 finale of Braxton Family Values airs Thursday, Dec. 17 at 9 pm EST on WE tv.
