12 Black TV Moms We Wish Raised Us was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
1. These are some of our favorite TV moms. We love them so much, they might as well be our real moms in our heads.
Cookie Lyon–Empire
This sassy mama, played by Taraji P. Henson, came back from jail with a mission to reclaim her cubs. We’ve been constantly inspired by her come-back, her smart mouth, and her business savviness.
2. Rainbow Johnson-Black-Ish
Rainbow, played by Tracee Ellis Ross, is the quirky, hilarious mama we all wish we had. Tracee can even make “Do your homework” sound funny.
3. Nikki Parker- The Parkers
This mama, perfectly played by Mo’Nique, gave us all the life with her confidence and witty clap backs.
4. Dee Mitchell-Moesha
Dee, aka Sheryl Lee Ralph, is still our mama in our heads. She was always the cool headed mother and wife of reason, but she could definitely lay the law down when she needed too.
5. Vivian Banks—Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Viewers of “The Fresh Prince” were shocked when Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert) suddenly looked..different. But the new Aunt Viv (played by Daphne Maxwell Reid) continued to carry out the role with grace and dignity.
6. Lisa Landry—Sister, Sister
Lisa (played by Jackee Harry) was the more sporadic and fun one of the parent pair–and the girls (Tia & Tamera) were better for it. Could you imagine being stuck with your nerdy, stuffy dad all day?
7. Tasha Mack–The Game
Tasha Mack (Wendy Racquel Robinson) was the single mama with talent in her uterus. She single-handedly helped Malik build his career, and she wasn’t going to let any man or woman stop that empire.
8. Janet Kyle–My Wife And Kids
Janet Kyle (Tisha Campbell Martin) was probably known for her meltdowns more than anything, but her motherly love made up for the bouts of crazy.
9. Harriette Winslow–Family Matters
Harriette Baines Winslow (Jo Marie Payton) was the steady voice of reason when Carl was losing his sh*t. Everybody needs some Mama Winslow in their life.
10. Maya Lewis-Scandal
Okay, maybe we wouldn’t want to be raised by this sultry, evil, seductress (played by Khandi Alexander), but if Olivia turned out kick-ass (albeit, a little insane), maybe she didn’t do so badly after all.
11. Clair Huxtable–The Cosby Show
Clair (Phylicia Rashad) is just totally who we want to be when we grow up: wise, smart, and doesn’t take any sh*t.