‘The Real’: Tamera Mowry Reveals She Left Show Because of Heightened Anxiety and Viewer Backlash
Fans of The Real were stunned by Tamera Mowry’s announcement that she was quitting the show. The famous Mowry twin started the show alongside Tamar Braxton, Jeannie Mai, Loni Love, and Adrienne Bailon in 2013. In her new book, Mowry details what led to her decision. And she says it was a combination of issues with the work environment and more.
Tamera Mowry’s exit from ‘The Real’ was considered abrupt
After seven years on the show, Mowry shocked her Instagram followers when she announced she was leaving the show. In the post, she expressed her pride for all they were able to do on the platform.
“I’m so proud of what all the ladies and I have accomplished there, including two well-deserved NAACP Image Awards and a Daytime Emmy,” she wrote in part. “However, all good things must come to an end, and it’s with a bittersweet smile that I announce that I am moving on from The Real.
At the time, she cited her home being in Napa, CA, and her desire to spend more time with her family. She also inked a deal with Hallmark Channel for various acting projects.
She says the show was not a pleasant working experience, and she suffered from major anxiety
Fans wondered if behind-the-scenes politics had anything to do with her leaving the show. This was magnified after former co-host Amanda Seales reflected on the show having a toxic work environment. As it turns out, Mowry felt her time working on the show was “one of the unhappiest times” of her life, as noted in her memoir, You Should Sit Down for This: A Memoir About Life, Wine, and Cookies.
“I suffered horrible anxiety, I’d throw up in my dressing room (and) I drank way too much,” she wrote about her seven years on the show. She later explained in an interview with Lewis Howes: “I will tell you this, being on a talk show and you can take it or leave it, it’s not a safe space. It’s not. I wish someone would have told me that because then I would have been prepared. I was not. I learned. Think of going to battle, but you don’t know you’re going to battle.”
The former child star also had trouble dealing with viewer backlash
Aside from what she was battling internally, Mowry admits criticism from viewers took its toll. Having to give her opinion every day only to receive blowback made it even more difficult.
“It was very terrifying. Talking on personal issues and issues that people are going through, talking about suicide, talking about relationships—that was very daunting for me. I realized that it actually can be very powerful. But most importantly, inspiring and encouraging. You become headlines though, what I like to call clickbait,” she explained.
Her interracial marriage to FOX News contributor Adam Housely also came under fire. She made headlines in 2018 when she defended her husband when he was accused of being a racist.
As for whether she’d ever return to daytime television, she says it would require a big push. “It has to be special,” the Sister,Sister star told PopSugar. “It has to be uplifting. It has to be powerful in the way that we are really inspiring, helping people’s lives. Who knows?! Maybe with my sister.”
