Fantasia Barrino was just 19 years old when she won "American Idol," immediately following
it up with a Number 1 single and a debut album that went double platinum.
She was even nominated for four Grammys.
Just a few years later, she took to the Broadway stage as part of the cast of "The Color Purple,"
which received rave reviews and standing ovations.
However, as everything seemed to be going so well, rumors swirled that Barrino was in dire financial distress.
As the Oprah website notes, Barrino's second album didn't sell as well as her first, and
she almost lost her home as a result.
After taking on the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner for her family, including
her siblings, mother, and 8-year-old daughter, Barrino found it incredibly difficult to juggle everything.
"I was so busy trying to take care of everybody else, so busy looking for that love that I
was ending up in all the wrong situations."
After taking on the financial strain for her family, and with several projects happening
at once, Barrino put her trust in others to handle her finances and ultimately suffered for it.
She knew something was very wrong when her card was declined while trying to pay for pizza.
Barrino later explained,
"You have to take care of your money.
You have to meet with your lawyers and look over your schedule and figure out what it
is that you have going on.
[...] People could just be running you and using you and abusing your gift."
As a result of leaving her monetary affairs to others, Barrino's home was put up for auction.
She subsequently missed several performances of "The Color Purple," leading to more than
half a million dollars in refunds.
But Barrino takes responsibility for her mistakes.
She told Oprah,
"I created that monster.
When I began to give, give, give, everybody was like: 'Hey, this is the good life.
I can sit back home.'"
The singer and actress confessed on the "Tammi Mac Show" that she essentially "lost everything twice."
But now she understands the value of her own independence.
She explained,
"You look around and you could be working for 10 years, you've got all these people
on your team, you're paying this person, that person, and you look up, and you don't have
no money in the bank because you've given it to everybody else."
The "American Idol" alum took a real hit when it came to her real estate portfolio, with
TMZ reporting in 2009 that Barrino defaulted on a $58,000 loan on her $1.1 million North
Carolina mansion after borrowing money to pay back taxes.
The house was put up for auction as a result.
The reality competition winner struck a deal but, just a few years later, TMZ confirmed
her home had been listed at $800,000 — almost $500,000 less than what Barrino originally paid for it.
Sadly, the house didn't sell, and she had to finally sign it over to the bank.
According to Realtor in 2018, the former reality star's issues continued when she listed another
North Carolina mansion at a massive loss.
Originally purchased in 2004 for $740,000, the four-bedroom property was listed at $500,000
before the price was dropped to $479,000 just a few days later.
When Barrino was at her lowest, she turned to none other than super producer Tyler Perry for support.
As the "American Idol" alum revealed during her appearance on "The Tammi Mac Show," the
two are super close friends.
Perry was there for her when nobody else was, in fact.
Barrino gushed,
"He would call and check up on me.
He was one of the ones, when I lost everything, he came and blessed me."
"Tyler blessed me so I thank him for that."
The singer-songwriter was quick to note that she's just a normal woman who happens to be
famous and doesn't necessarily have it all worked out as a result.
Now, hopefully, on the other side, she hopes to inspire others to keep fighting for what they want.
She told Billboard,
"Everything in life is a fight.
Everybody wants this microwavable life, and it doesn't work like that.
I'm here to say, 'See what I went through?
Look at me now.'"
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