Nineties kids will know there was no cooler show back in the day than "Sister, Sister."
And there was nobody cooler than its twin sister stars, Tia and Tamera Mowry. Both
have now found their own separate paths, but here's the truth about Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Tamera Mowry-Housley's bond with her sister, Tia Mowry-Hardrict,
is borderline telepathic, with the actress and TV host telling Us Weekly,
"My identical twin sister and I speak with our eyes. We don't have to say anything and we know."
She described the idea of acting alongside her again as magical, admitting a "Sister,
Sister" reboot definitely isn't off the table. However, Mowry-Housley envisions
it more as a "movie series," rather than a TV show. As for whether she'd support her children
wanting to act professionally, the mother of two confirmed she would, though, she says,
"I'd make sure they get a college degree as well."
Funnily enough, Mowry-Hardrict reunited with her on-screen mother,
the legendary Jackée Harry, for the Netflix sitcom "Family Reunion.”
In late July 2020, Tamera Mowry-Housley made the shocking announcement that she
would be leaving her role as one of the hosts on daytime chat show "The Real" after seven years.
Describing it as bittersweet, she thanked her co-hosts and wished them well, acknowledging,
"I'm so proud of what all the ladies and I have
accomplished [...] All good things must come to an end."
She revealed that she was moving on to other opportunities, while also looking to dedicate
more time to her home life. In the past, the "Sister, Sister" alum has frequently opened up
about how much her husband, Adam, her son, Aden, and her daughter, Ariah, mean to her.
“When I’m not on this show, you better best believe I am teaching, molding, guiding,
loving, and caring on my children and that’s the realest job I’ve ever had.”
She told Essence that, as they grow up, it's more important than ever
for her to spend as much time with them as possible. She explained,
"I am trying to instill some really good
characteristics and morals into my children's lives.”
Tamera and Tia grew up doing everything together, and the twins remain super close to this day.
Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt, it also kept
the sisters apart for the longest time in their lives. Speaking to ET in October 2020,
Mowry-Housley confirmed she and Mowry-Hardict had been separated for over six months,
since she lives in Napa while her twin is in Los Angeles. The actress lamented,
"Right when we were actually going to head up there, there
was a surge in L.A. and it wasn't wise for all of us to go there."
She guaranteed that there would be an overwhelming reunion. Thankfully, FaceTime
and Zoom kept the family from feeling like they were too far apart. As Mowry-Housley explained,
"Every two weeks, we Zoom each other and we have happy hour. We have a glass of wine,
we talk about what's been happening."
Naturally, when they did eventually meet up in person again, it was hugely emotional.
Much like the Olsen twins and their show "Two of a Kind," Tamera Mowry-Housley and
Tia Mowry-Hardrict's characters on "Sister, Sister" were named after the girls themselves.
While this doesn't necessarily mean the characterizations were based on the actresses,
as Mowry-Housley admitted to MadameNoire,
she and her sister were a lot like their onscreen characters. Mowry-Housley revealed,
"At the time, Tia was more of the studious one. And I was the mischievous one,
meaning I was boy crazy. I had a lot more energy."
Naturally, as they grew up, their personalities changed too. In fact, as the twins' time on the
show went by, they would regularly switch roles in real life. Nowadays, both women
have various parts of the onscreen Tia and Tamera characters in them. As Mowry-Housley explained,
"Right now, we embody both of the characters. We both know when to be very studious,
focus and work related and when to kind of let go and have fun."
They were two of the most famous teenagers in the world,
but Tamera Mowry-Housley and sister Tia Mowry-Hardrict weren't shielded from the
harsh realities of the entertainment industry. At the height of their "Sister, Sister" fame,
the girls were turned down by a popular magazine when they were put forward for the cover,
purely because they were Black. As Mowry-Hardrict acknowledged to ET,
"It was a very unfortunate, sad, confusing time for us."
The actress admitted it would've been a dream come true, and they seemed like
shoo-ins considering how huge their show was at the time. The sisters' publicist tried to
keep them in the dark, but the twins insisted on knowing the truth. Mowry-Housley revealed,
"To be Black and to be on the cover, we had to be like, a triple threat to sell. You couldn't just
be an actress. You had to be a music star, a movie star, so we felt like we just weren't enough."
Their mother warned them about the industry and taught the girls to work harder and
refuse to give up. Mowry-Housley said that she used it as fuel.
“Accept your differences! Your differences, later, are going to be the things that stand out.”
Being a working mother isn't easy, but despite the demands of her work and home lives,
Tamera Mowry-Housley always makes time for some much-needed self-care.
As she explained to Prevention, the mother of two is lucky to be able to split caring
for the kids right down the middle with husband Adam Housley. She shared,
"He understands when I need a break, just like I understand when he needs a break."
When one of those breaks is required, Mowry-Housley ensures she carves out a
specific time period for taking bubble baths, meditating, reading, watching grown-up TV,
or doing some combination of all of those, even if there's only 15 minutes free.
Mowry-Housley actually schedules this time in advance to hold herself accountable,
so she'll take a proper break. She explained,
"Self-care is important — I'm actually a better wife, I'm a better friend,
I'm a better mother. I had to learn that."
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult, particularly being apart from her siblings and
parents, it taught Mowry-Housley to really value her time with loved ones. She noted simply,
"Don't take family, friends, and life for granted."
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