

Uncle Phil, Carl Winslow, and Bernie McCullough may have been taking over for the '99 and the 2000 (and WAY before that), but there's a new breed of Black TV dads on-screen in 2020 that are holding it down. Of course, all fathers are important, but Black fathers who are present, provide and have the perfect words at the perfect time hold a special place in our hearts. So do the TV dads that portray them which is why we want to show love to these dads raising a new generation of audiences.
If you've ever shed a tear after a very necessary and emotional Randall Pearson monologue, then keep reading…
TV Dad: Randall Pearson
Actor: Sterling K. Brown
Show: This Is Us
One third of "the big three" and Jack Pearson's protégé— there's a reason, or we should say reasons, why he holds the top spot on this list. Many of the moments that give us the feels on This Is Us are because of his daddy duty skills which he puts to work on his three daughters: Tess, Annie, and Deja.
A standout dad moment for Randall was when he gave his at-the-time-foster daughter some sage words of wisdom that set a new standard for the "adoption" convo.
TV Dad: Andre "Dre" Johnson
Actor: Anthony Anderson
Show: Black-ish
Black-ish is entirely based around a Black father raising his mixed-race family in an upper-middle class, suburban home so of course Dre is on this list. His fatherly approach may not produce Randall Pearson-level waterworks, but there's a lot of heart in his comedic parenting.
For how oblivious is sometimes, Dre really gave us father of the year feels when he had this heart-to-heart with his teen son, Junior about the consequences of taking a stand. This is a necessary lesson that all Black or Brown children should understand.
TV Dad: Richard Webber
Actor: James Pickens Jr.
Show: Grey's Anatomy
Richard Webber's daddy duties expand multiple decades, but his pep talks are so iconic, he's still dishing them out in 2020. Although he acts as sort of step-pappy to leading lady Meredith Grey and didn't get to start parenting his biological daughter, Maggie Pierce, until adulthood, he's always kind of been Grey-Sloan Memorial's universal father figure. It was the very first scene of the series reciting his notorious intern speech that he became a beloved TV dad.
There's so much dad advice he's given to kin and non-kin alike throughout the show, but this latest pep talk he gives Maggie about not quitting is definitely a winner.
TV Dad: Stan Hill
Actor: Reno Wilson
Show: Good Girls
Stan Hill is the good guy of Good Girls, and although he plays a supporting role on the show centered around three suburban moms-turned-criminals, it's a standout role. Without Stan, we wouldn't get the tough love talks with his tween daughter Sara and the silly dad jokes with son, Harry.
Maybe the most important dad lesson given by Stan was one we didn't even see play out on screen, but we did feel the weight of his words post-chat with his wife. Ruby just found out Sara did in fact steal an expensive AF pen that she previously denied doing, so when she arrives home and sees Sara and Stan chummy on the couch, she angrily sends their daughter to bed. When she confronts Stan with the news of the lie their good seed gone bad has told, Stan reveals he already knew in true daddy knows best fashion.
Sara will take Stan's pen cap and raise you a whole pen. pic.twitter.com/9sBMATjGU0
— Good Girls (@NBCGoodGirls) April 16, 2020
He says Sara told him because she was too guilty to live with it. To which Ruby asks, "What are you trying to say, Stan?" He explains to her that "When you lie, you sleep like a queen" and that they are lucky that Sara knows the difference. Now that's a word for the whole fam.
TV Dad: Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning
Actor: Cress Williams
Show: Black Lightning
Black Lightning may be a crime-fighting superhero, but he's also a #GirlDad. By day, he's known as Jefferson Pierce, a principal and father to two daughters, Jennifer and Annisa, who take after him in the powers department. In between all the superhero show theatrics are some really touching daddy-daughter moments, like this chat Black Lightning has with his youngest on getting a grip on your emotions.
And even when his daughters don't know it, he's looking out behind the scenes. Case in point, when he pressed his young daughter's boyfriend in the school hallway about slowing things down with a hilariously clever athlete's foot analogy.
Happy Father's Day to these TV dads! Who are some other of today's Black TV dads that you think deserve to make the list?
Featured image via Giphy
Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Colman Domingo’s Career Advice Is A Reminder That Our Words Shape Our Reality
When it comes to life, we are always here for a good reminder to shift our mindsets, and Colman Domingo just gave us one we didn't know we needed.
In a resurfaced clip from an appearance at NewFest shared as a repost via Micheaux Film Festival, the Emmy award winner dropped a gem on how he has navigated his decades-spanning career in Hollywood. The gem in question? Well, Colman has never identified with "struggle" in his career. Let that sit.
Colman Domingo On Not Claiming Struggle
"I’ve never said that this career was tough. I’ve never said it was difficult. I’ve never said it was hard," Colman said. "Other people would say that—‘oh, you're in a very difficult industry. It's very hard to get work and book work.’ I’m like, I’ve never believed that."
Instead of allowing himself to be defined by other people's projections about their perceptions of what the industry is or was, Colman dared to believe differently even if his reality was playing catch up with his dreams:
"Like Maya Angelou said words are things. And if you believe that, then that's actually what it is. Actually I've just never believed it. Someone told me some years ago, they said, 'I remember you were, you're a struggling actor.' I'm like, 'I don't.'"
"I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living..."
He continued:
"Even when I was bartending and hustling and not having opportunities or anything, I never believed that I was struggling because I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living and creating and being curious."
Colman’s philosophy of attaching to living instead of struggle has blossomed into an enduring career. He first made his mark on stage in acclaimed Broadway productions before transitioning to the screen, where his star began to rise in the 2010s following his role as Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead. From there, his presence only grew, landing memorable supporting roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the hit series Euphoria.
In more recent years, Colman has stepped fully into the spotlight with standout leading performances in Rustin and Sing Sing, both of which earned him widespread critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
With all that said, Colman's advice is no doubt powerful, especially for those who are chasing their dreams, building something from the ground up, or have question marks about what's next in their careers. Words shape our realities, and how we speak about our journeys even in passing matters.
Words Create Our Reality & Colman Is Living Proof
"I tell young people that. To remember the words that you say about yourself and your career are true. So, I choose to make it full of light and love and it's interesting and every day I'm going to learn something new even if it looks like I don't have what I want but it's important to be in the moment... you really build on the moments moment to moment.
"And you're looking back at your career as I've been in it for what 33 years and you're like, 'Wow, that's what I've been doing.' And I've stayed strong to that so I think that is truly my advice."
Let this be your sign to give your path a reframe. When the path you're on feels uncertain, the journey is still unfolding. Like Colman said: "I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living."
That's a Black king right there.
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Featured image by Soul Brother/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock