

THE Raven-Symoné And The 6 Times She Radiated Lead Character Energy IRL
One of my mentors once told me, "To be a Black woman is to show up in spaces as Beyoncé, just to prove that you're Beyoncé." I remember when she said it, a refreshing take from the usual "work twice as hard" mantra. In fact, safe spaces such as xoNecole exist for this reason: To let it unapologetically be known who really drives society in those moments when our accomplishments are watered down.
More specifically, in the case of Raven-Symoné, one of the most impactful women of our generation, to think she would be anything other than THE Raven-Symoné may be unfathomable for you and me, but believe it or not, there was a time when people questioned it even though the actress, singer-songwriter, and multi-hyphenate, now known as Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday, is revered as one of the greatest child stars of all time.
For decades, she has carried our childhood classics, starring or appearing in movies/shows such as The Little Rascals, The Cheetah Girls, Doctor Dolittle, and so much more. Sis has been nominated for various Emmy Awards, served as a host for ABC's The View, racked up Kid’s Choice Awards, multiple Young Artist Awards, and has more NAACP Image Awards than I can count. Symoné has been GOATed since before she could talk, making her multi-generational career speak for itself.
Or, so one would think.
In 2002, she arrived at Disney at the young age of 15 to star in, produce, and creatively steer the reigns of That's So Raven, birthing one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. Yet, in a tale as old as time, according to her co-star, Anneliese van der Pol, the Disney Channel sitcom about a teen psychic in San Francisco was originally supposed to be quite different.
Van der Pol appeared on former fellow Disney star Christy Carlson Romano's podcast Vulnerable recently and broke down what "Raven" looked like.
"When I went into audition, the show was called Absolutely Psychic–it wasn't called That's So Raven at all," the actress revealed. "At the time, Raven wasn't the lead, she was the sidekick. They were looking for a lead. I came in to audition for the lead. I think the character's name was Molly. I auditioned, and a couple [of] other people auditioned. I didn't get the part — somebody else got the part — but when they filmed, they realized that Raven was the funniest one and had a following, and so they bumped her up to first position and started auditioning people again."
@christycarlsonromano Me and Anneliese are revealing some Disney secrets tomorrow over at @thevulnerablepodcast … stay tuned 👀 #ravenshome #anneliesevanderpol #disneychannel #foryou #fyp
Disney then shifted the focus to Symoné and held new auditions. "I went into a big cattle call, and I finally got the part. I think the character's name was like Molly, then Emma, and then it became Chelsea. And I think it was kind of like racism at a low level, if that's even a possibility. They couldn't really see a Black girl leading a show."
"With Disney, it's like, it's not personal, it's business," Romano responded.
Hm.
That's So Raven went on to air on the Disney Channel from 2003 to 2007, holding the title of the first Disney Channel show to hit the 100-episode mark...ever.
Ever.
Thankfully, Symoné's main character energy how she approaches life as well, proudly showing off the fact that she is a gem to our generation.
Like the time she decided to reboot 'That's So Raven,' and introduce a new generation to 'Raven's Home' (but this time as the boss).
Raven’s Home is in its sixth season and centers around lead character, Raven Baxter, and her son Booker, who has inherited her psychic abilities, as they move to her hometown of San Francisco to look after her father, who suffered a mild heart attack.
“It feels so good to be able to see the journey of Raven Baxter as she is raising a teenage son, is taking care of her father, and finding who she is,” Raven-Symoné said. “I think that story can resonate with a lot of mothers as their children grow up. Just seeing what that means for her and how she decides to tackle life in that manner,” she told ESSENCE.
When she transitioned from hesitancy in revealing her sexuality, to openly putting on for the LGBTQ community.
@ravensymone #🌈 #fits #ootd
“While it was a selfish thing for me to keep my secret to myself for as long as I did, I am very happy that I’m out if only to help someone else feel comfortable,” Raven-Symoné revealed to Variety as part of their inaugural "Power of Pride" issue.
“It is about that one person who you’ll never see or meet who watches the show and feels that confidence to just say, ‘Hey, guess what? I’m gay. And if you can’t accept me, it’s okay because I see Raven pushing through.’ That feels good. It’s a hard journey, though. It’s difficult.”
Or the time she publicly opened up about depression and normalizing therapy because she knew her voice held weight.
On an episode of the podcast Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, Raven-Symoné and her wife Miranda discussed her defense mechanisms, their individual therapy journeys, and their struggles with depression.
"At 18, I told my parents I wanted to go to therapy,” which they didn’t quite understand. “Started there,” Raven continued, “got pretty much the understanding that I have PTSD and… I don’t have bipolar syndrome, but I have depression that is in that world, so took some medicines for that.” One of which she stopped taking after it resulted in finding herself “underneath a table while filming, and could not get up."
She continued:
“Growing up in the industry from the age of 16 months to 36 years old leaves an interesting trail of bread crumbs that can be used in a positive light for others, can help others, can inform others. And when it comes to me personally I’m dealing with that through my therapist.”
When she decided to take her health seriously and didn't want to make a big fuss about the weight loss that came with it.
The actress said her diet is one she has carefully educated herself on, adding, "I don't try to speak for anybody else."
"I'm not over here trying to be a little twig," the former The View co-host shared. "I'm not trying to be, like, 'Oh my God, look at me.' I have a goal in mind, and it's not just weight loss, it's really complete body health."
She continued:
"The way people were treating me while I was bigger was emotionally damaging. [After I lost weight] I remember the moment I went on the red carpet, and in my head, I was cussing everyone out. I'm like, 'Wow, now you want to look at me because I'm skinny, thanks.'"
And the time she recognized her hard work and the legacy she has built by just being herself.
Raven-Symoné was so ahead of her time and basically raised a generation of women through comedy. She told Entertainment Weekly:
"It didn't impact me as much then as it does now because I was 15, I was like, cool, I got my own show. It means so much now because I understand the [gravity] of what it means and the caliber of humans that I am in the pool with. I think it was kind of a good thing that I didn't let it go to my head. It was just about working and wanting to create great content at the time."
She continued, "Whether it's like a young Black girl saying, 'You gave me the confidence to do this or that because I loved Raven Baxter,' or if it's a grown gay man who is like, 'Wow, I had the hardest time coming out, but seeing you two gives me such joy,' it's really cool."
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Featured image by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for WIF (Women In Film)
Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
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Marsai Martin Shares How Her Television Co-Stars Helped Her Develop A Self-Care Routine
Actress Marsai Martin recalls the valuable tips she received from mentors Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis during their collaboration on the acclaimed sitcom black-ish, and how their advice has profoundly transformed her life.
The 18-year-old has been involved in the entertainment industry for over a decade after starring in various commercials and television shows. Martin became a household name in 2014 when she portrayed the role of Diane Johnson in black-ish.
The series, which ended in 2022 after eight seasons, followed Andre Johnson (Anthony Anderson), a family man that struggles with his cultural identity as he and his wife, Bo Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross), raise their children, Andre Jr. (Marcus Scribner), Zoey (Yara Shahidi), Jack (Miles Brown), and Diane Johnson in a predominantly white neighborhood.
Over the years, as Martin grew up on the set, Ross and Lewis showed the star the importance of self-care and not being afraid to express herself. Those tips were a massive inspiration behind why Martin partnered with Clinique, a skincare and cosmetic brand. In a recent interview with People magazine, the Little alum opened up about the advice she received from Ross and Lewis about beauty and the lesson she's learned.
Marsai On The Advice Her black-ish Co-Stars Gave Her
In the July discussion, Martin revealed that growing up on set with Ross and Lewis helped her realize why it was essential to care for oneself, internally and externally, and how it could contribute to one's confidence.
"I always followed their routines when it comes to their own beauty inside and out," she told the publication. "I was lucky enough to be around amazing and empowering women who cared about their skin and who exuded nothing but confidence."
Further into the interview, Martin also shared she thought it was hilarious to see Lewis' skincare regimen and Ross use items like "gua sha tools and infrared light" to maintain her youthful appearance because she didn't have to go the extremes to get ready. Still, Martin was inspired to create her own routine over time when she came of age.
"It was hilarious because I would see everybody have their makeup and skincare done, and I was the only one with Chapstick and eyebrow gel," she said. "Being able to watch them for so long, I already knew what I wanted when it was finally my time to be able to express myself creatively in that way. Every time I was in the hair and makeup trailer, they had some type of scientific tools."
Martin wrapped up her statement by saying that despite the differences in the women's skincare routine, one particular thing that Ross and Lewis taught her was "protecting" one's skin the "best way" possible.
Marsai On The Lessons She's Learned Over The Years
As the topic shifted to her partnership with Clinique and the lessons she had learned since developing her regimen, Martin disclosed that taking care of oneself is as fundamental as finding one's voice and having the confidence to live purposefully.
"Nothing is more of a priority than your voice and the way that you look at life, meaning nobody can take away your point of view," she explained. "Always remember what you want first — just like we talk about skincare and our beauty routines. Using our voices, speaking our minds and being able to find our confidence aligns with all of that."
Martin added that taking the time to get to know oneself and incorporating a self-care routine could help eliminate the pressures of social media because, with that knowledge, it is impossible to have a clouded judgment that could "blur" what an individual may genuinely want out of life.
"I think as young girls grow up in this world of social media and having so many other voices consuming our own mind to where it kind of blurs the lines of what we really want, it is truly important to remember what you want first and where you come from," she said.
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Feature image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit