A Chat With Tiny & Toya, BET’s Beloved Reality Stars

In the midst of television’s “reality series” craze, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle and Antonia “Toya” Carter have garnered a loyal fanbase on BET. Last season, the duo was followed by three million viewers, who laughed, cried, and learned some serious lessons from their day-to-day experiences.

As Tiny and Toya prepared for the launch of season two, the ladies managed to squeeze some time out of their busy schedules and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry—reflecting on highlights from season one, as well as the struggles and triumphs within their personal lives.

Before our conversation, I scanned your official website on BET.com and one lady “Mz. Mucci” noted that it “is nice to see real black women doing real things.” What additional feedback have you received from other women that served as inspiration throughout the filming of season two?

Tiny: Well, for one, it’s great to hear those kinds of things. It makes me feel good that I did this show, because of the positive feedback we’ve been receiving and because it’s been very inspiring to others. A lot of people tell me that it makes them feel like they could do the same kind of things. And to me, that’s the best thing I could get out of doing this show. It’s cool to know that the money’s great, but it’s not like I’m in need for money. It’s not like I’m in need for exposure. You know, I’ve had exposure and I’ve been sitting back, in the cut, for a long time. So, it’s great that people can find inspiration in us.

Toya: It’s great to hear people share their stories and then they tell you how you inspired them by telling yours. By putting my life out there, people have gotten to see how strong I am. I’m there for moms and my daughter; and there are so many people I lost. I was just trying to get through different things, but I guess my life in the show has helped others get through similar things.

Tiny: Yeah, we go through a lot behind the scenes, and when so many people come up to us and say how inspired they are and how positive they found the show to be, it just made us anxious to get into season two, because it is going to show where we left off on season one.

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Over the past few years, Clayton Perry has interviewed some of the BIGGEST entertainers in music, film and television. Check out his digital archive with 180+ definitive conversation pieces.

Visit Clayton Perry's author page — Clayton Perry's Blog