Actress Tichina Arnold, who’s new blog, Tales of a Hollywood Mom, debuts on ESSENCE.com today, will always be our beloved Pam from “Martin.” Somehow the jet-setting beauty makes single motherhood look oh-so-easy, but admits she has two secret weapons to help her keep it altogether and raise her baby girl, Alijah.
“My mom, my Aunt Gaynelle and my sister Zenay,” says Tichina. “I don’t know what I would do without them. Yeah, I do: I’d lose my God forsaken mind, because Alijah is a handful!”
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Tichina admits that she’s become her mom in many ways. “[Alijah and I] are at that point in our relationship where she questions everything with ‘why?’ so I have to tell her what our mothers told us, ‘Because I said so!’” says Tichina with a laugh. “Now, she goes around telling her little friends the same thing—if she says no to them and when they ask why, she says, ‘Because I said so!’”
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On a Saturday errand run to the car wash, Alijah and Tichina wait for mommy’s detailing to be complete. In the meantine, Alijah asks mommy to take pictures.
“Alijah has known how to take photos since she was 1 years old, and how to make calls on a cell phone. She was 2 and knew her grandmother’s phone number by heart.”
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Tichina’s daughter Alijah and her mother Diane Arnold enjoy some quality time at a Los Angeles restaurant.
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Chris Rock can’t resist Alijah, who was only about 1 when her mom joined the cast of “Everybody Hates Chris.”
“My daughter has pretty much grown up on the set of the show,” says Tichina.
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Tichina and daughter Alijah, 5, strike a pose in front of the home she grew up in in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
“I didn’t plan on being a single mom, but you have to deal with the cards you are dealt the best way you can,” says Tichina. “God blessed me with a good relationship with [Rico Hines] because I deserved it.”
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“It’s so funny after having Alijah, who’s 3 going on 30, I said to myself, I’m a grown a— woman, I don’t have time for any kind of foolishness, it’s all about her and my career,” Tichina says.
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Alijah rests on mommy’s shoulder as they visit cotton fields in Colquitt, Georgia, during the filming of “The Lena Baker Story.”
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Miss Tichina is all about giving folks a reality check. “I’m a realist, not a sugar coater. I believe in always letting people know what their obstacles are. And at the end of the day, I just want to be respected for my hard work.”
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Tichina Arnold stars as Rochelle, the tough, no-nonsense mom on the CW’s hit comedy “Everybody Hates Chris.” The show recently enjoyed its final season.
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Rochelle (Arnold) and on-screen son Chris (Tyler James Williams) share a scene in an upcoming episode.
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Paige Hurd, left, Tisha Campbell-Martin and Tichina Arnold share a scene during a taping of “Everybody Hates Chris.”
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Arnold’s character, Rochelle, is a fan favorite.
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“Rochelle’s my grandmother, mother and aunt all rolled into one, so I relate to her in so many ways. She’s independent, stubborn and yet, through all of that, she still loves and cares for her family in her own special way,” Tichina says of her “Everybody Hates Chris” character.
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Tichina as Rochelle with “Everybody Hates Chris” costar Terry Crews.
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“We have a good show and a good group of people and I think that translates to every race, gender and religious background. Everyone can relate to the show on some level.”
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