Garcelle Beauvais is a beloved actress, television host, and reality star. She is also a mother to rapper Oliver “BAM” Saunders. Garcelle and Oliver have had a unique experience while he was growing and the actress and her son are not shy to open up about it. Saunders is hoping to heal old wounds with his music and tell the story about how he overcame childhood struggles to become a voice of hope for others.
Garcelle is currently a host on The Real, where her son was a guest in 2020. During the pandemic interview, Oly, as his mother calls him, opened up about recently becoming a father and husband and how those things changed his life. For BAM, the transitions have given him purpose and a reason to keep pushing. He and his wife decided to elope at a drive-through chapel, something he says was a lot of fun and special to the pair. Mom Garcelle chimed in that the pair still needed to do an official party for the family, however, as they laughed it off. The interview featured videos of his son, Oliver Junior.
Oliver Senior discussed briefly overcoming some of the struggles in his childhood. He admits that being an only child for 17 years, sometimes he struggled to keep himself busy, which would get him in trouble.
Garcelle has opened up about this as well in the past. The actress met and married BAM’s father, record producer Daniel Saunders when they were very young. As a result, the inexperienced couple spent a lot of time trying to figure out their marriage. They would eventually divorce in 2000 after ten years together.
Left to his own devices, Oliver got into ‘substances’ very young and battled addiction for a long time. During an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Beauvais opened up about that time. “I got married really young, and then Oliver came. He was the light of both of our eyes and then he started hanging out with the wrong crowd [and] got into drugs. We did everything that money could offer him. It was really, really difficult to watch him sort of unravel,” Garcelle said. She admitted over the years to not being the perfect parent and feels that she’s failed him at times. She attributes his mishaps to her being too lenient with him and getting too consumed with her marriage at the time. She believes this negligence sent him towards drugs.
The years have helped Oliver find sobriety and happiness. As a result, he is putting that newfound joy and purpose into music. Being born in the entertainment industry to a producer father meant Oliver was prone to want to pursue music. He told the ladies of The Real that he writes all his songs and has been in love with the craft since he was seven years old. His rap name, BAM, stands for “By Any Meanz.” According to his website’s official bio, “BAM stands for By Any Meanz, because this movement is for anybody who is willing to do what they need to do in order to complete their goals and take care of their kids, By Any Meanz!”
Oliver says he’s eager to put his past behind him and embrace a brighter future. As a result, he took on the name BAM after previously going by Jayson Rose. “I’ve grown a lot in the past several years, and I feel it is time to leave the past in the past and move onto the new. This is why I’m leaving behind my previous stage name, Jayson Rose, and moving onto my new name, BAM!”
The Los Angeles native is based in Las Vegas currently, where he works at Vanderpump à Paris, part of the Vanderpump Collection inside of the Paris Vegas. On his Instagram, he frequently posts pictures with famous friends he catches while dining, including Kym Whitley, Tisha Campbell, and Lisa Vanderpump herself. The proud son also frequently posts about his mother and her accomplishments, sharing her recent book, clips from her interviews, and throwbacks of some of her most iconic scenes. In his bio he discusses how her work either has always inspired him. “My mom, Garcelle Beauvais, has worked hard to pursue her dreams and consistently pushes and supports me to do the same. “In more sentimental shots, you can see the proud father showing off his son as well.
His last single, “100,” was released in 2021. “I created this song for any one who wakes up and gets into “grind mode” no breaks, no excuses, no quitting only moving forward!” he says about the track. His debut album BLU was released the year prior and stands for “Born Loved Unconditionally.” He tells Loni Love the title is in honor of his family who have always stood by him. It is also a reminder to himself that he has always been loved and supported.
