Brandee Evans is enjoying a career-high like few others. The former dancer became one of the breakout stars of the series P-Valley. As a result, her full life has been put on display, with Evans taking full advantage of the platform to educate people on herself and her world. A major part of her journey has been caring for her mother and dealing with the loss of a daughter.
P-Valley’s Brandee Evans aka Mercedes ATE this look UP! 👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/J6JtBUFmLT
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) March 28, 2021
Brandee began her career as an educator following her graduation from the University of Memphis. She worked as an english teacher at Southwind High School in her hometown of Memphis, TN. Dancing called her name, and Brandee moved to Hollywood, where she began performing with the likes of Katy Perry, Monica, Ke$ha, and more. Acting came knocking shortly after, and she scored her first role in 2018 on the Lethal Weapon series. From there, she appeared in The Bobby Brown Story on BET as the titular character’s sister. By 2020, her background in dance made her a perfect fit as the lead in P-Valley, a series about exotic dancers.
While her dreams were taking off, things at home became a bit more complicated for Evans. She became a full-time caretaker for her mother, who has Multiple Sclerosis. The illness has taken away her mother’s mobility and ability to speak, so she relies solely on Brandee. The actress has admitted that while it is tough, she has been able to create a support system around herself that has allowed her to care for her mother and still pursue her dreams. She has become an advocate for MS and speaks out often for the “caregiver community.” She also launched a line of apparel called “Caregiver Strong” to help raise money to continue to find support and resources for those struggling with MS.
Brandee Evans attends the 2022 #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/28ezq4ZTlA
— @21metgala (@21metgala) June 26, 2022
This past weekend saw her and her cast celebrated at the NAACP Awards. P. Valley season 2 premiered in over the summer and broke records. The series P-Valley won for Outstanding Drama Series. “It is overwhelming, and I’m so thankful because before this happened, I was told “We like her, but her name isn’t big enough, and we don’t know her,” she said when asked about her thoughts on the win. “I’m grateful for Starz, Lionsgate, and Katori Hall for the opportunity to be known,” she continued.
When asked her favorite part of the series, Brandee opened up about the fact that playing a mother has been really rewarding because she lost out on the opportunity when her baby died a stillbirth. Brandee reveals that the actress who plays her daughter on the show is the same age her real daughter would have been had she survived. “It’s therapy for me, and it’s the best part about playing her if I can be honest. I want to see more motherhood from Mercedes and her outside The Pynk.”
In past interviews, Brandee has opened up more about this time in her life. Not only did she lose her daughter while on vacation, but she lost her husband shortly after when he was deployed, followed by her job. There’s not much public information on Brandee’s husband. These circumstances would prompt her to relocate to Los Angeles, where her dreams took off.
Exclusive: ‘P-Valley’ Star Brandee Evans Reveals She Lost a Daughter, Says Playing a Mother in the Show Serves as Therapy [Video] https://t.co/GSjkHl4qbN pic.twitter.com/48UDJO3cP0
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) February 27, 2023
Brandee Evans has two upcoming projects. Pretty Stoned and ‘Thirsty.’ Pretty Stoned is in pre-production. While, ‘Thirsty’ is currently in post production. When discussing when season 3 of P. Valley will return, the show creator, Katori Hall says it will be a Mississippi minute.
