KYM WHITLEY
Funny lady Kym Whitley is on a mission to teach single mothers and fathers that they don’t have to raise their children alone.
“There is always a village to help you raise your child. Look around at your friends and have them make a commitment to the child, especially boys who don’t have fathers,” said Whitley an Ohio native who has appeared in “Next Friday,” “The Nutty Professor II: The Clumps” and most recently appeared in NBC’s “Animal Practice,” and voices “Honeybee” on “Black Dynamite: The Animated Series” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.
She found that statement to be true when she was made into an instant single mother two years ago after one of the troubled young girls she mentored left the maternity ward after giving birth leaving only Whitley’s contact information. She was thrown for a loop when the hospital called and informed her that her baby was ready. In a matter of hours, Whitley had to make the decision to become a parent.
“It was a shock. I had been knowing her for years and I had been mentoring her and I believe she knew I would be a good mother,” she said.
Whitley knew she had testimony and parlayed the situation into one of four new reality shows on the OWN network.
“OWN has the same message that I have, which is to inspire and encourage. It’s been a wonderful experience so far. It’s easy to do because it’s just my life,” Whitley said. “With other shows I have been in you had to memorize lines but this is just my life.”
“Raising Whitley” follows the comedic actress and her motley group of friends she calls “The Village” as they attempt to raise baby Joshua together. Over the season, Whitley survives Joshua’s first haircut and, goes on a manhunt with her girlfriends.
The show, which premiered on April 20, is in the top five of OWN’s shows. The first episode had two million viewers. The season finale is scheduled for June 15. The show is produced by Pilgrim Studios and executive produced by Whitley
“It’s a blessing to have The Village to help raise Joshua, but at the end of the day, momma will do what she wants,” she said. “I take everyone’s opinion into consideration, but at the end of the day I decide what’s best for him. It’s like being a judge in court.”
Whitley still finds time to exercise her funny bone by doing standup on Tuesday nights at the Comedy Union with fellow comedienne Kim Coles.
“We start the show off with improv. It’s great fun and it keeps us on our toes,” said Whitley who enjoys reading books, going to movies, writing in her journal and feeding squirrels. “I’m an improv comic. I love performing. I talk about what is on my heart.”
In addition to her “Raising Whitley” and her comic endeavors, Whitley has created a t-shirt line called “Don’t Feed Me,” which informs people of a child’s food allergies.
“We found out that Joshua has all of these allergies–he is allergic to peanuts, peaches, shellfish, milk, chicken, I was like ‘what, chicken’ and I came up with this shirt because this nanny came in and made him breakfast and she put peanut butter on toast and I heard him choking. With this shirt, when The Village takes him out they know what to feed him,” Whitley said.
Other parents quickly began asking where they could buy the shirt and again, Whitley knew she was on to something.
“The shirts are selling it’s a mom and pop business right now, but people are asking for them. Caregivers are asking for them for the elderly. We have a wide spectrum,” she said.
The shirts can be purchased by visiting www.dontfeedme.org and range in price from $10.99 to $15.99.
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