Queen Latifah has revealed shocking behind-the-scenes pressure she faced while starring in the beloved 1990s sitcom Living Single. Despite the show’s success—especially among Black and Latino households—Latifah says she and her castmates were body-shamed by network executives who urged them to lose weight.
“We had the No. 1 show among Black and Latino households, and we were told that the word came down that they wanted us to lose weight,” Latifah told REVOLT in a recent interview.
“My instant reaction to that was absolutely not. I’m not losing a pound.”
Representation Mattered to the Living Single Cast
Latifah emphasized how important it was to represent real women of all body types on-screen—especially in a show set in Brooklyn.
“We look like what real women look like. We are representing what four women from Brooklyn look like. And we all look different from one to the next.”
She didn’t hold back in calling out the network’s lack of understanding:
“We have such a successful show, we’re doing all the right things, and this is the one thing that you actually have to say?
You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Maybe you should take a trip to Brooklyn over the summer and see what people from Brooklyn actually look like.”
New Music May Be on the Way
In the same interview, Latifah also teased a possible return to music. While she didn’t confirm a release date, she hinted that fans might not have to wait much longer.
“Everybody wants all those things, and I have a lot of that at my disposal. So, I’m just trying to figure out what comes first. We are definitely gonna drop some new music, and we’ll see what happens from there.”
