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Jenifer Lewis is walking in her joy

US actress Jenifer Lewis attends the premiere event for the Shotwime comedy series "I Love That For You" at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
US actress Jenifer Lewis attends the premiere event for the Shotwime comedy series "I Love That For You" at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

Jenifer Lewis has earned the title of “mother of Black Hollywood” due to her numerous roles as a family matriarch.

She was Tupac’s mom in “Poetic Justice,” Tina Turner’s mom in “What’s Love Got to do With It,” and the sassy Aunt Helen in the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” More recently, Lewis played Ruby Johnson in “Black-ish,” which just ended after eight seasons.  

In 2017, she released her first memoir detailing her rise in Hollywood and revealing her struggles with mental health and sex addiction. Now, she’s out with a new book called “Walking In My Joy: In These Streets” and it’s just as revealing.

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Michelle Harven