Letoya Luckett On 2nd Chances, Exes (Slim Thug) & “Raising Kanan”

LeToya Luckett is a two-time Grammy award winner, actress, and mom. She recently spoke with Jill Munroe about this new phase of her life, which started with the launch of a new web series, “Leave It To LeToya,” reconnecting with ex-boyfriend, rapper Slim Thug to discuss what went wrong in the relationship. We also discussed how motherhood has changed her plus, her partnership with the Black-owned feminine wellness brand KUSHAE, and her upcoming role in season two of the hit Starz series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.”

Luckett joined the season two cast of “Raising Kanan” as Jukebox’s (Hailey Kilgore) mother, Kenya.  Luckett shared that she was nervous about sharing the screen with so many quality actors; she also was concerned about her Houston accent being converted to a native New Yorker’s.

“I watched the show as a fan. I would get anxious watching it. Once I knew I would be a part of it and see where I would fit into the story, I would get anxiety. Because I’m like, yo, these are some amazing actors. This story is crazy. I’m about to be a part of this. Can I do this? It was so different than other things I’ve done. it’s a period piece as well. And it’s shot in New York; I’m a Texan. Where is the accent gonna go?”

Luckett said she put a lot into the role. She explained,  “it was one that definitely tugged on my heartstrings. It stretched me as an actress, and I appreciate the experience. Especially the timing in which that role presented itself to me. It was nothing but God’s timing. And I needed something. I needed a role like this.

Luckett says she is excited for everyone to see it. She hasn’t seen any of the episodes yet, either. So it will mostly be brand new to her. She has been receiving some feedback from those who have watched. “Everybody said, Oh, you got to see yourself. It is crazy. I’m so proud of you. I’m like, really?

In episode one of her web series “Leave It to LeToya,” she has an open conversation with her ex-boyfriend, rapper Slim Thug. I asked Luckett about Slim and that relationship, specifically what made her want to feature it on her show.

We work out at a gym here in Houston, and I see him often. He didn’t know I lived in LA, moved to Dallas, got married, and the whole thing, so we weren’t having run-ins at all. But we started having a lot of run-ins when when when we would go and work out. We found ourselves doing a lot of walking and talking while working out, and I’m like, you know what, I think a lot of people need to see that you can have an ex and still have some type of friendship.

And actually, in the conversations that we were having during these walking talks, you could tell that we both had grown so much. It was probably the best time to have the conversations because the emotions weren’t there. The anger wasn’t there. So much time had passed. I decided that people need to see this. Because I think there’s something to say about loving someone deeply, genuinely. And then, because something doesn’t work out the way you might have wanted it to, then we erase that person, you know, from existence, and they can no longer be a part of our experience. And sometimes, we have to do that to move on. But I feel like time heals. And I feel like, you know, if the genuine love and the friendship, like with us, is still there, then, yes, you can build a different type of friendship with this person, it doesn’t have to turn into a love sex relationship with them again. But it can be the thing that you saw with that person, as far as that friendship that you saw with that person before maybe turning it into a love relationship. You can have that back, just on different terms.

On partnering with the KUSHAE brand:

I was actually looking for a product. Because you know, after you have a kid, things change with your body, your pH low, all the all the balances are unbalanced. And so I was looking for a natural product because you don’t find even if you go to some of the stores who say they sell organic product isn’t all natural that you know, you never know what’s really in it. So on my quest to find a product that I knew, you know, wouldn’t irritate. That was real, all natural. I met two of the creators, the two ladies that created KUSHAE. And first of all, knowing that one of them is obg and I was fresh off of having a baby. I was like, Oh, she’s gonna know exactly what I need. And so I was, you know, I was I don’t want to say, killing two birds with one stone. But I was, you know, I was getting the product that I felt I’d been looking for. But also now I could influence others to you know, use a product that would be good for them. And that was all natural. And they wouldn’t have to worry about you know, it’s unscented, it’s all these different things that I was looking for. And I know that there are other women and men that are looking for, you know, similar products.