In 'Raising Fame,' Steph Curry And Shaq's Moms Share Insights On Celebrities And The People Who Raised Them

Behind almost every successful superstar is a strong family foundation.

For NBA stars Steph Curry and Shaquille O’Neal, a lot of their favorable outcomes in life are in part due to their loved ones — which is why their mothers, Sonya Curry and Lucille O’Neal, have teamed up with TV One to shine a light on the families of superstars across all industries, including sports, music and beyond.

“The misconception is that it is easy,” Lucille told Blavity’s Shadow and Act of their TV One series Raising Fame. “It has not been easy to get to this place. There’s a road that we traveled, but the journey has not always been excellent. I want to say that there have been ups and downs, and there have been losses along the way. So a lot of people are gonna think one way, but when they see this program, they’re gonna get the truth. They don’t know that it’s been a journey. Not always bad, but it’s been a journey to get to this place, and we’re happy to be able to help those that we interview share those stories with the world.”

While a lot of the conversations are centered on parents or the person(s) responsible for raising individuals like Usher, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia and a host of other household names included in the show’s inaugural season, Sonya noted the importance of including the role that siblings play throughout the journey to stardom as well.

“The great thing about the show is whenever it was an opportunity, we included siblings so that the audience and the world could hear their viewpoint. Because we can even talk about it and say, ‘Oh, the siblings made sacrifices,’ but it’s always good when you can get it from the horse’s mouth and you can get it directly from them. So, they talked about their experiences and what it was like for them when the spotlight was on one child. And what we found was there was no jealousy or rivalry, and that amazed me. And talking to the parents about how that was cultivated, what the parents did to kind of negate that spirit of competition and jealousy within the family, as this journey for what we call the ‘exceptional one.’”

“It was even hard doing this show and even coming up with a word for the one that was famous,” she continued. “But even like in my family, all three of my children are well known. So even with them, we travel as a pack. We’ve got each other’s back against the world. And one person’s success is everybody’s success. One person struggles, we all struggle with them. We stay in that battle together. So that’s important, and that’s what you’ll see in the show. You will see firsthand the siblings telling their perspective about that.”

Lucille added that this is where the whole concept of the family village begins.

“When you have siblings, it starts at home and it branches out into the neighborhood, but it is still a family affair,” she explained. “That’s what it’s always been when you have a mother, father, sister, brother, and what we love to share is that that component can be so strong if you’re really in tune with the whole family and village concept.”

By creating this show and conducting the interviews, both Lucille and Sonya admit that they’ve also learned a lot about themselves, specifically about giving themselves grace in the times that they appeared to get it wrong. Yet, the hope is that sharing the stories of all the individuals involved in the show will provide them with a space to take control of their narrative and in turn have a positive impact on someone else.

“I’m not about the accolades, but I really ingest when I say that there’s nothing else out there like this,” Sonya said. “I just want to hear them say, ‘Thank you,’ not to me, but, ‘Thanks for this concept. Thanks for being obedient to God and stepping into it, because what people don’t know is that I lacked a lot of confidence. I’m kinda like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do that.’ If it wasn’t for Tracy (Chutorian Semler) and Eric (Semler) coming to and seeing something in what we were doing with our children and approaching me, I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to do this on my own.”

“What is going to be good for me and what has blessed me is that we’re hearing the truth. We all have a story, and you don’t know my story and I don’t know yours, but they’re given the opportunity to tell it, and their story is going to resonate with somebody that is watching,” Lucille concluded.

Based on the Raising Fame: Sports Edition podcast, which ended in 2020, TV One’s new series Raising Fame follows Sonya and Lucille as they travel to the hometowns of superstars like John Legend, Chance The Rapper, Billy Porter and more.

New episodes air each Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.