“I can’t sleep because of you guys. You won’t be able to sleep because of me.”
If you’re a diehard fan of the television series Bad Girls Club like I am, you probably read the aforementioned quote in the exact cadence and tone Tanisha Thomas sang it in during season two while banging pots and pans. Unfortunately, BGC was canceled after 17 seasons, leaving a void for fans. In the upcoming Baddies reboot of the renowned Oxygen franchise, some of our favorite original bad girls, including Natalie Nunn and Tanisha Thomas, as well as one newcomer, will return to Atlanta.
“It was wonderful to return. We’ve never been seen by you in this way. Natalie and I have never appeared to you in this manner. It’s a sizable payout for me. My first time acting on camera as both an executive producer and talent. I was unsure of how I would perform, but I enjoyed it. Thomas told HelloBeautiful, “I genuinely think I exceeded expectations and I look forward to producing more shows in the future.
Since the world first met Thomas nearly 15 years ago, she has welcomed a new son into the world, engaged, and investigated new business opportunities. We now have a new perspective on Tanisha, Natalie, and other bad girls like Seven Craft and Judi Jai thanks to the Baddies reboot. There are many times that I’m proud of, she continued. There are many times when I lose control. I didn’t have to because I’ve changed greatly, but I’m still that shit. I still identify as that New Yorker. With us, everything is said very bluntly.
The original bad girl herself was interviewed about Baddies, inner beauty, her weight loss journey, and how the Bad Girls Club forever changed reality television.
On her choice to participate in the Bad Girls Club revival:
It was absurd. One night, Natalie texted me to ask if we could get back together. After steadfastly declining for so long, I finally agreed. We soon started arguing and having disagreements with one another after that. We fought, as bad girls occasionally do. The next thing I knew, I was out of the project, and Natalie was attempting to carry it on. Just 12 days before everything is set in stone, I receive a call from the network’s president saying, “This is our final offer, Tanisha, and we’re going to give you the producer credit.”
All of this, and I don’t have to live in a house because I’m an executive producer, I thought. Okay, no problem. I said, “Let me get back to you,” even though I knew I would do it. Being a new mother, I naturally think, “Okay, I’ve got to secure my son,” as I’ve never been away. With COVID, I’ve been placed in lockdown. Before COVID, I was a germaphobe, but considering how far into hiding I went, you might have thought I was one of the top three Americans Wanted. I was under lockdown and I was very concerned about COVID. My reaction was, “Oh my God. I’m uncertain if we could film. I’m not sure if this is secure. I felt a small amount of relief knowing that everyone had been tested and cleared beforehand.
Regarding her change as a woman since her time on Bad Girls Club:
Everything happened so quickly. My success and our success came about so quickly. Even ten years later, I occasionally still take it in. The most notable change in me over the past ten years has been how acutely self-aware I have become. Even though I occasionally make mistakes—which happens on a show—I now have the incredible ability to look back, whether it’s at the end of the day, the end of the week, or after I’ve calmed down, and identify where I went wrong, and either correct it, apologize for it, or move in a different way. That is what we as humans find most beautiful. You have another chance to undo yesterday’s mistakes. It’s never too late as long as you’re still breathing. As long as you still have life inside of you, it’s never too late. Up until now, I’ve never really understood that.
Regarding her efforts to lose weight and the main obstacles she faced:
The journey has been long and is still ongoing. I was at my heaviest 300 pounds. I decided to take more responsibility for my health after leaving a very toxic and abusive relationship. For some time, I struggled in silence as well. After I ended that relationship, I consciously made an effort to try. I weighed 168 pounds when I was the smallest. Once I had my child, I then started to yo-yo. You lose all the weight, and then the guys approach you and say, “Woo, I ain’t seen you before!” Not that they weren’t bothering me before, but the demand alone makes me feel as though I should faint.
Concerning the value of inner beauty:
Even for me, there is a lot of emphasis on the outside. I know I appear to be very self-assured, but I occasionally think, “I look especially chubby today.” The behavior of my skin is not what I want it to be. The way I want my hair to behave is not happening. It’s not a race; it’s a marathon that your body will experience. We are supposed to use it forever. When you stop to think about it, she sacrifices so much for us. I believe I have begun to realize that I am not even giving God praise for my health. I haven’t even praised God for giving me two legs. I’m not even giving God praise for my vision. I thank you, Lord. I’m hearing. I possess hands. I’ve got fingers. God, we thank you.
Regarding what she thinks about physical enhancements:
I believe there is nothing improper about enhancing. Anything that will make you feel better, in moderation. We don’t require a lot. We’re already flawless. Not really, not that much. I believe that the inside is undervalued in favor of the outside. All of that is resolvable. Will everything be alright for us? Will we be able to heal the inside? What is the purpose? Although I receive a lot of praise from others, I always tell them, “Guys, the real work is here.” My heart is what I find most attractive about myself. Nothing, to me, is more beautiful than a woman who is beautiful on the inside. I’m a work in progress, and I fail occasionally as we all do. The outside of that beauty simply exudes that same beauty. That is the total package, in my opinion. Not the entire cake, but the exterior is the icing.
By all means, go under the knife or undergo these procedures if they truly and happily make you happy. But are you really doing it for yourself? Do you really want that, or do you believe that everyone else wants the same thing? I’m at that moment. I had to remind myself of this because I also get stuck. I concur. When I take pictures, sometimes everything is a size eight, nine, or 10. I currently range from a 12 to a 14. Even though I’ve lost weight, my options are frequently still limited, so I have to constantly remind myself that I’m gorgeous. I’m me. Here I am. I’m special. Because I am a queen, period, this set and this shoot will accept whatever I arrive with, and I will slay it with whatever I arrive with.
Regarding how Bad Girls Club altered the face of reality TV:
We are merely the history of reality TV. We are famous. It is timeless. Pots and pans situations “I run LA” moments Moments involving voodoo dolls. The mattress in the pool incident is well known. And more than all of those times. I believe that Bad Girls Club has completely redefined what it means to be authentic and live out loud. We’re not bad in the sense of being really, really bad, but I believe it’s more important to accept oneself for who one is. Yes, I messed up, is how it sounds. Yes, I did irritate her. Yes, I did accidentally throw her pool into the bed the day before. I misbehaved. Do you know what I’m going to do? I messed up, so I’m going to remove the mattress and give her my mattress. It’s okay because I’m only human. We currently play checkers while rocking. Our hookah is smoked. It’s a wonderful day.
