Kym Whitley has worked in Hollywood since the 1990s, but she faced a series of challenges on her road to success.
The actress and comedian was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and Khartoum, Sudan. After attending Fisk University, she decided to pursue a career as a performer.
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Early on, Whitley said she met Marla Gibbs while attending a taping of the sitcom 227.
Gibbs noticed she resembled fellow series star Jackée Harry and helped Whitley land a job as Harry’s stand-in or body double. Although Whitley said in a preview clip for TV One’s autobiographical series Uncensored that Harry was no fan of the hiring.
“Jackée did not like it, let’s just go ahead and be honest,” Whitley recalled. “Jackée did not like me looking like her.”
Whitley claimed Harry made her life miserable.
“We were having some problems. Jackée’s sister was threatening me, saying she was going to kick my butt and all kids of stuff, and I was afraid,” she said.
Per Whitley, Marla Gibbs noticed there was tension on set and offered her a little advice.
“During the filming of the show, Marla Gibbs pulled me into a closet on the set, and she said, ‘You stop taking all this abuse and you stand up for yourself!'” Whitley recalled.
But she admitted she had concerns.
“I was afraid, I was new. I was the first thing I had ever done,” she said. “But I probably should have listened to Marla Gibbs.”
Ultimately, Whitley decided to keep quiet. Yet she said she remains friends with Gibbs to this day and is grateful for the help with her career.
Whitley also discussed her relationship with late singer Gerald Levert.
“Gerald Levert was my first true love,” she said. “I don’t remember how Gerald and I met because we knew each other since we were kids.”
But her parents didn’t want her to date a musician, she said Gerald also didn’t want her to go to Hollywood to pursue a career. But there was another reason they never settled down.
“The reason Gerald Levert and I never got married was because he died,” she said.
Kym Whitley’s episode of Uncensored was produced for TV One by Eric Tomosunas, Keith Neal, James Seppelfrick, Robert A. Boyd lll, Paul Hall (Executive Producers), Jay Allen (Co-Executive Producer), Nikki Byles (Producer of Swirl Films), Tony L. Strickland, Jawn Murray (Producers) and Kellon Akeem (Talent Producer).
Uncensored: Kym Whitley airs Sunday, Sept. 19 at 10 PM ET/9C.
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