Exclusive: ‘R&B Divas’ Nicci Gilbert Switches It Up for Season 2; Talks Self-Improvement, Syleena Johnson Beef & Expanding Her Brand

In the heaving world of reality television, one things for sure, the cameras don’t lie.  Meaning that, although some trickery may occur with the editing, we visually get to see a person for who they truly are.  The almighty lens tends to capture truths about a person. But, it is during the playback that each cast member get the opportunity to see their flaws first-hand.  At that point, it is up to that individual to decide if change is needed.  This is true for one star of TV One’s hit show R&B Divas, Nichole “Nicci” Gilbert.

Despite the rumors that were swirling around about Nicci’s separation from the show, she confirmed that those rumors weren’t true and will indeed be a part of season two.  However, her portrayal in season one led to many negative comments from viewers. This didn’t sit well with Nicci. So much so, she acknowledged her flaws and dedicated herself to making positive changes in her life.  Not many women can call themselves out and act on it.  This is what makes Nicci a “real” woman.

As creator and executive producer of R&B Divas, her transition from music to television has been a trying one.  As one-third member of the 90’s R&B group, Brownstone, over the years her passion for music diminished.  This caused a fair share of disagreements amongst her cast members in season one.  Some friendships remain while other friendships hit a low blow. But, her new found love for production and clothing design has launched Nicci into another creative space that is just as self-gratifying as music.

STACKS Magazine had the pleasure to talk to Nicci recently to get an exclusive in-depth look into who she is as a celebrity and businesswoman. She went into detail about her involvement as executive producer and the R&B Divas franchise. Also, Nicci spoke candidly about her feelings towards the other cast members, the effects of reality TV on the Black community, empowering full-figured women, and various projects she’s working on.

In the later part of 2012, several rumors were floating around about you being fired from R&B Divas. You then released a statement stating otherwise and that you will indeed be on the show. Well, it’s great to know now that you will appear in Season 2. But what is even better news, to me, is that you are one of the Executive Producers of the show. Is that true? Can you confirm that?

Nicci: You are correct. I’m actually the creator and executive producer of the show. So I actually cast all the women that you see on the show and some of the women in LA as well. It’s a new age in media. So I understand that anybody with a laptop can start a rumor. I just think that all is well is good because it gives us instant access to our fan bases and resources to promote our brand. It also can be a little convoluted and full of s–t. So that’s pretty much what that was.

I definitely have differences with my producer partners. Not with the network. TV One and I have a great relationship. But, I absolutely have differences with my producer partners. You know what it’s like when you are building a business and you have ideas and you get partners. We don’t always see eye to eye. So some of that stuff that you were getting from sources and other producers or whatever, you know where just people leveraging and using their relationship to make official statements. None of those statements were official. As I’ve expressed on numerous occasions, until you hear it from TV One or from me, don’t believe everything that you hear. But yes, unfortunately, I was the victim of some fraudulent recordings by some people who were in a “semi-official” capacity who happen to be partners that Faith and I brought on board to be a part of this as well. I understand now that’s what people want to hear. Most people aren’t interested in the upwardly mobile, empowering stories with black women. So this is something we’re still working to get to.

As Exec. Producer, what was the vision behind the show? Do you think that the show accomplished this?

Nicci: As people get a little bit more comfortable you’ll see the truth. You’ll see a little bit more of the truth come out. You’ll see a little bit more drama. Originally, the idea was that I didn’t see any real representation of the relationships with other women that I knew (i.e. my girlfriends, people I worked with). As far as us representing truth, us being honest and forthright, us all being singers, what makes us tick and what make some of that great soul music come out our spirit and out of our voices. That part of it, I think, is amazing. I hope that it continues to grow and evolve from there. I didn’t know that when you are playing the TV game sometimes you got to have a little extra drama. Sometimes you got to plant a couple seeds of B.S.. I hope that doesn’t overshadow and I hope that we don’t feel the need to compete. Because of course, when you have somebody blowing their brains out on TV, there’s going to be a million people that will want to see that. I hope that we can continue to be the example of a positive show. The truth is that we all have a little bit of ratchet in us. That’s nothing surprising. Everybody knows somebody like somebody on Love & Hip Hop or whatever. But typically, when you don’t like somebody you don’t want to be around them. You don’t have to sit up and be friends with them. You don’t have to sit and have cocktails with them. Unfortunately, that’s the formula for a successful show. Get a bunch of people who don’t like each other. Create reasons for people not to like each other. BOOM! There it is…two or three million [viewers]. My goal was to have a group of people that were friends and that like each other, empower, and uplift each other. Hopefully, we’ll stay that.

Bels: In the media you caught flack for being bossy and rude…

Nicci: You know, anything you say can and will be held against you in the editing room, right out. You know what I’m saying. I said everything that came out of my mouth. One of the things I wanted to encourage us to do as a people, just in general, is we hear something and we see something and we believe that sound bite. We believe the 15 sentences that come out of a person’s mouth on the television. None of these women are weak. None of these women are going to let me disrespect them and be rude.

Based on these things and how the audience itself put you in this box as being this type of person, did you find yourself having to change anything in this upcoming season as far as how you interact and communicate with other cast members?

Nicci: Absolutely! Last season, which people would never believe because again, we believe the sound bite. But last season, I spent a lot of time because I was executive producer and creator. I was a boss. We were literally trying to make sure that some of the things that were happening behind the scenes that people didn’t see [some of the cursing out and flipping out and all that stuff when the cameras were not rolling]. When the cameras were rolling, it was my objective to be kind of like, “yall let’s not do this.”

This season, I’m nobody’s momma. We’re all grown. Going into this, the ladies agreed to do this because they were like we’re your friends. We love each other and as long as you’re involved and it’s not going to damage our careers. So I was holding on my chest the responsibility of making sure that it didn’t turn into that show. Clearly with this particular group of people it could turn into that in a heartbeat. And it did behind the scenes. This season, I came into the situation and said “aye look, we’re going to just put it all on the table. I’m not going to look crazy by my damn self. I’m going to say exactly what it is. I’m not trying to protect anybody. I’m not trying to mother hen anybody. I’m going to handle my business and do what it that I need to do for me. But I am going to let you know that on camera that I’m not going for that this time. This flipping out behind the scenes and when the cameras are rolling “ooh no… NO.” We’re going to just keep it real and if this is what this is.”

I learn to just be more honest. I learned to be more honest and not try to control grown women. And that’s exactly what I was trying to do last season. Not because I wanted to control someone’s career, but because I wanted to prevent us from going down that road, which you’ll see this season. There is definitely a lot more drama. Some people are going to love it. Some people are going to not care one way or the other. Some people are going to definitely see that some of this is definitely drama….A LOT of drama.

Bels:  Yeah a lot of times in any situation when there’s a group of women, especially strong minded women…

Nicci: Right! Like, I’m on the only strong minded one in the group. News flash! That ain’t the case. Yo, do y’all really think I could just flip out on them and they just sit there looking at me. Half the time, I was talking to the producers off camera. But because it came out of my mouth, it made for good TV.

Who would you say is the person(s) whose personality you just can’t seem to mesh with? On the flipside of that, who do you consider a “friend” or someone that you enjoy their company and spirit?

Nicci: Syleena Johnson. And as plain as simple as this…I don’t do “putting hands on folk” in any capacity. I don’t do because I’ve have a couple cocktails and flipped out. I don’t do any of that. I’m grown. Not only am I grown, I’m the person who brought you into the situation. For that reason alone, I think I should be respected a little bit more. I just don’t get down with people that don’t accept the truth. If you can’t handle the truth, you don’t need to be friends with me.

Well I mean… I think all of the ladies on some level have a good spirit about them. But, Faith (Evans) and I have been friends for the longest time. She is hands down. I’m older than her by a year or two. But, she is my counselor. She is such a resource for me because she’s been affected by this industry a lot longer than I have and in a lot more serious situations. Faith is definitely my friend, my sister. We go back 20 or so years. Anything I need, she’s there for me. Our children know each other. That is genuinely my friend.

Keke (Wyatt) is one the most honest women I’ve met in my life. I love her so much for her honesty and her truth and her vulnerability. I learned so much from her about not caring what everybody else thinks as long as you can get to a place of healing. I think Keke is a star. I think she is the star of this franchise.

And Monifah is obviously “Iyanla” to everyone. [laughs] Mo’ and I go back 10 years.

Angie (Stone) and I have known each other for a while. But, it’s different when cameras start rolling. When you see people like NeNe Leakes, Evelyn Lozada, and Tami Roman, who all of which are “go-get’em” girls. I’m not mad at anybody getting their checks. Especially NeNe, you put the work in for this money that you’re getting. But, when you have this kind of success and you see that as the blueprint, you’re going to get all kinds of characters that feel like “I can scream and curse and fight better than all of them.” And it’s just not that important to me.

Speaking of NeNe Leakes of Real Housewives of Atlanta, do you think there are too many shows? Plus, do you think African-American women are tarnishing the culture?

Nicci: Yes. I think it is unfortunate. But, I think it used to be where we were really concerned about the black man. I come from the age of crack. If they weren’t smoking it, they were dealing it. I’m from Detroit. Unfortunately, all of my cousins are locked up. Now, “they” figure because we had to learn from a lot of our mothers who were single mothers and had to learn that male/female hustle. Unfortunately, they realize “oh it’s not the black man we have to deal the degradation and all that stuff that need to happen. Damn, they’re over there. Those [women] are the ones that are going to empower the black man.” Not to get too deep, but it’s really unfortunate. It’s like crabs in a barrel. It’s the only thing you can get…is drama and ratchet-ry. If that’s the only thing that’s going to pay your bills and feed your kids, what are you going to do?

So the problem isn’t the African-American woman because we have African-American women who are not ratchet. I love the Gossip Game. Love that show. I love Mary Mary. I love Kim Whitley’s show. I don’t think there are too many reality shows. I think that they are not going anywhere. They are cheap to make. I think people having a platform, is amazing. I hope that R&B Divas becomes the franchise for TV One that ‘Housewives’ is for Bravo. I hope that people come to realize that all that is left in our community is the black woman. I mean…not ALL that is left. Unfortunately, the women who are holding the community down; the people that are holding the families down are black women. Now, these kids are flipping out. Girls walking up to people doors beating them down like, “you said something to me on Twitter.” It’s ridiculous. I think yeah, you can show that. We all want to see that ratchet-ry. Everybody, when they were a kid ran to see the fight. I didn’t. But, a lot of people did run to see the fight in the circle. But, where are the shows that help to inspire and empower. I looked up to Patti Labelle. I looked up to Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin and we could see them in their gowns singing on stage. We respected them as icons and legends. We can’t allow this to happen with this franchise. And if and when it does, I’ll be building another one because I’m not going to do it.

Bels: and it starts with the producers….

Nicci: You know what’s really crazy. This is what I definitely want to get out.

This was Faith and I first TV experience. So, yes we are partners in the franchise. We are executive producers of any spin-off, any extension of the brand or any franchises or whatever. But, we do not make the final call on edit. That is Think Factory Media. Think Factory Media does not consist of black women. They are great. They are amazing. But, they are not us. TV One is the network. We brought Think Factory Media on board and introduced them to TV One to do this. We created it. We spent our own money shooting the pilot and flying everybody down. We cast the show and everything. But from there, we kind of washed our hands of it. It wouldn’t be fair for us to be on camera and have the ability to edit ourselves any ole kind of way.

Let’s say… we look like angels and the other ladies looked horrible. To level the playing field, we had to have a neutral party during the edits. But, what I didn’t expect is the disrespect that I experienced as a new producer. So now, I can empathize with Shaunie O’Neal. I can empathize with Mona Scott (Young). Because I understand that at the end of the day, I mean I don’t know what their deals are but, I would assume that Shaunie is not sitting in the editing base saying don’t do that. It may not be difficult for Mona because she’s not on the show. But it is difficult for someone on the show to be unbiased in the editing room. I’d be worried about myself. I’m not even going to hold you up. [laughs] I’d be worried about my brand. So, we do not.

However, I do agree that we still have to be accountable. My way of being accountable when it comes to that – I’m still going to get my check and I’m still going to get my credit. But, I will not be on the camera doing that.

In season 1, you made it clear that singing was no longer a priority for you and that you were diving into ventures outside of music. One of those ventures was Curvato Clothing Line. How’s the clothing line going?

Nicci:  It’s going really well. We are about to launch our 2013 collection at “Full-Figured Fashion Week 2013” in New York City. I’m really excited about that. It is going to be sexy. It’s going to be confident. I’m a new designer so I’m learning. Our business will be a year old in August. So I’m definitely learning how to be better. The beauty of the whole Curvato movement is that it was born of me being subconscious and insecure about my body. I’m a big girl. So you know back in the day it wasn’t as accessible as it is now. It is a lot more accessible to be curvy and larger. You can be empowered. So, I really want the clothing line to represent that more than anything. I’m not trying to beat out Versace or Donna Karan or anyone. I’m just trying to create options for plus-size women. More important than anything, empower and inspire little girls who may need to see a reflection of who they are, looking fly. Know what I mean? And not like a mumu. So, the clothing line is a brand and a lifestyle for me. We are expanding the brand.

We’re launching a new online destination called AllThingsNicci.com, which houses all of the different brands. Along with that, we are re-launching Curvato Lifestyle this year. It will include a Facebook-like community for big women, curvy women and girls. So you’ll be able to set up a profile. You’ll be able to interact. I’m excited about that. In addition to our boutique, we are going to be updating it much more often. I finally got a styling team together. We’re excited. I think the clothing line is here to stay. We are going to reach for big box retailers in a minute. I kind of wanted to be in business and learn things and have an understanding of what it was before we started really reaching out to some of those larger retailers and trying to get things in stores. I just wanted to live in it for a minute. Now we’re ready to take it to the next level. I’m going to do a curvy pageant next year in 2014. Which I’m super excited about. So, Curvato is here to stay. You’ll see us…I lost some weight like Jakeem (Smith), Nicci’s executive assistant and a PR contact. He has lost some weight. We’ve been on our fitness grind. It’s been a long process. But we are getting there. So, I’m really excited about sharing that which is something I’ll be sharing on Curvato as well.

Are there any other business ventures in the works? Checking out J. Smith’s website, I noticed an announcement that you were in search of comedic script writers. Is this something you can talk about?

Nicci:  Yes. In addition to that, we have Divas and Wildflowers, which is my daughters’ Brandy charity. I’m super excited about that. She’s using her love of fashion and makeup and all things girly to help inspire young girls. So, I’m helping her put together a series of events and fundraisers for that. R&B Divas L.A. will air this summer. I’m really excited about that. Faith and I are working. In our little prayer basket, we have R&B Divas New York, hopefully coming soon. Hopefully, TV One will be pleased with the whole franchise and the momentum to give us that. Of course, there’s my baby which is called Divas & Cocktails. Divas & Cocktails, in short, a fun little late night show. It’s kind of like “Watch What Happens” meets “Wendy Williams with a little bit of “SNL”. So it’s sketch comedy, standup, live musical performances, lip service, the talk, the tea, and celebrity interviews. It is coming every Wednesday night, at 11pm, right after R&B Divas online at DivasandCocktails.com. I’m definitely very excited about the possibility of that being picked up by a major network. It is in the hands of some cool people as we speak. So, I just want to continue to build my brand as a producer and content provider. That’s sort of it.

Throughout this process, what have you taken away? Are there any life lessons or food-for-thoughts that you can share with our readers?

Nicci: Yes absolutely. I learned a lot of things about myself that I’d probably would not. Anytime you see a mirror of yourself in any capacity, you’re like “ole Lord Jesus I need to lose some weight. I need to stop talking so loud.” I learned a lot of little things about Nicci that I didn’t really realize. I mean it is one thing to be loud. It’s another thing to be doing it on TV with a microphone. So, I learned that I could fall back a little bit and evaluate a little more, which is always good in any career. As a human being, if we’re not growing, you know what the alternative is. I definitely see that I’ve influenced and inspired a lot of young people, which has been a passion for me. I want to continue to do that and continue to build. I’m actually developing a show around Jakeem and Brandy and some of the other kids. They are grown, but, young people that I work with.

So you know…just seeing what works, what is effective and what’s not; understanding the business of television a little more; understanding what it is I need to stand for and represent. I’m very pleased with the fact that in spite of all the horrible “she’s terrible, she’s a bitch, she’s mean, she’s awful.” In spite of all of that, as hard as it is, any human being waking up to negative press every week, eventually, it’s going to break you and you’re going to be like “what the hell did I do? This isn’t what this was supposed to be.” But, then you realize who it’s coming from. Then you realize who the comments are coming from. You really sit back and think it’s ridiculous for me to have such an ego that I would think that that stuff really mattered and defined who I was. Faith and Mo’, these women are still (most of them) my friends. My husband and I are still happily married. The people in my life who matter and know me they understand it.

Now, it’s the real hard thing for me too. It really affected my mother in a negative way. My mother is like “you are the nicest person ever and you’re my child and I know you better than anybody else.” You know what I’m saying. So, it’s hard for her to see all of that. “Oh my God they fired you and you created it.” And I’m like, “Ma!” So, that’s tough. The affect that it has on my family is very very tough. And that’s when I will…you’ll get that “Detroit coming from Chicago-Mansfield” Nicci. And I have to remember that at the end of the day we’re here, we are breathing. For the most part, we are successful. To live in the moment that it’s real and to not allow the moment that is reality TV to define who I am in my real life as a woman.

Tune in tonight and watch the Season 2 premiere of R&B Divas, at 10PM on TV One! 

You can follow Nicci Gilbert on Twitter @niccigilbert and stay connected 24/7 at www.allthingsnicci.com.

Special thanks to Jakeem Smith of J.Productions!