By her own admission, Loretta Devine has played a lot of moms throughout her career.
My kids are fighting in" No good deed"Idris from this xmas and Taraji from eli stone.whats a mother to do?
Uh, the internet seemed to notice this fact as well:
But if you only know her as The Mama™, you are missing the true glory she has given over her decades-long career as an actress and singer.
From being in the original cast of Broadway's Dreamgirls...
...to starring on the iconic TV show A Different World.
And rocking that tapered fro!
Here she is giving you finger-wave realness in Waiting to Exhale, a film that set the standard for girlfriend movies.
(Never, ever forget this part of WTE, when she nervously sashayed away from her fine new neighbor, giving him a view to salivate over.)
Yes, long before blessing the sets of Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural, Miss Devine was a diva.
Who rocked a bold lip before you knew it was cool.
And managed to radiate the warmth of 1,000 suns at the same damn time.
And kicked down doors for those behind her.
Let's be honest: You'd know this unmistakable voice anywhere.
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Her beautifully delivered poem "Somebody Almost Walked Off Wid Alla My Stuff" in For Colored Girls.
Her cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" is soulful af.
She always shows love to the next generation of fierce female celebs.
That be the incredible ledisi and me.
She even helped educate your nieces and nephews on Doc McStuffins.
But she still gets excited to see herself on a billboard, even after 30-plus years in the game.
Omg I am on a billboard I have arrived. thrilled. Corner of third /laCienga holla
For further inspiration, here she is being a lot of things Hollywood says you can't be: dark-skinned, curvy — and victorious.
