The Wendy Williams Experience

by Wendy Williams

  WW: So he loved you looking good, got you a nanny? This is an incredible life—Scarsdale, the nanny. Did you smoke weed back then?

  MHB: I’m a mom now. (Laughter.)

  WW: I got what you’re saying (Wink, wink). Smoking weed, having fun, going to glamorous parties. At what point did you and Puffy’s romantic relationship break up and become purely guardianship?

  MHB: Kim Porter. That did it.

  WW: What year was that?

  MHB: Ninety-four.

  WW: I don’t like her. Let me just see your ring finger first.

  MHB: This is not my wedding ring.

  WW: What is that?

  MHB: A rose.

  WW: That’s an interesting place to have a tattoo, Misa.

  MHB: Puffy thought so too. Why do you think I did that? Maybe I did it that time for a reason.

  WW: You got that at what point in your life?

  MHB: Before I got married. He told me he would pay for me to get it removed—that I would never be married with it.

  WW: What? Like no man would have you with that tattoo?

  MHB: No, like that’s bad luck.

  WW: Just because it can never be covered? Is that your only tattoo?

  MHB: You know we were the whole tattoo crew, the whole Jodeci, early nineties, Mary, and all of that.

  WW: Damn. Yeah, that was back in the day. Is that your original wedding ring?

  MHB: No, this is just a ring I have on.

  WW: You must be real comfortable in your marriage that you can switch your rings around. I can’t do that, yet. To me, it’s the original ring or nothing. How long have you been married to Jo-Jo?

  MHB: Six years.

  WW: So. You and Puffy are together. The baby comes along. Jodeci, big. Mary, big. Bad Boy takes off. He is now the wonder boy of the industry. At what point do you start with your designing?

  MHB: When I started I didn’t realize that being a stylist was a job. I got to work with Jodeci on their first album.

  WW: At what point do things start to take a turn for the “Oh, hell no!” with Puffy? Like, I’m not dealing with this.

  MHB: We were talking about styling . . .

  WW: Styling, that’s right. Sorry. (Laughter.)

  MHB: I got to work on Jodeci’s first video and I used to help Puffy with that because he was a stylist too. And then I got Mary as a client and that’s pretty much when my career took off.

  WW: You were the baseball caps with the hair pulled through the top? You were the combat boots?

  MHB: Yes. That was a spin-off of Jodeci. I can’t say it was all my idea. That was some of [Puffy’s] idea. And I was able to style.

  WW: We were all doing it. It was great, very great. Now you’re building a name for yourself. At what point did things with your relationship with Puffy turn sour? You said, Kim Porter. I didn’t realize that she was in picture for such an extended period of time.

  MHB: Kim was a friend of mine.

  WW: What?! A friend?!

  MHB: You knew.

  WW: I did not know that! Look, I got a life outside you people, okay? I go home, I mind my business.

  MHB: You didn’t know that?

  WW: I swear to goodness, I didn’t know that! Let me just . . . [tell] you what I know, and you can correct me. Kim, friend of Dallas Austin in Atlanta, decides she wants to go to New York. Dallas arranges for her to be in New York, secretary at Bad Boy?

  MHB: Uptown.

  WW: Okay. Al B. Sure. The baby comes—

  MHB: No, the baby was before she got the secretary position, that’s why she got the secretary position. He was sort of a deadbeat. Yes, she was my friend. . . .

  WW: He was a deadbeat back then?

  MHB: He hated her so much. He was one of those stupid guys who was like “I hate her so much, I’m not going to take care of my kid.” His birthday and Prince’s birthday are the same day.

  WW: Wow. Oh, light and curly is heartless and mean. I just wouldn’t expect that from him. Listen . . . did she like poke the proverbial hole in the condom or did they have a relationship?

  MHB: At that point, they had a real relationship. At that point, I had my second son and was on to my third child. When she had Christian, I was pregnant with my daughter. They called me from the room.

  WW: How did you meet Kim?

  MHB: One of my best friends, who is a model, who lives in St. Louis and who ended up not being such a good friend, they were friends and we would hang out and Kim would come. We would do fun things, go to parties. She would come to my home in Scarsdale.

  WW: Still with Puffy?

  MHB: Yes, and when I got my own place when Justin was about five months or six months in New Rochelle, she used to come to my home and say, “He’s not right, he reminds me of Al. You need to take him to court.”

  WW: So, Kim’s telling you that Puffy’s no good and that he’s a deadbeat. By the time you moved out of Scarsdale, did you move out because you and Puffy were broken up?

  MHB: At that time Usher Raymond was working on his album and was about to come out. Something happened and we had to move. When I came from the hospital with Justin, I had to go back home with my mom and he ended up living in a hotel.

  WW: Wow! Did you pop into that hotel to see what was going on?

  MHB: I would go there from time to time.

  WW: Did you ever catch him there with women?

  MHB: We were very disconnected at this time.

  WW: How old was Justin?

  MHB: A month, two months. I think that disconnection from me . . . you know how something can kill your spirit. I just had to face that.

  WW: Do you think Kim had designs on Puffy while trying to put a wedge between the two of you?

  MHB: I don’t know.

  WW: Was that part of the fun with you and Kim and all of you girls and Puffy would have open relationships, you know what I’m saying?

  MHB: No.

  WW: That was part of the myth of you and Kim and Puffy.

  MHB: Really?! Never. Not at all. [If that were the case,] we would probably all be together now. Right?

  WW: I guess so.

  MHB: If it was that open and we’re all partying and living free. But I’m not that kind of girl.

  WW: So Kim worked on creating this wedge and it ended up working.

  MHB: Because I walked away. If I didn’t walk away it would not have gone down like that.

  WW: Did Puffy ever try to fight for you?

  MHB: (Nods her head yes.)

  WW: How extravagant did it get?

  MHB: I think he fought more emotionally and mentally than materially.

  WW: Like if I can’t have you, I don’t want anyone else to have you. That kind of testosterone fight.

  MHB: Yes.

  WW: So when you walked away, how soon after did you get your child support?

  MHB: Three years.

  WW: Three years?! Recently it was brought up that you guys have not redone child support since Justin was born ten years ago. How much had you been getting? Approximately, I heard sixty-five hundred dollars.

  MHB: I don’t want to talk about that, now.

  WW: But you said less.

  MHB: Yes, less, a lot less.

  WW: So I’ll say five thousand dollars and you don’t acknowledge.

  MHB: No.

  WW: What’s Janice’s role once you split up?

  MHB: We’re very, very close now. She’s like a second mother.

  WW: So you’re close. It took some years for that to happen.

  MHB: Um. We had been close since. Don’t get me wrong, we were never against each other. It was just that mother-son thing. Her first grandchild. Like “Oh, my God, this girl’s the one? Are you going to get married? Are you not? She’s younger than you.”

  I went to college.

  WW: Where did you go?

  MHB: St. John’s University.

  WW: Did you graduate?

  MHB: No.

  WW: You didn’t have to.

 
MHB: (Laughter.)

  WW: You and Kim, how do you get along now?

  MHB: We’re cordial. We’re civil.

  WW: Why did she get so much more money than you? It’s not fair on the outside looking in. I understand you work and she doesn’t.

  MHB: Why do you think?

  WW: Because you’re married to JoJo Brim and he’s thinking, “No son of mine is going to get any dime extra when there’s some nigga in the house who could be doing for him too!” That’s what I think.

  MHB: You think if we would have broken up, he would do more?

  WW: That’s right. Okay, you got two kids by another man. It’s not like I can claim those two kids like Al B. Sure’s a piece of a man. See, Al’s made it easy for Puffy to come in and claim Quincy. Your kids, they have a father who is an able-bodied man who is taking care of his. If I were a man with a big ego, I understand his angle. It doesn’t make it right. But I understand. When did you meet JoJo?

  MHB: He’s also from Mount Vernon, and I don’t know when I met him exactly. He was a familiar face. I used to manage Case, remember that? And he was really close to Case.

  WW: Yes! I do. Is he really cute? I have never seen him.

  MHB: Yeah. A lot of people say he resembles Babyface and Pharrell. He has curly hair, strong features, really tall and thin. I thought he was a ballplayer. He’s a beautiful person.

  WW: He must be a strong man to put up with you being the baby’s mother of such a famous man.

  MHB: Oh, my God. He’s such a beautiful person. You have no idea. He’s on another level.

  WW: How does he and Puffy get along?

  MHB: Puffy has a lot of respect for him. You know how some people have a certain energy where you can’t come at them crazy. It would almost be like coming at Russell crazy.

  WW: Yeah. Puffy’s got a lot of respect for JoJo. How do the boys get along and your daughter?

  MHB: Very well. They’re all like stair steps. So they’re funny. I enjoy watching them. My daughter, she’s such a little girl. Justin babies her. My middle son is like really hard on her and keeps on her, and then Justin and Niko are very close. And what’s funny is that they don’t really fight, they don’t argue. They’re all treated equally.

  WW: But one has a couple of restaurants.

  MHB: But that’s their life. They don’t know anything else. You know what I mean?

  WW: How crazy is that? Your kids are actually being brought up in a lifestyle that most people only dream about. Is Justin’s bedroom at home all done up?

  MHB: It’s a normal, nice bedroom. It’s not anything extra or over the top. He doesn’t have a Jacuzzi in the middle of his room.

  WW: How do your mother and father feel about Puffy, now?

  MHB: My dad is always on my side. He’s just supportive. He’s a listener. He’s not judgmental. My mom, I think, like his mom, ignores our problems and they stay close. If I was with Janice, she would introduce me as her daughter-in-law, Misa. My mother was at the marathon supporting Puffy. His mother was at my daughter’s birthday party.

  WW: Your mom’s confident that your financial issues with Puffy, past, present, and future, will work out?

  MHB: I think so.

  WW: I have to ask you about something that I must admit you’ve put me in a place where I feel strange asking you, but I must ask you.

  MHB: Okay.

  WW: Your relationship with Missy.

  MHB: (Laughter.)

  WW: So you’ve heard that there was a relationship (Wink, wink). Trina somehow became a part of it. You and Missy were no longer cool. And it was Missy and Trina.

  MHB: Absolutely not ! Missy is my daughter’s godmother. We are really close friends. That’s another thing. It’s like me and Baby. It’s like “What?!” When I hear these things. It’s crazy. So me and Missy and Trina, what was that supposed to be, a love triangle? I’ve known Missy since she first came out with her group. I styled her group. We go way back. We’re friends and confidantes and she’s actually my daughter’s godmother. Mary is Justin’s godmother. We went to church and everything.

  WW: Are you close with Mary’s husband?

  MHB: I know Kendu. I wouldn’t say we’re close, but I know him.

  WW: So what would you like in terms of Justin’s future and stability, regarding Puffy? Clearly, Misa, as a married woman, your husband has a financial responsibility to your family. As a working woman, you already are doing something. But having a baby’s father who also happens to be millions of dollars past being wealthy, what’s his obligation to you and Justin?

  MHB: No comment.

  WW: When was the last time you had sex with Puffy?

  MHB: A long time ago, but no comment! A very long time ago, but I don’t want to talk about that. (Laughter.)

  WW: How’s Lil’ Kim? When was the last time you talked to Kim?

  MHB: Two Thousand.

  WW: That’s a long time.

  MHB: Yeah. I haven’t even run into her. Isn’t that amazing? Almost four years.

  WW: What happened with you guys?

  MHB: No comment. That’s business. It was great working with her, though. We had so much fun working together, especially when it was really, really good.

  WW: How good was it when it was really good?

  MHB: We had so much fun. We would travel and had a lot to do with fashion and taking risks. Magazine covers. I think that’s when I got a different kind of recognition for my work.

  WW: Kim also took it to another level. You had a subject that was a risk taker. All of a sudden she was becoming a draw to the Hollywood scene as well. She had grown past hip-hop or Club Cheetah on a Friday night. Kim took it someplace else and you went along for the ride. And you both supported each other.

  MHB: Right.

  WW: Is that repairable?

  MHB: I don’t have a problem with Kim.

  WW: She’s a Cancer, she doesn’t really have a problem with you.

  MHB: (Laughter.)

  WW: Take it from me, the queen Cancer, she doesn’t have a problem with you.

  MHB: It seems like it.

  WW: That’s people whispering in her ear.

  MHB: I don’t have any problem with Kim.

  WW: Does she owe you money?

  MHB: No.

  WW: I’m kind of saddened by that. Just because you guys were in a good place with each other.

  MHB: Really good. You know, it’s funny. I watched VH1 last night, the fabulous life of Lil’ Kim. Did you see it?

  WW: Nooooo!

  MHB: It was cute and they showed a lot of work from when I worked with Kim. And they interviewed me for it in my office. But I was the only one who wasn’t [featured] on the show.

  WW: Wow.

  MHB: (Laughter.) And I’m like, this is all my work. Not even recently; I wouldn’t even say in the last two years. It was all like that.

  WW: I’ll tell you what, though, Misa—

  MHB: —I was like, “That’s not nice!” (Laughter.)

  WW: Not only that . . . but I believe, and I don’t hate on Kim, I just feel that as though Kim and a lot of people like Kim give people pipe dreams about what this business is made of. Kim is the brokest-wealthiest-looking person I know. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not hating, I’m simply saying. Why does she always seem broke to me even though it seems like she has a whole bunch of stuff going on?

  MHB: She seems broke to you?

  WW: Yes. No comment from Misa. She’s just rubbing her chin and nodding. Not nodding in agreement but listening and nodding. Is there anything else you want to talk about? There are a couple of more things I wanted to ask you about Puff (How You Doin’?!) but all of a sudden I don’t feel as though they are appropriate. It’s not . . . see, I know how to behave myself. Has JoJo ever had an affair on you?

  MHB: Never.

  WW: Have you ever had an affair on him?

  MHB: Never.

  WW: Is marriage forever?

  MHB: It is for me.

  WW: Through thic
k and through thin. Any more children?

  MHB: I love babies. I don’t know, because it takes such a toll on me. I get really, really, really sick. I gain at least eighty pounds. My daughter is five. This is the first time I haven’t been pregnant in a long time. This is different for me.

  WW: Wow. Did you have breast implants?

  MHB: (Laughter.)

  WW: You and Mary and Kim on the package deal?

  MHB: (Laughter!) No, I don’t.

  WW: Have you?

  MHB: No. I want some now, though.

  WW: It’s not so bad, Misa. If you’ve got the money, then fund it. Eve, wouldn’t you love to style her?

  MHB: I might love the experience. But I don’t think I want to style artists anymore.

  WW: Okay. Why?

  MHB: I’ve done that for thirteen years. I love the movies, I like the dining. I love working on bigger projects. Like I did the diva lines. Born to divas. I worked with those girls. When it’s over, it’s over. I’ve been working with Chris Rock and Serena [Williams]. So I want to switch up my clients a little bit. The music industry is so different now. But I think Eve is doing her thing. And she is the fashion “it” girl.

  WW: Instead of styling Eve the artist, you would rather do the Eve TV show?

  MHB: Yeah, yeah.

  WW: What would you say, Misa . . . and we’re practically done, you’ve been fabulous. But what would you say to that seventeen, that twenty-year-old girl at the party and she sees him, you know the one from the videos across the room. She wants to meet him. What advice would you give to girls like that?

  MHB: (Long pause.) I would tell her to get to know him first. Look beyond the exterior. You may think he’s cute and he may be a rapper or a singer—

  WW: —and wealthy.

  MHB: —and wealthy. But it’s important to get to know anybody. And that goes for a guy who doesn’t have anything. I think that we have expectations on people and that’s how we get disappointed.

  WW: Yes. I am really shocked about you and Puff and what I read in the New York Daily News about child support issues. I know you guys have, and will always, handle that. But it’s sloppy, though. And that’s his fault and not yours. You, from what I’ve been told, had been trying your very best to handle them—your child-support issues—in a very quiet way. It was so ghetto. You know what I’m sayin’? You black folks are beyond that. By the way, we call Kim Porter, on my radio show, the chicken head of the millennium.