Phylicia Rashad, often regarded as America’s mom, has taken on a new role that is notably different from her iconic portrayal of the sitcom mom as Claire Huxtable.
A circulating video clip on social media has left countless fans scarred as they struggle to reconcile this portrayal with the wholesome image that solidified Rashad as a household name.
In the BET+ series, “Diarra From Detroit,” “The Cosby Show” star plays an edgy woman named Vonda. In an unexpected twist, Rashad’s character claims to have had intimate relations with all the original members of one of Motown’s most iconic groups.
“I ever tell you how I f—k all the members of The Temptations?” Rashad as Vonda said.�
Diarra, the young lady sitting in the car with her, replies, “Uhhm, Miss Vonda, The Temptations had quite a few lineup changes. So how many bodies we talking?”
Vonda replies, “Only the originals. I was a 10, baby. You had to have perfect pitch and a precise two-step to sniff this.”
Adding, “Eddie [Kendricks] was good with his hands. Paul [Williams]. With his mouth, and Melvin [Franklin] was good with his feet. Really good with his feet.”
Diarra ponders out loud, “The f—k was he doing with his feet?” to which Miss Vonda said, “How much time y’all got?”
The clip was posted on The Neighborhood Talk and fans of Ms. Huxtable were flabbergasted.
“Never in my life would I be prepared for Phylicia Rashad to talk like this,” someone bemoaned.�
“What in the TUBI is going on here?” one person wrote.
Another person, “This is like hearing my great Aunt talk about her sexual exploitations.”
One fan checked the rest about Rashad, a star who has conquered Broadway, television, and film, writing, “Yall better check Claire Huxtables catalog hunni!!! She is and has always been a very versatile actress.”
“We have planted roses, but we keep getting these weeds” – Clair Hanks Huxtable https://t.co/1U5GM2Icpk pic.twitter.com/VeSppeTYPu
— The Hillman Files (@thehillmanfiles) October 28, 2023
The series, created by Diarra Kilpatrick, debuted on the streaming service in 2024, after smashing at various festivals. The plot centers on Diarra, a schoolteacher, who has just undergone a divorce from her husband Francois, played by Morris Chestnut, and is trying to reacclimate herself to the dating world, including getting ghosted by a date with a man on Tinder.
The first three episodes of “Diarra From Detroit” premiered on March 21 on BET+. New episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays.
