We told you about the folks who took breaks or completely ditched the entertainment industry to focus on their relationships with God, but what about the ones who did the same for the opportunity to get a college degree to fall back on? Here are 10 who left Hollywood to get an education at Yale, Princeton, Harvard and more.

Zelda Harris

After gaining fame for her role as Troy in Crooklyn and stealing everybody’s heart, by her teenage years, Zelda Harris went MIA. She did a few roles here and there, including He Got Game and NYPD Blue, but after that, she stopped acting completely. Harris went on to focus on her education, reportedly going to Princeton and graduating in 2007. 

If it wasn’t for reality television, we would probably never have known them (or at least as not as well as we do now) but these reality stars decided to turn up their noses on the very thing that made them famous or resurrected their careers.

Tia and Tamera Mowry

Identical twins Tia and Tamera Mowry first gained fame as twin teens separated at birth on the sitcom “Sister, Sister.” The twins took a break from Hollywood to attend college before resurrecting their acting careers again. For six seasons, Tia played Melanie Barnett Davis on the hit show “The Game” but the sisters would work together again with their reality show “Tia & Tamera” on the Style Network. The show premiered to record numbers on the network but as each season passed so did its popularity and it was canned at the end of 2013, although according to them it was time to them to get back to living their lives off camera.

 

On their new website, Tia And Tamera Official, our favorite twins discuss everything from sisterly advice, motherhood, fashion and beauty and healthy living. Recently, Tamera wrote an open letter to her son, Aden. Tia was so touched by it, she was inspired to send some words of encouragement her sister’s way too.

Dear Sissy,

Tamera your precious angel is here! I am so proud of you! You handled your birthing process with such grace and beauty. While doing so, you looked so beautiful with your braided up bohemian signature styled hair and let’s not forget that sexy, black hospital gown Can we say HOT MOMMA!! You were determined, steadfast and one strong woman. Man, WOMAN– we are strong beings!

Seeing you hold Aden for the first time brought me to tears. I was in awe at how content, happy and peaceful ou were holding your little baby boy for the first time. Aren’t they little miracles? When you handed little A to me, I too was in awe and at peace. My little darling of a nephew had arrived and ,y is he the cutest! I have a nickname for him already. Chunkmink. All I could do was kiss him over and over and over again!

Seeing you give birth, also brought back so many memories, as I too gave birth over a year ago. It was like looking in the mirror. I remember thinking to myself: ‘Wow, this is what I must have looked like! What an amazing picture!

I am so happy you get to experience one of the greatest things that could ever happen to you. Your joy and happiness is now on a whole another level. You are already an amazing mother! You will now get to see the world through your son’s eyes and what a great view! Sit back and enjoy the ride. You are WOMAN now so ROAR!

Love your sissy,

Tia Hardrict

Pretty cute! People who watch the show, especially some of my co-workers, who shall remain unnamed, have said that Tia loves to make everything about her. But I think this is pretty sincere and genuine. What do you think about Tia’s open letter?

I was sure that my heart was bubbling over when news broke that actress Tamara Mowry-Housley had finally given birth to her baby boy Aden, but now I think it might just POP! The 34-year-old first time mom took to her Twitter page last night to share a beautiful handwritten letter, which she composed for her 1-month-old son Aden. She posted the heartfelt letter on Tia and Tamera Official, which is a recent lifestyle site that she shares with her twin sister Tia. On Twitter, the actress tweeted, “An open letter to my sweet little man. Mommy loves you sooo much,” before sharing the love note. Check out the full letter below:

Dear Aden,

You’ll get used to mommy’s tears eventually. I cry at everything. Once I heard I became pregnant with you, I felt a joy that I have never felt before and cried tears of joy. Mommy has wanted to be a mommy ever since she can remember. Once I met your father Adam and we knew we were going to be married, if we were going to have a boy I, me, knew your name instantly. To add to the joy of your arrival, discovering that you were a boy, mommy was even more elated. We had the perfect name for you Aden!

Counting down to your arrival, mommy was so nervous, excited, and anxious all in me. I just couldn’t wait to meet you. You see, lil booger, you took your time to come into this world. Almost two weeks late to be exact. I spent countless nights imagining what you were going to look like. I couldn’t wait to look into your beautiful eyes for the first time and hold you close. I also couldn’t sleep at night because I was hoping and praying that I would be the best mommy I could be to you. I felt very blessed that God has entrusted me with you.

When I saw you for the first time my heart melted and I couldn’t believe such a beautiful angel was mine. I am so thankful for you. Mommy couldn’t be more proud. I know our first four weeks were a lil wobbly. I’m new at this.

I fall in love with you each day even more. On the days and nights my eyes sting of exhaustion, I just look at that face of yours and all is well and VERY worth it. I love you son! Wow! Can’t believe I have a son. Mommy can’t wait to see you grow into a fine young man and I’m looking forward to our many fun adventures together. Love you with all of my heart and soul. I see theworld with new eyes because of you and I thank you for that my son.

Is this the sweetest thing ever or what? Check out an image of the actual handwritten letter  and more photos of Aden on the next page. 

In all the years that we’ve known Tia and Tamera and their brother Tahj, who really has seen their mother or father? Though their mother, Darlene, has been a manager of their careers, she’s done a great job of keeping herself out of the limelight, as opposed to other celeb moms (think Sonja Norwood). Well, Tia decided to showcase her parents and an adorable baby pic of the two sisters through her Twitter page. Good luck figuring out which one is Tia and which one is Tamera though…Tia didn’t reveal that little tidbit.

As a caption for the photo, Tia said, “Freaking Hilarious!!! Cree looks just like me! Wow!” If you didn’t know, Tia and Tamera Mowry were born in Germany and were army brats, as Darlene (who was also a security guard) and their father, Timothy Mowry, were in the U.S. Army. The family moved to California once the girls were trying to get into TV and film, and the rest is history! The family is said to be close-knit and seem to keep certain aspects of their lives private (like their other brothers), even if the girls do have their own reality show nowadays. Check out the adorable photo and tell us what you think, and if little Cree looks just like his mom! And for the record, we here at the office think Tia is on her dad’s lap and Tamera is with her her mom. You?

Which baby do you think is Tia and which one is Tamera? Does Cree look just like them or what!?

More on Madame Noire!

• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making of “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”
• Really, Though? Who Died And Made You An Authority On What’s “Real”?
• Thank You Rihanna For Being Open About Chris Brown, Even If Some People Still Don’t Get It
• How I Lost A Friendship To Domestic Violence
• Degrees of Separation: Where To Draw The Line In Dating People Who Know Each Other?
• Girlfriend Guilt: When You’re The Only One Still On Track
• I’m Gonna Call It Like I See It: Celebs With No Filter

Celebrities airing out their personal business on reality TV shows have become the new normal instead of the standard back in the day when celebs used to ask, if not beg for privacy. Some make guest appearances while others devote an entire show to putting their lives under a microscope. The exposure has either helped or hurt the following celebs.

Tia and Tamera
Tia and Tamera are just like any other sisters and that’s a good thing. They can mix like oil and water but there’s nothing thicker than blood. They might get on each other’s nerves on the show, like when Tamera thought Tia wasn’t doing her part to help with her wedding in the first season of their show, “Tia & Tamera.” Tia was pregnant and was limited in what she could do but still wanted to be her maid of honor. However, the famous twins definitely have each other’s backs. The second season is already showcasing the unique dynamic between the twins, but at the end of each episode, we know that they’re going to be solid. “Tia & Tamera” the second time around is still must see TV and after showing a more personal side of themselves, we like them a lot more (though some say Tamera works their last nerve sometimes…).

If you’re familiar with my thoughts on relationships, you probably already know that personally I don’t feel like marriage will make or break my life.  It’s not that I don’t think marriage is important or don’t want to be someone’s wife one day, but I do think a marriage is what the people involved make it and that sometimes people mistakenly have this fantastical view that when a piece of paper is signed and the vows are stated it guarantees a lifetime of fidelity, happiness and companionship. But the truth is only your partner can fulfill that promise, not a legally binding contract.

Sometimes people can get caught up in all of the bells and whistles that can come with a wedding and a misleading view of what marriage should be and what it actually is.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Tia and Tamera Mowry’s reality show and I think the twins are a great example of the positivity and success that child stars can experience when they don’t get caught up in Hollywood drama and have a strong support system of friends and family.  With that said, a recent episode bothered me.  Tamera Mowry’s marriage to Adam Housely is obviously a very important and beautiful experience in her life, but she often makes statements like, “As a married woman I’m more confident,” or “Now that I’m married I’m more mature.”  I can appreciate the different marriage styles that people may have witnessed in their youth, how religion affects some people’s views of marriage, and the fact that Tamera appears to be the more traditional of the twin twosome.  But I think it’s a dangerous game when any woman tries to find herself via a marriage or gives any relationship credit for great qualities she probably already has.

Regardless of if you choose to stay in a happy, healthy relationship without ever saying, “I Do,” or you’re in marital hell you have to admit that when children become involved it changes the rules to the game.  Can a piece of paper really make the difference in the stability and quality of your child’s upbringing?  Steve Doughty certainly seems to think so.  In his 2010 article, “Why Children Thrive with Married Parents” he shares the findings of The Millennium Cohort Study. The study followed the lives of 20,000 children who were born in 2000.  Some of the results that researchers Alissa Goodman and Ellen Greaves found were that cohabiting couples tended to be “less educated, younger and had a lower income than married parents.”  These factors affected the quality of life and stability of the family unit.  But does this have as much to do with commitment as much as has to do with income level?  And does income level usually increase after people are married or are people with a higher income level more likely to marry?  The article also notes that advocates of marriage says that since marriage is a legally binding arrangement with public status, married couples are more likely to work through challenges in order to keep the family structure intact.  In fact statistics support the idea that children of married parents tend to do better in school, and are less likely to become involved in crime, drugs, or experience teen pregnancy. Once again, the question remains as to whether to attribute this positive behavior to the married status of the parents or simply to good parenting on the part of parents who have a stable, healthy relationship.

It seems that these two couldn’t stay out of the limelight even if they wanted to. Our favorite twins will hit the small screen again. They’ll star in a reality tv series “Tia & Tamera”  on the Style Network.  (Pretty easy to remember, huh?)

The series will chronicle Tia’s pregnancy and Tamera’s nuptials. (It was filmed months ago, as Tia has delivered her baby and Tamera is married now.)

You can catch more details on the show plus Tamera’s interview on interracial love with Essence Magazine over at Your Tango.com.

The series premieres tonight, Aug. 8, at 9 p.m. EST on The Style Network.

 

“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” -Maya Angelou

Friends are easy.  If you don’t like them you can cut them off, not look back and have no love lost. But you can’t choose family.  No matter how badly they are flooded with faults and how harshly you may judge them, on some level you have DNA in common with these people.  My sister is seven years older than me and for the past twenty-something years being the baby sister has come with its own set of challenges.

When we were younger, seven years felt more like seventy and it didn’t feel like we lived on the same planet, let alone under the same roof. I remember going to sleep while Immature sweetly sang “Never Lie” through my Sony Discman only to wake up and hear Wu-Tang Clan’s “Protect Ya Neck” pounding on the other side of my wall. I also remember that awkward phase I went through where I spent most of my nights with recorded episodes of “Sister, Sister” while my sister was in and out the door going skating or to the movies with friends.  The differences were many, and as we’ve gotten older some of them remained; only they don’t seem to matter as much because we’ve learned to embrace and respect them.

Anyone who has the privilege of having a sister knows that it isn’t without it’s challenges, but with those challenges also comes a whole lot of laughs, a bit of wisdom and if you’re lucky a blood-related best friend. Take a look at 10 things that will test your bond and how to move past them: