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Joyce Jones ain’t never been here for Todd Tucker. Like ever. For as long as I can recall Todd being on the scene, Mama Joyce has been trying to throw salt in his game. And in those rare periods of time when there was peace between Ms. Jones and her son-in-law, it was obvious that she was merely tolerating him for the sake of Kandi.
More often than not, money has been the root of Joyce’s beef with Todd. Simply put, she doesn’t trust him with Kandi’s money. She believes that Kandi was a come-up for him and she does not see him as being good enough for her daughter. Since the couple announced their engagement in 2013, Mama Joyce has tried to dismantle their relationship and even went as far as to accuse Kandi’s childhood friend, Carmon Cambrice of sleeping with Todd.
Six years and two kids later, Mama Joyce still can’t seem to manage or hide her disdain for Todd. Yet for the most part, Todd has managed to put on a strong face and has not even remotely come close to giving Mama Joyce the same energy that she gives him. The level of restraint he has shown this far is admirable, which is why it’s somewhat confusing why everyone made such a big deal on Sunday night’s episode when he tried to avoid speaking to Joyce when the two of them were out at a restaurant together.
“She and I went to breakfast down the street from our house and Todd and another friend of ours came in the restaurant but he never came back and spoke to us,” Kandi explained on RHOA Season 12 After Show. “We didn’t even know he was in there. I would’ve thought that he would have at least come by our table to say hey and then go on about his business but he didn’t speak at all. The other friend who was with him came back and spoke so that’s how my mom knew he was there. Todd did pay for our food, but he walked out and felt like, ‘Well, at least I paid for y’all food.’ So he walks out and we’re walking out kind of like, right behind him but he never did turn around to say hello to her or acknowledge her at all. So she was pissed, to say the least.”
As for why Todd went to such lengths to avoid speaking to Joyce? Well, you can probably guess, but here’s Kandi’s account of what happened below:
“She had said something about him recently. She said something to me and let’s say, it wasn’t favorable. So when he knew we were going to breakfast together and he knew he planned on coming to the same spot, he was just planning to avoid talking to my mother. It’s one thing to avoid us if you don’t see us and she doesn’t know you’re there. But if you know that she’s around and you don’t even acknowledge her, that is just disrespectful.”
“You can’t do that to someone’s mother,” Kenya chimed in, echoing the sentiment shared by multiple other cast members on Sunday night’s episode.
Ironically, Mama Joyce was so hurt and angered by his actions that she skipped their baby shower. Jesus, the irony. We all love our mamas and as Black people, we are taught that we must respect our elders. But at what point do we stop enabling their toxic a** behavior and calling it respect? Mama Joyce has been the walking poster child of disrespect as far as Todd is concerned. He’s a human being with feelings and a breaking point just like the rest of us. It’s a miracle that he’s not giving Joyce the silent treatment on a regular basis considering how she has treated him since day one. Todd is a saint as far as I’m concerned because if Mama Joyce was my mother-in-law, she would have been cut off a very long time ago.
