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While the holidays tend to bring families together, Kenya Barris is seeking help from a judge to create some major distance between his family and his sister.
According to TMZ, the writer, director, producer and actor filed a temporary restraining order against his sister Colette Barris, a teacher and writer, saying she has gone too far in attempts to get her own career off the ground in Hollywood. He alleges that she has tried to use his name to get meetings for projects over the years, pretending she has his support so that TV execs, who weren’t persuaded in the end, would give her a chance. He also claimed that he’s worried that because things aren’t going her way despite all these attempts, she will start harassing his kids, which he has six of with wife Rainbow Edwards-Barris.
The two have reportedly had a tumultuous relationship for some time now, not only because of her supposedly using his name to get ahead in entertainment, but also because he says she’s pressured him to financially support her and extended family. To make things all the more rocky between them, there was allegedly a letter sent to Kenya from Colette demanding he fund a film project she’s trying to get off the ground based on one of her written works. He stated that she wanted around $4 million to make it happen. If he didn’t do it, he claimed that she said she would go to the public with information on him.
With all that in mind, Kenya now wants it to be ordered, even if just temporarily, that Colette stay away from his family and that communication be cut off.
Kenya and Colette are two of the four children raised by mom Tina, and their father, Patrick. Kenya has talked about the ways in which the strong contrast between how he and his siblings grew up versus how his children have been raised thanks to his success, inspired shows like his hit Blackish.
“We were definitely poor, but we never felt like we were destitute,” he told People in 2017 about his humble beginnings. It seems not only has his success impacted the way he’s raised his children, but also the relationship he has with his own siblings — or at least Colette. We’re hopeful that a reconciliation can happen between the two. The fact that he is seeking a temporary restraining order offers a glimpse of hope that perhaps it could occur — if she eases up on her pursuit of Hollywood success.
