Raven-Symoné has come a long way since playing the adorable Olivia Huxtable, her breakout role on the 1990's comedy series, The Cosby Show. She has grown up publicly and controversy has followed her throughout her career.
During her tenure on The View, her racially divisive comments sparked outrage among her co-hosts, like when she said she wouldn't hire a person with a "ghetto" name. She claimed her comments were taken out of context, and that she was not referring to any specific race. After being dragged back and forth through social media mud, she backpedaled on that comment, claiming that she understood what it felt like to be discriminated against because of her skin color, body size, and age. She empathized with anyone who felt victimized by what she said.
Raven-Symoné's father, Christopher B. Pearman, spoke out about the controversy. He claimed his daughter is a "grown-a** woman making grown-a**mistakes," and that sometimes she "says some dumb S#%T!"
Raven told PEOPLE, she has mental health issues that stem from body-shaming during her childhood in show business.
"[They said]... I don't know how she can dance being that big...I still did it!...I was on tour forever because it's not about your size, it's about what you have to say..."
Symoné recalls comments about her weight as early as 7-years-old –when she appeared on The Cosby Show. On The View, Raven recalled not being able to eat when she was hungry, because she was told she was getting fat.
"I love embracing your body...[I]n this day and age you have all kinds, and it's funny, it's serious, it's every color it's every head shape, it's every hair...We didn't have enough last time and I guess that's what the past is for-to make sure the present is what it needs to be."
In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Symoné revealed she was dating a woman. After the interview aired, she told Hollywood Life podcast she was shocked she was invited to be on her latest Disney sitcom Raven's Home –where she is now an executive producer– because of her sexual orientation. She thanked Disney for "understanding that she's human and for embracing her for who she is and who the kids are of today."
In 2016, she appeared in an episode of "It Gets Better," where she discussed her sexuality openly after facing backlash from people in the industry who didn't want to deal with her. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said it led to conversations going in a direction with which she wasn't comfortable. In another interview with Variety magazine, she claimed, when on tour, she was asked by industry people to change her outfit because she "looked too much like a lesbian" in Abercrombie and Fitch jeans, a "stereotypical" lesbian vest and a tie. They asked her to "put on a skirt" and makeup, because then people would come to her concert.
"...I got back at them... the next year I put on a corset and a tutu...my mom was like...'You look crazy', and I was like, well this is so....they shut up. I was.. rude because I was..over it and I hadn't come out to anybody."
Symoné has recently chosen to speak out about her sexuality to help her younger fans who may be struggling with their sexual identity, but she admits she didn't feel comfortable in her own skin until she was about 28 or 29. In a 2016 episode of The View, she did identify as a lesbian, but she has since made it clear she does not subscribe to labels.
Raven's Home!
Ravenn plays a mother on the Disney series Raven's Home, a role she says is based on her own mother, television mothers she wants to be like, and television mothers she doesn't want to be like. Symoné has said that being in show business from such an early age, her career was her first priority. She wants to have kids, but becoming a mother would require more of a "conscious effort" on her part, but it is definitely in her future. She recently married her long-time girlfriend Miranda Maday this month, announcing the marriage to the world in an Instagram post.
Raven-Symoné is hopeful is that young people will be able to love themselves for who they are early on. Symone claimed she didn't appreciate her family constantly talking about "a guy." She believes future generations will understand that it is important to teach children right from wrong. She also believes it's important to encourage them to live authentic lives, so they can live their best lives.
"While it was a selfish thing for me to keep my secret...I'm happy I'm out...It is about that one person you'll never see or meet who feels that confidence to...say...[G]uess what? I'm gay. And if you can't accept me it's okay, because I see Raven pushing through."