Tyrese Opens Up About Painful Colorism He Experienced Growing Up: ‘I Caught Every Joke’
In a recent episode of TV One’s Uncensored, singer and actor Tyrese opened up about the colorism he experienced when he was younger. In the episode, which aired on Sunday (September 13), the Grammy-nominated singer shared that he “never felt a piece of handsome” growing up in Los Angeles which led to him developing self-esteem issues.
“I had never felt a piece of being cute,” Tyrese candidly expressed. “I had never heard compliments throughout my childhood. I never got any attention from the ladies.”
The Fast and Furious star recalled how he was often made fun of and called a slew of demeaning names because of his dark complexion. In turn, he internalized those hateful remarks which had a detrimental effect on how he saw himself.
“I caught every joke in the dark skin community ever. I was Black, burnt, tarp. I was all teeth and eyes. I was blurple — Black and purple. I just never felt attractive,” he said. It was until Tyrese found success as a singer and actor in the entertainment industry when he gained some confidence.
“It did more for my confidence than you can ever imagine because it was a high that I would hope to experience for the rest of my life.”
