Terrence J has made a huge transition from the young man auditioning for host of BET’s “106 & Park” to a bonafide movie star and now budding author.
Terrence J stopped by Power 105.1 FM’s “Breakfast Club Morning Show” to promote his first book, “The Wealth Of My Mother’s Wisdom.”
In the interview, the “Baggage Claim” actor revealed his struggles with the skin disease vitiligo, his breakup with model Selita Ebanks, and his transition from an actor to author.
Check out excerpts of the interview below:
On being broke
“When I first started BET, I did not know how I was going to pay off my college tuition. I was sleeping on a couch. I never wanted to feel broke, so when I hustle all those jobs, it was desperation. Like, I still feel, when I wake up at night, someone else is working and I’m not, let me get back to the grind.”
On making it big after “106 & Park“
“I didn’t think I was gonna make it. I didn’t think I was even gonna last. I’m just happy Steve stuck with me. I know for the first two or three years I was terrible. I’m just happy that the network stuck with and gave me a second chance, so to speak.
“I went through a lot people didn’t know about. When I was at 106 there was a point when I almost went bankrupt because I was trying to keep up with other people. You got all these rappers coming on the show and you wanna keep up with them. […]You get excited and you get your first AMEX and I ran through that money and there was a point when I lost everything. I got diagnosed with vitiligo so I was scared about my health. My skin started breaking out and I was just depressed. I took the time and went to Haiti. I think the trip to Haiti really changed my perspective on things because it was the opportunity to give back and the people of Haiti were just so strong. They went through such a tragedy but all they wanted to do was rebuild and read books and be better. I came back and that was what was the trigger for me and I had to hit this ground running.”
Watch his full interview below:
