“Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris has asked a judge to grant him a restraining order against his sister Colette Barris, TMZ reported.
In documents obtained by the media outlet, Kenya Barris filed a temporary restraining order against Colette Barris, a teacher and writer. The director claimed that his sibling crossed the line in her failed attempts to get her own career started in Hollywood. The “Mixed-ish” creator alleges that over the years his sister has tried to use his name to get meetings for projects. She pretends that she has Kenya’s support so that television executives, who weren’t entirely sold on her ideas, would then give her a chance.
Kenya Barris also is worried that because things aren’t going well for his sister, she will start harassing his children. The director shares six kids with his wife, Rainbow Edwards-Barris.
The two siblings have reportedly had a troubled relationship for some time now. Aside from using his name to book meetings, Kenya Barris has said his sister pressured him to support her and other family members financially.
The 46-year-old claimed that Colette sent him a letter demanding that he fund a film project based on one of her written works that she was trying to get off the ground. Kenya Barris alleged that Colette Barris wanted $4 million to create the project and said that if he didn’t comply, she would go public with information.
He asked that the judge grant the order, even if it is temporary, that his sister be ordered to stay away from his family and that communication be ceased between the two parties.
Kenya and Colette Barris are two of four children raised by their parents, Patrick and Tina Barris, a General Motors factory worker and real estate agent, respectively. In the past, Kenya Barris has spoken about the stark difference between how he and his siblings were raised versus how his children were raised thanks to his success. In 2017, he told People, “we were definitely poor, but we never felt like we were destitute.”
It appears that success from his shows like “Black AF” and spin-off shows like “Grown-ish” has affected his way of living for his immediate family and his extended family.
