TheLoop21.com

By: Kam Williams (Add to your loop)
Fri, 02/05/2010 - 01:00

Joumana Kidd stars inthe new VH1 reality show 'Let’s Talk about Pep.'

Born in Beirut, Lebanon on September 28, 1972, Joumana Kidd is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a degree in Speech Communications. She launched her career as a model while still in college, making appearances as a Bud girl for Anheuser-Busch.

After graduation, she joined the company as a marketing representative, an opportunity which paved the way for her entry into the field of broadcasting. Ms. Kidd’s resume’ includes stints as a television correspondent for both Extra and NBA Entertainment.
Joumana has consistently been active in many non-profit organizations, such as the International Children’s Foundation, which raises money to help children with medical needs in impoverished countries. With her then-husband, NBA All-Star Jason Kidd, she founded the Jason Kidd Foundation, an organization which focuses on improving the welfare of youth in the community.

She is also the national spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League, and is active on several boards including the Yogi Berra Museum, the Nets/Devils Foundation, the Arizona Heart Ball and Crisis Nursery. 

In the wake of the tabloid attention devoted to both her very rocky marriage and her messy divorce, Joumana devoted herself to raising her three children: son TJ, and twin girls Miah and Jazelle. Here, she talks about the delicate balance of her home and love lives, now that she’s decided to date again and to let the cameras chronicle her every intimate moment on the new VH1 reality show Let’s Talk about Pep.

KW: What interested you in doing Let’s Talk about Pep?
JK: Well, first, I got to know Salt [of the hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa], we became close friends, and I did a couple of cameos on the Salt-n-Pepa Show for fun. Then, I got to know Pep, and we became so close, too, and had so much fun that this wasn’t even a decision when she said, “VH1’s interested in this. Are you in?” I was like, “Yeah, totally!” I felt that it’d be worth it, if I could inspire just one woman out there who’s been divorced. Divorce is so painful. You go through stages where you feel like you’ve failed yourself, you’ve failed your kids, your life is over and everything’s coming to an end. It was enough for me to be able to inspire other women to embrace the moment and to get back out there to date and to have fun with their girlfriends. That was my main reason for doing it, because it is a little scary when you know you’re getting into a reality show.

KW: Salt’s not on the show, right?
JK: No, it’s Jacque, Kittie, Pep and myself. But Salt is one of the show’s producers.

KW: Did you see the film Good Hair? Pepa was featured in it.
JK: I did. I attended the premiere with her. I thought it was hilarious.

KW: In terms of Let’s Talk about Pep, do you feel pressured by the producers to behave differently from how you naturally are? Do you feel they’re editing you to create a certain TV persona?
JK: That’s a tricky question.