As fans are aware, Kandi Burruss has an incredible career as a celebrated singer, songwriter, actress, producer, and Bravo star. One of her latest projects is an Amazon Live series called “Generation Face-Off,” wherein she, her mother, Joyce Jones, and her 22-year-old daughter, Riley Burruss, have fun conversations about their generational differences and share some of their favorite Amazon products.
In an exclusive interview with EntertainmentNOW, Burress shared details about filming “Generation Face-Off,” her proudest career moments, and whether she would consider returning to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” after announcing she was leaving the series in early 2024.
EntertainmentNOW: What inspired you to launch “Generation Face-Off”?
Kandi Burruss: Well, I’ve been an Amazon Live host for a while now. It’s been some years. And they were saying they wanted to do some different things. And I just thought it would be so cool if I could do something that represented different generations of people who shop on Amazon. And who better to do that than my mom, Riley, and myself? I know my mom, she loves to shop. That’s all she likes to do: shop, shop, shop, shop, shop. But her opinions on what’s hot and what’s not is totally different from mine. And, totally different from Riley’s. And just the comedy of us sitting there together talking about it is funny in itself.
EntertainmentNOW: What has been your favorite aspect of filming the series with your mother and daughter?
Kandi Burruss: Seeing my mom and my daughter go back and forth with each other. [Laughs]
EntertainmentNOW: Has any part of it been challenging?
Kandi Burruss: Well, sometimes I’m like, “Uh oh, I hope this argument doesn’t get bad.” Because sometimes they can go back and forth for a second, and it’s like, “Oh, gosh.” Sometimes it feels a little intense.
EntertainmentNOW: Do you believe the project has brought you three closer together?
Kandi Burruss: For sure, because, I mean, Riley lives in New York, so, obviously, I don’t get to be with my daughter as much as it was when she lived here, but especially not my mom and Riley. So, for us all to have a time to come together and have fun, laugh, talk, joke, go back and forth, debate, all those things, it’s great.
EntertainmentNOW: What are a few items that you have shown on the show that you believe would make excellent holiday gifts?
Kandi Burruss: I definitely would have to call out the steamer. Yeah, because I just ordered it again myself. The travel steamer was like — I think that was my favorite.
I mean, some of the items I’ve talked about on Amazon Live before, and I just think they’re really great. Like the charcuterie boards that already have the tools inside of it. Those are the perfect gifts. To me, I think a lot of people love those, but don’t necessarily have one. So I think that’s a good one. I mean, obviously, my Kandi Koated Makeup Brushes are always a perfect gift. But yeah, I would say the steamer was the one for me because I travel so much.
EntertainmentNOW: What is your favorite holiday tradition with your family?
Kandi Burruss: Normally, I would say, is to get together and do our Christmas photos that we’ve been doing every year, for the past few years. But this year, because, normally, we take it around like Thanksgiving, so we already had it, but I wasn’t feeling well. So we just got together. We didn’t do a family photo. We just got together and ate, and played games. And Riley and Kaela — they got us to do one of those TikToks, one of the TikTok trends. So that was fun. But I would say traveling and eating together is my favorite.
EntertainmentNOW: Do you have any big plans for this holiday season?
Kandi Burruss: All four of our kids and [my husband] Todd [Tucker] and I, we’re going to go to Jamaica, and spend Christmas under the sun. And then we’re going to head up to New York because both Riley and Kaela — our two older daughters — they both live in New York. So we’re going to take the kids up there for the rest of the holiday.
EntertainmentNOW: That sounds incredible! So you are a producer for the upcoming revival of “Othello.” What are you most excited about that show’s premiere?
Kandi Burruss: I think I’m most excited right now to see the first rehearsal. Because I think it’s always cool to see all the actors come together, and it’s nobody else around. It’s just watching them with just their natural — how it flows for them the first time they do it. And it’s always cool. But then to see some of my favorite actors do it is, I guess, the best part of all. To see Denzel Washington and to see Jake Gyllenhaal come together. Obviously, I’m overjoyed to be a part of this project. It’s, like, amazing.
EntertainmentNOW: You’re an inspiration to so many because of your incredible career. What is the best advice you have for those who wish to work in the entertainment industry?
Kandi Burruss: You got to have tough skin. If you want to be in the entertainment business, you cannot be afraid of no. And you can’t let it hurt your feelings. You just got to push forward. And don’t put a time limit on yourself. Because people think things are supposed to happen overnight or within the first year of them trying something. It just doesn’t work like that. You’re really at it for a long time before you see the success that you want. So I always say to everyone, you just got to really, really stick to it, put yourself out there, and toughen up. [Laughs]
EntertainmentNOW: Great advice! And what has been the proudest moment of your career?
Kandi Burruss: I feel like I’ve had a lot of moments where I was like, “Wow.” You know, whether it be the first time our group Xscape, you know, we heard our song number one on the top 888 here in Atlanta, or, you know, winning a Grammy, or, you know, being the first woman to ever win the Songwriter of the Year for ASCAP. That was major. Because it’s not like there’s a lot of us who can say that we’ve done it, you know? So anytime that I can have a first — or even when I was the first woman to win “The Masked Singer.” That’s still a big deal to me, and I was just super excited.
But I always tell people, like, my biggest accomplishment is just longevity. Yeah, it’s not really a lot of people who – I guess I’m over 35 years in it – I mean, realistically, I signed my first record deal when I was 16, and I’m 48 — so to be doing what I love for this long and be able to constantly reinvent myself, basically. It’s not an easy thing to do. And so I feel like that’s a huge accomplishment.
EntertainmentNOW: Would you ever consider returning to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”?
Kandi Burruss: I love the whole Bravo fam, and I still consider myself to be a part of the family. [But] that’s not on my agenda right now.
EntertainmentNOW: What is your favorite memory from your time on that show?
Kandi Burruss: I guess going to Africa and meeting my husband. Because that’s the trip I met Todd on. I mean, you guys didn’t get to see — it was behind the scenes, but that’s where we met. So that was one of my favorite trips and my favorite memory.
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EXCLUSIVE: Kandi Burruss Dishes on Filming Her New Amazon Live Series With Her Mother & Daughter