Olivia Charmaine Morris is a name that you have already heard and will be hearing plenty more of in the future.
pop culture
Olivia Charmaine Morris Is Bringing Her Series To TV
The new season will be hitting your tv screens soon
Known as “Hollywood’s best kept secret,” Morris is a producer, host, and CEO of her full-service production company Black Monarch Entertainment, which is celebrating its first full year this month. Black Monarch Entertainment is dedicated to providing a platform for marginalized communities, operating with the slogan “For people of color and colorful people.” Morris has consistently embraced her melanin, queerness, talent, and womxn power as her stardom continues to rise.
Earlier this month, Morris began filming the newest season of her show “The Tea with Olivia Charmaine,” which will be making the leap from IGTV to television screens across the nation later this year. The show has already featured notable names such as Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, and Angelica Ross, and will feature even bigger guests, and conversations this upcoming season including some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names and most buzzed-about up-and-coming talent.
We recently sat down with Morris while on set to discuss her burgeoning career, being a powerful influence in the Black community, and her plans for the future.
ONE37pm: Let’s talk a little bit about your show The Tea With Olivia Charmaine. You’ve had such great success with it, even through the course of this pandemic.
Morris: Thank You! I’ve actually done three seasons on Instagram. I essentially started doing it during the height of the pandemic. It was at the height of the presidential election, and honestly there was so much unrest with everything going on socially, racially, and politically. I know it’s random, but I didn’t like Tuesdays the same way people don’t like Mondays. I decided to try to find a brighter spot in my day, and that I was going to have a cup of tea with my audience on Instagram Live which I had never done before. A friend joined me and from there I knew I wanted to do it again. It became a full show, the community has grown, and it’s been very exciting! I’m humbled by how much it has blossomed.
ONE37pm: It has blossomed! I understand this is going to be on TV now, and you guys have already had some big guests. What can you tell us right now?
Morris: When it was on Instagram I had guests like Janelle Monae right before the election, Jidenna, and so many incredible people, and I appreciated that they would pull up in the middle of their busy schedules. That was the intimacy of being able to do it on Instagram. What you can expect as the show gets bigger is the show being “full.” It was previously in my house, but now it’s like walking into my dream home. Every single guest is very intentional, sweet, and kind, and they're still artists, entrepreneurs, etc., but as it gets bigger I expect the sunshine to keep spreading.
ONE37pm: Do you have a theme that you go with for episodes?
Morris: There is a different theme with every episode. They are pretty general topics like wellness, mental health, etc., but I try to really drill down and make it personal. So instead of just talking about mental health on a broad stroke, I’ll talk about the mental illnesses that run in my family, and how in Black and Brown communities it’s an issue we don’t really hit upon. When the show was on Instagram I wasn’t able to do themes because it was more free flowing, but now I hope to be even more intentional.
ONE37pm: What else are you working on right now?
Morris: I have my own production company called Black Monarch Entertainment, and I have both a docu-series and documentary that I’m working on. This show is really exciting because it’s the only time that I’m a creator and host, but with all of my other projects I am still behind the scenes which is my bread and butter.
ONE37pm: Five years from now where do you see yourself?
Morris: Five years from now I’ll be 35-years-old, this show will be in its third season, and I’ll have kids. I want my company to be a household company that people know the name of, and I hope there is more peace in general. In life, politically, culturally, and socially, and even more grounded than I am now.
You can keep up with all of Olivia's latest projects via Instagram.