Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is proving once again that Black women contain multitudes. The former Atlanta mayor just added “TV executive producer” to her résumé while simultaneously launching a campaign for Georgia governor.
Bottoms recently teamed up with Tyler Perry on his first Netflix comedy series, “She the People.” Filmed in Georgia, the series stars Terri J. Vaughn (yes, Lovita from “The Steve Harvey Show”) as a newly elected Mississippi lieutenant governor who’s navigating a sexist, condescending boss while keeping her family together under the pressure of a now very public life.
“Politics is messy, but she’s making it hilarious,” Bottoms wrote on Instagram. “I am SO happy to serve as Executive Producer of this incredible project, filmed in GEORGIA!!! Words cannot begin to express my gratitude. Won’t HE do it?!!”
On May 22, the streaming platform released the first eight episodes of the show’s first season, with plans to release the second half on August 14. Since its premiere, “She The People” has rested comfortably in the number four slot of Netflix’s “Top 10 Shows in the U.S.”
“THANK YOU to everyone who has tuned in and made She The People the hit show we knew it would be! I was encouraged by some very well-meaning people not to join as an Executive Producer of this project,” Bottoms said, reflecting on the show’s success. “But I have learned that intuition is a superpower and sometimes what makes sense to you, just isn’t meant for others to understand. They may not mean you harm, they just don’t know what you know. Everything about you is not meant to make sense to everyone around you.”
Bottoms isn’t just breaking into entertainment—she’s also stepping back into politics. Earlier this month, she officially announced her campaign for governor of Georgia with a pointed message aimed directly at Donald Trump and the state’s Republican leadership.
“Georgia families deserve far better than what Donald Trump and Republicans are giving us,” she said as previously reported by theGrio. “Most Georgians are right to wonder who’s looking out for us. Donald Trump is a disaster for our economy and our country, from his failure to address rising prices to giving an unelected billionaire the power to cut Medicare and Social Security.”
It’s a full-circle moment for Bottoms, who made history as Atlanta’s second Black woman mayor, led during a pandemic and protests, and then took her talents to D.C. as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden. If elected, Bottoms could become the first Black woman to be elected as governor of any state in U.S. history. But for now, she’s betting on her instincts and doubling down on purpose from the soundstage to the statehouse.
“She The People” also stars Tré Boyd (“House of Payne”), Jo Marie Payton (“Family Matters”), Jade Novah, Drew Olivia Tillman, and Dyon Brooks.
“Oh, the Joy I feel!!! I’ve been 10 toes down creating something that matters to us!” Vaughn wrote on Instagram. “I LOVE my super incredible, talented, loving cast … Thank you to @netflix, the whole @tylerperrystudios team and to the man, the myth, the legend @tylerperry Your YES means more than you could ever know!”
Watch “She the People” on Netflix now.
