The new series #BlackAF made its way to Netflix this weekend, combining elements from shows such as The Office with Kenya Barris’s approach to humor.
The series involves Barris’s daughter Drea, who is filming a documentary about her family’s life and how ridiculous her parents can be. She even documents them at a club doing ecstasy.
Unlike Black-ish — which just concluded Season 6 — this Netflix original has Barris starring as himself, which has caused some confusion online about whether the show’s events are real or not.
Especially in terms of how far it depicts his parenting, lifestyle, and extremely absurd moments.
Is #BlackAF real, and who is Kenya Barris’ real-life family? Here is everything to know about the new Netflix original series.
Is #BlackAF real?
To put it simply, #BlackAF is #FakeAF.
The biggest giveaway without even digging deeper into the subject is Kenya Barris’ wife in the show, Joya.
The actress who plays Joya is none other than Rashida Jones from The Office, I Love You Man, and so much more. So, the fact that she is not playing herself is a dead giveaway.
Indiewire also discusses the fact that in 2018, Barris received criticism for casting “fairer-skinned” actors as his family in the show and clapped back on social media with this response (Indiewire also notes the tweet has since been deleted):
“I’m…not gonna make up a fake family that genetically makes no sense just for the sake of trying to fill quotas. I LOVE MY PEOPLE, [And] everything I does [sic] reflects that love.
But to cast people like some kinda skin color Allstar game would actually do more harm than good.”
It’s also worth noting that Barris’ real-life wife of two decades, Dr. Rania “Rainbow” Barris will soon be his ex-wife, which is also not conveyed in the show.
#BlackAF real or fake: Who is Kenya Barris’ family?
Just like most shows, often, life imitates art. Much like Barris’s family in the Netflix series, he has six children in real-life.
Kenya and Dr. Rainbow have two daughters who are now adults, and the rest of their children are still under the age of 18.
And as seen in the photo below, despite their marital troubles, it’s clear Kenya Barris still has a strong relationship with all six of his children.
Just like in Black-ish, Barris seems to enjoy writing loosely about his life and struggles. Barris even depicted tragic events in his shows before, such as the car crash involving Ruby and Hart Campbell.
And #BlackAF is a continued success for Barris reflecting his personal world humorously in his art.
#BlackAF is now streaming on Netflix.