The Significance of Tabitha Brown’s Signing with CAA

This Mother’s Day, Tabitha Brown took to Facebook to reflect on her journey from 2017 to now. Conquering pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression, the vegan influencer's ascent into stardom is a testimony to the ingenuity of Black women, the power of manifestation, and the importance of owning a lifestyle that works for you. 

Apart from landing big names like Gabrielle Union, Viola Davis, and Teen Vogue’s first Black editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth, the Creative Artists Agency has added TikTok sensation Tabitha Brown to their repertoire of talent. Founded in 1975, CAA is poised as one of the most critically acclaimed and famous entertainment agencies in the United States, “positioned at the nexus of talent, content, brands, technology, sports, and live events.” After countless years of prayer, on April 24, the Hollywood Reporter shared that Black vegan influencer and crowd favorite Tabitha Brown signed with CAA, taking her one step closer to achieving her dreams.

With roots in Eden, North Carolina, about 90 minutes northwest from my university UNC-Chapel Hill, 41-year-old Brown has always dreamt of a life in entertainment. While she’s had cameos in Switched At Birth and Will & Grace, Brown recounts moving to Los Angeles aspiring to delve into either stand-up comedy or acting — but ultimately ending up working at Macy’s in Century City. To North Carolinians, she’s been famous since 2019 but by “praying fiercely,” being her authentic self, and hustling hard, she’s expanded her reach far beyond the state. From having her daughter Choyce teach her how to “get this Tik Tak together” to now having over 2.7 million followers on the application, Brown has officially made it big as “the world’s Favorite Mom.”

Despite TikTok being overpopulated with racist viral challenges and complicit in the suppression of content from disabled, fat and/or queer creators, Brown has managed to overcome that. Her soothing “like so, like that” and capacity to make healthy food fun speaks to her ability to transcend algorithms. As a...budding cook...and an unabashed carnivore, Brown’s videos are teaching me how to make the food that my food eats into delicious meals. As a young Black woman, seeing her talk about crafting a lifestyle that works for you and be a voice in what is a seemingly whitewashed movement is powerful. Tabitha Brown’s signing with CAA is not only symbolic of the power that lies in staying true to you, but will hopefully set a precedent for engaging and celebrating online Black female talent IRL.

Black women are tastemakers and trendsetters in every sense of the word and social media gives Black women a platform to thrive, but rarely is our work accredited back to us. As we’ve seen with the NiteCap and other products, the theft of intellectual property from Black women isn’t new; the accessibility of TikTok and the internet at large has exacerbated this.Typically usurped by white content creators, the trends and dances created by young Black women like Jalaiah Harmon and Keara Wilson are gentrified and made palatable for white audiences. More often than not, the people who profit and get mini-TV series deals are the white influencers, not the Black originators. However, no one can steal Tabitha Brown’s personality, voice, and story.

Jalaiah’s “Renegade” dance may have prompted Brown to start using TikTok (and Choyce teaching her), but Brown’s food journey was inspired by the decision to take her health into her own hands. According to Buzzfeed, after experiencing unknown chronic pain and grappling with her mental health, she was introduced to viewing some episodes of What The Health by her daughter. In 2016, Brown decided to try a 30-day veganism challenge with her husband Chance and from there, she started documenting her journey and making videos. Despite initial hesitance regarding how seriously she would be taken and poor advice telling her to hide her southern accent and straighten her hair, Brown has spurred a cultural reset. With her weekly videos with her husband and daughter, Brown offers Black women laughter, inspiration, and impeccable advice to eat, pray, and love as we actually please. 

Fast forward to 2020, amidst a pandemic and looking back on one of the hardest periods of her life, Brown leaves us with this advice: “I know it feels like you may not make it and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. But please don’t you give up!!”