Make no mistake that Jo Marie Payton is the Suga Mama for us millennials. From Family Matters to The Proud Family and now The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, the 71-year-old’s legacy has aged gracefully over the years and has left an imprint in our 90’s childhood upbringing.  

With the news of season two of the reboot on the way, it was only fitting to share some time with the Proud Family matriarch virtually as she shares the impact of the hit Disney show today, it’s reconnected with seasoned fans and gathering new fans.

“I’m still amazed that you guys waited 20 years for us to come back and tell some more stories,” Payton shares with RoyalTee over Zoom from her South Florida home. Our thoughts- exactly! Next to the Finding Nemo and Toy Story sequels, a checkup with Oscar, Penny, Trudy, Suga Mama and the rest of the squad caused decades of social-TV anxiety and was long overdue. 

She added, “I’m also feeling so blessed that all of us were available to come back and accessible to come back and that we all still have the same voices and energy and everything, which made it feel like we never left.”

Production on the reboot began during the pandemic. Despite the time that has gone by. The cast, which includes Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker, Kyla Pratt, Karen Malina White, Cedric The Entertainer and others were able to jump back into the groove with all the love and laughs like before. 

“The 20 years turned into like 20 days,” she says.  

Speaking to Payton brought back those weekday afternoons, coming home from school, just in time for Destiny’s Child’s, “The… Proud… Family…what.” The Proud Family, which first premiered in 2001, realistically portrayed a well-to-do, African American family was the first of its kind on television.  Even as adults, we get nostalgic vibes from The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. 

Payton modeled her character after her own grandmother, whom she called Big Mama or Rosie. 

“She demanded commanded respect,” Payton spoke about her grandmother’s legacy.  “And, and to this day, if she was living, I would still be like a spotted six years old with Big Mama because that’s how she was.” 

She went on, “But she kept everything together. It’s just like Suga Mama.” 

As a real-life mother of one daughter and grandmother to one, family is everything is Payton, and appreciates the show’s dedication to it, as well as friendship. 

“ I like the whole family element. But I also like that, that in bringing the show back [the show creators] were smart enough, creative enough, artistic enough and intelligent enough to know that it’s important when you’re doing a show about kids, teenagers, young people, it’s important that you keep that physical element and that they’re friends.” 

She continued, “It will always be important that we have that human element that friendship and I think the people that love this show so much can see it, even if you don’t have it for yourself, you can see it. You can see that family thing; you can see that friendship thing you can relate to it.” 

“She demanded commanded respect. And, and to this day, if she was living, I would still be like a spotted six years old with Big Mama because that’s how she was.” 

She went on, “But she kept everything together. It’s just like Suga Mama.” 

But make no mistake, playing the role of Suga Mama does not put her above a call to do an impersonation or two from time to time.  Payton shares a recent fan-moment story about her own nephew who plays for the Miami Dolphins. 

“He called me up one day, he was in camp, and he said ‘auntie’ and I said ‘yea,’ she recounted the story. “And he said ‘Listen, we are on a break, but we need a little Suga Mama. Can you give us a little Suga Mama?’ So I had to say, oooooo baby!” You have to say it in the Suga Mama voice to get the full effect! 

Watch The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+.