Jeannie Mai Disowned Her Mom When She Was 16 & Avoided Her for 8 Years

“The Real” co-host, Jeannie Mai, recently opened up on the show about the time she and her mom disowned each other when she was a teenager. Jeannie credited God for helping her forgive Mama Mai, and now, they are inseparable.

Jeannie Mai’s mother, Olivia TuTram, has become a celebrity on her own accord thanks to her hilarious Instagram videos, and daring fashion outfits. She’s better known as Mama Mai, and is her daughter’ biggest supporter.

However, things weren’t always right in Jeannie’s and Olivia’s relationship.

On a recent episode of “The Real,” Jeannie revealed that when she was 16, she had a big fall out with Mama Mai because “she wasn’t supportive to me when I needed her most.”

“When I was 16, my mom and I, who you guys know is my ride or die, my best friend, my icon today — she and I had a major falling out,” Jeannie explained. “We disowned each other when I was 16 and literally until I was 24 we avoided each other like the plague.”

The 40-year-old recalled that her family would continuously try to trick them, inviting them to parties without telling the other and such.

And the result was always messy, as she explained:

“When I tell you the Love & Hip Hop scene is nothing compared to what was happening with me and mom… throwing things at each other, the cursing, the words.”

A LEAP OF FAITH

However, Mai says she eventually decided to confront Olivia about what she did wrong, and she credits her faith in God for helping her understand her mother’s position.

“This is honestly why I’m so devoted to God today,” she started. “I didn’t know it, but there’s something there in that spirit between a mother and daughter, and I needed my mom, but I was too proud to invite her back especially when she did me wrong.”

And continued:

“So, I prayed not knowing I was praying to God and I remember confronting her again and facing off with her with what she had done wrong. God replaced my ears with his and put my heart with his. I made up with my mom that day and completely gave up that hatred we had for eight years… and that’s why I’m stuck being a Christian now.”

DATING WHILE LIVING WITH MAMA MAI

After divorcing from her husband of ten years, Freddy Harteis, in 2017, Jeannie asked her mom to live with her again.

Dating after a divorce is usually tricky, and as Jeannie revealed on an episode of her Kin series “Hello Hunnay,” Mama Mai’s spontaneity has made it even more challenging yet.

Jeannie recalled how, the one time she decided to tell her mom about a person she was dating, things didn’t end up well.

She said:

“I showed her on my phone. She memorized the person's first name. She googled this person's name, found out how much he made, found out what shows he worked on -- he's in TV -- found out all this stuff. Then she went to his Instagram account, followed him, followed his show, and commented, 'I'm the Mama Mai. I know the Jeannie Mai. I'm watching you.’ That's the last time I ever heard from that guy!”

Clueless, Mama Mai defended herself saying “I introduced myself!” and then went on to explain that, if the guy stopped texting, he just wasn’t being honest, and it was for the best he disappeared from Jeannie's life.

"So, it's really hard to date in these streets," Jeannie concluded joking.