Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Loni Love.

Emmy Award-winning comedian, actress, and author. The conversation centers around her memoir, I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To, and offers a rich blend of personal storytelling, cultural insight, and motivational wisdom.

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📘 About the Memoir

Title: I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To
Tone: Comedic, honest, emotional, and empowering
Purpose: To share Loni’s journey from the Detroit projects to Hollywood, while inspiring readers to embrace their authentic selves.

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🌟 Key Themes & Highlights 🏙️ Early Life & Upbringing

• Grew up in the Brewster Projects in Detroit.
• Raised by a strong community of Black women, including her mother, babysitter Miss Brooks (a Jehovah’s Witness), and other influential women like her Girl Scout leader and Miss Fever.
• Emphasizes the importance of the “village” in shaping her values and resilience.

🎓 Education & HBCU Experience

• Attended Prairie View A&M University (an HBCU), where she joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
• Credits her college experience and sorority sisters for bailing her out of jail during a pivotal moment in her youth.
• Studied electrical engineering and later worked at General Motors before transitioning into entertainment.

😂 Humor & Hardship

• The memoir balances levity with serious topics like racism, wrongful arrest, and self-doubt.
• Chapter 8, where she’s thrown in jail for trespassing, is highlighted as both hilarious and eye-opening.
• Each chapter ends with a joke to bring levity to even the darkest moments.

💪 Empowerment & Mentorship

• Encourages readers to trust themselves and not conform to others’ expectations.
• Discusses the importance of mentorship and how someone saw potential in her beyond her factory job.
• Shares how Rushion McDonald personally mentored her during a difficult time in her TV career.

🎭 Career & Creativity

• Talks about her journey into comedy, acting, and co-hosting The Real.
• Reflects on her first film role in Soul Plane and the realities of the entertainment industry.
• Advocates for journaling and documenting personal history, especially for Black voices.

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💬 Memorable Quotes

• “This is a love letter to my fans.”
• “If you feel hopeless, if you need some inspiration… understand that you are from a strong stock of people.”
• “We have to share our stories to show them the experiences that we've come through.”

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#SHMS