KJ Smith and Crystal Renee on Sisterhood, Trauma, and Growth in Season 9 of ‘Tyler Perry’s Sistas’ | EUR Video Exclusive

*After eight powerful seasons filled with friendship, love, career drama, and raw emotional turns, “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” returns for its ninth season on BET. The hit drama continues to follow a group of single Black women navigating life in their 30s — and this season, the stakes are higher, the bonds deeper, and the revelations more personal.

KJ Smith, who plays Andi Barnes, reveals that her character takes a different emotional path in Season 9.

“I think we witness Andy being affected by her trauma. So, instead of her internalizing the trauma, we are going to watch her outwardly react to it, because that’s not something that she’s done in the past,” she explains. “She’s going to outwardly, you’re going to see how she’s affected by the trauma that she’s experiencing.”

Importantly, Smith notes this season’s trauma isn’t focused on romantic relationships. “The trauma isn’t male centered… It’s about her love for her sisters. And we see how she reacts in those situations. We see what type of friend she becomes. We see what type of leader she becomes. We see what type of attorney she becomes. We see what type of person she becomes.”

For Crystal Renee, who plays fan-favorite Fatima, this season brings maturity and unexpected emotional turns.

“You definitely see Fatima mature in this season. You just saw in episode one, Fatima is the one taking Karen to the hospital, which is not the person that you would think is going to be taking Karen to the hospital,” Renee says. “I also see how Fatima deals with grief, how she deals with the troubles in her and Zach’s relationship… she’s trying to be there for him like always, but it’s kind of hard in certain situations.”

Fatima’s relationship with Andi — affectionately known by fans as “Fandy” — also takes on new depth. “You get to see different layers and challenges in their friendship… learning how to be there for her in those situations as well is a different challenge for Fatima.”

Both Smith and Renee reflect on the real-life sisterhood that mirrors their on-screen bond.

“We’ve gone through everything together. We’ve gone through life together. And I think that it’s a reflection on the screen,” Smith says. “From the moment we were all, we were literally all in the audition room together, all of us at the same time… the chemistry is undeniable.”

Renee echoes the sentiment. “We’ve all evolved and our way of thinking is different… seeing how we have evolved as women… it’s been beautiful.” She adds, “We’ve gone through so much together. KJ got married, now she’s having a baby… it’s been beautiful.”

As for why “Tyler Perry’s Sistas” continues to dominate cable ratings and connect so deeply with Black audiences, Smith offers this: “I think the show resonates because we’re telling different stories and people are growing with our story arcs… we’re seeing that we’re not a monolith, that we can change, that we can adjust, that we can transform. And I think it offers hope.”

 

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She continues, “When I watch television, I want to experience, I want to see that I can overcome that. I want to see that I can go through that. I want to see someone with my personality type on television.”

“And I think how we have five strong and vulnerable and beautiful and funny and talented Black women exuding that on television every Wednesday night at 9pm is incredible.”

Looking ahead to key Season 9 moments, Smith hints at major challenges for Andi.

“Yes, she does [have standout episodes]. And, you know, I had a hard time with this season, because I’m gonna be honest, there’s a relationship in the season that fans have grown to adore and love. And we see a trial in that relationship, and it’s largely in part due to Andy’s behavior.”

Renee is equally excited for the character dynamics this season: “I love that this season I am getting more time with all the girls… I’m working with all the girls, which has not been the case in the past season.”

Watch our full conversation with Crystal Renee and KJ Smith below.

“Tyler Perry’s Sistas” airs Wednesdays at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT on BET.

The interview above has been edited for length and clarity. 

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