Key Takeaways
- Iyanla Vanzant denied Tamar Braxton’s claim that she sexually shamed her during a 2018 Braxton Family Values intervention, calling the allegation “absolutely not true.”
- Vanzant described Braxton as “imbalanced” and “out of alignment,” adding that the singer will ultimately have to answer to God for what Vanzant considers a lie.
- The unresolved feud resurfaced as Vanzant returns to OWN with The Inside Fix and two new specials after the 2021 end of Iyanla: Fix My Life.
Iyanla Vanzant isn't backing down from her years-long feud with Tamar Braxton. During a preview of her appearance on The Jason Lee Show, the spiritual adviser accused the singer of lying about their controversial 2018 encounter, questioned her emotional well-being, and warned that Braxton would eventually have to answer to God for her accusations.
"I love her, and she's not well," Vanzant told Lee when asked about Braxton's allegations that she had been sexually shamed during a family intervention. "When I say not well, I mean imbalanced, out of alignment, out of touch. And she was. She is."
The comments reopen a dispute that began eight years ago, when Vanzant appeared on WE tv's Braxton Family Values to help the sisters address their fractured relationships. What was supposed to be a healing session instead became one of the show's most contentious episodes.
Braxton subsequently accused Vanzant of mishandling discussions about her childhood sexual abuse, claiming she felt pressured to disclose deeply personal information. She later publicly criticized the life coach, including during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show.
Vanzant, however, maintains that Braxton's account is false. "I also wasn't gonna allow her to spew that with people that I knew and love, that I sex shamed her, and that's absolutely not true," she told Lee.
She also emphasized that she didn’t initiate the intervention. "I went on their show. They did not come on mine," Vanzant explained. "They invited me onto their show."
The fallout extended beyond the original confrontation. Braxton's mother, Evelyn, publicly defended Vanzant, while Tamar later issued a broader Instagram apology in June 2019 that included the spiritual adviser, along with several others she wanted to make amends with.
But Vanzant's latest remarks indicate that the disagreement remains unresolved. "I don't mind being the bad guy if that's what it's gonna take for you to get clear about your imbalance," she said.
The conversation took a sharper turn when Vanzant invoked her religious beliefs, suggesting Braxton would ultimately face a higher authority over the allegations.
"Tamar is never gonna have to answer to me," Vanzant said, adding that Braxton would eventually have to confront the question, "Why did I tell that lie?"
"She has to answer to God for that, not to me," she concluded.
The interview arrives during a renewed television push for Vanzant, whose original OWN series, Iyanla: Fix My Life, ended in 2021 after nine years. Earlier this year, she returned with Iyanla: The Inside Fix, revisiting memorable interventions from the original program. Its ratings success led OWN to commission two additional specials.
Those projects, Mothers & Daughters: Torn Apart and What Black Men Say vs. What Black Women Hear, premiered on OWN on October 9 and October 16, respectively.
