What do you call someone who is beautiful in mind and spirit, a person who is like the sun from which others draw warmth and inspiration?
You call her Terri J. Vaughn, the vibrant and vivacious addition to “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns.” Most people remember her as the sweet and saucy girlfriend of Cedric the Entertainer from the “Steve Harvey Show” or, most recently, for her role in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls. Whatever role Vaughn pours herself into, she uses the national platform to be a vessel the Creator can shine through.
“My steps are already ordered. All I know is this is where He has put me now to be there at TBS for whatever reason. I don’t know where it [will go]. I know where I hope that it goes — my own television series, a sitcom,” Vaughn says from Atlanta’s ritzy Buckhead district. “I’m happy to be working … with really good people. It’s fun. I couldn’t ask for a better place to go to work every day. It’s exciting to be able to get up and do what you love to do and go somewhere where you want to be.”
And that’s right on the set of “Meet the Browns,” where Vaughn is creating memorable moments as the tart-tongued nurse, Renee.
“She’s crazy and she’s outspoken. She says things that everyone probably wants to say on the job … and that’s why I think people like her,” says Vaughn about the character she portrays.
Vaughn’s roles bring many laughs, no doubt. But the jokes cease when Vaughn talks about how her stardom helps her fulfill her divine purpose. Vaughn unabashedly uses her national platform to uplift and inspire, particularly young urban girls.
“I never stopped doing the Take Wings Foundation. It’s still based in the Bay Area, but wherever I go, I will always do work with young people,” Vaughn says.
As for the impact of her work on the small screen, let’s just say it speaks for itself.
“I love what I do. I know I do what I do well. If you need me to make someone laugh, I can do that. And that’s what I bring,” she says.
And when Vaughn brings it, believe it is in divine order. –terry shropshire
