Rolling out caught up with Toya Wright at Garb Shoetique where she was preparing for her daughter Reginae’s birthday and appearance on MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16.” This is the second exclusive interview in which Toya spoke about her separation from Mickey “MeMpHiTz” Wright, her husband of four years.
Rolling out was curious to know how Toya is handling all of this. Pay close attention to this one-on-one conversation:
How are you holding up through not only balancing your business, but being a mom, being separated from your husband, and now dealing with your fans and social media by publicly revealing your stance on your current marital situation?
It’s tough because [MeMpHiTz] he’s like my best friend. It’s hurtful to see him going through everything he is going through. All I can do is really pray for him and this situation. I can’t just sit around and continue to be the blame for the way things have turned out to be.
What is your biggest fear of the outcome of this situation?
I’m just hoping this will just pass. I am hoping he can get back to being Mickey, and it’s like everything is tearing him down and all the rumors and slander changed him. Like he let’s this get him down and it has made him bitter. I’m like how can you let these people change you and get you down. He is not the type of person that typically ever let what people say get to him. If you really know him, you will know that he does not care what people think about anything! He don’t give a d—. He is going to do whatever or say whatever. He still loves his family he still treats us the same. It changed him in a sense that when it comes to the world now, when it comes to putting a certain image out there, he is a bitter person and he was always so nice and charming.
I have been knowing MeMpH for eight years. People are saying he hasn’t changed he was always this person. I mean, the representative doesn’t last that long. It goes away after you get the person and he has had me for four years I’m not blaming anyone of saying this person caused us to have a divorce. I am saying the situation after all the representative doesn’t last for eight years. You can’t pretend to be someone for that long of a period of time.
I know most of the frustration comes from the backlash of the lawsuit with Viacom and perhaps in the beginning when deciding to go this direction maybe not thinking about the broad reach of Viacom and it being bigger than one network. Viacom covers BET, MTV and VH1 — all the sources that birthed him in this industry. Now all those doors are closed and that was solely where the success of his career came from.
People don’t know that side of him. They only know him as my husband.
He is still very conscious of your brand. He’s always mentioning not tarnishing it. Do you think in his mind the separation protects your brand?
The mix-up is people thinking we have the same brand. We are two totally different people. Like I explained in a previous interview. He is more adventurous. He would do things I would never imagine doing. It would make your adrenaline rush! That’s just who he is. He is his own person. I am a very safe person. I would be like “what the hell?” He brought me out of my shyness in many ways. But what I never wanted to do in this whole marriage and relationship is to want him to have to feel as if he needs to dim his light so I can shine. Or fall back in my shadow and be miserable so I can be happy and have this whole “good girl” image. Because the “good girl” thing is me. Just because I wouldn’t do what he would do, that doesn’t mean we would have to be the same person. The minute he does stuff or posts something everyone says, “Oh my!” and reflects it back on me, just because it’s not something I would do. And we are two different people. We don’t do the same thing.
Yeah, MeMpHiTz had a television show on BET before you and Tiny Harris had a show. The show was created by Stephen Hill, so he had his own lane and was respected by many on a different level. So I can see why he’s so frustrated with his current situation.
It’s not fair. … You are going to walk away from your family because of this? Because you don’t want to mess up my brand? You want to do this crazy stuff so you are going to walk away? … It’s just stressful. I think Memp doesn’t like being in my shadow. Every time he tries to be himself someone is saying “I’m telling Toya!” Someone always saying, “Oh my gawd Toya!” “That’s disrespectful to your wife!” “Oh you are this, and you are that!” People are always having something to say.
You have a very strong fan base. They may be as strong as Bey’s beehive. At this point, you just have to pray for inner peace.
He is a loving person and he can’t help it. That bothers me when he says he blames everything on love and says love gets him in crazy situations. That’s kind of hurtful to hear. It’s like you go through things when you love someone. I had changes in my life as well.
