Like many fallen stars, Sara Stokes, who gained fame on MTV’s “Making The Band 2,” made an attempt to revive her career by returning to her reality TV roots on the BET series “From The Bottom Up.” And like many reality TV stars, it seems like Stokes wasn’t happy with her portrayal on the show. And now she’s decided to do more than just gripe about the network; She’s decided to sue BET for their portrayal of her.
For those that don’t know, Stokes starred alongside Christine Beatty, Stacii Jae Johnson, Chrystale Wilson, and Kim Smeadly in the six-part docu-series “From The Bottom Up,” which was produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment. The premise of the show was chronicling the journey that all 5 women, who had once tasted fame, were on to get back into the public spotlight and revive their careers, while also dealing with the troubles of their personal lives.
During the season, Stokes dealt with several personal demons, including the damage done to her family life due to her abusive relationship with her husband, Tony, and her stint in prison after being arrested and charged with domestic violence in 2014. The violence between Stokes and Tony reportedly went on for years before that, and included a 2009 incident in which Stokes stabbed Tony and was placed on probation for three years after accepting a plea deal.
Although Stokes went on the show to change her public image, media reports claim that she’s extremely unhappy with her portrayal on the show. According to reports, Stokes claims that producers approached her about doing the show when she was still doing time in Saint Clair County Jail in Michigan. She says the producers convinced her that she could change her image for the better if she appeared on the show.
However, Stokes claims that producers tricked her and they ended up reinforcing the idea that she’s a husband beater and a former inmate.
Stokes’ legal team reportedly plans to file a lawsuit against BET, claiming that the network used her image and tarnished it further for their commercial gain.
BET has yet to respond to Stokes’ accusations, but this could turn into one messy legal battle.
