In this week's T.I. And Tiny: Friends And Family Hustle episode, Monica feels the heat after news of her divorce goes public, Toya and Red take a huge step forward in both business and love and Tip and Tiny throw Heiress an extravagant third birthday bash.
Read last week's recap here.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Trap Pilates
Keeping their fitness journey at the forefront of their friendly get-togethers, Tiny, Toya, LeToya and Monica crank up the music and hit the gym for a different type of workout. A far cry from their vagina-steaming, cryo-freezing, indoor-surfing workouts of the past, the ladies excitedly bust a move while stretching their bodies to the limit at Atlanta's own Trap Pilates studio.
"I know my friends are over me draggin' them to all of these different places that include some type of workout," says Toya, explaining that she's the driving force behind their group workouts. "I'm getting ready for my Weight No More event that's gonna take place in New Orleans...so I invited the girls to Trap Pilates. They ass don't go to the gym anyway so it's a good time to pull as all together where we can have fun...with a little fitness."
While the rest of the girls spent more time laughing than breaking a sweat from their toned twerking, it quickly became clear that Toya's alter ego Mocha Latte was out in full force down on the mat.
Monica's Divorce Goes Public
Unfortunately, Monica's celebrity status brought the devastating news of her divorce from the privacy of her inner circle into the spotlight of the court of public opinion. With only Toya and her mother previously aware of her crumbling marriage, Monica took some time to herself and kept a low profile while LeToya and Tiny reel from discovering that their close friend was keeping so much personal pain bottled up for so long. Previously unaware of Monica's relationship woes, LeToya and Tiny are beyond shocked to learn such a huge detail about their friend's life alongside millions of strangers checking the headlines.
Manhood
As King is getting older and ready to really sink his teeth into his future career as a recording artist, Tip feels that it's time to step in and teach his sons a few things about manhood (which, according to him is defined by responsibility, not age). Noting their interest in technology, Tip brings Major and King to the studio for a live game show and to show them the inner workings of Trivia Mob.
<pody">Dedicated to teaching his sons the folly of putting all of their proverbial eggs into one basket, Tip guides his boys through a sit-down conversation with the company's founders. Asking probing questions about this history with coding and the self-starter vibe behind their efforts, T.I. imparts the importance of diversifying business ventures onto his sons, King and Major.
"You need to start focusing on how to separate your efforts and figure out how to apply them together," lectures Tip. "You gotta have a vision. I always saw myself managing different companies and taking on different tasks at one time. So for King, it's gonna take a little work."
Weight No More
The gang's all here in The Big Easy (sans Monica and Tiny), ready to work out for Toya and Red's 5k Weight No More event. Soon after arriving, Toya and LeToya head out for some radio promotion for her event. Shortly after the beginning of her first interview, Toya makes a "complete ass" of herself by tripping out over what to call Red. Her boyfriend? Her partner? Thankfully, LeToya comes to her rescue and interjects with a playful "boo" title to ease the tension and keep the interview moving. Phew.
"I do think of Red as my husband...but what do you call that?" says Toya after her slip-up.
Unsurprisingly, the race kicks off with a bang. With an impressive turnout, Red and Toya bask in the success of their joint business venture while enjoying their time in New Orleans with Toya's family and their shared ATL support system.
Monica Faces The Music
Monica, who has kept a low profile for most of the episode thus far, is finally speaking out about news of her divorce hitting the headlines. "Trying to keep all of this out of the press just was impossible," says Monica. "Now, everybody lookin' at me and talkin' about my business...but I do appreciate people's concern. The ones that are sincere. When I'm ready, my friends are the ones that I owe it to to at least speak to."
Leveling with her cousin Rio, Monica breaks down just how hard it is to manage her personal pain along with guiding her children through the process of upending their day-to-day lives and shaking up their routine.
"For now, my only focus is that my children, my mom, my dad and all of the people that are truly affected are OK."
Thankfully, Mo is able to find her peace in the studio and unwind as she expresses herself creatively. "When I'm singin', I'm ready to let [the worst times] go," says Monica.
Needing some extra support, Monica and her children head to her mother and stepfather's house to level with them about what she's going through at the moment.
"I am pulling so much strength from my mom with everything that's goin' on," says Monica, fully in need of a shoulder to lean on at the moment.
"It's almost like she's got this hidden cape, and then a bible, and remedies to get you well...she pretty much has everything that myself and my children need."
While Monica is quick to reach out for some motherly love, she's understandably still hesitant to reach out to her friends and expose her vulnerabilities so completely. Here's to hoping Monica picks up some help from her friends that are more than willing to lend a hand.
HBD Heiress
It's Heiress' third birthday and this toddler only wants one thing-- some one-on-one time with her hero and idol, Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa. With the Harris gang in Los Angeles for Heiress' big day, Tiny reaches out to JoJo's management team to set up a private party at the star's residence. Completely starstruck, Heiress is overwhelmed to come face to face her favorite celebrity.
While Heiress is focused on spending some quality time with JoJo, Tip is more focused on noting all of JoJo's passive income from her branded merchandise.
Check In On Your Strong Friends
Breaking her promise to Toya, Tiny ditches the Weight No More event and instead heads from LA to ATL to check in on Monica. Ever the supportive wing woman, Toya, instead of lashing out at Tiny doubling back on her word instead voices her complete understanding and puts Monica's needs above her own.
As Tiny has been through the public ringer before when her marriage problems with Tip went public, the two women are able to quickly level with each other and bond over the pain of a shared experience.
"I'm really glad that Tiny came over to check on me. I really do feel a bit relieved because I know that I have great friends on my side," says Monica, appreciative of her friend flying in to check on her.
Bringing some levity into the heavy conversation, Tiny reminds Monica that she has "two good years" to get another man in her life and pop out some more babies.