REELZ’ ‘Master P’s Family Empire’: They’re Catholic … But It’s Complicated

REELZ’ ‘Master P’s Family Empire’: They’re Catholic … But It’s Complicated November 27, 2015

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On Saturday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, cable channel REELZ premieres the reality show “Master P’s Family Empire,” starring rapper Percy “Master P” Miller, and five of his nine children — twentsomethings rapper/actor Romeo and model Veno, teen writer/performer Cymphonique, and preteen aspiring NBA players Hercy and Mercy.

Raised in the Calliope Projects of New Orleans, Percy Miller played basketball and studied business, eventually becoming a rapper, actor, entrepreneur, investor, writer, producer, filmmaker and philanthropist. Now he’s adding reality-TV star.

Before they changed parishes, I used to see the Millers at Mass — watching the whole clan pile out of one SUV still looked impossible according to the laws of physics — but since then, Master P split from his longtime wife, Sonya, and has been going through a rather prolonged and acrimonious divorce (which included her recently filing suit against Romeo).

Part of this may be related to the many Internet reports that Cymphonique and Veno have a different mother than the rest of the children, so it appears that the elder Miller is a flawed Catholic (but evidently pro-life).

This past summer, I sat down with the Millers to talk about faith and family values.

On being public Catholics:

Cymphonique: It’s so important not to be ashamed. You should always embrace who you really are, and that also includes your beliefs. In the same way, on the negative side, people are able to be open about drugs or whatever it is, so, on the positive side, you should be able to be open about that, too.

Master P: This is a great thing for our show on the network that we are doing this with, because some networks, we wouldn’t have been able to showcase that.

Cymphonique: In movies, it’s so portrayed that, “Oh, a Christian family, you have to be kumbayah, and you make no mistakes.” It’s important, because they say, you can be in the world but not of it.

On what being Catholic means to them:

Master P: To be honest with you, I grew up in the Catholic Church. I started out as an altar boy. I grew up at St. Monica Church in New Orleans, so that’s what’s passed down to us from generation to generation. To be able to keep that going, and be in Hollywood and not be afraid about faith … it’s about bettering ourselves. It’s about getting closer to our faith.

Romeo (who has “God” and angel’s wings tattooed on his back): That’s the beauty about our family. We’re very open-minded, too. We want to show people, just be yourself. Your self-image is your only image you should worry about, and that’s how we were raised our whole lives. We want to show kids and people on TV, “Look, nothing’s wrong with just being the person that you are. If you believe in God, don’t be afraid to show that.” That’s what I love about this show, and then even this network, for giving us the freedom to express our beliefs.

Master P: When I was [thinking], “Oh, the network can’t show this side, because we’re going to get flak from all these different religious people,” all those types of things. It’s great that it’s open, and it’s real, and we’re able to express our faith without having to question it.

On what people say when they find out the Millers are Catholic:

Master P: To be honest with you, I think people embrace it. Sometimes they are surprised, but in Hollywood, if people are able to embrace [Scientology], if people can say that, why can’t we say we’re Catholic?

Romeo: Luckily for me, I’ve never had a negative experience with it. I’m just grateful to have this family, where everybody is so open-minded and open about our faith, because for me, it’s never been a negative thing, till the day I die.

On what family values means to them:

Cymphonique: It’s unconditional love, and it’s integrity. What’s really cool about this show, too, is that positive doesn’t have to mean boring, because, with our faith, that means we have values, so sometimes, we even come to crossroads, “Should I even take this role, because it goes against who I am?” With my dad, I’m so proud of him and how he’s raised his family, because he never sold his soul, ever.

Romeo: Family values are not perfect. That’s what people think. People think you have to be perfect to be happy, and that’s the beauty of life. I don’t care; nobody is perfect.

Master P: What I get out of family values is love and being able to have that unconditional love for your family, to do anything for them, even when it’s going against the grain. Like Romeo said, we’re not the perfect family, but we love each other, and we’re going to do what’s right. That’s the most important thing.

From the trailer below, this definitely isn’t “Touched by an Angel.” But as a revert myself, hey, we’re all on the journey. What matters most is not where we are, but where we end up. We’ll just have to see how the Millers progress down the road.

Image: Courtesy REELZ

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