‘Beauty in Black’ Stars Crystle Stewart And Taylor Polidore Williams On The Show’s Worldwide Fandom And Whether Mallory And Kimmie Could Ever Be Friends: ‘They’re Both Still Trying To Survive’
Enemies-turned-frenemies Mallory and Kimmie from 'Beauty in Black' may become friends, as their shared struggles inspire connection.
Black News 
Could Kimmie and Mallory ever be friends? That’s the question we had for Beauty in Black stars Crystle Stewart and Taylor Polidore Williams.
HelloBeautiful sat down with the lovely ladies ahead of Netflix’s Celebration of Black Television Panel at the American Black Film Festival.
In 2024, Tyler Perry brought his first Netflix series Beauty in Black to life and calling it a massive hit would be an understatement.
According to Nielsen, during March 19-22, the week of the series’ part 2 release, the streaming hit garnered over 1.42 billion viewing minutes, taking up the top spot on streaming charts the following week.
Fans cannot get enough of the Bellaries, a wealthy Chicago family running a multi-million dollar cosmetic empire and doing whatever it takes to stay on top and more importantly, stay rich, even if that includes money laundering, sex trafficking, and backstabbing each other along the way.
In the midst of the chaos are Mallory and Kimmie Bellarie, enemies turned frenemies, maneuvering through the family secrets, drama, and obscenities, with hopes of maintaining the business, even amid a class action lawsuit claiming that Beauty in Black hair relaxers cause cancer.
Season 2 ended with Mallory and Kimmie forming an unexpected alliance, working with the Bellarie head honcho, Horace, against the other members of the family and company shareholders.
We spoke to Crystle Stewart and Taylor Polidore Williams about Mallory and Kimmie’s connection and if it could ever turn into a friendship.
“People forget that Mallory came from this foster care and the Bellarie family adopted her, [she] had a rough childhood. And it’s the same as Kimmie. So we can relate in that way,” Stewart told HelloBeautiful. “If she just saw [Mallory] being glamorous and having all this money, we wouldn’t be able to relate. But her knowing and Mallory telling her story in season two, I think that’s when they clicked.”
“I think that in the world of all of the Bellaries, they’re the most similar in terms of, they do care about the company and they do want to be successful in this landscape of craziness. They’re both still trying to survive,” Williams continued.
Kimmie’s journey from underdog to top dog is something Williams relates to as an actress.
“I think everyone resonates with starting from the bottom and working their way up and everyone loves a good underdog to somebody winning. And I think when you see what it takes to get from one position to the next,” Williams said.
“ As an actor, clawing your way from being in acting class to having that one line that maybe got cut out to now you’re in a couple episodes, to now you’re on billboards on Sunset. It’s a dream. And that’s what we work for, to do what we love. And yes, it feels good. It’s not just a wild and crazy show. I think it’s inspirational.”
The show has entertained and inspired many across the world and Stewart and Williams are grateful.
“I took a trip to Italy [and] had fans there. I mean, we have fans in Brazil [and] Nigeria. I think it’s wild and crazy and awesome,” Stewart said.
“It’s the coolest thing ever that the story resonates with people across the world. They love it, but I mean, it’s unifying. And I think that’s the cool thing about entertainment and about what we do” Williams continued. “We’re able to take on a story and take it somewhere else and people are like, ‘yeah, it’s the best. I love it.’ Thank you all so much.”
While the leading ladies of Beauty in Black did not explicitly say that Kimmie and Mallory would befriend one another in future seasons, they did not deny it either.
According to Williams, “anything is possible in the Bellaries’ world.”
So, we will have to wait and see. Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black is streaming now on Netflix.
