Keri Hilson Says Kissing Ne-Yo in 'Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding' Was "Awkward" (EXCLUSIVE)
Published Nov. 30 2022, 8:22 p.m. ET
Keri Hilson and Ne-Yo
There’s no place like home for the holidays, and this is especially true when you come from hip hop royalty.
Last year, VH1’s Hip Hop Family Christmas introduced viewers to the Nixons — a close-knit family of celebrities who waded through family drama to discover the true spirit of Christmas. And on Wednesday, Nov. 30, the first family of hip hop is returning to the small screen.
Produced by Jamie Foxx, Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding sees the Nixon family spiral into chaos as they prepare to marry off one of their own.
Jessica, the bride-to-be, is played by songstress Keri Hilson, who dished about her new Christmas movie in an exclusive interview with Distractify. Here’s what she said!
Keri Hilson
‘Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding’ isn’t your average Christmas movie, according to Keri Hilson.
In Almost Christmas, Keri Hilson played the controversial other woman who nearly got her wig snatched at the dinner table. But according to Keri, Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding is different than any holiday film she’s ever been in.
“I love seeing Black people resolving things. I love seeing Black people healing issues and overcoming challenges as a family,” Keri said of her new Christmas movie. “Besides the hijinks and the comedy, I think that that's one of the things that keeps the sequels greenlit, to be truthful.”
“I think it's that realness is the authenticity,” she added. “It's the heartstrings that we tug at in between the funny moments that people are gravitating towards and wanted to see more of.”
As for whether or not the franchise will return next year, Keri sure hopes so.
“I would love to see it as a series, even if not another film. I think it could be something magical because we genuinely love each other,” Keri told us. “We love working together.”
Keri Hilson said the cast of ‘Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding’ were “inseparable off camera.”
The luxurious mansion used as the backdrop in Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding also served as homebase for the cast, who Keri said were “inseparable off camera.”
“Literally, when we're supposed to be breaking and going to our areas or our trailers, like we're still sitting together chatting, talking, having our food together as a family,” Keri told Distractify.
Ne-Yo, Terrance J, Keri Hilson, and Redman
Among the star-studded lineup of cast members who reprise their roles in the sequel film were Redman, Bow Wow, and MC Lyte — each of whom is legendary in their own right.
“I was grateful for the opportunities to know these people on a human level and not just the legends that you perceive them to be,” Keri went on. "They happen to be a really well-rounded, very down-to-earth, good human being group of people.”
However, the Hip Hop Family Christmas franchise isn’t the first time Keri and her onscreen fiancé Ne-Yo have collabed. In fact, Ne-Yo was featured on Keri’s debut album, In A Perfect World.
In the years since Keri and Ne-Yo first met, their friendship has tremendously blossomed, which, according to Keri, made the kissing scenes in the film “quite awkward.” She added, “Because we are truly friends. He's someone that sent me his first child's picture in the hospital after birth.”
“The first kiss that we encountered was our first scene together last year. In the script, there was so much kissing,” the Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding actress said with a laugh. “We were just like, yeah, we gotta do this. We avoided it as long as we possibly could.”
Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding airs on VH1 on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. EST.