Matt Barnes Admits He Was Starstruck by MIL Beverly Johnson aka "Ms. Trinidad" (EXCLUSIVE)
Matt’s mother-in-law and Anansa Sims’ mother, Beverly Johnson, played a messy but sultry teacher on ‘Martin.’
Published May 10 2024, 4:17 p.m. ET
NBA champion and podcaster Matt Barnes and his fiancée, Anansa Sims, are a perfect example of how love stories can surprise you when you least expect them. The couple met in college, lost touch, and reconnected after 20 years, only to fall in love again.
They have a child together, Ashton, and show their blended family on their WeTV reality show, The Barnes Bunch.
The family consists of Matt's twins, Carter and Isaiah, and Anansa's kids — Ava Brielle Peterson, David Bernard Peterson, and Dean Danny Benjamin Peterson. Fans also see multiple appearances from Anansa’s mom, supermodel Beverly Johnson.
During an exclusive interview with Distractify, Matt admitted that being the future son-in-law of fashion royalty was a surreal experience. However, he said Beverly’s role on a '90s fave earned him excellent points with his friends.
Matt Barnes said his relationship with Beverly Johnson through “Ms. Trinidad’s daughter” Anansa is a “pleasure.”
As someone who began his NBA career in 2002 and has played alongside the greats, from the late Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal, Matt told us he doesn’t get starstruck often. However, that all changed when he met Anansa’s mom, Beverly.
I (hopefully) don’t have to tell you how far Beverly’s résumé stretches. In addition to being the first Black model to grace the cover of American Vogue and walking countless runways, she is also an accomplished actor. A guest spot on Martin was one of her most iconic roles, as she played Martin’s (Martin Lawrence) treacherous former teacher, Miss Trinidad.
One of the episode’s quotable scenes was Gina (Tisha Campbell) witnessing Miss Trinidad throw herself at Martin.
Matt exclusively told Distractify that, as a “huge Martin fan,” he had a “fan experience” when he was initially around Beverly. He also shared that his friends — fellow Martin aficionados — were just as starstruck.
“My homeboys were like, you dating Miss Trinidad's daughter?” Matt said of his friends’ reaction to Beverly.
“It was just kind of a fan experience,” he continued. “Which is weird for me because I don't get that too often because I'm in the mix and, you know, play with Kobe, and I know Mike [Jordan] and all these big names that people normally fan out about.”
Matt said he now sees Beverly Johnson as “Safta” to his and Anansa’s kids.
Matt’s slight infatuation with Beverly and her Miss Trinidad role is now masked by her real-life role as his kids’ “Safta.” Safta is Beverly’s preferred name with the kids and means “grandmother” in Hebrew, per Kveller.
“You hear things about supermodels, but I've always just seen the grandma and a mom to Anansa,” Matt said of Beverly. “The person I picked's mom is one of the biggest supermodels ever. But now she’s just ‘Babs’ or, as the kids call her, ‘Safta.’ Business as usual.”
The Barnes Bunch airs new episodes on WeTV on Fridays at 10 p.m. EST.
Reporting done by Pretty Honore.
