Traci Braxton's Sisters Refuse to Let Her Husband, Kevin Surratt, Appear on 'The Braxtons'
Traci's family and her husband of 25 years remain at odds years after her 2022 death.
Published Aug. 30 2024, 10:30 p.m. ET
As The Braxton family continues to share their story on their new WeTV show, The Braxtons, fans learn more about some of the moments we missed when the sisters went on a reality TV hiatus in 2020. Viewers of the season have seen how Traci Braxton's death from esophageal cancer has affected everyone on the show: Toni Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton, Tamar Braxton, and Evelyn Braxton, as well as the family members we became familiar with on Braxton Family Values.
While the new series follows Traci's son, Kevin Surratt, Jr. as he battles his grief and other personal issues like a divorce and an arrest, so far, we haven't seen Kevin's father and Traci's husband, Kevin Surratt, Sr. Although Kevin Sr. often appeared on BFV with his wife, a recent episode of The Braxtons showed her family doesn't want him near the show they created to honor her memory.
So, what happened between Traci's husband and The Braxtons? Here's what to know.
What happened between Traci Braxton's husband, Kevin Surratt, Sr. and The Braxtons?
The sisters discussed their strained relationship with Kevin Sr in Season 1, Episode 4 of The Braxtons. In one scene, Toni attempted to increase their peace by asking Trina to talk to him, but Trina informed her that she and the rest of the family weren't interested. The "Breathe Again" singer then shared in a confessional why the sisters aren't seeing it for their brother-in-law.
"I can understand why no one wants to talk to Little Kevin's father," Toni admits. "There was a pretty public rift between us and him right after Traci died."
Toni further explained the family took offense to Kevin Sr.'s decision to have a funeral for Traci after she passed away on March 12, 2022. She says Traci previously told her family she never wanted a funeral because she didn't want anyone to be sad on her behalf. Kevin Sr. went against her wishes and had a public memorial with Zoom links for those who couldn't attend in person.
Neither Traci's sisters nor her mother participated in the event, and she often stated it wasn't what she wanted. On the show, Toni defended Kevin Sr.'s actions by suggesting the couple, who were married for 25 years, may have discussed other funeral arrangements privately. But the sisters soon discovered that wasn't the case.
Traci left her son, Kevin Jr., in charge of her will instead of her husband.
The episode also revealed that Kevin Sr. claimed Traci wanted a funeral and opted out of having one only when she was "on her deathbed" and couldn't make coherent decisions. The drama regarding Traci's wishes drove a wedge between Kevin Sr. and Kevin Jr.'s relationship, as he Kevin Jr. agreed with the rest of the Braxtons that his mother was in right mind when she chose not to have a funeral.
In another scene from The Braxtons, Trina and Kevin Jr. visit the family's lawyer, Antavius Weems. Weems handled Traci's will and confirmed she left Kevin Jr. as her beneficiary, not her husband. He also said Traci asked him to record her, and he honored her wishes.
"She knew exactly what she was doing," the attorney declared.
Towanda and Trina refuse to give Traci's husband a "platform."
After their visit, Trina met up with Towanda and her boyfriend, Sean, to unpack what Antavius told her and Kevin Jr. Once Towanda learned Traci wanted her son in charge, she got upset with Kevin Sr. and expressed it at Trina's house. Then, Trina dropped the news that production wanted Kevin Jr. to film a scene with his dad and their father, Michael Braxton, Sr., which she said no one agreed to.
"I made it very clear," she said. "I'm not trying to give a platform for his dad to film in any way, shape or form."
Towanda then had a fourth wall moment with The Braxtons' showrunner and asked him why he wanted Kevin Sr. involved in the show. While the showrunner said he felt Traci's husband's story was necessary, it was an emphatic "No" for both sisters.
"Never, never," Towanda declared. "By no means do I ever want that individual to have any platform on our platform ever again. Don't push me."
The episode ended with "to be continued." We'll have to wait and see if the sisters will change their minds about letting Kevin Sr. tell his side of the story as the season progresses.
Catch new episodes of The Braxtons on WeTV on Fridays at 9:30 p.m. EST and stream the show the following day on AllBLK.
