Traci Braxton’s Sisters Bar Husband Kevin Surratt from ‘The Braxtons’

As The Braxton family continues to share their story on their new WeTV show, The Braxtons, fans are learning more about moments missed during the sisters’ reality TV hiatus in 2020. This season has spotlighted the impact of Traci Braxton’s death from esophageal cancer on her family: Toni Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton, Tamar Braxton, and Evelyn Braxton, as well as the extended family known from Braxton Family Values.

The new series also delves into the life of Traci’s son, Kevin Surratt, Jr., who struggles with grief, a divorce, and an arrest. However, Kevin Surratt, Sr., Traci’s husband, has been noticeably absent from the show. Despite his frequent appearances on Braxton Family Values with Traci, a recent episode revealed that the family prefers to keep him away from their new series, honoring her memory without his involvement.

The sisters discussed their strained relationship with Kevin Sr. in Season 1, Episode 4 of The Braxtons. In one scene, Toni tried to encourage Trina to speak with him, but Trina made it clear that the family wasn’t interested. Toni later explained in a confessional the sisters’ feelings towards their brother-in-law.

"I can understand why no one wants to talk to Little Kevin’s father," Toni said. "There was a pretty public rift between us and him right after Traci died."

Toni revealed that the family was upset with Kevin Sr.’s decision to hold a funeral for Traci, who passed away on March 12, 2022. According to Toni, Traci had expressed her wishes not to have a funeral because she did not want others to be sad for her. Yet, Kevin Sr. went against her wishes and organized a public memorial with Zoom links for remote attendees. Neither Traci’s sisters nor her mother participated in the event, feeling it was not what Traci wanted.

In defense of Kevin Sr.’s actions, Toni suggested that the couple, married for 25 years, might have privately discussed other arrangements. However, this was later found not to be the case.

The episode also highlighted that Traci had left her son, Kevin Jr., in charge of her will instead of her husband. Kevin Sr. had claimed that Traci wanted a funeral and only opted out when she could not make coherent decisions. The disagreement over Traci’s final wishes caused a rift between Kevin Sr. and Kevin Jr., with the latter siding with the Braxtons, believing his mother was of sound mind when she decided against a funeral.

In another scene from The Braxtons, Trina and Kevin Jr. visited the family’s lawyer, Antavius Weems, who handled Traci’s will. Weems confirmed she left Kevin Jr. as her beneficiary, not her husband, and mentioned that Traci had asked him to record her wishes, making her intentions crystal clear.

"She knew exactly what she was doing," Weems stated.

After their visit, Trina discussed the details with Towanda and her boyfriend, Sean. Towanda was upset upon learning that Traci had preferred her son to handle her will. When Trina revealed that the production team wanted Kevin Jr. to film a scene with his father and Michael Braxton, Sr., she made it clear that the family was against it.

"I made it very clear," Trina said. "I’m not trying to give a platform for his dad to film in any way, shape, or form."

Towanda confronted The Braxtons‘ showrunner, asking why Kevin Sr. needed to be involved. The showrunner felt that Traci’s husband’s story was necessary, but both sisters firmly disagreed.

"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 a cliffhanger, leaving viewers wondering if the sisters will eventually allow Kevin Sr. to share his perspective as the season unfolds.

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.

Source: various news sources