Tabitha Brown Interview Highlights: From Uber Driver to TikTok Star

Tabitha Brown spent two decades chasing an acting career before a sandwich review, filmed in her car, changed her life. The Southern accent that agents once told her to hide became what her audience came for, and she has turned it into books, an Emmy-winning children’s show, a Target partnership and a fragrance company.

This post is for creators who want to know why a warm, personal voice can beat polish, for brands weighing a values-led creator, and for curious fans. It covers her start, how she makes videos, her mistakes and advice, her brand deals, the 2025 Target boycott and what she’s doing as of October 2026.

Who is Tabitha Brown?

Tabitha Brown is an American actor, author and entrepreneur, born Tabitha Bonita Thomas in Eden, North Carolina, in 1979, who became one of TikTok’s best-known food creators with short vegan cooking videos and encouraging talks.

She moved to Los Angeles with her husband in 2004 to act, and spent five years working at a Macy’s, according to Wikipedia, while caring for her mother, who had ALS and died in 2007. Small film roles followed until chronic pain and fatigue kept her from working for a year. At her daughter’s suggestion she went vegan, and she told NPR in 2022 that a headache she’d had every day for a year and seven months disappeared within 10 days.

She is married to Chance Brown, a retired Los Angeles police officer, and they co-host the podcast Fridays with Tab and Chance.

How did Tabitha Brown get started?

“At first I started doing videos about the same mom and wife stories I would tell onstage as a comic … But then when I went vegan, the voice that I heard that said start doing videos whispered in my ear and said, ‘Now tell people what you’re eating.’”

— Tabitha Brown, Entertainment Tonight, July 2020

She told Entertainment Tonight she had never wanted to make videos; she began after praying during her illness. With her disability insurance running out, she started driving for Uber in October 2017. That December, she bought a sandwich at Whole Foods.

“And I did a review of the sandwich sitting in my car while I was on my break. And I went on back to driving, you know, Uber. … And so in four days, Whole Foods reached out.”

— Tabitha Brown, NPR, October 2022

The sandwich was a TTLA: tempeh bacon, tomato, lettuce and avocado, VegNews reported. The video had more than 50,000 Facebook views by the time she got home, she told NPR, and she did campaigns with Whole Foods until 2020.

That March, her daughter, Choyce, talked her into TikTok. Within 30 days she had a million followers, she told NPR, and a week later 2 million.

The lesson isn’t that one viral video makes a career. She was already posting, the review was unscripted and entirely her, and when it hit, viewers found a voice they’d recognize again.

What does Tabitha Brown say made her take off on TikTok?

“When I first got on and saw the response in all the young kids and what they were saying — they kept saying, oh, my God. Your voice — it sounds like a hug. It helps my anxiety. You know, I feel like, oh, you’re the mom I never had.”

— Tabitha Brown, NPR, May 2020

She told NPR’s Ari Shapiro, two months after joining, that the reaction “instantly to me became a responsibility.” Her hope, she said, was that a minute of video would take people’s minds off the world and give them “a little bit of peace or a little bit of laughter or a little bit of joy.”

Her format is a recipe or a pep talk, about a minute long, delivered as if to a friend. What worked was a relationship, not a trend. Compare our Khaby Lame interview, another creator whose TikTok career began in the 2020 lockdowns.

How does Tabitha Brown make a video?

“For me, I’m always talking to one person. So when I do my videos, especially inspirational or encouraging videos, I’m always holding my phone very close to my face because I want people to feel like I’m only talking to you in this moment. I don’t care how many people actually watch the video. I’m only talking to the one person who needs it.”

— Tabitha Brown, NPR, October 2022

She prays first, she told NPR, and asks what to say.

She doesn’t present herself as an expert, either. “I’ve never claimed to be like an expert … Honey, I ain’t a chef,” she told Fast Company in 2023, as quoted by xoNecole. Her cookbook, Cooking from the Spirit, gives approximate amounts and tells readers to trust their spirit:

“So I always tell people, if you need a recipe with measurements every single time you cook, you don’t trust yourself. So this book is to help you learn to trust yourself more in the kitchen so that you can also trust yourself more in your life.”

— Tabitha Brown, NPR, October 2022

Two habits transfer to any niche: hold the camera close and talk to one viewer, and teach a way of doing something, not just a list of steps.

How does Tabitha Brown talk about veganism without preaching?

“A lot of times, people can be judgmental—I want to be anything but that. I want people to be able to learn without feeling attacked.”

— Tabitha Brown, VegNews, October 2021

She told VegNews she went vegan for her health and wants Black viewers to see that veganism is for them too, without giving up holiday food and traditions. So she makes familiar comfort food plant-based, such as her mother’s meatloaf, she told NPR.

“I’m not going to judge anybody for what they eat. I’m only sharing my life and my story. And if it encourages you to try something new, so be it.”

— Tabitha Brown, Los Angeles Times, May 2020

That was her answer to commenters telling her to eat real bacon. In any niche with strong opinions, share what you do, don’t lecture, and let results persuade.

What mistakes does Tabitha Brown say she made early on?

“When I first started acting, I was trying to look a certain way and weigh a certain weight. I wasn’t free, which is probably why I never got to be great.”

— Tabitha Brown, Los Angeles Times, May 2020

The mistake she returns to most is hiding herself to fit in. Her first agent told her nobody wanted to hear her accent, she told NPR in 2020. In January 2026, before a conference talk, the events magazine Convene asked what she’d learned by getting branding wrong. Code-switching means changing how you talk or behave to fit what a room expects.

“I used to conform and code switch, really trying to fit in and present myself in a way that made everyone comfortable. But I realized that wasn’t freedom — and I was enough just being myself.”

— Tabitha Brown, Convene (email interview), January 2026

Her second mistake was pricing. She negotiated her first deal without an attorney, and later realized she had been asking too little:

“When they said ‘Yes’ too quick, we was like, ‘Oh, we know we was too low’ … So on the next deal, we was like, ‘Go higher and see what they say.’ They said, ‘Yeah.’ Oh, we still too low. That’s how we kinda learned over the years.”

— Tabitha Brown, on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, as quoted by AfroTech, April 2023

She and her manager, her friend Stephen Love, closed around 56 deals in two years, AfroTech reported. A yes that comes too quickly is a pricing signal; our guide on what to charge for a sponsored video shows how to set a starting rate.

What advice does Tabitha Brown give new creators?

“Don’t try to be anybody but yourself—you are enough just as you are. Bring yourself to the camera, bring yourself to your phone, bring yourself to the world, they will listen. And work hard and be consistent. Every day for the last four years, I made videos, and I still do. I’m not saying don’t take a break—take your breaks! But if you have a goal, you have to pursue it consistently.”

— Tabitha Brown, VegNews, October 2021

People quote the first half, be yourself, and skip the second: post every day for years.

Her 2026 business lessons were shorter:

“First, it’s OK to be non-traditional. Second, make sure your team respects and understands budgeting.”

— Tabitha Brown, Convene, January 2026

What does Tabitha Brown say about working with brands?

“What I loved about Target instantly is that I would do a video and I would send it in for approval … And I would just be waiting for their feedback to tell me what to change. And they never wanted anything to change. It was, ‘Oh, we love it.’”

— Tabitha Brown, on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, as quoted by AfroTech, March 2023

Target let her talk about God and veganism, she said, unlike other brands that tried to change her approach. After a year of working together, AfroTech reported, Target made her the first person to do four exclusive collections across the store, from clothing and swimwear to home goods and vegan food.

She is just as direct with partners. In an August 2022 Instagram video in which she also announced that Food Network had moved her show It’s CompliPlated from Thursdays at 9 p.m. to Tuesdays at 1 p.m., she said:

“There is not a company, there is not a network, there is not a person, place, or thing that is going to change who I am … I’m not going to shift a little bit for your audience. I’m not going to talk a little bit different for your comfort. I’m not going to change.”

— Tabitha Brown, in an Instagram video, as quoted by TODAY, August 2022

She didn’t say what prompted it, TODAY noted, and Food Network said it still supported the show.

At InvestFest in August 2025, she said she got noticed by tagging brands she already used: “In the beginning, I would post and just tag, so they would know, ‘Oh, I’m using this product.’” She also warned about two contract terms. Exclusivity stops you working with a brand’s competitors; perpetuity lets a brand use your content forever.

“Exclusivity and perpetuity are the two big things I tell people to look out for in contracts. If you see that—RUN! Because that means they can use your likeness and image for as long as they want to.”

— Tabitha Brown, at InvestFest, as reported by Black Enterprise, August 2025

Creators: tag products you’d mention anyway, label paid posts as our guide to disclosing affiliate links and sponsorships explains, and read usage terms before signing. Brands: approval rounds that sand off a creator’s voice remove what you’re paying for; see our guide to vetting a creator.

What happened between Tabitha Brown and Target in 2025?

On January 24, 2025, Target said it was rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs, including one focused on carrying more products from Black- or minority-owned businesses, CNBC reported. Calls for a boycott followed. Brown, whose products were on Target shelves, posted a nearly 10-minute Instagram video asking followers to consider what a boycott would do to Black-owned brands there.

“So many of us would be affected. Our sales would drop and our businesses would be hurt.”

— Tabitha Brown, in an Instagram video, as quoted by Newsweek, January 2025

She faced a backlash. Critics quoted by Newsweek said she was putting the burden on Black shoppers rather than on the company; others quoted defended her. She later said her products were under a licensing deal she couldn’t simply end, and that Target was ultimately responsible:

“I still think that Target was very wrong and they have a lot of work to do.”

— Tabitha Brown, on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, as quoted by Black Enterprise, August 2025

In a November 2025 interview on the podcast Not My Best Moment, she said her concern had been for smaller brands:

“I own multiple businesses. Don’t worry about me. But these other people, and I said this in the video, some of these Black-owned businesses, it’s their first time being in the store.”

— Tabitha Brown, on the Not My Best Moment podcast, as quoted by Blavity, December 2025

AfroTech reported that she had to increase her security after her statements, that she was nearly at the end of her Target contract, and that she will now have a dual morality clause in all her contracts. A morality clause lets one side end a deal if the other’s conduct becomes a liability; a dual clause lets the creator walk away from a brand too. Any creator signing a long licensing deal can ask for one.

What is Tabitha Brown working on now?

Her newest business is fragrance, sold outside traditional stores. Fridays with Tab & Chance, which she runs with her husband, launched on April 18, 2025, and AfroTech reported, citing an Instagram post, that it took 10,000 orders in its first three months. She told AfroTech it is self-funded on purpose:

“The only reason that you want to get investors is if you need it. If you want to raise capital, if you’re trying to scale, you have a big plan. I like to take things slow. I’m in no rush.”

— Tabitha Brown, AfroTech, September 2025

A body mist collection followed on July 10, 2026, priced at $25 and sold only on her own websites. Her team’s press release called the brand multimillion-dollar, a claim we couldn’t check.

On screen, she won the Children’s and Family Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Personality for Tab Time at the March 2026 ceremony, and was nominated at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards for her role in the film Unexpected Christmas. Our Ms Rachel interview covers another children’s host who built her show on YouTube.

In a March 2026 Threads post she wrote, “Seeing people mad that content creators are on red carpets in elevated spaces is blowing my mind!” Journalists including Jemele Hill replied that outlets were choosing follower counts over ability, The Root reported; Brown clarified that she wasn’t talking about creators taking journalists’ jobs, and agreed creators should come prepared.

What creators can learn from Tabitha Brown

Sources

• Viral Vegan Influencer Makes Comforting TikTok Videos During The Pandemic, NPR, May 2020
• She came to L.A. for fame. 20 years later, this auntie is a bonafide TikTok star, Los Angeles Times, May 2020
• How Tabitha Brown Overcame Obstacles to Live Out Her Dream Life, Entertainment Tonight, July 2020
• Tabitha Brown on Sunshine seasoning, fan support after viral moment, theGrio, July 2021
• Why TikTok Star Tabitha Brown Never Loses Sight of Her Faith, Family, or Why She’s Vegan, VegNews, October 2021
• Tabitha Brown speaks out after Food Network time slot shakeup, TODAY, August 2022
• For this TikTok star, cooking from the spirit is much more than a recipe, NPR, October 2022
• Tabitha Brown Says ‘Target Never Ever Tried To Change’ Her, AfroTech, March 2023
• Tabitha Brown Opens Up About Her Success And Why It Is Important to Stay True to Oneself, xoNecole, April 2023
• After 56 Deals And Hiring A Team, Tabitha Brown Realized She’d Low-Balled Herself, AfroTech, April 2023
• Target rolls back DEI initiatives, the latest big company to retreat, CNBC, January 2025
• Tabitha Brown asks fans not to boycott Target over DEI cuts, Newsweek, January 2025
• Tabitha Brown Gets Candid About Target Boycott Fallout, Black Enterprise, August 2025
• InvestFest Exclusive: Tabitha Brown On Building With Purpose And Protecting Your Peace, Black Enterprise, August 2025
• Tabitha Brown’s Decision To Bootstrap Her Businesses Was Intentional, AfroTech, September 2025
• Tabitha Brown Had To Heighten Security After Her Statements Regarding The Target Boycott, AfroTech, November 2025
• Tabitha Brown Says ‘I’m Not The Enemy’ After Target Boycott Comments, Blavity, December 2025
• Tabitha Brown on Why Authenticity Is Everything, Convene, January 2026
• Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Teyana Taylor & More Lead 2026 NAACP Image Award Nominations: Full List, Billboard, January 2026
• Black Journalists Speak Out on Tabitha Brown’s Red Carpet Stance, The Root, March 2026
• Tabitha Brown Expands Her Fragrance Brand with the Launch of a New Body Mist Collection on July 10, EIN Presswire, July 2026
• Tabitha Brown (actress), 4th Children’s and Family Emmy Awards and Khaby Lame, Wikipedia, October 2026

What to do next

Tabitha Brown’s story is a reminder to judge creators by how their audience responds, not by follower counts alone. Our creator lists are built that way. For another food creator whose influence rests on trust, read our Keith Lee interview.

For more answers to the same questions from creators across YouTube, TikTok and podcasts, browse our creator interviews, including our Nick DiGiovanni interview, another food creator who grew on short videos.