Oh, sister! Tia and Tamera Mowry have been together through it all — until they weren’t. After the release of a teaser for Tia Mowry’s new We TV docuseries, Tia Mowry: My Next Act, fans were stuck on a scene of her crying while detailing the emotions surrounding her recent divorce from actor Cory Hardrict. In the clip, Tia expresses a wish that she and her twin sister, Tamera Mowry, were still “close.” The twins’ relationship has since been the talk of the internet.
The pair took over the 90s with their hit six-season ABC sitcom, Sister, sister, and proved to be a Disney Channel dynamic duo, with their lead roles in Twitches and Twitches Too. More than their IMDb profile, the Mowry twins became pop culture icons, thanks to their signature matching outfits, their Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Hall of Fame 1998 Induction, and their 2011 self-titled reality TV show, Tia & Tamera.
While the two sisters are indeed twins, they are not attached at the hip. So when the beloved childhood stars inevitably began to explore a sense of maturity past the iconic Disney Channel introductions, the Mowry sisters faced the journey solo. Tia connected her identity to individual projects like her cookbook, The Quick Fix Kitchen: Easy Recipes and Time-Saving Tips for a Healthier, Stress-Free Life or her aforementioned docuseries. Tamera, on the other hand, led her own path with a seat on the hit talk show The Real. Their coming-of-age was not only outlined by career successes but detailed further by their transitions into adulthood, marriage, and motherhood.
With social media documenting every milestone of the Mowry sisters, it’s hard not to feel sad about their split. Fans grew up alongside them, and for so long the twin’s brand image was all about being a duo. There has been difficulty in fans accepting the change in dynamic.
However, they are real people with real boundaries, interests, and needs. As much as we’d like things to happen differently, sometimes growing up means growing apart. The Mowry twins can’t always be picture-perfect.
“A few months ago I randomly saw some old clips of Tia and Tamera Mowry’s reality show, and it was interesting to see their sibling dynamic because I’d only ever known them through their acting,” one fan wrote on X. “It’s easy to mistake their fictional roles for their real-life relationship.”
Forget about all the think-pieces on who’s to blame for the distance and tension; forget about guilt-tripping either one of them into being a ‘better sister’ to the other. How about this: if any relationship is toxic, regardless of blame, circumstance, or even familial status, we give space to the two parties to reflect, grow and come back together on their own terms (if at all!) to establish healthy boundaries and communication that assists in a better relationship moving forward.
Toxicity can poison any relationship; family, friends, and love interests alike. When there’s a rift with a family member, however, there is a certain layer of guilt and humiliation added to the issue. It can be easier to disassociate from someone that you don’t share a bloodline with. However, while acknowledging its taboo nature, cutting ties with a family member is normal; data suggests that “as many as one in four people are estranged from at least one family member,” according to Psychology Today.
A relationship can turn toxic at any point, and if not handled with care, can be highly destructive. Toxic relationships can cause serious mental and physical health issues, including anxiety, depression, isolation and low self-esteem.
In consideration of serious after-effects of toxic relationships, it is crucial to recognize when something, or someone, isn’t serving you anymore. After coming to this understanding, it is a personal choice (and no one else’s) to either actively work through the snags or step away and take a breather. Either is fine! In both options, healthy boundaries are being reestablished to rework a bond that promotes respect and validation.
Psychotherapist Annette Nuñez, Ph.D., LMFT and licensed marriage and family therapist Rachel Zar, LMFT, CST reason in their analysis of toxic family relationships in MBGHealth that, “overcoming toxic dynamics within a family is ultimately going to come down to your own boundaries and how well you hold them.”
If something, or someone, costs your peace, there is no shame in distancing yourself away from the hurt — even if that means distancing yourself from family. In the case of Tia and Tamera Mowry, neither have to be labeled toxic as justification for their split. They are allowed to choose peace away from each other.
The Mowry sisters are, and will always be, pop culture legends, regardless of their relationship status. As fans who adore the two, we can be supportive and respectful of any outcome that brings them both peace.
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