I get why some people might not want to talk to Kevin, especially after everything that went down between him and our side of the family after Tracy passed away. But listen, it’s so important to build a support system around you because life can be unpredictable. Surround yourself with people who knew and understood you, who were close to you and Tracy. Those are the people who will stand by you without a second thought.
There’s talk going around that Tracy Braxton’s husband, Kevin Surratt, is in a major feud with the Braxton family, and some say they’ve completely cut him off. But what’s the real story? What did Kevin do that made the family want nothing to do with him? Whatever it is, Kevin isn’t the type to just sit back and let them push him around—he’s got something to say.
“When Tracy passed, it really hit me. I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening.’ I had to move out of our home and basically start my life over. But I’m thankful for the people who understood and supported me, those who knew us and connected with us on a real level. They gave me the strength I needed to keep going.”
Let’s get straight to it because there’s a lot to unpack here. Tracy and Kevin got married back in 1996 and spent 25 years together. They were always pretty honest about the ups and downs of their relationship. They even went on Marriage Boot Camp: Celebrity Edition in 2014, where they worked through their issues and seemed to be on good terms afterward.
Unfortunately, Tracy passed away at 50 after battling esophageal cancer. Kevin broke the news to TMZ, saying:
“We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatments for esophageal cancer, our beloved Tracy Braxton has gone on to Glory.”
Tracy’s passing left a huge void in her family, especially for her husband, Kevin Surratt Sr., and their son, Kevin Jr. Since then, both Kevins have been facing their own personal challenges, some of which came to light during the Braxtons’ premiere. Kevin Jr. has been going through a rough time—not only dealing with the loss of his mom but also going through a divorce from his wife, Olivia Harron, after just a few years of marriage.
In another scene from the Braxtons’ premiere, Trina had a quick chat with her husband, Von Scales, about the relationship between Big Kev and Little Kev. She mentioned that they aren’t in touch as much as you might expect, especially given everything they’re going through. It’s heartbreaking to think about Little Kev trying to navigate life without his mom while also dealing with his marriage falling apart.
And speaking of Little Kev, there was a moment when he was talking to his aunts, and it seemed like something was distracting him. Tamar even speculated that he might have been talking to the police. Later, when Towanda came back to the group after making a call, she dropped a bombshell: someone had called the police, letting them know that Kevin had a warrant out for his arrest. Towanda couldn’t shake the feeling that someone close to Kevin had set him up.
With everything happening around Little Kev, the big question everyone was asking was, “Where is his father, Kevin Surratt Sr.?”
Then, in episode two, the focus shifted back to Tracy as the sisters sat down with Spirit, a grief counselor. The session was supposed to help them process their loss, but it quickly turned into a heated exchange. Things were going smoothly until the counselor asked Towanda how she felt about not being close to Tamar. But before Towanda could even respond, Tamar jumped in, saying that Towanda didn’t care about her.
I believe it’s crucial to respect where someone is emotionally. If they’re not ready to move forward, you have to meet them where they are.
While respect is important, the counselor pushed Towanda to honestly share how it felt to be distant from Tamar. Towanda clarified that it wasn’t about not caring; her feelings weren’t tied to that. Tamar then accused Towanda of making more effort to stay connected with Toni and Trina than with her. She revealed that she often has to reach out first, and that Towanda only gets in touch when they’re filming. Towanda admitted she couldn’t remember the last time they spoke, but she did note that Tamar hadn’t contacted her on her birthday in September, even though they filmed the episode in March.
As the conversation continued, you could see on Towanda’s face that she was done with the back-and-forth. Realizing Tamar wasn’t going to budge, Towanda made it clear that, moving forward, she was only going to focus on caring for the people in her household—her partner and her children.
“Toni’s in your household?”
“Yeah, they call me; I talk to them every day.”
“Girl, you don’t even answer the phone! Let’s be honest.”
“Did you call me yesterday?”
“Actually, I did.”
“And did I pick up?”
“Well, we’re taping right now, so…”
“No, no, no, let’s get this straight. Every time you called me, I answered. Every time you texted, I responded. That’s a fact.”
“Okay, so am I lying?”
“No, but you’re saying I didn’t call you. That’s the word you’re using.”
“Everyone knows I keep receipts.”
Not long after the episode aired, Tamar shared a heartbreaking video showing her sister’s last moments. But then, just 24 hours later, she went off on a rant, throwing her entire family—along with her friend-fiancé, or alleged husband Jr.—under the bus. She fired off a bunch of wild tweets, then deleted most of them before wiping out her social media profiles.
Honestly, all this did was make it clear that the family’s got some serious skeletons in the closet, and there’s some messed-up stuff happening behind the scenes—stuff that Kevin probably knows all about. Now, putting all the Tamar, Towanda, and family drama aside, it’s strange that Kevin, who was still married to Tracy when she passed, wasn’t included in the show or the grieving process. I mean, if anyone needed to be there, it was Kevin, right?
Some people on social media have pointed out that it seemed disrespectful for the family to talk about Tracy without including her husband, Kevin. This led many to wonder if Kevin had been purposely excluded or even banned from the family. Honestly, don’t you think it’s odd that Kevin wasn’t part of those conversations?
After the show premiered, Kevin went on Instagram Live and, while he didn’t directly say there was bad blood between him and the Braxtons, he definitely dropped some hints that things weren’t right. For example, he talked about how another group of people, a “village,” had been helping him and his son, Little Kev, cope with Tracy’s death.
He said, “The other thing is I really want people to understand this: part ’til death do us part. Please understand that, please do, ’cause some narratives will not include that in that situation. And I thank God that He gave us that. And, like with me and my son, I’m doing everything I can to make sure he’s good. See, we have a whole other village, you know what I mean, that was always there for us. A whole other village. And that village came and embraced us and helped us on many levels. When we found out about Tracy having cancer, December 15th, 2020, at Georgetown Hospital, we had gone through some stuff prior to that. We were in California, as they brought up. We were out there taping. Tracy talked about how she couldn’t swallow, so I immediately called the doctor. Thank God our doctor was always there for us.”
Kevin was saying a lot without really saying it, and anyone paying close attention could see that he’s probably estranged from the family. And if the family is treating Kevin poorly, it wouldn’t be the first time. After Tracy passed away in 2022, Kevin claimed that her sisters treated him badly for planning a funeral service, saying it went against Tracy’s wishes.
What happened was that Kevin and Tracy’s manager planned a funeral with a viewing and Zoom links, but the family insisted that Tracy didn’t want a funeral or wake. They said she specifically asked to be cremated right away after her death. Despite this, Kevin went ahead with the funeral. Tracy’s sisters and mother didn’t attend, although her father did, but even he was reportedly initially turned away because he wasn’t on the list.
Someone from the church recognized Braxton and let him in, but they only allowed him to sit in the fourth row. Braxton’s dad didn’t even get to say a word about his daughter. But, according to Kevin, Tracy’s father wasn’t denied access, and he mentioned that Tracy’s sisters and mom were invited but chose not to attend. He also pointed out that Tracy’s father and brother did show up briefly and were never pushed away from honoring her life. Kevin was pretty upset with the sisters for making him look like a deadbeat husband in the media. He said Tracy wanted a viewing and one memorial service where her management, PR, and other close people could come together to celebrate her.
Kevin explained, “I was with my wife more than anyone else in this world. I knew her inside out, and when she got cancer, we started talking seriously about her funeral plans, even as I was still looking for treatments. I was there for every single one of her doctor appointments throughout our entire marriage—that’s how close we were—and now they’re treating me like I’m some kind of deadbeat husband.”
Instead of joining Kevin, the Braxton family held their own private memorial on April 2nd, which would have been Tracy’s 51st birthday. Toni Braxton even mentioned it on the Tamron Hall Show, where she said:
“I’m okay. Today’s… it’s okay. It’s not my best day, but it’s an okay day, you know? And I’m glad to be here, glad I get to talk about her. Her birthday’s coming up on the 2nd, and my sisters and I, we’re going to have a big Tracy Day celebration.”
But Kevin wasn’t invited to that either, and he told Page Six, “I was never invited; no one sent me any type of invitation.”
Let me remind you of something that happened about four years ago when Tracy was still alive. On their show, Tracy called Towanda a snake because she felt like Towanda’s partner was crossing the line by trying to force the sisters to work out their issues in Napa Valley. At that time, people also made comments about Kevin, and Tamar even slammed him for his criminal record while he was trying to stand up for Tracy. Towanda later reacted to Tracy’s anger, saying Tracy was just mad because, unlike her, “I have a real man.”
As you can see, the family has always had some pretty nasty things to say about Kevin. Now that Tracy’s gone, maybe they feel like they don’t have to deal with him anymore. Or maybe they’re just trying to avoid any secrets Kevin might spill about the family.
Here’s what I know: Toni is dealing with serious heart issues that could complicate her lupus. Trina is struggling with alcohol and food addiction, along with PTSD. Tracy’s son is really going through it and probably needs therapy and support that they haven’t made public. Towanda seems to be trying to keep the family’s secrets under wraps; you can tell from the few episodes that she’s dodging some topics. And Tamar, well, she’s always got something going on.
These are just the things we know, so who knows what else is happening behind closed doors? Honestly, it feels like the show came back to TV way too soon. They should’ve focused on healing and rebuilding their family foundation instead. And it certainly doesn’t help that they’re clearly excluding Tracy’s husband. The episodes so far have been mostly about dealing with the loss, but do you think it’s fair that they’re keeping Kevin out of everything related to Tracy? And what do you make of his reaction to the show’s return?
