Tamar Braxton’s run-in with Kandi Burruss and Monica at Essence Fest over the holiday weekend is going viral, and according to The Neighborhood Talk — who reposted the clip that Duff The Brand captioned “it’s Candy rolling her eyes for me” — the whole thing played out during a group photo at a panel honoring Brandy, Monica, and others. You can see Tamar in yellow trying to greet both women. Monica never lets go of Missy Elliott’s hand. Kandi offers a polite “Hello,” then rolls her eyes the second Tamar walks off. Since then Kandi hopped on social media in that exact same outfit with a caption doing all the talking. Here’s the full history and why nobody’s shocked.
Let’s Go Frame by Frame, Because the Eyes Told On Everybody
Look, I didn’t think Kandi would address it, but she did — in her own classy-petty way. Take a look at the tape and you catch every layer: Tamar leaning in to say something, Kandi holding a public smile because they’re in front of cameras, Monica flat-out ignoring the moment while Missy laughs to herself like she knows exactly what just went down. Missy’s gracious to everybody, so that little chuckle said plenty. Then comes Kandi’s face — the “really? really?” eye roll the internet clipped on a loop. What’s interesting is the energy shift. I’m noticing a different Kandi post-divorce, more socially engaged, quicker to clap back without saying a mean word. She didn’t drag anybody. She just posted the photo in the same fit and let the caption breathe. So I’d tread lightly, Tamar, because keeping it classy while giving side eye is its own kind of shade.
“Giving side eye while keeping it classy.”
Now Hold On — This Beef Has a Whole Season of Reruns
Let me rewind, because some of y’all remember the Kandi part and not the rest. We’re going to play this under fair use from Watch What Happens Live. Years back, Tamar was on the couch promoting Queen’s Court alongside Evelyn Lozada and Nivea when she hinted at an Atlanta Housewife who — along with her husband — allegedly “threatened” her. People guessed Eva; Tamar said nope. The context she didn’t give on that couch came out later: she accused Kandi and Todd of approaching her nastily at an event, and Kandi has denied all of it. This is the same stretch where Tamar told on herself, insisting she doesn’t crave attention or drama right before dropping another dramatic reveal. And here’s the thing — everyone thought she and Kandi squashed it on Celebrity Big Brother. Turns out that truce didn’t hold. I’m your pop culture historian, so trust me, there’s a whole archive on this one.
Monica Doesn’t Do Messy — She Does “Get In Line”
So when did the Monica beef start? Everybody got in their feelings after a certain show, and Tamar went on an unfollow spree — Monica, Tiny, Kandi, some 30 people in one day, she says, because she just didn’t want to see it in her feed. Around the same time Brandy said something shady about Monica online, and Tamar caught the fallout. When Tamar went to follow Monica back, Monica had already blocked her — and by all appearances never unblocked. This is a woman who unfollowed her own sister Toni, so I wouldn’t take it personal; that’s just Tamar. Monica, meanwhile, is old-school ’90s celebrity. She’s not going back and forth online. She’ll give you the PR-trained smile and keep it moving with a “get in line, I’m not moving, and we’ll take this picture.” Sidebar: Brandy and Monica are in that same group shot, made millions on the Boy Is Mine tour, and are clearly putting any drama aside for the check. Priorities.
So Will Tamar Log On and Play Victim? Set Your Timer
I’m keeping an open mind, but Monica probably doesn’t even consider this beef — she’s just decided she’s good on that woman and has her reasons. Kandi’s always going to say hi when somebody’s in her face at a public event; what else do you do with an audience watching? The eye roll is the honest part. My read: Tamar likely addresses this because it’s gone so viral, and there’s a real chance she frames herself as the victim. I’m blocked on TikTok and X but not Instagram, so I’ll be watching for the shady Instagram story in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Just saying. Tamar’s had public battles with a lot of people, and keeping female friends has clearly been a challenge — but Monica staying gracious-but-icy tells me there’s more history here than one photo can hold. So what do you guys think: is Kandi’s side eye earned, is Monica right to keep that same energy, and will Tamar log on and make herself the wounded party? Empire After Dark returns to The Green Room 42 on September 25 — tickets and Patreon watch parties live now. Let’s continue this in the comments. Here we go.
Disclaimer: This post is based on publicly available information and credited sources. All allegations are unproven
