The 'That's So Raven' actress recalls wearing a special underwear to avoid going to the bathroom when attending the 2009 inauguration event of the first African-American president.
- Aug 29, 2023
AceShowbiz - Raven-Symone donned a diaper to Barack Obama's inauguration ball. The 37-year-old actress revealed that her mother Lydia had persuaded her to buy tickets to the former US President's large social gathering shortly after his election victory but insisted that they wear a brand of underwear designed for those who suffer from incontinence because she did not want to use the portable toilets that were provided at the outdoor event.
"It was actually my mom who said 'You really should buy this' and I was like 'You know what, you're right.' We purchased tickets and really, really nice seats to the Obama inauguration ball and event," she said on her "The Best Podcast Ever" podcast with her wife Miranda Maday.
"Here's the deal - the inauguration is outside and it was cold as hell. My wife is dying laughing here. We had really good seats that were not by the porta-potty. We were Depends. My mom planned it that she didn't want to go to the Porta-Potty and we all needed to wear Depends. Obama needs to know this. No, I didn't pee in it! But I did realise how good a diaper is and now I'm really happy that now for feminine care they provide diapers."
Elsewhere on the podcast, Raven - who started out in showbusiness as a child on "The Cosby Show" before achieving global fame in the title role of Disney Channel sitcom "That's So Raven" - was joined by YouTuber Lilly Singh and explained that whilst her fans see her natural personality, they see her as a human but because she is an actress, they only see as a character.
However, Raven also noted that those who find instant fame on platforms like YouTube and Instagram are not always "learning how to be famous" and that there is a "tact" to being a celebrity.
She said, "You're not learning how to be famous. There is a time period in traditional Hollywood where the slow rise to fame creates resilience, creates understanding, and education on how to deal with the community, how to deal with fans and not you, Lilly, because you're a different human and I like you but there are some people in your world where I'm like 'You don't even know how to be famous'. There is a tact to it. "
"I think there's a difference between me and you in the sense when we're calling each other famous. With YouTube, people know who you are because they feel like they've been in your home as Lilly Singh. People know me because of Raven Baxter, because of Olivia."
"They're just starting to learn me as a human so yes, I'm famous, and yes, I'll take that because I've been in the industry for 37-plus years but people know you as a human. It's like...Tom Cruise. He's super famous and people know his life now because he's out and about but beforehand nobody knew who he was."
