It’s ironic that funny woman Cocoa Brown never realized just how funny she was during her childhood. Ask long-time friends and they will tell you that Cocoa, whose real name is Farah Brown, has been funny all her life. It wasn’t until she was preparing for her first stage show at age twenty-three that she started to seriously consider herself “funny” and not just silly.
Being a comedian wasn’t her career goal, if she had her way, she would have grown up to become Claire Huxtable from the TV family sitcom, The Cosby Show. By that she meant she wanted to be that power couple, with the power career and a house full of kids; at least four. Although her father worked in the shipyard and her mother was a second grade school teacher, she didn’t want to follow in their footsteps. Brown had plans on being a lawyer, doctor or a TV news anchor. One thing led to another and she ended up being an advertising associate for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.
It wasn’t until she began performing and winning comedy shows that Farah became Cocoa. Comedian James Bean encouraged her to pick a stage name that represented the energy she displayed on stage. She selected Cocoa and the rest is history. You’ve seen her in films like The Single Mom’s Club and more notably on television in Tyler’s Perry’s For Better or Worse as the quick-witted hairstylist, Jennifer. By the way, it’s season premiere is March 27th on OWN.
She’s also excited to share that she will be delivering big laughs in the one hour comedy special on Bounce Tv’s Off The Chain; 9/8c Tuesday, March 10th. Off The Chain features some of the most hilarious African-American comedians on the stand-up scene. For season three, Bounce TV turns over the microphone to one comic per show, expanding to an hour-long format. “I was honored to be apart of it. It’s going to be good clean family-friendly material, but I’ll still be transparent and unfiltered,” says Brown.
Obviously a very busy woman, but pair that with being the mother of a two-year-old and things can get a little out of control sometimes. Since her divorce, Brown realizes that coffee and a strong village are the instrumental keys to success in balancing work and little mister, Phoenix Zion. With the help of her “Manny” (male-nanny), family and friends that have all stepped up to the plate in huge way, everything just falls into place. Speaking highly of her “Manny,” she says, “I know that he adores my son and would take a bullet for my kid.” When discussing all the male friends that are in her circle, she said, “They have all come together to help out and I’ll never be one to say that there are no good Black men out there.” Everyone pitches in with Phoenix and when it’s time for her to relax, get some sleep, take a spa day or go on a solo vacation, she’s confident that her network of support will hold it down for her.
Another relaxing pastime she finds enjoyable is cooking in what she and friends call the Honeycomb Hangout—her kitchen is her peaceful haven. Her love for cooking is something passed down from her mother and grandmother. Cocoa says she only does things from scratch. Brown reveals that her specialties include greens, mac and cheese and you can’t touch what she does to a cheesecake or banana pudding.
So what’s next for Brown—more work, that’s for certain. Fans can expect to see her March 18th on Soul Man with our favorites Cedric the Entertainer and Niecy Nash. Then you can see her on the big screen again in Ted 2. Seth MacFarlane ensures that the content pushes the envelope and is just as daring and hilarious as the original Ted, but she might need to get her apology letters lined up so they don’t take her “Black card”. Also look for her on KC Undercover with the beautiful Zendaya, and then on Mann & Wife with husband and wife team David and Tamela Mann.
She invites fans to reach out to her through her website, www.cocoabrown4life.com. “Make sure you put an “a” in cocoa, because if you don’t, you’ll meet a different kinda Coco Brown, she says with a raised eye brow.
Don’t forget to check out, One Funny Momma, Cocoa Brown on Bounce Tv’s Off the Chain on Tuesday, March 10th 9/8c.
