Lifetime has announced the premiere date for its original movie, Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair.
The upcoming flick will debut Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. ET as part of the network’s Voices of a Lifetime movie slate.
Executive produced by Blige and inspired by her No. 1 hit, Family Affair is the third installment of the series that began with 2023’s Mary J. Blige’s Real Love, followed by Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman.
Family Affair, starring Ajiona Alexus (as Kendra) and Da’Vinchi (as Ben), will continue where Strength of a Woman left off.
According to the logline, the story “picks up as Kendra and Ben move out of the city in hopes of finally building a life together. With all their family around and inserted in their lives, tensions rise as they struggle with fertility issues, and Kendra tries to find her footing with Ben’s son, Miles.”
It continues, “Their relationship reaches a boiling point when Ben secretly helps his brother, and Kendra returns to the city and an old friend comes back into her life. The family must come together to help Kendra and Ben save their relationship and stay true to their real love.”
Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair is directed by Troy Scott and written by Rachel Ingram. In addition to Blige, Bruce Miller and Milana Edwards-Brooks from her Blue Butterfly company are executive producers, as well as Davis Entertainment’s Jordan and John Davis. Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi are also executive producers.
As noted above, the story began with Real Love, which was inspired by Blige’s 1992 classic of the same name. In an interview with Rated R&B, Blige shared why she personally picked co-stars Alexus and Da’Vinchi, who also star in Starz’s BMF.
“I hand-selected them. I’m a fan of BMF and I saw them in [in the series], and they were such strong actors,” Blige told Rated R&B. “Everybody was great in BMF, but these two really stood out. I really believed them, and I wanted them for the movie. So, their performance was phenomenal. They did great. They did excellent.”
In other news, Blige will begin her For My Fans Tour later this month. The upcoming North American trek kicks off Jan. 30 in Greensboro, North Carolina. From there, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul will visit Memphis, Atlanta, Tampa, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and New York, among other stops, before concluding April 17 in Philadelphia.
R&B crooners Ne-Yo and Mario will join Blige as supporting acts on the tour.
Watch the trailer for Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair, premiering Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime, below.
