La Toya on her Beef with Omarosa, Looking for a Man, Jermaine’s Name Change & More

LaToya Jackson is part of one of the most famous musical families in American history. While her musical career never really took off, she’s been a spokeswoman for the Jackson family at various times, a critic at others. She’s written a memoir “Starting Over” and currently runs Ja-Tail Enterprises, an entertainment company. Now, she has another chance for stardom. Her new show on OWN, “Life With LaToya,” debuts this Saturday, April 13th at 10:30 p.m. She joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show today to talk about it, her life and what she really thinks about fellow reality star Omarosa.

SKIP CHEATHAM: Guess what? This doesn’t happen often. Guess who we have on the phone right now.

LONI LOVE: I’m getting excited.

Skip: LeToya Jackson, how you doing?

LATOYA JACKSON: How are you guys doing?

Skip: We are doing really good. First of all, let me say congratulations on your new show on the OWN Network, “Life with LaToya.” Tell me a quick overview on the show.

LaToya: Thank you. I appreciate that. “Life With LaToya” as you know premieres Saturday on the OWN Network. It is a fun show. We’re having lots of fun, it’s loving, it’s lighthearted, it’s me. It’s everything that I’m about. And you’re going to love every aspect of it. We’ve got so many different surprises on the show. It just takes you on that ride with me.

Skip: Wow.

Loni: LaToya, what’s the biggest misconception about you?

LaToya: That’s one of the great questions that you ask me. That’s one of the reasons why I did this show because I’m always offered to do a show and things of that nature and I always said No, No, No, and now it’s come to a point in my life where I’m like “Wait a minute.” People don’t really know me. They don’t really know who I am. They think they know me but and they have all these strange ideas [about me.} I say, “Hey you know what? Come on this ride with me and you’ll see who I am.” All these misconceptions will be thrown out the window, whatever they are.

Skip: We’ve been watching you for a long time. I’m a just go ahead and be the man up on the show. LaToya fine. LaToya fine. So are you looking for a man? What are you looking for in a man?

LaToya: Yeah, that’s what we’re going to show. Me going on dates and dating. You should – are you married?

Skip: I’m married. Let me say it again. I got to go home. I’m just saying. We can play on the radio, but real life.

(Laughter)

LaToya: I’m going to leave that one alone.

NIKKI WOODS: You’re looking for a man but you also want a family. You want to have babies.

LaToya: Yeah, I do. I’ve always wanted to do that. Now in my life, you go through so many different courses in your life and you don’t know where it’s going to end up taking you. I never got a chance to do what I really wanted to do. So here is the time and since I always wanted to do this, why not explore it? Why not see if it’s truly what I want at this time in my life?

Skip: All right LaToya, well while you’re talking about babies, I just want to know did you have any consultant role when your brother Michael was naming his kids cause the Blanket thing – where’d he get it from? I just wonder where he got that from. Did you contribute to that?

LaToya: No, I did not. But remember, Blanket’s name is Prince Michael.

Skip: Oh, OK.

LaToya: Yeah, that’s his name. He’s named after my mother’s grandfather and father.

Skip: OK, I was wondering about that.

LaToya: That is so funny that you say that.

Skip: Speaking of names, y’all name is probably the most famous name in the world – the whole family. Why would your brother want to change the spelling, if that’s true.

LaToya: Jermaine?

Skip: I heard he’s changing the spelling of Jackson, legally.

LaToya: You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t know that one at all. You know he’s Muslim and all that so I have no clue whatsoever why. Maybe something different for a change. I don’t know.

Loni: Do you have any regrets doing “Celebrity Apprentice” and the issue with you and Omarosa?

LaToya: When you say regrets – you mean regrets in what aspect?

Loni: Because it was a bunch of situations between you and Omarosa and her feelings was hurt because it was just two strong Black women. Do you have any regrets what happened in that situation?

LaToya: You know I always like to keep my life positive and surround myself with positive people and I always say to myself when we do a show of this caliber that, you know,  we’re Black and let’s stick together and let’s not go this direction – it always goes left for some reason.

(Laughter)

LaToya: I don’t know why, guys. When you’re dealing with somebody who is confrontational to begin with, they do whatever they’re dong to sabotage what you’re doing. It makes it very difficult. I loved doing that show, but sometimes its not as great working with certain people that you have to work with.

Skip: All right. Thank you so much. Y’all gotta check it out. “Life With LaToya” on the OWN Network.