Anthony Anderson of ‘To Tell The Truth’ On The Life Lessons He Learned from His Co-Star and Loving Mama Doris
Actor, game-show host, and producer Anthony Anderson learned early on from his devoted mama Doris Hancox Bowman to be true to himself; something that has kept him in good stead throughout his career.
In a full-circle endeavor, the extremely grateful and loving son has taken his mother on the adventure of a lifetime as an integral part of his hit ABC game show, To Tell The Truth.
Now they are heading to Europe for an Anderson family reality show for the Peacock network. The close-knit mother-and-son duo will spend six weeks exploring London, Paris, and Rome.
With fall allergies currently making many of us sneeze and our eyes water, Anderson has partnered with ZYRTEC® to raise awareness for the importance of tree coverage in urban areas.
As a brand that provides relief to allergy sufferers, Zyrtec® is taking relief a step further through a partnership with American Forests.org, a national nonprofit dedicated to conservation to create the ZYRTEC® ReLEAF Project, a tree-planting initiative to help foster a better, healthier planet for all.
The award-winning actor is best known for his roles in All About the Andersons, Black-ish, and the comedy films, The Departed, The Big Year, and The Star. He also hosted the NAACP’s Image Awards for six years.
An active community activist, advocate, and philanthropist, Anderson has helped The Boys & Girls Club of America, the American Diabetes Association, and more.
Read on for Anthony Anderson’s take on his hit television show, To Tell The Truth, life lessons from his mom, Doris, upcoming travels for a new family reality show, and how he keeps his allergies in check.
As a fan of, To Tell The Truth, your mother, Doris, is the whipped cream and the cherry on top of the sundae. Has she always had this big personality?
Anthony Anderson: She has. And that’s where I get it from. She would be elated to hear you say that about her.
Your mom changes the whole complexion of the show. She takes a really good show and makes it an extremely great show.
Anthony Anderson: Thank you. She thinks she’s the star of the show, and I allow her to think that. But it’s no secret, this is the life that my mother always wanted to have or the career that my mother always wanted to have and it just never happened for her. Fortunately, I’m in a position to be able to give her the career and/or the opportunity that she was never given before to shine. We are loving every minute of it. We’ve done, To Tell the Truth for seven years now.
Tell me about your new show with your mom.
Anthony Anderson: We are heading to Europe for six weeks to shoot a reality show, her and myself, just our adventures traveling through Europe. We are excited about what the future holds for both of us.
What’s the new reality show called?
Anthony Anderson: We haven’t decided on a title yet. Anderson Family Vacation, European Adventure; we don’t know yet. But, it’s just us traversing from Transylvania, London, Paris, Milan, Monaco, Rome, and Florence; just our adventures together as mother and son and everything that we come across.
Is there one place that you really want to see with your mom?
Anthony Anderson: I’m excited to take my mother to Italy. She’s never been. She’s only been to Europe once; I flew her over for her 50th birthday. I’m excited to take her to Italy, Rome, Florence, and northern Italy to a couple of vineyards, with a film crew. We’re going to go make some wine and have some fun. She’s really going to enjoy that and that’s what I’m excited about.
Well deserved, right?
Anthony Anderson: Oh, that is a beautiful thing. Life is about the memories that we make because that’s all we can take with us. Fortunately, I get to make some beautiful memories with my mother.
There’s a lot of love and a lot of respect there on To Tell The Truth. The guests are just as enamored by your mom as the rest of us are. She does not pull any punches.
Anthony Anderson: No. No, she doesn’t.
What season are you going into on, To Tell the Truth?
Anthony Anderson: We finished Season 7. We’re waiting for the pickup for Season 8. Or what they would call 7B. There was no inventory for the show to be on because of some new shows that they wanted to get out to the public so we’re at the mercy of ABC right now. But they’re excited about the show, they’re excited about us coming back, we’re excited about going back. Can’t wait to get back just so my mother can shine the way that she does on the show.
What were your expectations? Was there a trial period, we’re going to try mom and see how it works and see if the audience responds to her. Or you just knew?
Anthony Anderson: Well, I knew. I grew up with my mom as a character my entire life, so I knew that she would be able to deliver. There was never a trial period for her. It was always me and my mom and we’re going to do this and hopefully what we do resonates with an audience.
Our expectations were for us just to be as authentic as we could possibly be and I would always tell my mom, “Mom, don’t act. Don’t try to act. Just be you. Just be yourself. In being yourself, you will be successful.”
It took a short time for her to get out of her own way, just because it was something that was new to her. But she found her sea legs and we are having a ball. The success of the show and the dynamic between the two of us is what I expected. So, things happen the way that they’re supposed to happen and this was a pleasant surprise for both of us.
When did you first discover that you had allergies? I know first-hand how miserable they can be.
Anthony Anderson: I was on a golf course in New Mexico filming a project when all of a sudden, I just felt weird and felt like my throat was closing up and whatnot. Shortly afterward, about 10 or 12 years ago, I was diagnosed with allergies out of the blue. I happened to be on a golf course with nothing but juniper trees during the biggest pollen outbreak in New Mexico’s history. That’s when I was informed that I had allergies.
So, how did ZYRTEC® help?
Anthony Anderson: It just eases all of my symptoms. Fortunately for me, it was an easy fix. All of us are different, all of the instruments in our bodies react to things differently. With Zyrtec®, I started using the product and never had an issue.
So, while we’re talking about allergies tell me some of the things that you and your family enjoy doing outdoors in the fall.
Anthony Anderson: We love being outdoors. I’m an avid golfer, so any chance I get to play golf I jump at that opportunity. But as a family, we enjoy going to national parks for visits and vacations, and things like that. Just being outside, that’s what we’ve always been into.
And, some days are better than others. Sometimes during allergy season, I may not be affected at all and it’s just interesting how the human body works and just goes through life sometimes. Other times I can feel it coming on and I’ll take my ZYRTEC® to stave off those symptoms that I’m having. But we’re an outdoorsy family. We love picnics, we love barbecues, we love hiking and all things like that.
I want to ask you about ZYRTEC’s ReLEAF Project to help national nonprofits. Can you talk about that briefly?
Anthony Anderson: ReLEAF is our tree project that Zyrtec has partnered with planting trees in areas in cities, giving equity to those communities. Through American Forests.org. It’s about helping clear and purify the air with the planting of trees. I’m happy to partner with ZYRTEC® and spread the word about what they’re doing in these inner cities.
What do you attribute your success on your different shows, your celebrity status, and everything good that’s happened to you?
Anthony Anderson: My work ethic, but more importantly just being my authentic self. Not trying to pander to a particular audience or whatnot. Just being true to who I am and my abilities, and pushing myself to the limit. But that’s what I attribute my success to. Having a mother that’s always supported me from the beginning.
As a single mom, my mother put her dreams of being an actor on hold to raise an actor, not knowing that this is what she was doing. So, to have that foundation and that type of support from someone only pushed me forward.
What do fans say to you when they meet you or find you on social media? I’ve often been told that if we don’t see role models that look like us and sound like us and act like us then people of all colors and creeds and people with disabilities will never want to be that because they won’t see themselves.
Anthony Anderson: For the most part the conversation starts off the way the conversation with you started off today, talking about my mother, talking about how they appreciate and love the way that I treat my mom and how I put my mom on, and to give her the opportunity to do what she’s always wanted to do. That’s how the conversation starts.
I’ve always wanted to be a role model. Growing up my hashtag on Instagram is just a kid from Compton. I grew up a kid in Compton, California, who had a dream. I get to live my dream every day. More importantly, now I get to live that dream and fulfill the dreams of my mother and get to do that together with her.
There isn’t a big filter there, she says what’s on her mind.
Anthony Anderson: Look, my hashtag is just a kid from Compton, my mother wanted to start a hashtag; just a broad from Chicago. So that’s who she is.
When you’re not working and the two of you might be having dinner at home or out or whatever, what’s going on? Is it different?
Anthony Anderson: No, it’s no different than what you see on television. What you see is what you get, that’s our relationship. It’s crazy because the relationship is more sister, brother, friend than mother, son. That makes an interesting dynamic between the two of us.
We talk a lot of trash, and we have a lot of great family outings with my brothers and my sisters and the rest of our family coming by my mom’s house for card games, barbecues, and things like that. But what you see is what you get. No holds barred. My mother will always speak her mind regardless of how it affects my feelings. That’s what not only myself but my siblings and our friends and other family members appreciate and respect about my mother, her honesty, and her candor.
What major life lesson did your mother teach you?
Anthony Anderson: Always be true to who I am, never compromise who I am, and always take care of my mother; which goes without saying.
