Toni Braxton and Cedric the Entertainer Open Up About Friendship and Their Joint Tour

Toni Braxton and Cedric the Entertainer's upcoming tour, "Love & Laughter," is set to be a remarkable fusion of talent and friendship. Despite their different realms of entertainment, the two have shared a longstanding friendship that dates back years. Now, they're bringing their unique gifts together for an unforgettable experience on stage.

Toni's mesmerizing voice, known for its soulful power, will undoubtedly captivate audiences, drawing them into the essence of her music. Meanwhile, Cedric's comedic genius promises to add a whole new dimension to the show, infusing each performance with infectious laughter and joy.

The synergy between Toni Braxton and Cedric The Entertainer on stage is bound to create magic as they seamlessly blend their respective worlds into one captivating spectacle. Audiences can anticipate a night filled with soul-stirring melodies, laughter, and a genuine sense of connection as these two icons come together to celebrate love, laughter and the enduring power of friendship.

Toni Braxton and Cedric The Entertainer join EBONY for a conversation about their co-headling tour at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas that starts April 27th for seven nights ending in June.

EBONY: What sparked the initial discussion between you, as longtime friends, to embark on the Love & Laughter tour together?

Cedric the Entertainer: Our kids used to date when they were much younger, were teenagers and couldn't drive. We, as parents, would drive to each other's homes. Of course, while they were visiting, we would sit around kicking in and drink a little wine, start talking, start laughing, sharing stories. So that built our camaraderie and then the idea of the show came out that Vegas was looking for something different. Our managers both found out about it. For us when we were asked, it was something different. It felt right, we love hanging out together. It's gonna be very special to people for that very reason.

What was the inspiration behind choosing the name "Love & Laughter" for your tour?

Cedric the Entertainer: We are in a time when the world is so full of negativity that these are the two quality things that often bind us together. Love and a good laugh are usually when people can share and we let everything else go, and that's the purpose of this tour. The beautiful songs, the music that allows us to look at each other and see that spirit and feel that spirit about that. Also, of course, when you laugh with someone, everything else doesn't matter, so that's what we’re trying to celebrate with these shows and the spirit of this show.

Can people expect any new music from Toni Braxton anytime soon?

Toni Braxton: I have a new single coming out. I haven't picked it yet. La Reid and I have been working on finding out. He's been helping me on this project. So the boys are back in town, and the Get Fresh crew is back in full effect. We have three or four songs. We're just going to pick one for the single.

What are your thoughts on Burna Boy's sampling of "He Wasn't Man Enough" in his song "Last Last," with claims suggesting that you receive 60% of the track?

Toni Braxton: I think the 60 percent is probably shared. Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins wrote it. He produced it as well, the writer who wrote it with him and myself so he probably had to give away 60 percent of it to get it. It comes from the songwriter since I didn't write that song. I get royalty and residuals because I'm singing on it. I didn't get 60 percent, but he probably had to give away 60% of it.

What aspect of co-headlining together, blending music and comedy on stage, excites you the most?

Toni Braxton: It's very Sonny and Cher and Marie Osmond, is like a variety show in the sense that we come out on stage together, because I don't want to give it all the way. It's about six or seven acts. We do a bit together but we haven't decided if he's gonna go to his magnificent jokes or me singing. Some last-minute things were working out. It's so clever. It's not like, oh, I go on stage first, and then Cedric come out and we say goodnight. No, it's not like that. It's a real show.

Cedric The Entertainer: We've got a great, wonderful, creative director who's working with us to make it very Vegas from lights to dancers. We do plan to spend time on stage together, we're going to do funny little bits. It'll be this idea that I will sing a little bit. Toni, she got some little one-liners. We want to give people something they expect but not what they expect, right? We do want to let people know that we're both fully rounded human beings that you know are not like the monolithic idea of what you think we are right and that's the thing that we love about each other

Toni Braxton: He's being modest because Cedric is a triple threat. I should say a quiet threat because he dances too. We know he can make you laugh. We know he can act but this man could sing. It's like Luther meets Barry. I didn't know he could sing.

How do you go about preparing your material for comedy shows, particularly for a tour of this scale? Additionally, what continues to inspire you after many years in the industry?

Cedric The Entertainer: You know, the thing about comedy is I'm an observational comedy. So it's always something going on in life and you just got to take these little slices of life and take them and look for the absurdity and keep finding these moments. I've learned more to share those things that are real to you that happen in life and I think that these things end up being very common with folks. Since I am an observational comedian, I'm able to hit on topics that are in the news and stuff like that without being political or being one-sided about stuff. Those are the things I'm planning to have fun with. Everybody's on that ozempic right now, it doesn't work for me, I don't know why I've been taking it for three years.