Comments actress La La Anthony made about work ethic last year have come back to haunt her.
In a resurfaced clip, the ex-wife of Carmelo Anthony and former MTV VJ told Angela Yee that talented people are too focused on making money, and if they lowered their expectations lesser-quality-work would lead to great opportunities.
“When you love what you do, you should want to do it and be willing to do it, you know, for free,” La La said. “I never took jobs because of money. I took jobs because I love them. I took jobs because I wanted to work with certain people and the money came as a result of that.”
La La, who filed for divorce from her husband after almost 11 years of marriage in 2021, and with whom she shares a 16-year-old son, has an estimated net worth of $50 million.
Passion Over A Paycheck
The clip came from a 2022 segment from Acorn’s YouTube show “Money Pie with Angela Yee,” which was hosted by Yee, who until 2022, served as a co-host for “The Breakfast Club” for nearly 12 years.
The title of the episode, posted on June 27, 2022, is “La La On Picking Passion Over A Paycheck.”
“I hear people all day in my world today [saying], ‘I’m not taking that, they only offering this,’ and they’ll throw away a great acting opportunity or a great job because of the pay,” La La shared.
“I just can’t do that; that’s just not how I do business.”
Reactions to La La’s beliefs are mixed, with many speaking out on social media.
Among those who agreed was one tweeter who wrote, “I actually kinda agree with this. I would not have gotten to where I am now if I did not take a FREE opportunity last year.”
Yet others noted that, “I see where she is coming from, but every one does not have the privilege or luxury to do that.”
La La on Helping Family Financially
La La said she also learned that as her income grew she had to be more disconcerting about handing out money to family members.
“Okay, if i’m this super successful person and my family you know is struggling, that’s never great for me but I also had to understand that just giving people money isn’t the answer either,” she explained. “You know, I would rather help put people in positions to make money for themselves or to follow a career that they’ve been wanting to do. Maybe introduce them to somebody in that field or anything like that.”
She continued, “You know, I realize that was the better way instead of just like, ‘here you go, here you go, here you go,’ which is where a lot of people go wrong and go broke quickly because they got 100 people on a salary every month or you know an allowance every month.”
La La has since expanded from hosting reality and variety shows and has done acting, starring in various hit TV shows and films, including; “Two Can Play That Game,” “You Got Served” “Think Like a Man” and the Starz drama series “Power.”
La La’s Wealth Journey
She has built a solid acting career. She is currently playing as Markeisha Taylor in the 50 Cent-produced series “Black Mafia Family.” She was previously on another 50 Cent series, “Power.”
In the early 2000s, she worked as an MTV VJ on the popular show “Total Request Live.” She went on to host on the VH1 reality television reunion shows “Flavor of Love,” “I Love New York,” “For the Love of Ray J,” and “Real Chance of Love,” and was a dean on “Charm School.” She’s also appeared in numerous films, such as “Two Can Play That Game,” “You Got Served,” “Think Like a Man,” and “Think Like a Man Too.”
La La also has real estate holdings. When married to Anthony, she shared a Los Angeles home, a Spanish-style cottage that was built back in 1929; the property sold in mid-March 2023 for $3 million.
