“Black Girl Stuff” is back! After a quick hiatus last week, “BGS” is back better than ever. Hosts Britt Hall, Tori Brixx, Brii Renee, and resident correspondent Kennedy Rue were joined by some familiar faces and a few new ones! Today’s (May 3) guest co-host was “BGS” alum Akilah Ffriend! Ms. Pat, Cynthia Bailey and Alexis Skyy also joined the panel.

For those who don’t know, Ms. Ffriend’s resume is stacked! She is a business leader at two of the top 10 media and entertainment companies in the world, WarnerMedia and Paramount. She earned over $300K in scholarship offers and received an MBA from Columbia Business School. On top of that, she also attended an exchange program at London Business School. Clearly, the girls were excited to have her back!

As always, you can catch “Black Girl Stuff” every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on the REVOLT TV channel and every Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET on the REVOLT website here, YouTube channel, and app. Get into the new episode recap below!

1. Are You in Your Bag?

To kick off today’s episode, the ladies dove into the comments to discuss money — specifically, the spending power of Black women. According to NielsenIQ, Black buying power is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2024.

Ffriend chimed in with her two cents. She said, “Our net income, generally for this community, our community declined 14 percent. So we’re spending so much, [but] we’re not getting much. So we’re gonna be beautifully ordained, we’re going to be beautifully represented, but we’re also going to be beautifully broke. If we keep that up.”

When talking about their monthly budgets, Hall spoke on her love for spending on hair. She said, “I’m a hair girl too. I like wigs. I like options. I like to be able to switch it up and not have to touch my own hair. So I’m spending money with the girls… and the girls in Atlanta? So, like, for me, my wigs, I’ll be spending some money because every two weeks, I’m getting a new wig. If not before then. So I’m spending about [$300] to [$400] sometimes on a wig. And then the girls, whatever their prices are, could be anywhere from [$200] now — I’m finding in Atlanta — to $450, so I’m buying the wig, paying for the install, paying for gas in a Benz, chile. But as far as clothing, I’m an affordable girl… I’m stylish, so I feel like I can find the fit.”

To close off the segment, Renee gave some advice. She said, “To all the Black girls out there, do your research, look at your budget. Don’t be afraid to take some time off of the spending and pay attention to your habits now.”

2. Ms. Pat Joins the Panel

Ms. Pat is absolutely killing it in the comedic world. On top of being a hilarious stand-up comedian, she stars in her own show on BET as well! She joined the ladies to talk about life before fame, her career thus far, and lots more.

When asked about what life before fame looked like for her, Ms. Pat kept it real. She said, “Oh, getting shot, a couple of STDs, selling crack, forging white paper checks, you know?” She went on to say, “I had two kids by the time I was 15. So, I got into selling crack, shot a couple of times and ended up in prison.”

She also talked about the parts of her life that have inspired her comedy. She said, “Well, I mean, I learned a lot from the streets, you know, because I got into the streets really early. I got pregnant at 13, gave birth at 14 and [had] another at 15. So I got in the streets really early, and they taught me a lot — like I learned how to drive and learned how to forge checks. I learned how to cook crack. I couldn’t even cook food, but I knew how to cook crack.”

When asked about how she was able to overcome her situation, the television star said, “One of the things I had to do to get to the point where I could let go was I had to forgive the people who did me wrong because when you hold it, you tote that on your back, and you forever carry those people with you. When I forgave my mother, forgave my kids’ father, forgave the people who molested me, her boyfriend, and so many other people, I could start to live. And then that’s when I started to smile. That’s when I started to grow. You know, when I had that baby at 14, and I never felt like anybody in the world loved me until I gave birth to my first child. And then I realized I really had something to live for. I have somebody. I have a human being that finally loves me.”

3. Cynthia Bailey Joins the Panel

Cynthia Bailey has come a long way from Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the age of only 18, she moved to New York City to pursue a modeling career. Decades later, she’s gained even more fame thanks to her time on the reality series “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and it’s just been announced that she’ll be returning to the show.

When asked about the status of her friendship with “RHOA” star Nene Leakes, Bailey made it clear there was no beef. She stated, “I will say this, I think we’re in a good space. We’re not friend friends. But when I do see her, there is love, and there’s respect. It’s all good. I think we are in a healthy space. And that works for me.”

As a newly single woman, the girls also inquired about what she’s looking for in a man. She said, “Cynthia Bailey really doesn’t have a type per se. I will say that there are certain things that I pray for at night, you know, when it comes to this new man that hopefully is coming to me whenever God wants him to come. I want someone that’s home, I want someone that has their own stuff and their own life, and I can just come in and be a part of that life. I do love partnership. I do love coming into a situation where I have my stuff, he has his stuff, and we can just build our stuff. But the only thing that I never prayed for was a nurturing man. And that’s something that I put on my prayer list because I’m a very nurturing person. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I want to be nurtured.’”

Bailey also partnered with the alcohol company Seagram’s Escapes. The girls asked about how that happened and how it has been. She said, “My partnership with Seagram’s Escapes has been amazing. I kicked off my first flavor, which is the Peach Bellini… It was a very successful launch. I actually have a new flavor coming out this year, which I will talk more about. I’ll come back and talk more about it, but it’s been a great partnership. And now I’m the actual brand ambassador for the entire Seagram’s Escapes line.”

4. Alexis Skyy Sits in the Hot Seat

Alexis Skyy may only be 28, but she’s been through a lot. After overcoming sex trafficking as a teenager, she completely turned her life around and is now best known for her roles on the reality series “Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood,” “Love and Hip Hop: New York,” and “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta.”​​

When asked about human trafficking, Skyy spoke candidly and explained why she feels so comfortable discussing it today. She said, “I’m a victim of sex trafficking. I have told my story before… I just think it was, like, in a different light… People didn’t really take it serious. But I did leave home at a young age, and I got caught up with the wrong people. And it kind of just caused me to get into a situation where I was trafficked. I think it kind of affected me growing up and the decisions I made becoming Alexis Skyy. So I just came to a point where I’m like, ‘You know what? Let me not be ashamed of what I went through because it made me who I am.’ I felt like I needed to be a voice because it’s other girls out there that might need help or, you know, be a voice for them.”

She also talked about what her friendships are looking like these days. The TV star said, “I was just speaking about this, actually. But I mean, elevation requires separation. And honestly, on the journey, where I’m at with anything [is] if you’re not aligning with what I got going on, then we can’t sit together, we can’t talk together, our conversations are not making sense. And I don’t judge anybody because you don’t have to be as spiritual as me, but it kind of makes it an uncomfortable situation where I’m all, you know, I might be talking about this scripture, and you’re talking about this dude.”

“I’m at a point where it’s like whoever wants to go can go… Whoever wants to join me can join me. I just want to keep positive people. And some people might not be ready to do what I’m doing, but I can lead you there. And if I can be an influence, as a friend, then I want those people around me through this journey,” she added.

5. Black Girl Commandments

Some say never mix friendships and finances, but it can be harder when you find yourself or your best friend in that situation. For this episode’s “Black Girl Commandments,” the girls gave some tips on how to react when a friend asks for money.

Rue talked about why she stays away from asking friends for money. She said, “It’s a sticky situation with friends — little things like that can completely skip the line of the friendship, and then y’all ain’t friends no more over some money… that small, but it isn’t small because it’s indicative of the relationship.”

According to the girls, the new “BGS” commandment is: “Thou shall only lend what thy can afford to lose.”