Today (September 11) marks 25 years since “Girlfriends” first aired. The series is a cultural touchstone that not only defined a generation of television but also redefined what stories about Black women could look like on screen. 

At the heart of that legacy is Persia White, who brought depth and nuance to Lynn Searcy, the bohemian heartbeat of the friend group. Speaking with BET ahead of the milestone, White reflected on the show’s victories, growing pains, and the moments she and her castmates fought to ensure storylines reflected their truth. 

“Girlfriends” celebrates its 20th anniversary this September. Looking back, what do you think it is about Lynn and the series overall that continues to resonate with audiences two decades later?

Persia White: I think there were times when all the girls had their moments. Lynn was more accepting of whatever was happening and wanted to just deal with it. Even if it’s not cool, she would say it instead of tiptoeing. From episode one, I love how Lynn made it clear that you don’t date your best friend's ex. I will say, Toni and Joan were very toxic to each other, so you need Lynn in the group who will speak the truth. It was great to grow with Lynn because I’m eccentric myself. It’s always hard because I played roles where you’re playing a complete conservative, like an uptight, prissy lawyer. It’s hard to play characters who are uptight. 

Lynn was one of the first free-spirited, bohemian Black women on television. At the time, did you feel the weight of that representation, and how do you think her character paved the way for today’s multifaceted portrayals of Black women?

White: Yes!  I feel like society finally caught up because Lynn was cool with everything, from people being gay to all the things. I got so much heat for it from certain conservative, Black community-based groups. Even Christianity was more conservative back then, and they were worried about my influence on the youth. I know a lot of it was to do with being open-minded about things like homosexuality and things that they would get canceled for today. I remember being fine with getting the heat because if you’re not going to like me for having an open mind and being an ally for groups that should be seen and heard, I was cool with it. The irony of it all was that I was a single mom working my ass off. Since I had tattoos and told people to explore their sexuality, I received the heat but I still stood behind Lynn because I do believe in those freedoms. It would be a lot for someone else to take on, because the other girls would look at them and say, “Ooh, girl, you’re getting it.” Due to my activist nature, I knew exactly why God and the universe put this in my hands. You are a true voice of freedom, and you're going to represent and take the heat for it. I'm not just getting a free pass like I would today. I’d be celebrated for it today. 

Lynn’s journey often wrestled with identity, racial, professional, and even spiritual. How did those themes shape your perspectives outside of the set? 

White: I had asked for it. I requested topics that were currently hot. I asked for Lynn to be biracial because originally, she was supposed to just be light-skinned, and we would move along on the show and not mention it. I told them I wanted us to speak about her biracial identity. Being biracial, I find it’s an interesting journey. Nobody's speaking about it, and I'm tired of watching shows going, ‘she's really light.’ In all my shows prior to this one, it happened. For Lynn, I invited them to joke about her finding her Black side and all the mess she had to deal with. I am biracial, and I have a white sister because my mom was with a family before she got with my dad. So I grew up in the thick of it. I mean, all of that stuff, Lynn trying to find herself, was exciting. I was a little bit luckier because I started off in the Bahamas, so my white brothers and sisters were the minority over there. Until I was seven, I thought what was the big deal, but then I came to the United States and noticed the shift. I was literally in the middle of race wars and riots; it was crazy. Especially with the Cubans, Blacks, and whites all hating each other in Miami at the time. So yes, I asked for Lynn to be biracial, vegetarian, and a few other things. She was already going to be liberal, but we pushed her further in that direction. 

Fans often note that both Lynn and Toni were recast before the show aired. Did you feel pressure stepping into a character first imagined differently, and what’s one thing beyond her biraciality that you added or leaned into that made Lynn distinctly yours?

White: With a pilot, they didn’t come up with much. What was different in the recast was that Lynn was originally blonde hair and blue eyes. Mara Brock Akil was basing it on her mother, who had blonde hair and blue eyes. They had their reasons for recasting, so I didn’t watch any of her acting to avoid confusion when I stepped into the role. She was safer than when I played Lynn. It was great to embody a character and live in their shoes, experiencing all the sides of myself and things I didn't get to experience in life through Lynn. I’ll give you this – there were a couple of episodes that explored Lynn’s sexuality, and the writers wrote about how she didn’t use protection. I stepped in and said, ‘just because someone is sexual doesn’t mean they aren’t safe.’  It was a great conversation. Lynn is safe sex. Also, when it came to drug use, I told them you can be so modern, wild, and not do drugs. That didn’t always resonate with all the writers. In the 60s, it was different. In the modern world, she could have a drink and maybe a few too many, but she’s not just doing whatever. I was showing them what the new, modern boho girl looks like at that time. 

Is there a storyline you wish had been explored further for Lynn that could have deepened her journey even more?

White: Yeah, we were cut short. At the end, Lynn was finally getting everything she wanted. She was getting it together. I did love an episode where she puts her value on her sex and body so much, she’s not respecting what she does have to offer as a person and what value she can bring to the world. She was growing up, even though it was late. Do you ever really stop learning?  I felt like she was just on the brink of owning herself, her life and getting it together. She was going to move towards being a successful musician and she was struggling with a few things the girls already went through. Lynn was going to go through the risk of losing things because for quite some time, she was so free-spirited and didn’t have anything to lose. 

Last year, fans spotted you on the Paramount lot with Kelsey Grammer. Was that meeting connected to Girlfriends? Or another potential project? 

White: It was about “Girlfriends.” I wanted to see what the conversation was about because I'd heard rumors, and I heard Kelsey [Grammer] mention it on a carpet as well. There's a reception and there's openness to the idea of doing something with the “Girlfriends” brand. We don’t own it, however. It was a good conversation, but it's up to many people, including the girls and those in power. I also don’t know if everybody has time to do something. I would love for something to happen before the window closes. I really would love to do something, but I don't have control over that. I'm excited to be developing an amazing new production company, and I hope you'll see some familiar faces in our projects. It would be exciting to bring back people I loved working with. 

BET: Would you rather have a limited series or a movie? 

White: I would rather a limited series because you really get to dive in. You get to have the full closure for each character instead of rushing through it, which a movie's great, but it can be very much like we hit the ground running and it’s over. Then you have to wrap things up quickly because these characters have a long, rich history, and there's so much funny material to explore and pull characters from the past that we haven't seen in ages, which would be great. We had Idris Elba on the show, which was amazing. 

Is there anyone the show almost snagged on the series as a guest star? 

White: Well yes, and I went crazy for this one. I tried so hard. When Lynn was doing her music arc, I tried my best to get Prince. He was very hard to get and private, but it was on the table for a hot second. I wouldn't have been able to speak because I would have been shocked. Also, we almost had Diana Ross at one point due to scheduling or something. We met her, and I had multiple meetings with her afterward. The first time she came on set, she was playing with my hair and sharing how we’re all like her daughters, and I was trying not to fangirl out. She was dancing through the trailer, laughing and having a blast. 

One of the most powerful episodes on the series was the HIV episode, featuring Kimberly Elise as your college friend. How did you prepare for that episode? 

White: Women with HIV and AIDS came to speak to us, so we had the experience of people with AIDS and talking about what it's like. One woman was fully HIV-positive and was not doing so well as her T cell count was very low. She was well enough to come and speak to us, so she explained how she felt isolated for eight years of her life. She broke down crying when she got there because she thought her life was near the end, but her journey has a purpose and educating us. We wanted to ensure we were well-equipped with the facts instead of fictionalizing the situation, as we’re doing a comedy and can come up with anything. But, we had to care about the community and how we can tell this story as honestly as possible. I could barely do the episode as I kept crying. It was a hard episode to do. It was such a taboo conversation, and you’re cast out of society at that point. Also, so much misinformation and misunderstanding because the women we met with HIV were straight women. Also, learning that one of the highest demographics on the rise at that point was Black women, and it was because of not using protection. 

Jill Marie Jones’ departure as Toni marked a noticeable shift in the series. How did it affect the energy among the cast and its storylines at the time? 

White: I felt pretty tragic because I really love Jill [Marie Jones] as she’s my secret favorite. She was my closest girlfriend at the time and she’s so lovely.  I wasn't out as much because I was a single mom. Her and my daughter have a bond and recently, they went to get their nails done together. There was love, beauty, and grace in Jill that I missed so much. I tried to convince her not to leave personally. I actually did have lunch with her to discuss it, and she had to live her life, so I understood.  I wanted her there, for my own selfish reasons, because I felt a deep love for Jill. Her heart is so huge, and I love her spirit. While she portrays a tough exterior as Toni, she’s truly the opposite. 

William was often referred to as the “fifth girlfriend.” What do you think his presence revealed about the friendship dynamics between Black men and women, and how did it add layers to the stories being told?

White: I loved his character, and I thought he was so funny.  I thought it was really fun having him. He was also a great comedian to work with because he was unlike anyone I had seen, and he was always pitching a spin-off for Lynn and William (laughs). He would always advocate for that. 

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Girlfriends didn’t shy away from tough conversations, including the colorism conversation with Toni in the earlier seasons. What do you remember about filming those moments, and how do you think they shaped broader conversations about beauty standards and race at the time?

White: Oh, my gosh, it was so wonderful, and we all cared so much. It wasn't taken lightly when we discussed these things, as I know Mara [Brock Akil] faced a lot of criticism for bringing up some of the subjects. She was constantly fighting in that direction to allow us to be out having these discussions. We get to approach it with laughter and make people laugh about things that are really painful. All of us as a cast had really painful experiences with shade, color, and colorism. Even being able to speak this dialect was a problem for all of us, because people would ask, ‘can you sound more Black?’So I would then respond and say ‘so you mean more urban?’ They would be afraid to say it because this would be coming from white producers. One producer actually said to me, ‘you can speak how you really speak.’ I responded to him and asked him if he thought I was acting the whole time with how I speak. It was a breath of fresh air to speak about these topics on the show. It would also get hot on set sometimes, too,  where somebody wants a line tweaked because it's important that we get it right.

What's one behind-the-scenes moment of conversation with the cast members that you wish fans could have witnessed?

White: I got pulled to the side and was told that we’re not trying to educate the world, we’re doing a television show. I said, ‘on the contraire,  I actually care about these women and I am trying to save the world’ (laughs).  “I got in really big trouble over a couple of things. One instance would be when Lynn's sister tried to be Black. A different actress was initially hired to play my sister, but she didn't make the final cut. She was deeply affected by it and began questioning her approach, doing things differently and less insultingly, if I may say so. But she got fired, and they brought in the actress you all saw who made it to television. Many people were upset by the episode and her behavior. It finally happened, but it was hard. I think it was really tough because many people don't confront their feelings and haven't experienced that kind of thing. I actually have been through it.