L to R: Essence Atkins as Ivy and Damon Wayans as Poppa. Robert Voets/CBS
Poppa’s House is obviously setting up Essence Atkins and Damon Wayans‘ characters to get together — but the show isn’t in any rush.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Essence Atkins explained why the CBS sitcom benefited from writing Ivy and Poppa as a slow burn.
“Initially when we were beginning the series, we thought it would happen sooner. But I think that there’s something really beautiful about them becoming friends first and that they really grow in respect for one another and admiration for one another,” Atkins, 53, said. “Also in being able to see behind the curtain of one another, they have a little bit more trepidation and a little bit more caution about leaping forward.”
Atkins pointed out that both Ivy and Poppa were starting to develop an “awareness” of their connection, adding, “He’s gaining an awareness of like, ‘Well, what do I get? It looks good, but what does the inspection report say when you buy a home?’ That’s wisdom, and I think that that leads to a much more satisfying take when it actually happens. It won’t feel so jumped or rushed.”
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By building the fictional relationship over time, Atkins has hope that it will feel earned.
“These characters have earned this closeness. We’ve seen them grow on each other. We’ve seen them get on each other’s nerves,” she told Us. “I like the pace that we’re continuing at. As far as how long it will take, I don’t know. I definitely think that they’ll be moments this season where you’ll be rooting for it to happen.”
Poppa’s House, which premiered in October 2024, follows legendary talk radio host Poppa (Wayans), who has his point of view challenged at work when a new female cohost (Atkins) is hired. At home, meanwhile, Poppa finds himself still parenting his adult son (Damon Wayans Jr.), who is trying to pursue his passion while balancing the responsibilities associated with being a father and husband.
The sitcom is a family affair for Wayans, 64, and Wayans Jr., 42, who are joined by other loved ones behind the scenes. Atkins told Us that working with the Wayans family was a major bonus when she signed on to join Poppa’s House.
“The truth of the matter is that it’s always going to be an immediate yes when I hear ‘Wayans.’ This is my sixth project with that family, I have met all of them at this point and worked with the majority of them,” she noted. “I really wanted to work with Damon Wayans Jr. again [after Dance Flick] and I had always wanted to work with Damon Wayans, so that’s really all I needed to know. It was an immediate yes.”
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Before Poppa’s House, Atkins played Marlon Wayans‘ ex-wife on his short-lived sitcom and Shawn Wayans‘ girlfriend in Dance Flick.
“I just need to be Kim [Wayans]‘s love interest and then I’ll have the trifecta. I’ll have been the love interest of all of them,” she quipped. “But at this point I feel like an honorary member of the family. To a certain extent, it feels a bit incestuous but not really.”
She continued: “I love them so much and I love working with them. It’s always such a pleasant, professional and fun experience. I would love to dispense it as medicine. Are you going through something difficult? Work with the Wayans family, you’ll feel better. You’ll feel a whole lot better. It’ll bring some healing to your soul.”
Atkins was incredibly proud of the work put into bringing Poppa’s House to life — including her scene stealing character.
“At the start of the show, she’s a bestselling author, she’s written all of these self-help books and she has a successful podcast before she meets Poppa. [And] there was a part that I played in the pilot, which I was so grateful for. Both [creators] Kevin [Hench] and Damon were very open to me writing something the way I thought Ivy would say it,” she recalled. “So I got to definitely improve on the complexity of her articulation of certain things. It was about making it what I thought would be just learned and more of an analyst speak. Any time you work on a character, there’s so many aspects to them that you are in collaboration with from makeup to hair to wardrobe.”
In addition to a nearly four decade career as an actress, Atkins has also ventured into directing. Atkins hinted to Us that she wasn’t ruling out possibly directing an episode of Poppa’s House in the future.
“The hope is yes and the answer is yes. I would love that,” she shared. “Being an actor, I have found that some of the best directors I’ve ever worked with were actors. I just think that having Kim, Phil Lewis, Kim Fields, Alfonso Ribeiro às directors [was different]. Working with people who know what it is to do what I do, there’s a shorthand and there’s a heartbeat that they operate from. …The script is the skeleton and the actor puts the flesh on it. Having a director who understands that process really does make great storytellers and the best storytelling.”
Poppa’s House airs on CBS Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
