Bevy Smith on grief, reinvention and why she finally said yes to new series, ‘In Bed with Bevy’
TheGrio...
“Being in the middle doesn’t make you a loser. It makes you someone who’s stretching, who’s growing, who’s evolving,” Smith said.
Bevy Smith has never been afraid to show up exactly as she is. So when the Harlem-born TV personality, radio host and author launched her new YouTube series “In Bed with Bevy” in February, it was not a moment of triumph, but one marked by grief, stillness and the quiet courage it takes to dare to dream a new dream.
Smith has reinvented herself multiple times. First at 14, then at 38 and now at 59. According to her, she likes to make bold moves every 20-plus years, a pattern of calculated risks that ultimately led her to debut her latest project.
She didn’t create “In Bed with Bevy” from a place of success, but from a sense of being stuck. After losing both parents, she was candid about the emotional weight that came with that experience.
“When my mom passed away, when my dad and mom passed away, that changes you, especially if you don’t have children. I think it changes you a lot because they were the only people in the world that I knew were guaranteed to love me no matter what. And I really do feel like at the age of 59, I feel like an orphan, an old orphan,” Smith told TheGrio.
Smith usually takes several months off in mid-summer before returning to work, a routine that was normal for her. However, during the summer of 2025, she hit a wall of despondency. Smith realized she had manifested every dream she had ever journaled about, yet she was still not satisfied.
“I’m literally living in my dreamscape. I’m living in my journal right now. All the things I journaled 25 years ago, when I still had a corporate job, about what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be — I’ve done those things. And then you get there and you’re like, yeah, this is great, but I’m not really that satisfied because I’m someone who does not like to rest on her laurels,” Smith said.
It was in that stillness that the idea she had been sitting on for over two decades finally found its moment.
“I had been thinking about doing ‘In Bed with Bevy’ for like 22 years, or something insanely long, 23 years,” Smith said.
“In Bed with Bevy” is not a celebrity interview show, and that is intentional. Smith is deliberately choosing guests who are well known but not so removed from everyday life that their advice feels out of reach.
She describes her guests as “Googleable”—notable enough to have a presence but still relatable enough for everyday people to see themselves in them. She is also filling a gap she believes mainstream media has long ignored.
“People don’t really ever share that. People talk about the humble beginnings, you know, I’m getting it out the mud, and then we see the polished product. So we see the A to Z, but we don’t see the middle part.”
For Smith, being “in the middle” signifies growth rather than failure. She firmly believes it deserves a prominent place in cultural discussions. She also knows firsthand what it feels like to be stuck there, successful in multiple areas of her life, but privately restless and unsatisfied.
“I feel like a lot of people are in the middle. I feel like there’s a lot of people that are successful, that are living great lives, enjoying themselves immensely, but they are like, there’s gotta be something else,” Smith said.
While some people may be unsure how to navigate this moment in their lives, Smith said it is a feeling more common than many realize. This inspired her to create “In Bed with Bevy” and feature guests willing to be honest about where they actually are, not just where they have been.
“You have to be willing to be vulnerable. You have to be willing to tell the truth about the journey that you’re on right now. So that takes honesty and authenticity, so that like eliminates a lot of different types of people.”
She’s equally intentional about pushing back on the assumption that Black audiences need celebrity names to tune in, and on the idea that advice from those living in $20 million homes and vacationing in the south of France is somehow accessible or relatable to everyday people. For Smith, the messenger matters just as much as the message.
Each guest on “In Bed with Bevy” is navigating “the middle” in real time, and that is the essence of the show. From Scott Evans to Justin Sylvester, the conversations have already produced some standout moments.
“The fact that Scott Evans came and got into bed the same day Access Hollywood announced that it was being canceled was definitely like one of those moments of, ‘Are you okay to get in bed?’ He was like, ‘No, this is the perfect time,’” Smith said.
Emmy-nominated TV host Justin Sylvester’s story was equally powerful, from growing up as a gay Black kid in a segregated community to becoming one of the most notable figures in Hollywood. It was a side of Sylvester that Smith even admitted that she didn’t know.
What surprised her the most was that every guest she’s had so far hasn’t been ashamed to be in the middle; they’ve embraced it.
“Being in the middle doesn’t make you a loser. It makes you someone who’s stretching, who’s growing, who’s evolving,” Smith said.
The latest episode of “In Bed with Bevy,” which airs on Tuesday, features Sunny Anderson from the Food Network. Smith teased viewers about what they could expect and the moments where they share in Anderson’s life experiences.
The main theme of the show is about discovering oneself, regardless of where life takes you. Anderson’s personal experiences add a distinct touch to this theme. According to Smith, Anderson has always felt like she “doesn’t fit in,” but she has learned how to navigate those feelings and embrace the paths life has chosen for her.
“She’s always been the person that had to find her way wherever they dropped her off at,” Smith said of Anderson.
And it’s Anderson’s ability to find peace in the unknown that Smith hopes viewers, especially Black women who may be struggling with being in “the middle,” take away from the show. Her message to them serves as a rallying cry that many might need at the moment.
“First of all, you’re not alone. Everyone goes through this, even people that you admire go through this, and may actually be going through it as we speak. I don’t want you to run from this feeling. I don’t want you to try and, as Solange said, drink it away or eat it away or shop it away or sex it away. You have to stand still, ten toes down, and look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Am I really satisfied with my life as it is now? If this is my last day on earth and they had to write my obituary, would I be pleased with what was written about me and about what I have done and how I’ve done it?” Smith said.
For Smith, the answer to that question ultimately led her to launch “In Bed with Bevy,” with the hope that her audience would discover new paths for themselves.
“God didn’t put you on this earth to feel that way. And I know there’s more for you. I know that there’s more for me, like there’s more for you. So how can we interrogate that? How can we get to the bottom of that, and then how can we do something about it?” she added.
And for those ready to take that first step, Smith has created a space to do exactly that. She is hosting her “Dining with Bevy: Life with Vision” event in New York City on Saturday, May 23. The application-based brunch is a three to four hour experience built around her Life with Vision program, and spots are $275 upon acceptance. The link to apply can be found on her website.