The Breakfast Club | Tamar Braxton Talks 'Heartbreak Retrograde,' Healing, Family, Grief, and Growth
Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne tha God, Angela Yee
Guest: Tamar Braxton
Episode Theme: Tamar Braxton opens up about her new project "Heartbreak Retrograde," shares personal journeys of healing, accountability, family dynamics, grief, and relationships, and discusses growth as a woman and artist.
Episode Overview
Tamar Braxton joins The Breakfast Club to discuss her latest album "Heartbreak Retrograde," a bold, deeply honest project rooted in personal heartbreak and transformative healing. In this intimate interview, Tamar delves into the inspiration behind her music, the ethics of accountability in love, evolving family relationships following loss, public scrutiny, and mental health. The tone is candid, vulnerable, and at times, playful—showcasing the layered, real side of Tamar Braxton.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Meaning & Birth of "Heartbreak Retrograde"
[04:31-05:06]
- Inspiration: Tamar explains the concept, combining the chaos of Mercury Retrograde with personal heartbreak, using turmoil as an opportunity for self-evolution.
- Origin: The album was inspired by a previous Breakfast Club conversation about cheating. Tamar channels her regrets and growth into the project.
- “Heartbreak Retrograde is about a woman who cheats on her spouse and breaks her own heart by breaking his heart.” (Tamar, [05:05])
2. Owning Up To Mistakes & Accountability
[05:44-09:52]
- Taking Responsibility: Tamar reflects on reaching out to an ex, discussing past hurts to both promote healing and enable growth.
- “It was about taking accountability... being responsible for someone's hurt that I caused.” (Tamar, [09:30])
- The Challenge of Honesty: She emphasizes the rarity of women publicly admitting or apologizing for infidelity.
3. Navigating Emotional Fallout & Growth
[11:23-12:14]
- Therapy & Healing: Tamar details using songwriting and filming as therapeutic processes. She openly discusses guilt and what it takes to move on.
- Notable Moment:
- On including a real, painful text message:
“He shifted... once again, you shifted my uterus. That is what he read.” (Tamar, [11:39])
- On including a real, painful text message:
4. Complexities of Love: Healing, Dual Emotions, and Moving Forward
[13:26-18:57]
- Loving Two People: Tamar and the hosts discuss the reality of simultaneously having love for two people, the confusion it causes, and the lessons learned.
- “It was actual love with the new person, but I had to button it up with the other one.” (Tamar, [16:43])
- Self-Discovery vs. Regret:
- “I regret that I hurt that person. I really do. But I don’t regret that I found myself.” (Tamar, [17:11])
5. The Impact of the Album & What Healing Feels Like
[18:57-21:07]
- Therapeutic Release: Tamar shares that the act of releasing the album brought tangible relief from guilt and emotional heaviness.
- “What does [being lighter] feel like? When you really, truly let something go, guilt go. I’ve completely let it go.” (Tamar, [19:01])
6. On Success, The Industry & Toni Braxton’s Shadow
[20:32-22:19]
- The Toni Comparison: Tamar candidly addresses feelings about being compared to her sister, Toni Braxton, and the industry’s limits on her recognition.
- “Sometimes people put me in the box of the shadow of Toni Braxton, and that’s disheartening for me because we are two totally different people and artists.” (Tamar, [21:07])
7. Family, Grief, and Healing
[35:11-39:12]
- Sisterhood Dynamics: Tamar discusses the realness of her family's reality TV drama, ongoing healing, and evolving sisterhood.
- Losing Traci: She reflects on grief from the passing of her sister Traci, describing anticipatory mourning, anger, and the necessity of therapy.
- “I wasn’t ready to heal back then...In the end, we really made up for it, and I’m grateful for that. I just wish I had more time with that kind of time with Traci.” (Tamar, [37:36])
8. Coping Strategies & Mental Health
[39:12-41:07]
- Therapy & Medication: Tamar is open about taking Lexapro for anxiety and seeing two culturally competent therapists.
- “It just reduces anxiety...it’s good for my nervous system.” (Tamar, [39:38])
- Mental Health Advocacy: She discusses being responsible with mental health and dismantling stigma around therapy and medication.
9. Public Scrutiny & Cyberbullying
[24:33-26:52]
- On Criticism: Tamar frames much online negativity as a form of “Tamar cyberbullying,” expressing frustration over being clickbait and the pressure to respond.
10. Relationship Boundaries & Evolving Approaches to Love
[46:32-49:03]
- Guarded but Open: Tamar speaks to setting boundaries after heartbreak but still pursuing “soft love.” She won’t allow herself to return to deep heartbreak and is determined to retain wholeness within any future relationship.
- “You’re not supposed to give all of you, I have to have some of me to be whole.” (Tamar, [20:10])
- “I’m not anticipating pain...if somebody makes me feel good...I’m gonna sit in it and enjoy every second until it’s not there anymore. And then I’m going to move to the left.” (Tamar, [48:37])
11. The Importance of Finding Yourself
[44:18-44:48]
- Tamar finds a sense of genuine self-flourishing through this healing process—personally and artistically.
- “Heartbreak Retrograde...I think it saved my life. It just did.” (Tamar, [44:46])
Notable Quotes
-
On Cheating & Gender Stereotypes
“I think we need to normalize that it’s both of us. It’s not just men...women go through the same thing.”
—Tamar Braxton [07:17] -
On Accountability & Honesty
“You can’t have accountability without honesty.”
—Tamar Braxton [12:49] -
On Self-Preservation in Love
“If I give you all of me, then that means I’ve lost control of myself. I can’t do that.”
—Tamar Braxton [20:10] -
On Healing as a Journey
“A healing journey is forever. And you have hiccups along the way.”
—Tamar Braxton [34:24] -
On Grief
“Going through grief counseling prepared me to deal with it...when it actually happened, I was more relieved than anything because I asked her...‘are you in pain?’...‘There’s never a moment when I’m not in pain.’”
—Tamar Braxton [38:02] -
On the Album’s Message to Women
“You’re not a broken person because you cheat on your spouse...you went through something, take accountability, heal, and be better.”
—Tamar Braxton [41:53]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Tamar explains Heartbreak Retrograde: [04:31–05:20]
- Accountability & reaching out to her ex: [05:44–09:52]
- Discussion on women and cheating: [07:06–07:35]
- Breakdown of the album’s emotional process: [11:23–12:14]
- On loving two people at once: [13:35–17:11]
- Reflection on personal growth vs regret: [17:11–18:57]
- Letting go of guilt: [19:01–19:10]
- Industry and family comparisons: [20:32–22:19]
- Sisterhood, grieving Traci Braxton: [35:11–39:01]
- Therapy and Lexapro for mental health: [39:12–39:38]
- Album’s message to heartbroken women: [41:44–42:44]
- What love looks like after heartbreak: [51:00–51:11]
Memorable Lighter Moments
- “Once again, you shifted my uterus.” (Tamar, describing a real text, [11:39])
- “I was just basically macking.” (Tamar on sending provocative texts, [12:04])
- Hosts’ playful debate on dating, loving two people, and the dangers of “struggle love.”
- Jokes about signs and former partners including “the uterus shifter” and playful banter about “spray-on hair dye.”
Closing Insights
Tamar Braxton’s appearance on The Breakfast Club is a raw, humorous, and emotionally intelligent exploration of how heartbreak can become a catalyst for growth. Through candid storytelling and reflection, Tamar prompts listeners to re-evaluate accountability, transparency, forgiveness, and the ways grief shapes us. The episode is layered with practical wisdom for healing and self-discovery, all delivered in the unmistakable Breakfast Club style.
For fans of Tamar, those navigating heartbreak, or anyone interested in honest discussions on growth, this episode offers both deep vulnerability and affirming humor.