EBONY has the first look at the debut film from the partnership between Toni Braxton and Lifetime Network. The GRAMMY Award winner stars in and executive produces the new film, He Wasn’t Man Enough, a dramedy where women take the respect they deserve.
Braxton plays author Mel Montgomery, who seems to have everything in life. That is, until she learns her boyfriend Richard (Thomas Cadrot) has been stepping out behind her back. Adding insult to injury, he serves her papers, claiming a creative partnership on her novels and demanding half of everything she has built.
If that wasn’t messy enough, Mel starts an unexpected alliance with estranged college friend, Monica, played by Essence Atkins, who’s now engaged to her ex-boyfriend. They figure out a way to put aside their differences and join forces with Mel’s best friend and lawyer, Candy, played by Yvette Nicole Brown. Together, the three hatch a devious but warranted plan to teach a lying, cheating and thieving Richard a lesson. What starts in betrayal soon becomes a world of solidarity where this supportive trio has each other’s back: in and out of the group chat.
In 2026, Braxton will reunite with Atkins and A Different World alum Cree Summer for the second film in her multi-layered partnership. Taking its title from Braxton’s 1993 mega-hit “Breathe Again,” her next film follows three women who meet as contestants on a reality show and deal with the scrutiny that comes with being on a national dating series.
He Wasn’t Man Enough will premiere on Saturday, November 22, on Lifetime.