La La Anthony's Cousin Dice Dixon Interview With BOSSIP

Bossip Exclusive: “LaLa’s Full Court Life” Star Dice Dixon Talks Coming Out, Wearing Dresses, and Honey Nut Cheerios

- By Bossip Staff
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Everyone’s favorite cousin Candice “Dice” Dixon had a moment to sit down with BOSSIP and chat about juggling life in the spotlight with education, her sexual orientation, dressing “like a woman,”and to dish on the infamous “Honey Nut Cheerios” comment made about her cousin LaLa Anthony earlier this year.

BOSSIP: First, let’s talk Full Court Life. People always describe you all as “the positive Black show” on Vh1. Do you see that as a double-edged sword, since people tend to be more entertained by the hot messes?

Absolutely. It is great that people see us as a “breath of fresh air” so to speak after watching several of the other shows. A lot of people come up to me and tell me “I watch this show with my kids. I can watch this show with my mother.” So it’s great that our show can reach all age groups since we are so family oriented and not focused on drama. But on the flip side, that [drama] is what people do want to see. They want to see the Love & Hip-Hops and the Basketball Wives and all the fighting. But luckily, we’ve been blessed enough for people to embrace our show and we can continue to be ourselves.

What’s more, LaLa told Vh1 from jump that her show was not going to follow the “ratchet reality” trend the network is known so well for.

When they approached my cousin she told them, “I’ll never have a show like that, because that’s not my life.” I’m a part of her life, Po is, and you see our dynamic, so her show will never be what the other shows are. And it’s great, because the network is able to give you diversity… My cousin [has creative control], because she’s executive producer. But pretty much, what you see is what you get with our show. We really show who we are.

What about you? Do you think LaLa’s show is a much needed break from the all the table-shaking and drink-tossing that takes place on other Vh1 shows? Peep the rest of the interview after the flip.

We hear you recently got a Master’s Degree in Occupational Safety and Health, WHILE filming Season 3. How are you going to use that?

Well, right now I’m not going to use it. But I do have that piece of paper to fall back on. I’m the type of person that if I start something, I am going to finish it and I’m going to put effort into it. I started school, the filming started up again, and I wasn’t going to stop school, so I had to make it work. It was definitely a sacrifice, but I made it work. And I tell anybody, if I can do it, you can do it. I didn’t have straight A’s in high school or undergrad. I had to study hard, and I was able to do it while filming a reality show. It was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. A lot of nights we would be done filming and the crew, La, or Po would go hang out and say “come on, Dice. Let’s go.” And I was just like “I gotta go back to my room. I got to go work on this paper.” It was a struggle, but I did it.

Isn’t it great to see a reality star who’s focused on more than just hosting parties and keeping her name out there?

One of the issues on the show has been your sexuality and you being more open with it publicly. How long have you known you are attracted to women?

I didn’t start dating women until college, at age 20. So it was late. In high school, I had maybe two boyfriends, but that was never my life. Not because I didn’t like boys, but because I was an athlete, I played varsity softball for three years, I was involved in student council. I was very involved in school, I worked, I had a lot going on. I didn’t start dealing with women until I got to college. I knew then. When I did come out to my family, they said “Oh, we already knew that.”

But having it known on TV, that was kind of hard because for the first time in my life, I’m in front of the camera. Always being around my cousin, I was used to being behind the scenes. That was always her in the front; that was always her on the radio, MTV/TRL, acting and all of that. Now the cameras were there and the producers approached me saying “people want to know more about you. You have to let us into your life. You have to let that be known so people can connect with you.” I had to sit back and think about it because that’s a big step for people to really know who you are. I prayed about it and went forth. Honestly, that was one of the best episodes ever. The talk that we had with Kelly Rowland, my cousin, Po, we were in Turks & Caicos when I really came out. I’ve gotten such positive feedback from people who say I’m an inspiration and helped them come out to their family, or asking for advice on how they can come out. So I’m glad I did it. Now, in the fourth season, you don’t even realize the cameras are there. It’s no holds barred, now. You’re just totally out there.

It’s great to hear that she was able to inspire so many just by embracing who she is. Has Dice’s forwardness inspired any of you?

Obviously, marriage equality is a huge global issue. Where do you stand with that?

I’m actually getting into an anti-bullying campaign, where I want to start speaking to young teens in high schools and colleges about bullying against the gay and lesbian community. You hear things about young kinds getting bullied, and some of them taking their own lives. So I do want to speak and give back, and let them know that there are people out here like me; I’m on TV, I’m doing positive things, and who you choose to be within your personal life does not define who you are as a person. That’s only just one part of who we are. We’re still the same people. I’m still the same person. Purple’s still my favorite color since childhood. That’s just who I choose to date; that doesn’t change who I am.

What else do you have coming up? Can you talk about what you and Po are working on?

We’re trying to get an online radio show with Power 105 in New York. We’re putting together a one-page treatment about the ideas that we have, what the lineup would be. We went up there and recorded our demo, and we were putting together the presentation for our meeting with them. It’ll be talk and music, since Po has a music background and she’s an artist. So it’ll be both, but more so talk. Also, the good thing about online is that it’s visual, so you’ll be able to see us as well if we do have a guest. And you know Po and I, we’re always up to something. So you’ll be able to see us while we’re speaking. So hopefully that goes through. We’re still in talks about it.

Nice! What do you think about Dice’s plans to give back? Hit the flip to see what she says about dressing more feminine.

One thing we recall from the original wedding special was how big a deal it was that you wore a dress. How often are you wearing dresses these days?

Since then, probably never. I think it turned into a big deal because I wanted to wear a dress. [LaLa] told me, “you don’t have to. Wear whatever you want.” But I wanted to wear it. I was brought up properly; I know how to go to a function and how to look at a wedding. And I was the maid of honor. That’s what the wedding party was: just me, the maid of honor and the best man. No other bridesmaids. How am I going to stand down there in a pantsuit? No. I’m going to dress right for the occasion and go all out: makeup, eyelashes, hair done. I heard so many people as I came down the aisle saying “Oh my God, is that Dice?” because they’ve never seen me that way. But I wouldn’t have gone any other way.

We saw a Throwback Thursday picture LaLa put up from the Prom where Dice is looking like the Prom Queen and LaLa’s looking like the runner up.

Listen. Hey, sometimes I’ve got to tell my cousin “I’m coming for you. Don’t sleep on me.” But like I said, I know how to go to functions. I got invited to the prom in high school, so yeah I’m gonna dress up. I’ve got to show the girls I can step out with them too. Don’t let the jeans and sneakers fool you.

Dice cleans up nicely! What do you think? Do you prefer her more laid-back look, or the glammed-up version?

So, let’s talk about Honey Nut Cheerios.

It’s amazing how media will take something and run with it. When my cousin had the conversation with Melo, he said that’s not even what KG [Keven Garnett] said to him. If you watch basketball, everybody knows KG talks trash on the court. That particular time, maybe KG was on one and was just talking all kind of other trash, but Melo said that’s not what he said. Again, media takes things, runs with it, and turns it into a big thing. But I just wanted to make sure that I was there for my cousin just to show her support. She was coming from the thought of “Why am I involved? You’re the guys on the court. Why bring family into it? I don’t even play basketball.” But that’s how it goes. I guess when they’re trash talking, to really give you a low blow, they’ll bring family into it. It’s sad that it overshadowed what it really was: a basketball game. Then the next time the Knicks played the Celtics, that was all that was talked about. Then there was another game during the playoffs where it was brought up again by a guy talking trash from the bench. You don’t even play! Everyone reached their breaking point and La responded via social media, which I’m sure everyone saw.

What would you say to accusations that LaLa actually calls the paparazzi on herself?

Not that I know of, and I’m with her all the time. But you have to realize, the places that paparazzi catch her are the places that paparazzi are at. Events and things like that. But, if some celebrities ARE doing that, it’s like Jay Z said “Photo shoot fresh. Gotta call the paparazzi on myself.” People are going to say all kinds of things.

She’s certainly got a great story and is making a lot of moves. Did you watch Season 4 of “LaLa’s Full Court Life?” Will you tune in next season?

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