Behind the Scenes with Tyra Scott

Unpublished BTS photo gallery of Tyra Scott for the cover of Transformation 88

We had such a great time working with Tyra and Damien Cain that we ended up with tons more photos than we could imagine, so here’s a peek at some you didn’t get to see in Transformation! As you can see, Tyra can go from sultry to silly in the blink of an eye, and her quirky sense of humor kept everyone on set relaxed and smiling. There was plenty of good natured ribbing between her and Damien due to the fact they had worked together numerous times by now and had established a great working relationship. But what was most interesting was the actual relationship between Tyra and her cousin Katherine, one of the few members of Tyra’s family who has accepted her transition and continues to love her unconditionally.

The two ladies arrived on a sweltering late morning in Las Vegas, one that had completely drained me of energy already, but they practially leapt from the car and unloaded two huge suitcases of dresses and shoes Tyra brought. They were both clearly excited about the shoot, Katherine especially keen to get some firsthand knowledge of what a day on the set is like for her cousin, and they chatted away like the old friends they are. First we all went through current celebrity gossip, talked fashion and eventually made our way to the family dynamic. They were a fairly tight knit clan, seeing one another frequently and getting together at Grandma’s for large gatherings. That is until Tyra began living as a transgendered woman and her family essentially disowned her. Katherine explained to me that she just didn’t understand how the “moral” beliefs overshadowed the love between family members, how those bonds could be broken so quickly just because Tyra was being who she was meant to be. “Tyra is the same person she always was, even though she might look different on the outside,” Katherine said at one point.

After a number of years apart the cousins reunited back in 2011 when Katherine came out to Las Vegas for the first time, and has since visited numerous times, including coming out for Tyra’s wedding in early 2013. She knows that Tyra is in the adult industry but has no interest in learning any of the gritty details at this point, and when friends or family is in town visiting Tyra takes a break from filming or camming in order to spend quality time with those she loves. There seems to be a perfect balance between the two women, one where Tyra does not have to hide what she does for a living but also doesn’t need to talk about it either, I’m sure a nice break on both fronts. Instead, they fall into a comfortable banter, joking about Grandma’s doctor, or who just had another baby. When Tyra says, “Hand me my phone,” Katherine immediately scolds gently, “Please and thank you – that’s how you ask for your phone.” Those Southern manners still run deep, and true family will never let you forget about them, even after you’ve made the cover of Transformation magazine.