Lawrence Washington

Lawrence Washington, better known to television viewers as "Miss Lawrence," vaulted to national attention as the outspoken stylist and sidekick to Sheree Whitfield on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" (Bravo, 2008-), which led to his own stardom as a talk show host, actor and recording artist. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he developed an interest in women's beauty and fashion at an early age, largely through his mother and sisters, who provided Washington with unlimited access to hair and makeup accessories. For a period of time, Washington pursued a career in music, but by his teenaged years, he had decided to become a stylist. After earning his license from the Paul Mitchell Institute, Washington befriended Atlanta boutique owner Sheree Whitfield and became her personal hairstylist. When Whitfield was cast on "Real Housewives of Atlanta" in 2008, Washington was initially hired as a makeup artist for the program, but eventually became a recurring presence on the show as well. His "role" on "Housewives" soon progressed from confidante and comic relief to a sort of Greek chorus for the entire program, commenting on the outrageous shenanigans of its main players on the show itself and on "Spilling the Tea," a short-lived web series about "Housewives" hosted by Washington and fellow hairstylist Derek J on Bravo.com. In 2011, Washington returned to his music roots by recording "Closet Freak" with the help of "Housewives" castmate, which was followed by an EP, "Don't Stop" in 2012. The following year, Washington and Derek J earned their own Bravo series, "Fashion Queens" (2013-2015), a half-hour program in which the pair, joined by socialite Bevy Smith, discussed celebrity style, often with cutting humor. When that show ran its course, Washington also departed "Fashion Queens" due to allegations of what he called "cultural misappropriation" and tokenism regarding the housewives' sometimes salty and offensive language about other gay men. He soon moved on to acting roles, including a show-stopping appearance on the Season 2 premiere of "Empire" (Fox, 2015-) and guest appearances on talk and variety programs, while also maintaining his celebrity clientele at his eponymous Atlanta salon.