Vegan TikTok Star Tabitha Brown Joins Cast of Lena Waithe’s Series The Chi

Actress and vegan influencer Tabitha Brown will join the cast of The Chi, a popular drama series created by Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe. The coming-of-age series is centered around a group of South Side Chicago residents linked together by coincidence. Brown will play the recurring role of “Octavia,” an interior designer. Brown’s previous television work includes guest appearances on Freeform’s Switched at Birth, Bounce TV’s Family Time, and NBC’s Will & Grace. “So excited to join The Chi family,” Brown announced on social media. “Thank you Lena Waithe for seeing me for me. I’m so grateful. I can’t wait to share this journey with all of you.” 

The fourth season of The Chi is currently in production and will return to Showtime later this year. 

Tabitha Brown: The vegan sensation

In 2017, Brown eliminated animal products from her diet to combat ongoing health issues after watching vegan documentary What the Health? Later that year, Brown became a viral sensation after posting a video of herself eating a Smoky TTLA sandwich—a vegan BLT made with tempeh, tomato, lettuce, avocado, and Brown’s addition of a pickle—she bought from a Whole Foods Market deli counter. Her video inspired countless fans to request that the TTLA be available at their local store, quickly influencing Whole Foods to add the vegan sandwich to its stores nationwide. The grocery chain even named Brown its BFF & Plant-Based Brand Ambassador shortly thereafter. 

Since the first viral video, Brown has shared her vegan lifestyle with millions of fans on social media, striking lightning in a bottle for the second time with a viral carrot bacon recipe she shared on TikTok in 2020. After signing with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)—one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies—in April 2020, Brown landed her own show, All Love, on the Ellen Digital Network. During the 2020 holiday season, Brown also made guest appearances on shows such as Steve Harvey’s web series Steve on Watch and Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch, a web series hosted by celebrities Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their family.