Member of the female R&B Group En Vogue

Rhona Bennett | Biography

Founder of online coaching university Personal Power University

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : September 28, 2021

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Rhona Bennett is an American actress best known for playing Nicole on 'The Jamie Foxx Show.' She is also a member of the Grammy-nominated female R&B group En Vogue.

Who is Rhona Bennett?

Rhona Bennett began her professional acting career in early 1990. She frequently appeared as Mouseketeer on the Disney Channel's The All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1991 to 1995. She also appeared in multiple television series such as Martin, Living Single, and Homeboys in Outer Space in the mid-1990s before landing a breakout role of Nicole on comedy sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show in 1999

Bennett also has a promising musical career. In 2001, she released her eponymous album, Rhona. Two years later, she joined the legendary female R&B group En Vogue.

Early Bio

Rhona Lynn Bennett was born on 10 May 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, the U.S. She grew up in Calumet Park, a suburb of Chicago. Bennett was passionate about music from a very young age. 

In an interview with KittenKuroi's blog, she said she always had a vivid and wild imagination. She also noted that she used to write her own music and scripts and sing around the house all the time. Also, she used to create talent shows with her cousins and the foster kids she grew up with. It was her maternal grandmother who pointed out her talent to her parents. Bennett later took formal training to hone her music skills. 

Family

As of 2021, Bennett's father has already passed away while her mother is alive. In July 2021, Bennet went to the cemetery with her mother and other family members to visit her father's grave.

Television Shows and Appearances

After being discovered by a local agent, Bennett made her on-screen debut at the age of 14. She played her first acting role as Ernestine Dillard Johnson in an episode titled 'Say It Loud' of the ABC drama series Brewster Place, alongside Oprah Winfrey. The series was a spinoff of the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, adapted from Gloria Naylor's 1982 novel of the same name. 

'The All-New Mickey Mouse Club' (MMC)

In 1991, Bennett secured a recurring role on the Disney Channel's variety show, The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, a.k.a. MMC, a revival of the 1950's variety television show The Mickey Mouse, aired on ABC. She appeared as Mouseketeer in six episodes of MMC until 1995. 

"We recorded weekly, which got me very familiar with the studio. We performed live for concerts. We shot videos and dance numbers… it was a huge part of my development as a performer," Bennett told Kitten Kuroi's blog about her breakout role as a Mouseketeer. 

During her time on MMC, she shared the stage with future stars such as Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Ryan Gosling. From 1993 to 1995, she also starred in the role of Nichole 'Niki' Williams in MMC's spinoff Emerald Cove. 

Later, Bennett moved to California and guest-starred in Fox's sitcoms Martin in 1995 and Living Single in 1996. She then portrayed the role of Loquatia on UPN's sci-fi comedy series Homeboys in Outer Space as series regular from 1996 to 1997. 

Bennett then landed a breakout role on The WB's comedy sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, alongside Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx. She appeared in the recurring role of Jamie's singing partner Nicole Evans on 12 episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show from 1999 to 2000. The show allowed her to fuse her acting and singing talent. 

Musical Career

In 1999, Bennett signed a record deal with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins' Darkchild Records/Sony Music label, where she was named the first lady of Darkchild Records. She then released her first single titled 'Satisfied' in 2001, followed by her eponymous LP, Rhona, the same year. The LP became the number one dance hit. 

Bennett traveled around the world performing her own music and also worked with some of the top musicians. She considered it was "an incredible experience that she would always cherish."

She then started working for her second album titled The Anticipation of R&B in 2008. However, the album was later canceled in 2010.

About the representation of her talent, Bennett preferred to represent herself than going for a talent agent, as she had experience in both good and bad management. She explained, "I'd rather represent myself before allowing bad management to step in, possibly steer me in the wrong direction or none at all, and/or take money just because they're present. However, I do think that it can look more professional, and possibly save you from having to be your own shrewd business woman, by having someone else in place to take up the slack…"

En Vogue

In 2003, Bennett joined En Vogue, a contemporary female R&B group formed by four singers, namely Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Maxine Jones, and Cindy Herron, in 1989. By 2003, the group had already released five albums, including two hits such as Born to Sing (1990) and Funky Divas (1992).

When she joined the group, two original members of En Vogue — Robinson and Jones, had left the team. Robinson left the group in 1997 to record a single for a film and to join another band, Lucy Pearl. Together with Robinson, the band released an album in 2000, but she quickly left the band. Robinson also released a solo album titled Dawn in 2002. 

Similarly, another original member of En Vogue, Jones, departed the group in 2001 to focus on her family. Amanda Cole replaced Jones, but Cole also left the group in 2003. Bennett joined the group in the same year. 

Soon, Ellis, Herron, and Bennett started working for the group's sixth album, Soul Flower. The album was released on 24 February 2004, featuring singles' Losin' My Mind' and 'Ooh Boy.' 

However, Jones toured with En Vogue in 2004 when Herron was on maternity leave. All the original members briefly united in 2005, but they parted ways again. 

After touring with the group for several years, Bennett left En Vogue in 2008. However, she collaborated with En Vogue members to perform at the American Music Festival in 2008. Robinson rejoined the group for their 20th Anniversary Tour in 2009.

In 2011, Ellis, Herron, and Jones released a single titled 'I'll Cry Later' from their forthcoming album, planned for a December release. After failing to reach an agreement, Robinson decided not to record En Vogue's new album due in the fall of 2011. Negotiations for the album release resulted in Robinson and Jones leaving En Vogue, once again.

Bennett rejoined the group during their reunion tour in 2012, after which En Vogue became a group of the trio - Bennett, Ellis, and Herron. In 2018, the group released a new album after 14 years titled Electric Cafe, featuring Ne-Yo, Raphael Saadiq, and Snoop Dogg. 

On 3 April 2020, En Vogue released the 30th-anniversary edition of their platinum album Born to Sing, which featured hit tracks such as 'Hold On,' 'Lies,' and 'You Don't Have To Worry.' The 2020 edition featured additional nine new remixes. On 10 September 2021, En Vogue performed at the Sound Waves theater in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

According to bestofnj.com, En Vogue is one of the top five highest-selling American female music groups in history. As a group, En Vogue has sold over 20 million albums as of September 2021.

Movies

In 1995, Bennett appeared in the role of a waitress in the musical drama TV movie Divas. She then portrayed the role of Penelope in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film No Vacancy. Bennett also appeared in John Whitesell's 2003 comedy film Malibu's Most Wanted. After more than a decade, she appeared in the 2014 musical drama film Le jour de père, portraying the role of Jessica. The same year, she appeared in the original Lifetime television movie An En Vogue Christmas, along with her fellow En Vogue members Ellis and Herron. 

In 2016, she appeared in the sci-fi crime short film Architects of Crime, co-written and co-directed by William A. Derrick III and Christopher B. Derrick. Later, she did a cameo in the 2021 comedy film Coming 2 America. She will appear in the role of Patricia Mills in the upcoming short film Q, written and directed by Anthony C. Hall. 

'Coming 2 America'

American comedy film Coming 2 America is a sequel of the 1988 film of the same name based on a story and characters created by Eddie Murphy, who also starred in the lead role. The film featured a cameo of Bennett along with her fellow En Vogue members Ellis and Herron. In the film, En Vogue unites with hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa to perform a revised version of their 1990's hit song 'Whatta Man,' called 'Whatta King.'

Mini-book Series

In addition to acting and musical career, Bennett has authored self-help mini-book series. She published 'Got Motivation?: How To Stay Motivated' on 10 August 2012 and 'Find and Pursue Your Passion: … Even With a 'Regular' Job' on 29 October 2012. 

In 2014, Bennett dealt with a cancer scare when a Melanoma cancerous mole was discovered on her abdomen. Her father also was diagnosed with Mesothelioma cancer the same year. After experiencing the adverse situation that year, she wrote the mini-book series 'Beyond The Fear,' to motivate people facing similar kinds of illness and adversity. The mini-book series was published on 12 October 2015.

Awards and Nominations

Along with fellow cast members of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, Bennett was nominated for the 'Young Artist Award' for 'Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Youth Series or Variety Show' in 1993. As a member of En Vogue, Bennett, Ellis, and Herron received the 'Urban Music Icon Award' in 2020. En Vogue had garnered the 'Grammy Award' nominations seven times in the 1990s.

Other Works

Bennett launched a life fulfillment coaching business in the fall of 2010. In 2016, she founded an online coaching university named Personal Power University to support people's personal growth. 

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bennett has a net worth of $4 million.