Tequan Richmond
Best-known for playing Drew Rock in the iconic sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris”, Tequan “T-Rich” Richmond was born on 30th October 1992, in Burlington, North Carolina, USA. Tequan was raised by his grandmother while his mother, Temple Poteat pursued an acting career in Los Angeles; in 2001, his mother put her son on the ‘phone with her agent after hearing him sing his favorite song, and the rest is history.
Tequan’s mother’s agent, Nancy Chaidez, recognized the youngster’s talent and potential after hearing him sing, and became his first agent. Shortly afterwards, Tequan moved to L.A. and began modelling for magazine ads which made their way to National Geographic, Reader’s Digest and Sports Illustrated to name a few. Tequan’s mother also took her son out of school, and hired a tutor for him so that he could devote as much time as possible to acting.
In 2002, Tequan made his TV debut in an episode of the medical drama series “ER”. Over the next few years, he made guest-starring appearances in “The Shield”, “Cold Case”, “Strong Medicine”, and other shows, most of which were medical or crime drama series. The talented actor also debuted in film with a role as Ray Charles Jr. in “Ray”, a biographical movie following the life of the R&B musician.
2005 marked a turning point in Tequan’s career as he was cast as Drew Rock in “Everybody Hates Chris”. Drew and Chris – played by Tyler James Williams – were polar opposites; Chris was practically a social outcast who was constantly harassed and rejected by his peers, whereas Drew, his younger brother, was idolized for being athletically and academically gifted as well as extremely popular.
Drew’s character was known for having a multitude of girlfriends and being exceptionally lucky. He even appeared slightly older than Chris due to the height difference between them; even so, Drew looked up to his older brother, who was considered the hardworking and responsible one of the family. As the series progressed, Drew began mimicking Chris’s behavior, and staying out of trouble as much as possible.
“Everybody Hates Chris” aired from 2005 to 2009 on UPN and The CW. The Emmy-nominated show was created by the comedian Chris Rock, and is loosely based on his adolescent experiences; in March 2021, it was confirmed that an animated reboot of the series, “Everybody Still Hates Chris”, was in development. It remains to be seen whether the main characters of the original show will participate in the reboot.
For a couple of years after “Everybody Hates Chris” wrapped up, Tequan was back to guest-starring in sitcoms and drama series. In 2012, he was cast as TJ Ashford in the ABC soap opera “General Hospital”, a role that lasted six years until he was replaced by Tajh Bellow. TJ joined the show as a problematic adolescent, who was sent to Port Charles by his mother when she decided she couldn’t handle raising him anymore.
When given the choice between living with Shawn Butler or attending military school, both parties agreed that it would be better for TJ and Shawn to live together. Shawn, especially, felt guilty regarding his part in the death of TJ’s father. TJ’s storylines over the next few episodes saw him arrested for joyriding after stealing a car, and throw a wild party at a friend’s house that caused thousands of dollars in damage; however, his character eventually grew up, went to college, and married.
In 2013, Tequan made his Sundance Film Festival debut playing Lee Boyd Malvo in “Blue Caprice”. He was later cast as Christian Fulner in the teen comedy series “All Night”, which lasted one season, and played Bryson in Lena Waithe’s comedy series “Boomerang”, which aired from 2019 to 2020.
Although acting clearly isn’t Tequan’s priority these days, he will be playing Chris Johnson in the upcoming movie “House Party 6: Let’s Get Turn Up”.
Present Day
These days, Tequan describes himself on Instagram as an actor, writer, producer, director and businessman. The former sitcom star posts sparingly on social media; in late January 2023, he brought in the new year saying: “2022 was a challenge in every way imaginable… Becoming a man… Learning patience… And also learning how to be the perfect father to my babies. But this year 2023 I’m ready to get back out there again.”
That’s right: Tequan and his longtime girlfriend Tetona Jackson welcomed their first child, a daughter named Harlie Giselle Richmond, in March 2021. In 2022, Tequan and an anonymous woman brought another child into the world; however, Tequan is fiercely protective of his children’s privacy, and it’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing the actor’s children in the public eye anytime soon. Tetona herself is a working actress who has had recurring roles in “Boomerang” and “Good Trouble”.
In a 2019 interview with Soap Opera News, the “General Hospital” star discussed how he had been branching out from TV and film, preferring to explore other lanes. “It’s cool to do something for a long time,” he said. “But for me personally, not forever. If you feel like you have talents in other areas, then go ahead and see what becomes of them.”
If nothing else, Tequan has never been afraid to take risks. Recently, the “Everybody Hates Chris” alum earned his first producer credit for the crime/thriller film “Nowhere, Michigan”, which he also starred in. Fans were also surprised to discover that Tequan writes and creates beats, although he prefers to describe it as a hobby rather than a full-time job.
Despite juggling so many projects at once, Tequan also found time to launch his Everybody Loves Drew merchandise in late 2022. The North Carolina native has a pretty eclectic fashion sense himself, but his merchandise line has proven itself to be popular amongst his fans.
Regarding Tequan’s assets, the producer is worth an estimated $500,000 thanks to his mid-2000s acting heyday. It’s been a quiet year for the musician so far, but fans eagerly await the announcement of new projects.
