YVETTE NICOLE BROWN

The Beverly Hilton

Beverly Hills, CA

May 8, 2024

Photo credit: Yvette Nicole Brown

Every so often, My Celebrity Photo Album throws me a curveball. 

Usually, this project follows a practiced rhythm: I meet a celebrity and deliver a solid three-sentence pitch, which ends with me asking them to take my picture. Their reactions are always different, however, and that’s where the stories begin. But at the Beverly Hilton, Emmy-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown completely flipped the script on me.

I was invited to a swanky global conference. This top-notch event featured three days of outstanding panel discussions with global leaders, experts, and innovative thinkers. The night before, I was perusing the schedule and was pleasantly surprised to see that actress Yvette Nicole Brown was scheduled to speak on one of the panels I was interested in. I met Ms. Brown back in 2005 when I asked Linda Hamilton to take my picture. The three of us are in that photo together.

The session she was participating in was about the value of sympathetic caregiving. Ten years ago, she bowed out of her hit TV series Community to care for her dad. She moved him across the country and into her home, where she became his full-time, loving caregiver. "Family first," she says.

I attended the discussion, and when it was over, I walked up to talk to her. She was all smiles and said hello. “That was a great talk,” I said. Then, “This is a little different, but…” She interrupted, “Is this about a picture?” I said, “Yeah!” She continued, “You want me to take a picture of you, right?” Surprised, I said, “Yeah!”

"I was just looking at your website today," she said. "Then I saw you in the audience and thought, I know that girl. I know that girl. How do I know her?? Oh! It’s that same girl from the picture.” 

I certainly didn’t expect that she would be the one prepared to meet me. And because I figured I’d have to refresh her memory, I brought a copy of that picture with Linda Hamilton. I handed it to her. She said, “This is so cool! I remember this day and that Linda loved this idea, and then we called you over to sit with us. Man, that was 20 years ago. That was for the movie The Kid & I.” I said, “YES!!!” I was so taken by the sheer kismet of the moment that I kissed her hand. She said, “I love this idea. I was looking at your website this morning and saw the pictures by Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart… He did this." She covered her face to mimic what he had done in Calista’s photo. 

I was floored to hear of the time she'd invested. I said, “It’s so cool that you were looking at my site!” I pulled out the original snapshot she had taken two decades prior. I said, “This is the photo you took 20 years ago, but there is no real story to go with it. I was hoping you’d take a new one.” She said, “Of course! I’d love to!!” 

We paused for a moment, figuring out the logistics. She was elevated on the stage, and I was standing two feet below her. Noticing my cane, her caregiving instincts immediately kicked in. “I’ll come down there,” she said. She stepped down to meet me at eye level. It felt like an unplanned echo of the very panel she had just hosted.

She was so kind and genuine. I handed her my camera. She took a photo of me alone and another picture of the two of us together. Most of these unplanned run-ins are quite fun, but the fact that she recognized me, remembered our history, and was enthusiastic about refreshing her entry threw me for a loop. Thanks so much, Miss Yvette. I appreciate you and this surprise encounter. Your dad is lucky to have you.

This is the photo she took 20 years ago.