Cookout season is officially here, and according to Tia Mowry, every great gathering starts with connection, good food and plenty of memories.
The actress, producer and entrepreneur has partnered with Bounty to celebrate the return of summer cookouts and the important “roles” — and “rolls” — everyone plays when hosting family and friends.
For Mowry, the collaboration felt authentic from the start because Bounty has long been part of her everyday life.
“Bounty has been a part of my lifestyle for years and a part of my life,” Mowry said. “I can even think all the way back to being a little girl, maybe eight years old, in the kitchen with my mom cooking and helping her clean. I was her sous chef, and Bounty was there.”
Mowry shared that the brand has remained a staple through every chapter of her life, from moving into her first apartment to raising her two children today.
“I remember being really excited about being on my own and getting to choose whatever it was that I put into my household, and Bounty was on that list,” she says. “Now I’m a mom, and there are so many hats that you put on. I’m cooking, cleaning, helping with artwork and activities. My daughter, Cairo, is really into art, and of course there are spills and messes, and Bounty has my back.”
As summer hosting season quickly approaches, Mowry says every successful cookout needs more than just food on the table.
“Music has to be a part of any cookout,” she says. “Board games, card games, dance — I love to dance. There has to be some sort of line dance that everybody joins in on.”
For the actress, cookouts are ultimately about bringing people together.
“When I think of cookouts, it’s all about creating memories and connecting with people,” she explains. “Music connects people. Dance connects people. Entertainment connects people. Food connects people.”
(Courtesy Bounty)
And yes, there are a few dishes she considers mandatory.
“There has to be some sort of barbecue dish, whether that’s barbecue ribs or barbecue chicken,” Mowry says. “Mac ’n cheese has to be a part of that.”
When asked about her dream cookout guest list, Mowry immediately named Michael Jackson.
“I have been the biggest fan of him ever since I was a little girl,” she says with a laugh. “I literally had his poster in my playroom. I remember near where the lips were, it was rubbed off because I was always kissing on it.”
Despite decades in Hollywood, Mowry revealed Jackson is still the one celebrity she wishes she could have met.
“He’s the only celebrity that I’ve never met that I wanted to meet,” she says.
Her second pick was her late great-grandmother Cecilia, whom she credits as a major influence in her life.
“She came over to Miami, Florida, at the age of 15 years old,” Mowry says of her family’s Caribbean roots from Eleuthera. “If it weren’t for her, I would not even be where I am today.”
The final guest on her dream list? A surprising one.
“I was gonna say Care Bears,” she jokes. “The kids would love it. We would all do the Care Bear stare.”
Beyond cookouts and summer hosting, Mowry also opened up about how her definition of success has changed over the years as she’s stepped into producing and creating more projects of her own.
“My definition of success has definitely evolved,” she says. “Success is doing something that is in alignment with what it is that you really want to do and something that you are having fun doing.”
The actress says fulfillment matters more to her now than outside validation.
“When you are able to do what you love to do, it doesn’t necessarily feel like work,” she explains. “I feel so blessed and grateful to say that I can say yes to all of those things.”
As for the stories she’s most passionate about telling at this stage of her career, Mowry says women’s stories remain at the center of her work.
“I’m extremely passionate about women in general,” she says. “Women are strong. We are inspiring. We are empowered.”
She especially loves stories that showcase women overcoming obstacles and embracing themselves fully.
Tia Mowry in cookout-themed social video for Bounty.
“We all as women have gone through something,” Mowry says. “Whether it’s growing into ourselves as we get older and being able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I love me.’”
“Any story that has to do with a woman overcoming something, I would love to tell that story,” she continues. “And I think women are badass. Any story showing a woman being badass, I’m all for it.”
Whether she is sharing her must-have cookout staples, reflecting on her evolving definition of success or discussing the kinds of women-centered stories she hopes to continue telling, Mowry makes one thing clear: connection remains at the heart of everything she does. From family gatherings to the projects she chooses to produce, the actress says authenticity, joy and creating meaningful memories continue to guide both her career and personal life.
