Multi-hyphenate Leslie Antonoff built her brand from the ground up—honing her gift for storytelling, undeniable charisma, and effortless style to curate the life she envisioned. The TV host, writer, and mom of three sat down for this week’s episode for Mompreneurs, speaking with host Nancy Redd about her journey from white-collar to becoming her own boss.
‘The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl‘
At one point, the Howard University alum was headed to USC for business and law school, but with the support of her family, she ultimately chose a different path: entertainment.
Antonoff tapped into her creative side with cameos on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, the beloved web series created by longtime friend and collaborator Issa Rae. “It was the ultimate feeling of like, oh okay, I might be good at that,” she told Redd.
Awkward Black Girl led to her own series, Let LESLIE Tell It, a pop culture commentary that became a hit on Rae’s YouTube channel (now HOORAE Media). After producing 50 episodes, Antonoff was ready for a new adventure.
She launched her own cooking show ‘Butter+Brown.’
She teamed up with friend and fellow foodie Seth Brundle to create a pilot for a cooking show. “I really want to see a funny culinary show with some Black people, so I made it,” she said.
Rae came on board to produce the web series, Butter+Brown, which premiered on her channel. And just six episodes in, the show was picked up by aspireTV (Magic Johnson’s TV network). Onscreen, the dynamic duo dished out flavor-packed recipes and authentic conversation with celebrity guests like rapper Ludacris, actor Larenz Tate, and chef Carla Hall.
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Antonoff continues to push the boundaries of her creativity.
For this mom of three, there’s never a dull moment—from hosting Butter+Brown to writing a novel, and collaborating with HGTV, Food Network, and HBO Max, she’s always on the move. Through her personal brand, Hautemommie, Antonoff has built a platform that showcases her versatility, creativity, and signature style.
Entrepreneurship has always been a part of her DNA. “I have always been somebody that has tried to figure out how to get what I want if I don’t have it. I started my first business when I was eight years old because I wanted snack money.”
‘They can love you today and hate you tomorrow.’
As a seasoned influencer with a strong following, Antonoff has learned a thing or two about navigating the online world.
“The internet is fickle because people are fickle. They can love you today and hate you tomorrow,” she said. “What you have to do is make what you want to see. I make content for me … about things that interest me. And what I found is that, when you do that, you start to find the people that belong in that community.”
“So I would say, stay the course. Figure out what you want to see and make that happen.”
Balancing motherhood + ambition is something she embraces fully.
“I’m not the only person that became a mom but still wants to maintain who I am as a person,” said Antonoff. “So I’m just going to do this, and hopefully encourage other people to do the same.”
Don’t miss out on the full conversation. Watch or listen to this episode of Mompreneurs above.
Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every week.
Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these mompreneurs share their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online on the Urban One Podcast Network.
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