A Field Guide To Mimi Faust

If we're being honest, we'd never actually heard of "Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta" star Mimi Faust before the release of a certain Vivid Celebrity tape (which, come to think of it, is how it usually works with Vivid Celebrity stars). But now that we've become acquainted (and have witnessed her sweet shower rod handling skills), we're eager to know more. So let's dive right in!

Oluremi James (Faust's original name) grew up in Atlanta and LA – but despite the beautiful settings, her childhood was anything but idyllic. When Faust was six or seven, her mother discovered Scientology; her decision to join the church had some serious ramifications for her daughter. A few years after signing up for Scientology, Faust's mother decided to sell all her worldly possessions and relocate the family cross country to Scientology's Los Angeles-based headquarters (known as PAC Base, or Big Blue). Suddenly, Faust's life was Scientology 24/7. And when she turned thirteen, she was pressured to enroll in the infamous Sea Org, which would have required a contractual commitment of a billion years (seriously, a billion years).

In an early display of the business acumen that would later lead her to launch and manage a successful cleaning service, Faust recognized the Sea Org contract as a bad deal and refused to sign. But rejecting Sea Org (and Scientology) came with a price: Faust was ripped away from her mother, who stuck with Scientology even after her teenage daughter was cast out on the street. Ever resourceful, she made it through her teen years with the support of friends, extended family, and her own ingenuity (along with several jobs, including one at a cousin's pharmacy). And in her twenties, Faust was finally able to reconnect with her father, an artist living in upstate New York who prompted her to scrap the James and rebrand herself as Oluremi Faust (Faust being her father's last name).

Not long after reconnecting with her father, Faust made a connection with another important man: Stevie J, the music producer who'd go on to be her on again, off again boyfriend and father of her daughter, Eva (as well as her way in to "Love & Hip-Hop" stardom). For over fifteen years, the two broke up and got back together (once in an apartment J was sharing with then girlfriend Eve, who discovered the two in bed together); when "Love & Hip-Hop" kicked off, J's relationship with Joseline Hernandez drove the final nail into the J/Faust relationship. 

But don't feel too bad for Mimi: not long after she finally split with Stevie, she found her way to Osborne Earl "Nikko" Smith, a musician (and "American Idol" finalist), who became her boyfriend in 2013. Some have had their doubts about the reality of this reality show couple, calling Smith an opportunist and suggesting the two are only together for TV. But from our extremely outside and uninformed perspective, things appear to be going well for the couple: recent rumors suggest that they're getting married and expecting a baby (and rumors are almost fact, right?) – and, of course, there's the whole matter of that sex tape we mentioned above. (Why would these two shoot a sex tape if they weren't actually dating for real?)

Originally, Faust and Smith claimed that the tape was "stolen" from their luggage in a Bahamas airport and "leaked" to Vivid; more recently, Faust admitted that the tape was professionally filmed and shopped to Vivid in an attempt to stay relevant (as VH1 producers had been considering cutting her from "Love & Hip-Hop" due to concerns that she was "boring and bland"). In the wake of her confession, Faust's been expressing some serious contrition for her tape – which, frankly, we consider totally misplaced. She's a well put together woman with an enviable sex life; as far as we're concerned, it'd be a crime to not film and release antics such as these. If you haven't seen the tape yet, we recommend checking it out soon – Faust claims she's going to buy back the rights from Vivid, and it'd be a shame if that prevented you from seeing her amazing shower rod trick.

Which reminds us: about that shower rod trick? Turns out the real secret is having a strong partner: 

The secret is that your partner has to be able to support your weight. I wasn’t just holding on to that bar, swinging from the shower rod by myself, he was holding me up. So ladies, please don’t go and hold on to that rod by yourself and start swinging because you’re going to fall, you’re going to break your neck, you’re going to hurt your back, it’s not going to be a good situation. Your man has to be able to support your weight and hold you up. Nikko works out three times a day. Very, very strong.

We'll keep that in mind the next time we're in the mood to swing from the shower rod!