Taraji P. Henson’s ‘Give Me Some Sugah’ Reveals the Mother-Son Reunion Behind the Movie
The Netflix drama follows Chicago baker Lenore Lindsey, whose loyal customer turned out to be the son she placed for adoption decades earlier.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
September 24, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Taraji P. Henson stars in Netflix’s Give Me Some Sugah as Chicago baker Lenore Lindsey, who discovers that a longtime customer is the son she gave up for adoption.
- The film draws from Lindsey and Vamarr Hunter’s real-life reunion, which led Hunter to help run her South Shore bakery during a health crisis despite having no baking experience.
- Tasha Smith directs the December 16 release, with Russell Hornsby, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Joey Bada$$ joining Henson in the cast.
Taraji P. Henson and Tasha Smith are working together again, but their new Netflix project comes with a real-life twist no screenwriter had to invent. The first photos from Give Me Some Sugah, released to People on Thursday, September 24, show Henson as Lenore Lindsey, a Chicago baker who discovers that one of her longtime customers is the son she gave up for adoption. Smith directs the film, which premieres December 16 on the streaming giant.
The two recently appeared together in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again?, with Henson joining the franchise as Roselyn and Smith returning as Angela. In Give Me Some Sugah, Smith moves behind the camera while Henson takes on Lindsey’s story.
The new images show Henson with Russell Hornsby, who plays Robert, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who plays Angie. Joey Bada$$ also stars.
As previously reported last October, the film was originally called ’Tis So Sweet, and Henson and Joey’s casting made headlines.
Lindsey was 17 when she placed her newborn son for adoption. Years later, Vamarr Hunter became a regular at her Give Me Some Sugah bakery in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. He didn’t know Lindsey was his mother; she didn’t know the customer standing in front of her was her son.
Hunter had learned he was adopted at 35, and genetic testing eventually connected the two. By then, they were already living in the same neighborhood.
Their reunion changed the bakery, too. When Lindsey faced a health crisis, Hunter helped run the business despite having no baking experience. They later worked there together. “You can’t make up for time and days gone by,” he said about the choice to run the bakery. “What you can do is properly utilize the time that you have.”
Henson told People she was drawn to the choice Lindsey made before she knew any of that would happen. After a professional setback, Lindsey pursued her long-delayed dream of opening a bakery. “What moved me most was Lenore’s resilience and tenacity,” Henson said.
She also said she hopes the film encourages viewers to reconnect with someone they love.
Perry and DeVon Franklin produce Give Me Some Sugah, from a script by Randy Brown.
