30 years later, Kathleen Bradley reflects on breaking barriers with her unforgettable role as Mrs. Parker in the film ‘Friday’.
It’s been 30 years since the world first laid eyes on “Mrs. Parker,” the flirtatious neighbor from the cult classic film Friday, and fans are still calling her name. Actress, model, author, and talk show host Kathleen Bradley—best known as the first African American model on the multi-Emmy Award-winning game show The Price Is Right—is taking a well-deserved bow as the anniversary of the iconic film rolls around.
Born and raised in Girard, Ohio, Kathleen grew up in a close-knit family filled with love, discipline, and ambition. Her father worked in the steel mill during its heyday, and she attended some of the best schools, crediting her upbringing as the foundation that shaped the woman she is today.
A trailblazer long before she stepped into the role that would make her a pop culture legend, Kathleen won Miss Black California in 1971 and became part of the dynamic seven-girl R&B group The Love Machine. “We were like Tina Turner on steroids and the Beyoncé of our day,” she laughs. “I’d come out, do a cartwheel, drop into a split, and start singing. The crowd would go wild. We traveled all throughout the world.”
But it was The Price Is Right where Kathleen broke major ground, spending a decade as the first Black “Barker Beauty.” And it was there, on daytime TV, that she caught the eye of rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube.
“Ice Cube told the casting team, ‘I want that Black lady from The Price Is Right,” Kathleen recalls with a smile. She went in for an audition, landed the role of Mrs. Parker, and the rest, as they say, is cinematic history.
Filming Friday was as magical as it was spontaneous. “The first day on set, F. Gary Gray had us all sit down for a table read. Chris Tucker started ad-libbing, and the energy was just electric,” she said. “I was thrilled to work with such amazing talents—Ice Cube, Bernie Mac, Anna Maria Horsford. I bonded with Bernie, even spoke with his wife. He was such a cool individual. And Tony Cox, who played my husband? We still play cards to this day.”
Kathleen’s revealing and now-iconic Mrs. Parker outfit wasn’t her idea. “I thought it was a little skimpy and risky,” she chuckles. “But everyone loved it—so I wore it and made the character my own.”
The legacy of Mrs. Parker lives on—so vividly, in fact, that women still dress up as her for Halloween, including none other than Beyoncé. “It amazes me. People stop me all the time in public. They don’t even call me Kathleen—they say ‘Mrs. Parker!’ It’s such an honor.”
Though Friday was just a few days of shooting for Kathleen, it created a lifetime of memories and opened doors she never expected. “That movie changed my life. Even at the premiere, everyone was rolling in laughter. And to this day, it’s still funny as hell. Nobody thought it would become this legendary.”
In 2014, Kathleen penned her revealing memoir Backstage at The Price Is Right: Memoirs of a Barker Beauty, offering fans an unfiltered peek into the drama, glamour, and behind-the-scenes chaos of the #1 game show in history. “It’s jaw-dropping,” she says. “Humorous, gritty, and all true. I was the first Black model on that show—and I lived it all.”
As the 30-year anniversary of Friday reminds the world of her unforgettable impact, Kathleen Bradley remains grounded in gratitude and purpose. “I want people to remember me for my energy and my spirit. I never made promises I couldn’t keep. I’ve always been there for people.”
From Girard to Hollywood, from cartwheels on stage to cult status on screen, Kathleen Bradley has proven she’s more than a pretty face—she’s a cultural icon whose light keeps shining bright.
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