The film premiered on May 16, The film was well received critically and garnered four Primetime Emmy Awards , winning for Outstanding Television Movie. She and her siblings are orphaned when their parents, William and Laura, die, leaving their oldest sister, Viola Khandi Alexander , to raise them. Viola is abusive and vicious and Bessie's childhood is unhappy.
She along with her brother Clarence Tory Kittles scrape by working for local vaudeville shows. Her stage ambitions are frustrated by producers unwilling to feature dark-skinned Black women in their shows.
Bessie sneaks onto traveling performer Ma Rainey 's Mo'Nique train compartment and asks to join her show. Ma Rainey takes Bessie under her wing and helps her develop her abilities until Bessie's popularity causes a schism between the two women. Bessie leaves with Clarence to start her own show. Williams , a security guard who later becomes her husband and manager. After a humiliating rejection from the newly formed Black Swan Records , Jack manages to get Bessie a record deal with Columbia Records.
Immense success follows, though Bessie encounters difficulties, including a stabbing attack after a show in her hometown, racism from white guests during an affluent party, and an attack during her show by the Ku Klux Klan , whom she courageously chases off.
Eventually, Bessie reconciles with Viola, and moves her and all of her siblings into a mansion to live with her. The move causes additional tension with Jack, and Bessie pushes him further by adopting a young boy, whom she names Jack Jr. Eventually, Lucille leaves Bessie to have her own life.
