Character[]
Irene was Madea's deceased sister. She has two grown biological children, Victoria Breaux and Sonny Andrews. It is unknown whether Irene ever married.
Background[]
According to her family, she was very wild and promiscuous throughout her lifetime. Madea also claims she was very ghetto as a teenager.
She was active on drugs and whoring around with men. She had Victoria around that time, and when she was older her mother traded her for $10 and a fix. Before she died, she did get saved (according to Madea), and she had Sonny later. Irene apparently communicated more concerning Sonny and hun growing up. She had a nine-year-old foster daughter which Madea deems she was keeping her for the extra money and not for sincerely liking kids.
History[]
In Madea's Family Reunion (the play), they've just come from her funeral. It is very implied she was on bad terms with her sister, Madea because she slept with one of her husbands and owed her twenty bucks. Madea seemed to be happy that Irene died, and was the only one who showed up to the funeral in red instead of black. In response to them insisting she speak and reflect on memories of her sister, she becomes destructive in anguish.
In Madea goes to Jail (the play), Madea lets Irene's son, Sonny, and his wife and son stay with her to get on their feet. It is implied that Irene was calmed and babied by the time she was raising Sonny.
In the film, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, Madea lets her grandniece, Vanessa, and her two children stay with her. Irene's daughter, Victoria, is having issues with her own daughters. Victoria informs her daughters that she was a real whore and a junkie. She even claimed that Irene traded her for ten bucks and a fix.
Family[]
- Big Mabel Murphy (Mother)
- Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Sister)
- Johnny Simmons (Brother-In-Law)
- Mr. Leroy Brown (Brother-In-Law)
- Joseph “Joe” Baker (Brother)
- Betty “Aunt Bam” Ann Murphy (Cousin)
- Uncle Pete (Cousin-In-Law)
- Cherry (Second Cousin)
- Jason (Ex Second Cousin-In-Law)
- Willis (Ex Second Cousin-In-Law)
- Netta (Third Cousin)
- Leah (Third Cousin)
- Frederick (Brother)
- Heathrow(Brother)
- Willie (Brother/Brother-In-Law)
- Michelle Simmons- Griffin (Niece)
- Cora Jean Simmons (Niece)
- William Simmons (Nephew)
- Brian Simmons (Nephew)
- Donna Simmons (Neice)
- Victoria Breaux (Daughter)
- Sonny (Son)
- Angela (Foster Daughter)
- Vanessa Henderson (Granddaughter)
- Franky Henderson (Grandson-In-Law)
- Lisa Breaux (Granddaughter)
- Carlos (Ex Grandson-In-Law)
- Nima (Great Granddaughter)
- Jonathan (Great Grandson)
- Tre Henderson (Great Grandson-In-Law)
Notes[]
- She is talked about during the series, but she does not make an appearance due to having passed away.
- Irene is the source for the generational dysfunction caused in her family which both Vanessa Breaux and Lisa Breaux eventually overcome.
- It is very likely Victoria and Sonny are half siblings; possibly having different fathers. Not only that, they are very likely to be years apart in age and hardly have a relationship due to their different upbringing from their mother.
- Its possible (almost implied) that Sonny was babysitted by Madea as Irene left him in her care a lot, given that he has a strong and decent relationship with Madea. Sonny doesn’t even mention his mother during the play.