‘Self Made’ on Netflix: Who Was the Real Madam C.J. Walker?

The world has come to a screeching halt but, y’know, at least Netflix is coming through with some entertaining and educational entertainment right when we need it most. Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker is a star-studded Netflix original mini-series that shines a spotlight on an unsung American hero.

Octavia Spencer stars as Sarah Breedlove, a.k.a. Madam C.J. Walker, a natural entrepreneur who rose from being a washerwoman to a self made millionaire, one with an entire haircare empire under her name. The series co-stars Blair Underwood as Mr. C.J. Walker, Tiffany Haddish as the madam’s daughter Lelia, Garrett Morris as the madam’s father-in-law, and Carmen Ejogo as our queen’s main competition.

But this being a previously untold tale of American success, you’re probably going to have a lot of questions about the real life story that inspired it. After all, the word “inspired” is right there in the title! How much of history inspired this story, and how much of it is accurate? Let’s figure this out!

Was the real Madam C.J. Walker a millionaire?

No—unless you take inflation into account. While she earned the reputation as the first-ever self made female millionaire in America during her lifetime, her estate was valued at around $600K at the time of her death. That’s roughly $9 million in today’s dollars, which is a significant chunk of change IMO.

Was the real Madam C.J. Walker a washerwoman?

She was, and Sarah Breedlove’s work as a laundress began when she moved to St. Louis with her daughter in 1888 at the age of 21. And just like in the first episode of Self Made, Walker did suffer from a number of problems with her hair, including dandruff and baldness.

Who was the real Addie Munroe?

Carmen Ejogo plays Madam Walker’s main rival, a cunning businesswoman named Addie Munroe. The adversarial Munroe is an original character created for Self Made, but she does have basis in reality. In 1904, Breedlove became a commission agent for another Black woman entrepreneur, Annie Malone (notice the same initials?).

Unlike Addie Munroe, Annie Malone let Sarah Breedlove sell products for her, and Breedlove even relocated her family to Colorado to sell products for Malone in 1905. The two did have a bit of a falling out, though; Malone (a groundbreaking millionaire in her own right) accused Breedlove of stealing the formula for her haircare products. The two would remain rivals, but presumably their competition wasn’t as close and personal as what’s shown on TV.

Did the real Madam C.J. Walker set up shop in Indianapolis?

Yes, but there were a lot of pitstops between St. Louis and Indianapolis. The show depicts Breedlove packing up and moving to Indianapolis, where her business really takes off. In reality, Breedlove had already moved to Colorado to sell haircare products for Annie Malone. It was in Colorado that Madam Walker started to build her business. In fact, Lelia was left in charge of running the Denver office while Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Walker traveled the country selling products. They then relocated to Pittsburgh in 1908, and ultimately ended up in Indianapolis in 1910. Indianapolis is where Madam Walker established her headquarters and manufacturing company, as seen in the show.

Who was the real Lelia Walker?

A’Lelia Walker, played by Tiffany Haddish in Self Made, was Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter. Lelia’s father was Breedlove’s first husband, Moses McWilliams. Breedlove married McWilliams when she was only 14, and Lelia McWilliams was born four years later. McWilliams died when Lelia was two. Ultimately, Lelia took on the surname of her mother’s third husband, C.J. Walker, becoming A’Lelia Walker.

She was very involved in her mother’s business, and became president of the company after Madam C.J. Walker passed in 1919. Like in the show, Lelia’s first husband was indeed named John (John Robinson), but the U.S. Census listed his occupation as a hotel waiter. Lelia separated from John in 1911 and divorced him in 1914.

You can stream all of Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker on Netflix.

Stream Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker on Netflix