# First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story
*First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story* is a 2023 American biographical television film directed by [Vivica A. Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/vivica-a-fox) for the streaming service BET+, based on the life of Tonesa Welch, the Detroit woman whom federal prosecutors labeled the "First Lady" of the [Black Mafia Family](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-mafia-family) (BMF), a drug trafficking organization founded by brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory.[1](https://www.blackfilmandtv.com/trailers/trailer-to-bet-film-first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story) • [2](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/) The film premiered on October 5, 2023, exclusively on BET+.[1](https://www.blackfilmandtv.com/trailers/trailer-to-bet-film-first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | October 5, 2023, on BET+[1](https://www.blackfilmandtv.com/trailers/trailer-to-bet-film-first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story) |
| Director | Vivica A. Fox, in her feature-length directorial debut[2](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/) |
| Writers | Gabrielle Collins and Tressa Azarel Smallwood[3](https://www.taste.io/movies/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story) |
| Lead cast | Michelle Mitchenor as Tonesa Welch, with Tobias Truvillion, Tristin Fazekas (Meech), Faith Malonte (Southwest T), Leon, and Jessica "Jess Hilarious" Moore[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_first_lady_of_bmf_the_tonesa_welch_story) • [5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/) |
| Production | MegaMind Media, a Black-owned production company based in Maryland and Washington, D.C.; shot on location in 14 days[5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/) • [2](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/) |
| Recognition | Two nominations at the 55th NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series, or Dramatic Special, and Outstanding Directing in the same category[5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/) |
| Later availability | Also streaming on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, the Paramount+ Amazon Channel, and the Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story) |
## Spoilers
### Subject and story
The film follows Tonesa Welch, a teen mom in 1980s Detroit who is drawn into the drug trade by an older dealer called H, who introduces her to a glamorous lifestyle.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_first_lady_of_bmf_the_tonesa_welch_story) After H is imprisoned, Welch forges a new path with Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, the younger of the two Flenory brothers who founded BMF, and becomes a powerful figure in the organization's drug empire.[1](https://www.blackfilmandtv.com/trailers/trailer-to-bet-film-first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story) • [7](https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-biopic-to-debut-on-bet-in-october-34256133/) The story spans from 1980s Detroit to Los Angeles in the 2000s and ends with Welch's arrest, imprisonment, and later efforts at redemption.[8](https://eurweb.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-a-tale-of-transformation-redemption-and-resilience/)
The "First Lady" label came from federal prosecutors during the BMF case. In 2005 the [Drug Enforcement Administration](https://www.edgepedia.org/drug-enforcement-administration) carried out a crackdown on BMF members after a two-decade investigation; Welch was arrested and sentenced to 57 months in prison on money laundering charges, while Southwest T and Big Meech each received 30-year sentences.[9](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-first-lady-of-bmf-based-on-the-true-story-of-tonesa-welch/)
## Production
Executive producer Tressa Azarel Smallwood, founder of MegaMind Media, developed the film after watching Welch's episode of the BET unscripted true crime series *American Gangster: Trap Queens*; she has said that about fifteen minutes in, she decided she wanted to tell Welch's story.[10](https://popculture.com/streaming/news/first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story-subject-executive-producer-talk-development-biopic-exclusive/) Welch herself serves as an executive producer and appears in the film as herself.[9](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-first-lady-of-bmf-based-on-the-true-story-of-tonesa-welch/) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story) Serving as additional executive producers are Donte "Don" Lee, Judge Greg Mathis, and Delece James on behalf of MegaMind Media, alongside Lorisa Bates, Marvin Neil, and Devin Griffin representing BET+.[5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/)
**Directorial debut.** The film was Vivica A. Fox's first feature as a director. She said a driving force was learning how inaccurately Welch had been portrayed on other series about BMF, referring to the Starz drama *BMF*, in which the character MarKaisha Taylor, played by LaLa Anthony, is based on Welch.[2](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/) • [7](https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-biopic-to-debut-on-bet-in-october-34256133/) The film was shot on location in 14 days, a schedule Fox described as tight given her aim to reproduce the details of each era accurately; she cited telephones, cars, and hairstyles as the three elements the crew worked hardest to get right.[2](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/) • [8](https://eurweb.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-a-tale-of-transformation-redemption-and-resilience/) Shooting took place in Washington, D.C., which provided a tax rebate through the District's Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment).[5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/)
## Reception and recognition
At the 55th [NAACP Image Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/naacp-image-awards), announced in late January 2024, the film received two nominations, for Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series, or Dramatic Special and for Outstanding Directing in that category, marking Fox's first nominations for a directorial feature and the first NAACP Image Awards nominations for MegaMind Media.[5](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 5.7.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story)
## Related works
Welch's story reached audiences before the film through her *American Gangster: Trap Queens* episode and the docu-series *Notorious Queens*, and she later expanded it in print. Her memoir *Black Mafia Queen: The Woman Behind the BMF Empire*, written with her son Harold Corey Mills, was published in 2026 and covers her rise from a middle-class Detroit teenager to a figure in cocaine distribution, her imprisonment, and her rebuilding of her life afterward.[9](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-first-lady-of-bmf-based-on-the-true-story-of-tonesa-welch/) • [11](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223121157-black-mafia-queen) The Starz series *BMF*, created by Randy Huggins and centered on the Flenory brothers, remains the best-known dramatization of the organization.[12](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/bmf/)
## Versions and availability
Listings give different runtimes for the film: [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) lists 1 hour 44 minutes, Apple TV and Rotten Tomatoes list 1 hour 50 minutes, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists 2 hours.[13](https://www.paramountplus.com/movies/video/ALVE01KPEP6BQEEFDVQTHN8NP2C3XS/) • [14](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story/umc.cmc.l0akehwreb7pac4hqw346iq2) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_first_lady_of_bmf_the_tonesa_welch_story) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story) After its BET+ debut, the film became available on Paramount+ and its channel variants.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story) Apple TV rates it NC-17 with content advisories for language and violence, while Paramount+ lists it TV-MA.[14](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story/umc.cmc.l0akehwreb7pac4hqw346iq2) • [13](https://www.paramountplus.com/movies/video/ALVE01KPEP6BQEEFDVQTHN8NP2C3XS/)
## References
1. [Trailer to BET+ film 'First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story', BlackFilmandTV.com](https://www.blackfilmandtv.com/trailers/trailer-to-bet-film-first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story)
2. [Vivica A. Fox's directorial debut aims to set a record straight, CNN via ABC17News](https://abc17news.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/10/20/vivica-a-foxs-directorial-debut-aims-to-set-a-record-straight/)
3. [First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story (2023), Taste](https://www.taste.io/movies/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story)
4. [The First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_first_lady_of_bmf_the_tonesa_welch_story)
5. ["First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story" Scores Two NAACP Image Awards' Nominations, The Washington Informer](https://www.washingtoninformer.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-scores-two-naacp-image-awards-nominations-for-vivica-a-foxs-film-directorial-debut/)
6. [First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story)
7. ['First Lady of BMF' Tonesa Welch biopic to debut on BET+ in October, Detroit Metro Times](https://www.metrotimes.com/arts/first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-biopic-to-debut-on-bet-in-october-34256133/)
8. [First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story – A Tale of Transformation, Redemption, and Resilience, EURweb](https://eurweb.com/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story-a-tale-of-transformation-redemption-and-resilience/)
9. [First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch's Story from Infamy to Reform, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-first-lady-of-bmf-based-on-the-true-story-of-tonesa-welch/)
10. ['First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story' Subject, Executive Producer Talk Development of Biopic, PopCulture.com](https://popculture.com/streaming/news/first-lady-of-bmf-tonesa-welch-story-subject-executive-producer-talk-development-biopic-exclusive/)
11. [Black Mafia Queen: The Woman Behind the BMF Empire, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223121157-black-mafia-queen)
12. [BMF Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/bmf/)
13. [First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/movies/video/ALVE01KPEP6BQEEFDVQTHN8NP2C3XS/)
14. [First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/first-lady-of-bmf-the-tonesa-welch-story/umc.cmc.l0akehwreb7pac4hqw346iq2)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2023–2024 films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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