When I meet Tené Wilder at Mama Koko’s, the bustling midtown cafe and restaurant tucked inside Hooper House on E. 23rd Street, she is smiling from ear to ear. Her curly hair is styled in a shoulder-length brown bob with honey-blonde highlights framing her face. The style feels elegant and free as she spots me near the restaurant’s back bar. Moments later, we’re deep in conversation about her success in Hollywood.
“I’ve watched my life grow and grow with all the trials and tribulations, and then to be a part of a film that gets 16 nominations. Look at God,” she says.
The family tree is gifted with skills in cosmetology — Wilder is a fourth-generation cosmetologist.
Wilder is talking about her work as key hairstylist on Ryan Coogler’s Academy-Awards nominated “Sinners,” for which she has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won a 2026 Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylist Guild Award. As a veteran artist in Hollywood, Wilder is proud that her work with crafting period styling, especially for Annie, played by Wunmi Mosaku, is getting acknowledged. “Annie was created with a hometown Mississippi, Southern young lady in mind,” says Wilder. Being able to showcase natural styling with deep Southern influence is a proud moment for the stylist. Wilder’s previous work on Ryan Murphy’s “Pose” also flexed her skills with styling half wigs and curly units for Indya Moore on the 1980s drama, which earned her an Emmy in 2021.
Wilder has gained this notoriety and public acclaim without losing touch with the love and nourishment of home. A Baltimore native, Wilder didn’t come to our interview alone, but invited some of the women who nurtured her dreams from a young age to help tell her story. As an aunt to two wondrous little Black girls, I’m thrilled to hear from the people who loved her first and know her best about who Wilder is and how she grew the successful career and confidence she has now.
“Tené’s my oldest grandchild and has experienced many challenges, but she’s always been able to solve complex issues,” said Agnes Baker. The 87-year-old woman is a proud grandmother, coming to our conversation equipped with a burgundy notebook filled with affirmations for her granddaughter. “She has always been this little ambitious girl. I told her all the time to continue with that love and kindness and always shine bright.” After Agnes’ heartfelt messages to Wilder, more family stories poured out.
“Tené used to do my hair! I’d let her do whatever she thought was best,” said Wanda Baker, Agnes’ daughter and Wilder’s aunt.
The Bakers, both in black dresses with shawls, one sequined and the other polka-dotted, were the first two people I met from Wilder’s family when I arrived at Mama Koko’s. Both women showed up before Wilder to sing her praises. The two sat facing each other at a small brown two-top, and I, the inquiring journalist dropping into their family story, pulled up a chair to join them. Music hums over the speakers, and I lean in closer. “How old was she when she’d do your hair back then?” I ask.
“Oh, she was about 10 years old,” Wanda replies. “It was in her DNA.” The family tree is gifted with skills in cosmetology — Wilder is a fourth-generation cosmetologist. Agnes, a loving root, got her start styling neighbors and friends around her neighborhood as a child. Agnes’ mother, Wilder’s great grandmother, styled hair too, and Wilder’s mother, Vera, was also a stylist.
By 14, four years after she began doing her aunt Wanda’s hair, Wilder had built a steady flow of clients by serving other teen girls in Baltimore.
That’s when Lisa Parker, a Baltimore-based hairstylist and salon owner with decades of experience, saw teenage talent with vast potential. Parker’s low-cut blonde hair is tapered close to the scalp. The tone is perfect, not too brassy, and there’s no doubt Parker is a wizard with bleach and developer. “My mother and her mother went to the same church. I was surveying the room on different Sundays, asking the younger girls, ‘Who does your hair?’ And they all kept saying Tené,” Parker tells me when she arrives at the cafe.
Eventually, Parker’s daughter wanted to join the ranks of Wilder’s clientele. “It was her first year of middle school, and I’d been doing her hair her whole life, then she asked me if Tené could do her hair. I drop her off to Tené on Labor Day, and when I pick her up, her hair looks so good!” Parker says. “It looked like I did it. So, we get home, and I call Tené, and I ask if she’d like to come and work in a salon.”
Parker could hear Wilder’s shock on the other end of the line. “She said, ‘Oh my God, y’all! This lady offered me a job!’”
Parker championed Wilder through a high school work-study apprenticeship, and Wilder began bringing her clients to Parker’s salon, complete with professional resources and Parker’s mentorship. Parker’s assurance in Wilder stems from shared community and understanding that any conflict could be solved by leaning into their connection. “I knew her family. Her mother was the chairperson of the usher board, and I knew her roots,” Parker recalls. “I knew I could have a conversation with her family if anything wasn’t going well.”
But not everyone had the same faith in Wilder’s abilities. “For me, I’ve been doing hair for 45 years. I bleed hairspray! I taught cosmetology for seven years. When I saw her work all over the church, I knew she could do it, but the other thing was that her teacher, who came to the salon [to approve the work-study], wasn’t very favorable. She said Tené had a bad attitude and she was never going to do anything with her life,” Parker recalled. “I said, ‘But she can do hair!’” Parker’s faith and willingness to hire Wilder dispelled the harsh criticism. With Parker’s support, Wilder defied the dismissive limits placed upon her.
Parker’s tone is loving and nostalgic when telling stories of Wilder’s start. Her stories of the young teenager she once mentored drift back through time. In our brief conversation, I’m walked across decades of rich friendship and care. “I only got stern with them [Wilder and other young mentees] one time. I needed them to know that effort and commitment go far in this business.”
Parker’s lessons weren’t wasted. After working as Parker’s assistant and learning about salon etiquette, Wilder, despite being the youngest stylist, became the most popular. Local buzz led to more clients and more room to experiment with daring cuts and creative styles. Decades later, with experience, awards, and peer recognition to boot, Wilder shows us all that with resources and constructive criticism from a trusted mentor, teenagers can learn and soar. The challenge is for us, adults in their community, to meet their talent with support and skill-building if we want an adaptive, resourced world.
Danyelle Batts, one of Wilder’s oldest friends, has been there alongside Wilder the whole way. Recently, Batts joined Wilder on the red carpet at the 57th NAACP Image Awards.
“I met Tené years ago. We have a mutual best friend named Tamika, and Tamika was going to Tené to get her hair done. And the first time we all hung out, a trio was born!” That first meeting was in 1998. For nearly 30 years, these three friends have loved each other and supported each other. “I’ve seen the journey. I saw when she was working in another salon. I saw when she opened up her own salon. I saw when she was starting, doing theater, movies, and TV shows. I saw the path.” Batts’ eyes well with tears at the close of our conversation. “There are no words to convey how proud I am of her. Talk about speaking into existence. It did not come without hard work, sacrifice, and her village. I am so honored to be a part of her village.”
Now, Wilder is a mentor to many young stylists herself. Shelby Samaria, Wilder’s cousin, is one mentee who loves her dearly. “We’re 15 years apart. When I was a baby girl, I always looked up to Tené. A neighbor taught me how to braid when I was seven years old, and that was cool! When I was 11 or 12, I asked her [Wilder] how she felt about me working with her during the summer. [The salon] was a lovely place, and somewhere I loved spending time.”
Years later, after she quit nursing school, Samaria returned to working in Wilder’s salon. The ability to return to her cosmetology skills during a challenging transition was a huge comfort to Samaria. “I remember my last days at the salon, I was packing up, heading to New York, and not fully knowing what I wanted to do in my life, but wanting to live my life fully. I was going through this series of trial and error, and then Tené looked at me and said ‘Whatever you do, never get discouraged. Just keep going and don’t let anything stop you.’ And I never tell her this, but anytime I want to give up or anything is really hard, I look back and go ‘Nope! I’m not discouraged!’” Samaria says.
Wilder’s tenacity is a testament to the love she’s wrapped in. Her friends and family here in Baltimore are proud champions carrying the story of her homegrown success in their hearts. When we wrap our conversations, Wilder’s family is photo-ready. Their excitement that their superstar is getting hometown recognition is palpable.
“Once upon a time, someone said I wasn’t going to be anything,” Wilder said. “Now, I tell young ladies to never give up on their dreams.”
While the world sees an award-winning stylist, Wilder’s family shines a light on a woman who has overcome harsh judgment and empowered others. The bevvy of nominations this award season is an added bonus to a career already full of praise and true admiration. The bear hugs, bright smiles, and reverberating laughter as Wilder enters the cafe show me how much she has already won in life. She’s surrounded by warmth, and no matter how far she travels, the hearth of home and family stays lit.
And still, Wilder’s work continues to gain recognition. She was nominated for Outstanding Hairstyling (Television or Film) at the 57th NAACP Awards and won the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylist (MUAHS) Guild Award for Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling at the SAG Awards. And hometown fans can tune in to the Academy Awards on March 15 to see if “Sinner’s” will bring home an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
“I’m so grateful that I’m able to tell my story. Once upon a time, someone said I wasn’t going to be anything. I used to get in trouble when I was younger, but I was always a passionate person. I helped people out. For someone to say that to a young lady — you should never say that to a child. Now I tell young ladies to never give up on their dreams. It’s about how much they want it. Keep pushing,” Wilder says.