- Ahead of the premiere of Season 5 of Living the Dream With Somizi, the flamboyant media personality hosted an intimate pyjama viewing party.
- Close friends and family attended it, including daughter Bahumi Mhlongo and media personalities Lerato Kganyago and Shawn Mkhize.
- New episodes of the season will be released every Wednesday on Showmax until 6 July.
Glitz and glam were the order of the night at an intimate pyjama viewing party of Living the Dream with Somizi hosted by Somizi Mhlongo.
Family, friends, co-stars, and the production crew gathered to view the first episode of the fifth season of his award-winning reality show. The episode premiered at midnight on Showmax.
"This season, I'm living my life to the fullest and showing the silver lining in every dark cloud," Mhlongo said in a press statement.
"I've become more comfortable sharing my life and story with everyone; it's now second nature. It doesn't feel like I have to do something; everything just happens naturally."
In attendance at the viewing party, hosted at Langhams in Fourways, Johannesburg, were media personalities such as Lerato Kganyago, Shawn Mkhize, Vusi Nova, Rami Chuene, Moshe Ndiki and his daughter, Bahumi Mhlongo, among others.
The fourth season of the reality show won the 2020 SAFTA for the Best Structured or Docu-Reality show.
Looking back at what he has learned throughout the seasons of his reality show, Mhlongo said he has learned to be in the moment as "life has become shorter than it was before".
"And to forgive quickly; never forget – you are allowed to cut off anything where love is no longer served on the table. And lastly, being a very kind human being, that for me is a big learning," he said.
The season kicks off in 2021, with Somizi listening to the leaked audio of the abuse allegations made by his estranged husband, Mohale Motaung.
Soon thereafter, his career takes a knock as he is seen taking time off from Idols and Metro FM and replacing his management teams with himself.
"If I thought Covid was the tsunami, I thought wrong," he says in one the episodes and later admits to Vusi that he "lost nearly everything" after the allegations were made.
The premiere of the latest season happens while he is in a different place in his life – on next month's cover of True Love magazine, hosting Downtime with Somizi on 1Magic and Lovey Dovey on Moja Love while also making a return to Idols for season 18.
In the season, Somizi is also shown mourning his mother, expanding his empire, exploring his calling, and working on his relationships with his daughter and her mother, Palesa Mdisakwane.
In a video posted by Showmax, Madisakwane said she was "scared" during filming as it was her first time shooting a reality show.
"I'm a little nervous, but I'm looking forward to all the drama…glitz and glam... camera, lights, and action," she said.
The actor and TV host said she also believed this is where people would get to get to know her.
"This is where I wanted people to get to know me, outside of being called 'Somizi's baby-momma' and 'Bahumi's mother'," she said.
Allow her to reintroduce herself ??! Palesa has arrived and will be #LTDWSomizi from the 4th of May! pic.twitter.com/oUM5Bky8Ez
— Showmax South Africa (@ShowmaxOnline) April 29, 2022
Viewers of the show can also look forward to appearances from Cassper Nyovest, Kelly Khumalo, Pearl Thusi, Lerato Kganyago and Shawn Mkhize.
Showmax's head of content, Candice Fangueiro, said the decision to move the show to their streaming platform came after the exclusive special of Mhlongo and Motaung's wedding – Somizi & Mohale: The Union – broke records and season 4 won a SAFTA.
"Having shown fans the build-up to the wedding and the ceremonies themselves, for balance, we wanted to also explore everything that followed," she said.
Watch season 5 of Living the Dream with Somizi now on Showmax.