Tamera Mowry-Housely Noticeably Absent From ‘The Real’ Following Niece’s Death In Thousand Oaks Shooting

Monday’s episode of The Real featured a noticeably smaller group of co-hosts, as Tamera Mowry-Housley skipped the show to grieve with her husband, Adam Housley, and their family following the tragic death of their niece. Alaina Housley was a victim of the shooting at the Borderline Bar and Gril in Thousand Oaks last week, USA Today reported.

The show’s other three co-hosts — Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, and Adrienne Houghton — spent the first 20 minutes of Monday’s episode delivering emotional tributes to 18-year-old Alaina, who was the youngest of 12 victims of last week’s massacre in California. They also talked about gun control, discussed the series of events in the aftermath of the shooting, and shared a note from Tamera and her husband.

“As you can see, our girl Tamera isn’t here with us,” Love said at the beginning of the show, explaining that she was at home with her family.

“We don’t even have time to grieve before the next [shooting] happens,” she continued. “This time it directly affected members of our family. How do you begin to process something like this?”

The ladies talked gun control, with Houghton asking a “hot-button” question regarding the race of the shooter.

“Why is it always a white male? I hate that race has to come into it, but it is a very real question to ask,” she said. “I hate the idea that we keep bring up race… but it feels like we’re being torn apart in so many different directions.”

Houghton went on to share a note from Tamera to her co-host, Loni Love.

“She said please tell Loni thank you. Thank you for being there for me and answering her phone at 1 a.m., giving me hope until I got the call. Thank you for holding me and helping me breathe through the unthinkable. Thank you for believing in the Housleys. The Housleys are strong,” Houghton said, fighting back tears.

Houghton explained that Tamera wants the world to know that she will do “everything she can so that our children and our community feel safe. She said enough is enough, and she will never give up fighting until her dying day.”

The talk show hosts went on to discuss what went on with their co-host directly after the shooting, with Love explaining that she realized something was wrong when she received a call from Tamera in the middle of the night — and went over to her house to comfort her.

“We just started getting pieces of information,” Love said. “Tamera was calling every hospital she could because we were holding out hope.”

Jeannie Mai shed tears as she explained the moment in which they found out that Alaina was one of the victims.

“When I called her back, all she had to do was breathe and I just knew,” she said. That sound that comes from a human soul when they lose somebody is a sound you’ll never forget.”

Tamera and her husband, as well as Alaina’s father Arik, spoke to CBS News about her death.

“Alaina was beautiful, and she was my friend. Yes, there needs to be a change, but all the noise… nothing’s been done,” Tamera said, adding that her niece “wouldn’t want this happening to anyone else.”

“If I was to walk out of here and the first thing I was to say was, you know, ‘Gun control,’ guess what? Half the country [snaps fingers], conversation ends,” her husband Adam said.

“And we don’t want the conversation to end,” Tamera added.