MTV Fires Cast Member Dee Nguyen from "The Challenge" over Black Lives Matter Comments
by Denise Petski
June 9, 2020


The current season of MTV’s reality competition series "The Challenge" will be going forward without cast member Dee Nguyen following insensitive comments she made about the Black Lives Matter movement and the killing of George Floyd.

“As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions have severed ties with her,” MTV and Bunim/Murray said in a joint statement.

“Out of respect for the competition and other Challengers, MTV will air the season as planned. Dee Nguyen will not appear in the reunion to be filmed at a later date. MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.”




In since-deleted tweets, Nguyen wrote “Idk why some of u think I’m anti BLM. I’ve been saying that since the day I lost my virginity.” She also commented on an Instagram post about Floyd, writing that “people die every f–king day,” as reported by Us Weekly.

Nguyen issued an apology Tuesday on Instagram. “The last 24hrs have made me realise what is important and that is forgiveness,” she wrote. “I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues to whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks. Let me be clear I am a POC that cares about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media to focus on my wellbeing and mental health. This is not a goodbye, it’s a I will see you again.”

https://deadline.com/2020/06/the-challenge-mtv-fires-dee-nguyen-black-lives-matter-comments-george-floyd-1202954698/









Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute Fired from "Vanderpump Rules" over Racist Prank
by Denise Petski
June 9, 2020


Bravo has cut ties with longtime "Vanderpump Rules" cast members Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute over a racist prank against their former co-star Faith Stowers, Deadline has confirmed. The network also fired new cast members Max Boyens and Matt Ciprioni for their past racist remarks that recently came to light.

“Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules,” the network said in a statement provided to Deadline.

The firings first were reported by Deadline’s sister pub Variety.




In an Instagram Live chat last week, Stowers, who is black, revealed that Schroeder and Doute reported her to police in 2018 for a crime she didn’t commit.

It all began with a Daily Mail story about a black woman wanted for theft. Stowers said “they called the cops and said it was me.” (The woman wanted for theft was not Stowers.) Both Schroeder and Doute apologized June 7 on Instagram after Stowers’ account went viral.



“Racially insensitive comments from my past have resurfaced,” wrote Schroeder.

“It is important that I continue to take accountability for what I have said and done, while pushing myself to do better. I have grown significantly from the person I was then, and I am still filled with remorse and regret for the hurt I caused. I am grateful for the people in my life that continue to check me and push me to evolve into a more educated person.”




Doute also said she felt she needed to address the situation that happened with Stowers.

“Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions could have been to her,” she wrote. “It was never my intention to add to the injustice and imbalance. I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry. I will do better. I have to do better.”

Past racist tweets by new Season 8 cast members Boyen and Ciprioni were uncovered after the season premiere in January. Both later also apologized for using racial slurs.

https://deadline.com/2020/06/vanderpump-rules-stassi-schroeder-kristen-doute-fired-over-racist-action-1202954604/

MTV Cuts Ties with Taylor Selfridge, Cancels her "Teen Mom OG" Special Over Past Racist Tweets
by Nellie Andreeva
June 10, 2020


MTV has ended its relationship with reality star Taylor Selfridge and pulled the plug on her new special after racist tweets from years ago resurfaced on social media.

“MTV pulled Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor’s Baby Special from its Tuesday schedule and is ending our relationship with Taylor Selfridge in light of her past racist statements on social media,” the network said in a statement provided to Deadline.

“MTV strongly condemns systemic racism and stands with those raising their voices against injustice.”




On her Instagram account, which has since been made private, Selfridge addressed the special’s demise and her exit from the "Teen Mom OG" franchise on Tuesday night.

“As you guys know already our special didn’t air tonight,” she wrote. “I made the decision last week to not film the next season of teen mom OG with Cory for the benefit of myself and my daughter. I don’t believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life. With current events being what they are and reality tv being selective in who they apply rules to or what is considered acceptable behavior, I do not have any further respect.”




Selfridge went on to address her controversial comments.

“Once again, I apologize for anyone I have hurt or offended in the past. I have addressed my mistakes many times on the network and I would like to move on and continue to be the best version of myself. My past does not define who I am today and I hope you guys can see the change. Please respect my decision to provide a normal, healthy life for my family.”




Unearthed by The Blast, a series of 2012 tweets by Selfridge included statements like ‘We have to greet everyone at work but sometimes I won’t greet the Black people because they scare me,’ and ‘My uncle is dating an Asian. Aunt Ping please make me sushi.’

https://deadline.com/2020/06/mtv-cuts-ties-taylor-selfridge-past-racist-statements-teen-mom-og-at-home-cory-taylors-baby-special-canceled-1202955533/

They got what they deserved.

It's so refreshing to see racists getting fired. If they want to be stupid enough to be racist and then go and post those insanely moronic views online for the world to see, they absolutely deserve it.

Reality TV thrives on offensive people: So what happens when they keep getting fired? (https://themuse.jezebel.com/what-will-reality-tv-do-without-offensive-people-1844017174)

The racial reckoning sparked by the George Floyd protests has led to the firing of Vanderpump Rules' Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute (https://www.primetimer.com/item/Vanderpump-Rules-fires-Stassi-Schroeder-and-Kristen-Doute-for-racist-prank-drops-Max-Boyens-and-Brett-Caprioni-over-past-racist-tweets-1KSbP6), plus many other problematic reality stars who have become famous with their bad behavior. "Morally horrific people are the natural villains, engines, and DNA of reality TV," says Madeleine Davies. "While generally upstanding people can, of course, be entertaining to watch, there’s a prevailing thought that good seeds don’t last—at least, not without their evil foils. The genre has long been a celebration of disgusting human behavior and fans tune in largely for the schadenfreude of watching extremely flawed people humiliate themselves. So how do we reckon that with real-world issues and real-world consequences? The Vanderpump Rules firings coupled with Bravo’s sudden focus on the Black Lives Matter movement are, to be explicitly clear, needed and warranted. However, it all feels hollow when you consider the network’s history of programming. Even without Schroeder and Doute, the Vanderpump Rules cast remains riddled with problematic characters: Jax Taylor (one of the worst people in the history of... history?) was embroiled in a scandal along with (Brittany) Cartwright, now his wife, this very season because the pair enlisted an openly transphobic pastor to officiate their wedding." Davies adds: "Like all of entertainment, reality TV is a deeply flawed industry that’s tainted with the same white supremacy and patriarchal values that built the society we live in. But despite the genre being widely recognized as less than real, with stories and cast members manipulated by producers, it does effectively hold up a funhouse mirror to our world—a world in which white people call the police on black people over petty or perceived grievances, a world in which power structures (like Bravo) only change when their bottom financial line is challenged. So how does that world—and the real world (not to be confused with The Real World)—evolve? Start firing every problematic person on reality TV and, by nature of all people being problematic to varying degrees, you’d have no one left. Razing the entire genre is an option, but reality TV is cheap to produce and popular with viewers, so networks won’t be able to resist for long."

MTV fires Siesta Key star Alex Kompothecras for allegedly sharing racist posts (https://people.com/tv/mtv-fires-alex-from-siesta-key-for-allegedly-sharing-racist-post/)

"We’ve made the decision to cut ties with Alex and are editing the current season to minimize his presence," the show tweeted Tuesday night as it returned from a three-month hiatus. "He will not be in future seasons of Siesta Key." Kompothecras allegedly posted racist comments and white supremacist posts on Instagram that were recently resurfaced. and have been circulating by fan accounts online. Kompothecras and his girlfriend, Alyssa Salerno, who gave birth last week, were prominently featured on Siesta Key. While he will be edited out as much as possible, Salerno will continue to appear. Kompothecras' father, Gary Kompothecras, is also a producer of the reality show.