Riccardo Giardina/MTV
MTV is cutting all ties with one of its current stars of The Challenge.
On Monday, June 8, The Challenge‘s official Twitter account posted a series of statements about cast member Dee Nguyen following her controversial comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.
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“As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her,” the statement read. “Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.”
The 27-year-old reality star came under fire for a tweet she wrote and shared over the weekend in which she tried to defend her support of the Black Lives Matter movement. “IDK why some of you think I’m anti-BLM. I’ve been saying that since the day I lost my virginity,” Nguyen said in a since-deleted tweet.
Nguyen – who stars on the current season of The Challenge, and was also a part of the winning team for War of the Worlds 2 – faced backlash from both fans and costars, including Bayleigh Dayton, who said she was “disgusted and disappointed” by Nguyen’s comments.
“THIS IS NOT HOW YOU SUPPORT BLM. I’m disgusted and disappointed. THIS IS NOT A TREND. THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH FOR US,” Dayton tweeted. “Posting for clout about the death of black people? Shame on you @deenguyenMTV.”
Tula “Big T” Fazakerley also commented on the controversy, saying to her Instagram followers that she was not surprised by Nguyen’s tweet.
“She said she was ‘blacker’ than me because I didn’t know the name of a musician and because she hadn’t seen me fight and be aggressive,” she shared in a recent Instagram Story during a Q+A with fans. “I felt like she was trying to make me fit her idea of a ‘stereotype.’..after seeing her tweets it just infuriated me even more and felt like I should be honest about my experience.”
On Sunday, June 7, Nguyen shared a statement of apology on Twitter.
“I am sorry for the insensitive tweet I posted earlier. I was being defensive and not speaking from my heart. But there’s no excuse,” she wrote. “I also want to extend an apology to Bayleigh and Swaggy- who are my cast mates and deserve my respect and compassion.”
On early Tuesday, June 9, morning, she issued another apology on her social media accounts, writing that she has realized what is important in her eyes: “forgiveness.”
“I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues to whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks,” Nguyen wrote. “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,” she continued. “This is not a goodbye, it’s a I will see you again.”
“To my fans thank you for believing in me and for your support. It helps,” Nguyen added. “I see every single one of you and I remember your stories. Stay strong and safe my friends.”
https://twitter.com/BayleighDaily/status/1269710321096118273
https://twitter.com/deenguyenMTV/status/1269753553813491713
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBM-BF-llvp/?utm_source=ig_embed