Reality Stars Who Were Put On Blast For Racist Comments

They say with power comes responsibility — a concept some reality stars can't seem to grasp. Being on a popular television show may bring fame and fortune, but it also comes with many consequences. After they sign their lives away to be filmed and broadcast to the world, these individuals agree to be put under a microscope. With the click of a button, hundreds and thousands of their social media followers immediately know what they're up to, who they're with, and what they're talking about. While they are paid to entertain, they can easily fall from their pedestals with one slip-up.

When the Black Lives Matter Movement took over the nation in 2020, the world began to wake up to racial injustice. The death of George Floyd that summer sparked outrage across the United States, causing a huge divide in the country. People began to pay more attention to their words, their social media posts, and the way they approach race relations. On the other hand, it led to many shows cutting ties with reality stars due to their past racist remarks. Networks such as Bravo, MTV, and USA, are known for preaching tolerance and inclusion — and the stakes had never been higher to keep it that way than in 2020. In the midst of a racially divisive movement, several reality stars were seen eating their words and losing their jobs. We're looking back at reality stars who were put on blast for their racist comments.

Alex Kompothecras was once the leading man on the reality series "Siesta Key." His father Gary, an affluent chiropractor and entrepreneur, pitched the idea of a reality show starring his son and his friends to a production company that was later picked up by MTV. The show, which debuted in 2017, followed the lives of Alex and his attractive twenty-something group of friends as they navigate life and love on a wealthy barrier island in Florida. 

Alex was the star of the series for three seasons up until his departure in the midst of Season 3. His storyline largely centered around his bad-boy antics as he juggled his on-and-off relationship with leading lady Juliette Porter. It all came to an abrupt end, however, after the law student's past racist comments on social media came to light. In June 2020, screenshots emerged of Alex commenting and laughing at racist posts on Instagram. The former "Siesta Key" star also used the n-word in resurfaced comments on the social media platform.

Just days later, Siesta Key tweeted: "We've made the decision to cut ties with Alex and are editing the current season to minimize his presence. He will not be in future seasons of Siesta Key." Since his firing, Alex welcomed his first child, a daughter named Alessi, with his girlfriend Alyssa Salerno in 2020. As per his LinkedIn page, he is a student at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School at the time of writing.

Jennie Nguyen debuted on the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" in Season 2, but her time on the series was short-lived. In 2022 she was fired from the franchise in the midst of filming Season 3. Nguyen's Facebook posts in the midst of the 2020 Black Lives Matter resurfaced, in which she appears to support the "White Lives Matter" movement. Internet trolls also uncovered her reposted memes and photos with the words "BLM Thugs" and "Violent Gangs." 

Nguyen deactivated her Facebook shortly after the controversy, but it did little to change Bravo's decision to fire the reality star. "Bravo has ceased filming with Jennie Nguyen and she will no longer be a cast member of [RHOSLC]...Moving forward, we will work to improve our processes to ensure we make better informed and more thoughtful casting decisions," the network tweeted following the incident.

Nguyen issued an apology via a since-removed Instagram post (per Entertainment Weekly), writing, "I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today. At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned how offensive and hurtful my words were." She went on to add: "I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused." Since leaving reality television, Nguyen has been enjoying time with her family. She took a trip alongside her husband, Dr. Duy Tran, and three kids to travel across Europe in August 2022.

Peter Hunziker joined the crew of the super yacht The Wellington for Season 5 of "Below Deck Mediterranean," which aired in 2020. The deckhand had a reputation for rubbing his crew members the wrong way, especially the female bosun, and his boss, Malia White. Hunziker ran into problems during the charter season after he referred to White as "sweetie" or "sweetheart." After Captain Sandy Yawn had a conversation with Hunziker about his choice of words, the deckhand continued on for the remainder of the season. 

Though he made it through the season, Hunziker wasn't exactly a major presence on episodes of "Below Deck Med." The network cut ties with the yachtie after uncovering racist posts of his on social media. As per Daily Mail, the deckhand sparked backlash after viewers found a meme he reposted that showed a naked Black woman in chains. Shortly after, Bravo announced via Instagram their decision to fire him from the franchise. "Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance on subsequent episodes," the network wrote in its announcement in 2020.

Hunziker took to his Instagram (via People), to issue a public apology. "A little over 3 months ago someone sent me a meme on social media and I thoughtlessly reposted it," he wrote. "I now realize how painful the imagery and symbolism is and, upon deeper consideration, I realize that the implicit bias that exists in the brief text written in the meme is offensive," he wrote.

Before Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder became famous, they were slinging Pumptinis and goat cheese balls at SUR in West Hollywood. Viewers saw their glow-up for nearly a decade on Bravo's hit show "Vanderpump Rules." However, their long-time runs as cast members ended abruptly in 2020 when the network fired the stars. The decision came after former cast member Faith Stowers alleged they called the police on her after seeing an ad for a Black woman wanted for theft. Both Doute and Schroeder made public apologies for their actions and attempted to contact Stowers but the latter declined.

Schroeder had a history of racist comments prior to the incident. A since-removed 2017 episode of her podcast (per Us Weekly) resurfaced following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 in which she made racist remarks about that year's trending hashtag "#OscarsSoWhite." On the podcast, Schroeder said, "Maybe you weren't nominated because you didn't do that great of a job in your movie. Like it's not about race." She went on to refer to African Americans as "them," saying: "And whenever they get upset everyone has to go above and beyond to then make them happy."

Though Doute insisted on Instagram (per Us Weekly) that neither she nor Shroeder is racist, Stowers isn't convinced. She started a GoFundMe page in 2023 to raise money to sue Schroeder. Stowers is seeking damages for the money Schroeder earned for her New York Times Best Selling book "Off With My Head." She plans to donate the funds raised to charity. 

There's no doubt that three-time MTV "Challenge" champion Camila Nakagawa is a force to be reckoned with. However, her reputation as a fearless competitor was overshadowed when she made racist remarks while filming "The Challenge: Dirty 30" in 2017. While competing in the series, she and her castmate Leroy Garrett got into a tense argument in which she called him a "Black mother—- p—-" in a drunken rant (per People). Nakagawa continued to remain in the game following the incident and went on to win the $450,000 prize fund. 

Garrett spoke out about his struggle with Nakagawa's racist comments on Instagram Live (per Us Weekly.) "You basically rewarded her for being racist and being violent. I've seen people get sent home for less," he said. The Brazilian native went on to compete in "Champs Vs. Stars" following the incident but was sent home for being violent to a member of the production. 

Nakagawa has since owned up to her remarks, going on Instagram Live (via Us Weekly) to apologize for her racist statements. "I'm taking anti-racism courses. Literally. I'm trying to educate myself so that I never make the same mistakes so that I fully understand my part in just being supportive of the cause. That's what I want to do, that's it. I was wrong, period, 100 percent," she said. She also admitted she had a conversation with Garrett, saying, "I know Leroy doesn't care about me, and that's fine. It's his right. I probably wouldn't care about someone that did that to me too."

Camila Nakagawa wasn't the only former "Challenge" competitor who made racist remarks. Dee Nguyen, who was a winner of "War of the Worlds 2," was fired from the MTV network after making racist social media comments during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. She was questioned by a fan for posting selfies in the midst of a day when social media users refrained from posting to protest racial injustice (via The Sun). She responded to the backlash by writing in a since-deleted Instagram comment: "People die every f***ing day." She went on to tweet: "IDK why some of [you] think I'm anti BLM. I've been saying that since the day I lost my virginity."

Shortly after, "The Challenge" official Twitter account announced that they were cutting ties with Nguyen. "We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice," the statement read. Nguyen's former cast mate Tula "Big T" Fazakerley also came out against her on her Instagram Story (per The Ashley's Reality Roundup). She claimed that Nguyen "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." 

Nguyen apologized in a since-removed tweet (per People), writing, "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," adding, "I also want to extend an apology to Bayleigh and Swaggy- who are my cast mates and deserve my respect and compassion."

Jordan Wiseley has had a long history on reality television. Before he was a three-time MTV "Challenge" champ, he was a cast member on "The Real World: Portland" in 2013. His reputation came into question in 2020 when videos from "TRWP" resurfaced that featured him making racist comments during a fight. At the time, Wiseley was in a heated argument with his Black cast mate Nia Moore. The reality star made monkey sounds and used the N-word during the tense fight.

Wiseley and Moore addressed the fight nearly a decade later on Instagram Live (per Entertainment Weekly.) "...I didn't attach [his actions] to a racist gesture, I just wanted to kick his a** because we were arguing about something stupid... It wasn't heavy for me," Moore said on the broadcast. Wiseley owned up to his actions, saying, "I totally understand I offended people," adding, "I cannot take it back. It was not coming from a place of hate." Wiseley went on to say that he felt frustrated that the clips got circulated with people missing what he feels is the bigger message. "How do we grow from this? How do we take people who learn from their mistakes and teach them to fight for the cause? Listen and show up. As a young man, I was not able to listen. I wasn't able to show up for myself...Now we look back at this situation, how do we learn? What can we take from it?" he asked.

Taylor Selfridge was first introduced to fans when she appeared on MTV's "Are You The One?" in 2017. The reality star went on to star in "Ex on the Beach" the following year where she met her partner, "Challenge" veteran Cory Wharton. The two went on to welcome two daughters together, and the birth of their first child, Mila, was set to be featured in a television special in 2020. However, MTV network decided to pull "Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special" from the schedule following the discovery of Selfridge's past racist tweets. 

"We have to greet everyone at work but sometimes I won't greet the Black people because they scare me," Selfridge wrote in since-removed tweets (via USA Today.) In another tweet, she wrote: "My uncle is dating an Asian. Aunt Ping please make me sushi." Following the news, MTV announced they were severing ties with the mother-of-two in a statement to People. Selfridge made her own statement on her Instagram (per People) writing, "As you guys know already our special didn't air tonight. 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." She continued: "I don't believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life. Following her departure from MTV, Selfridge welcomed her second daughter, Maya Grace, with Wharton in 2022.

Abby Miller is quite a controversial television personality. The dance teacher made a name for herself after starring in the Lifetime series "Dance Moms" for eight years following its premiere in 2011. The series followed Miller teaching her dancers at her former Pittsburgh studio, complete with the intense practice regimens and her demanding requirements of them. While Miller had a soft spot for certain dancers, she was known to fans as being notoriously bossy and at times over-the-top. 

While the final season of "Dance Moms" aired in 2019, Miller was set to star in a spinoff show on the network. The series was set to debut in 2020, but it was canceled due to Miller's racist remarks. The controversy started after Miller posted a black square to her Instagram (per Entertainment Weekly) during the midst of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020. Adriana Smith, the mom of Miller's former dancer Kamryn Smith responded with her own post. "Do you remember you told me, 'Do you want me to tell you why you are really here?' lol as if I didn't know," she continued. "...You told me to 'LOOK in the MIRROR! That's the only reason you are here!' Kam told me she heard 'they needed a sprinkle of color!"

The dance teacher apologized via Twitter, writing, "I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected [sic] and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community. To Kamryn, Adriana, and anyone else I've hurt, I am truly sorry."

Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute weren't the only "Vanderpump Rules" cast members that Bravo cut ties. Reality stars Max Boyen and Brett Caprioni, who were both featured in Season 8 of the hit docu-series, were both let go alongside Schroder and Doute in 2020. Boyen's past tweets from 2012 resurfaced which included him writing, "It upsets me that the word n—a is not allowed to be said unless you are black because quite honestly it's my favorite word." He also previously tweeted, "Something about Asians that just makes me want to punch them in the suck hole." Boyen issued a statement to Entertainment Tonight following the incident, writing, "I want to sincerely apologize for what I tweeted in 2012 — it was wrong on every level," his statement read. "It is not a representation of who I am. I am shocked I ever tweeted that — and I am disgusted and embarrassed — I am truly sorry."

Caprioni found himself in hot water as well, when his past racist tweets from 2012 also came to light. The former SUR employee made several comments on Twitter using the N-word. In a statement to Us Weekly he admitted: "While I'm disappointed to no longer be part of the cast, I respect Bravo's decision," the former cast member said. "I continue to be truly sorry for the insensitive comments I made in the past and have worked within my community to repair the damage I've caused."