The latest biggest movement that rocks the nation, the fight against social injustice and police brutality has prompted a bunch of people to come forward with shocking allegations against public figures.
- Jun 14, 2020
AceShowbiz - Despite their clean cut images on the screen, many celebrities are hiding dark secrets. But as murder will out, some of these bad deeds have been exposed amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement that has taken over the country in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Making use of their platform to speak out about the social injustice they have experienced, a number of public figures have come forward with shocking allegations against their fellow celebrities. Often times, these incidents were not new, but they only got the bravery to open up now as their past sins cannot be easily forgotten.
While many have owned up to their mistakes and expressed their regret, it didn't stop people from bashing them on social media, which led to their career fall. To learn from the wrong, here are some celebrities whose racist past has been unearthed amid the BLM protests.
1. Mark Wahlberg
Two decades may be more than enough time for someone to change, but that doesn't seem to make people easily forgive and forget Mark Wahlberg's sins. As he posted a George Floyd tribute on Instagram on June 4, social media users brought up his past hate crimes against people of color. "Remember when you threw rocks at little black girls," one person reminded him, alleging that his statement wasn't "genuine" and telling him to "just delete it."
Teen Mark was indeed a racist boy, having throwing rocks at three black children while yelling, "Kill the nigger, kill the nigger" when he was 15. Later in 1988, the "Transformers: The Last Knight" star punched a Vietnamese American, Johnny Trinh, so hard in the eye he thought he'd blinded him. For this incident, he was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to felony assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail, but only served 45 days. In 2016, he said that he had met with Johnny and apologized "for those horrific acts," and Johnny had forgiven him, but that's apparently not enough for public.
2. Jax Taylor
Jax Taylor is on the brink of losing his gigs after his former "VanderPump Rules" co-star Faith Stowers exposed him as one of the show's cast members who treated her poorly. In a resurfaced tweet from 2017, he falsely claimed that Faith was "wanted by the police," and wrote, "Someone's going to jail," insinuating that she committed crimes she didn't do. Believing that he should be held accountable for his actions, Faith said, "I think for sure Jax needs to have somebody take a look into his behavior."
Another former cast mate, Billie Lee, has also called on Brave to cut ties with Jax. He claimed that the 40-year-old reality TV star "refused to film with me because I was trans and called him out on his white cis privilege," though a source dispute part of the claims, telling PEOPLE that Jax did film with Billie on multiple occasions during their time together on the show. Bravo has not fired Jax, but he has lost a lucrative endorsement deal with the eyewear company DIFF Eyewear.
3. Dee Nguyen
While other cases happened in the past, Dee Nguyen's was a recent one. The star of "The Challenge" season 35 was under fire after she made insensitive comments about the death of George Floyd. "People die every f***ing day," read one of her now-deleted tweets. She also wrote in regards to the BLM movement, "Idk why some of u think I'm anti BLM. I've been saying that since the day I lost my virginity."
After a storm of criticism, including from her fellow cast members of the show, MTV announced her departure. "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," the network said in a statement, adding, "MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice."
4. Alia Shawkat
Being a person of a color doesn't always come with a set of manners and etiquette that will help one understand fellow persons of color. Alia Shawkat is only one example of them. Born of an Arabian father and a mother of Norwegian, Irish and Italian descent, the 31-year-old actress landed in hot water after a video of her using the n-word during a 2016 SXSW interview resurfaced online after she showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
People questioned her support for the movement, prompting the "Arrested Development" alum to issue an apology for her past mistake. "I am deeply sorry and I take full responsibility," she said in a statement posted on Twitter. "It was a careless moment, one I'm ashamed and embarrassed by, but vow to continue to learn from. I regret using a word that carries so much pain and history to black people, as it is never a word to be used by someone who is not black." Claiming that she has been learning to be an "ally," she also vowed "to take on this fight for justice with an active mind and open heart."
5. Taylor Selfridge
Another reality TV star who bit the dust amid the Black Lives Matter movement, Taylor Selfridge was brought down by her own tweets from 2012 that recently resurfaced online. "We have to greet everyone at work but sometimes I won't greet the Black people because they scare me," "My uncle is dating an Asian. Aunt Ping please make me sushi," read some of her racially-charged tweets.
Due to this issue, MTV canceled her reality show "Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special". "I apologize for anyone I have hurt or offended in the past," she posted on her Instagram Stories. Expressing her hope that others can see her growth, she added, "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."
6. Hartley Sawyer
As with many other cases, Hartley Sawyer is also guilty of posting racist and misogynist tweets in the past. The actor, who portrayed Ralph Dibny a.k.a. Elongated Man on "The Flash", lost the role after the incriminating posts were brought up earlier this month. Taking immediate action, The CW announced in a statement, "Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 of 'The Flash'," adding, "we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation."
The network's announcement was followed with a response for the show's lead actor Grant Gustin, who said that he "was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets." He also shared showrunner Eric Wallace's official statement, in which he declared, "I am committed to bringing permanent change to the work environment here on THE FLASH."
7. Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute
Like Jax Taylor, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute's downfall was started with their former co-star Faith Stowers' testimony, in which she claimed that the two "Vanderpump Rules" cast members called the cops on her for a crime that she didn't commit. "There was this article in the Daily Mail where there was an African-American lady ... I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me," Faith recalled in an Instagram Live chat with "Floribama Shore" star Candace Rice.
Stassi and Kristen quickly issued their respective apology, with the former saying, "What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness." Taking to her own social media account, Kristen wrote that she's "ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry" and that she "will do better. I have to do better." That, however, didn't stop Bravo from firing them, along with Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni whose past racist tweets resurfaced back in January.
8. Abby Lee Miller
Racism allegations against Abby Lee Miller surfaced earlier this month after she declared her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. At least two mothers, whose daughters were former cast members on her show "Dance Moms", claimed that the dance instructor discriminated the black girls because of their skin color. Both moms, Adriana Smith and Camille Bridges, said that they eventually pulled their daughters, Kamryn and Camryn respectively, from the show because of Abby's behavior.
Abby later issued an apology through her Twitter page, writing, "I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community." Though she promised that she would "educate myself, learn, grow, and do better," Lifetime still decided to cut ties with the 54-year-old reality TV star. The network announced that she will not be returning to "Dance Moms" if the series is renewed for a ninth season and canceled her new series "Abby's Virtual Dance-Off".
