Reality TV star Jennie Nguyen has been fired from “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” due to her social media posts from 2020.
On Tuesday, cable network Bravo announced on Twitter that Nguyen will no longer be part of the show moving forward, following heavy criticism from viewers.
“Bravo has ceased filming with Jennie Nguyen and she will no longer be a cast member on ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’” the network wrote. “We recognize we failed to take appropriate action once her offensive social media posts were brought to our attention.”
The Vietnamese American cast member drew backlash last week after screenshots of old social media posts that lambasted members of the BLM Movement resurfaced online, as NextShark previously reported.
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Nguyen’s Facebook account, which has been deactivated, shared multiple memes mocking BLM protestors. It also had pro-police posts that were shared after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of officers, along with false news stories about him.
Soon after the backlash, Nguyen took to Instagram to “acknowledge” the situation and apologize for her posts, 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.”
“It’s why I deactivated that account more than a year ago and why I continue to try to learn about perspectives different from my own,” she added. “I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused.”
Nguyen’s fellow cast members took to social media to publicly denounce her old posts.
On Twitter, Meredith Marks wrote: “I do not stand behind or support these posts in any way, shape, or form. I stand with and support the communities affected and targeted by this. I am deeply disturbed and outraged by her actions. Black Lives Matter.”
On Instagram, Heather Gay wrote: “There can be no haven in this world for hateful anti-black & violent rhetoric. It is up to all of us to do the work of anti-racism and educate ourselves on the experiences of others.”
Jen Shah also expressed her views on the photo and video sharing platform: “It was infuriating to see her like and repost comments that made a mockery of and showed complete apathy toward those killed marching to bring awareness to the deep-seeded [sic] social injustice issues that plague our country.”
Andy Cohen, a former executive at Bravo, described Nguyen’s posts as “disgusting and upsetting” on the Sunday episode of his late night talk show on the channel, “Watch What Happens Live.”
Addressing fans’ reactions to the controversy, Bravo committed to improving its “processes to ensure we make better informed and more thoughtful casting decisions.”
Featured Image via Bravo
