10 Celebrities Who Recently Landed In Hot Water With Their Past Racist Comments Resurfacing
The ongoing protests (as of July 18, 2020, the protests have been going on for 1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days so far) are bringing attention to hate, violence, and discrimination against black people and other people of color. As these protests continue on, many people across all industries, including the entertainment industry, are taking action to publicize their intolerance for racism.
Since George Floyd’s death, there have been several celebrities who made headlines for all the wrong reasons as their past racist comments have recently resurfaced during the ongoing protests. As a result, some celebrities have received tons of backlash from the public and/or have become “cancelled” on social media. In addition, several companies and TV Shows have cut ties with these celebrities for their insensitive and discriminatory remarks.
Please be aware that this article is focused solely on celebrities who made racist remarks in the past that have recently resurfaced. Any public figures who made racist comments during the ongoing protests (examples include Gregg Glassman, the former Crossfit CEO; Yael Aflalo, the former Reformation Fashion Line CEO; and Karlie Kloss, the supermodel, to name a few) won’t be featured in this article.
Now, with all of that being said, here are 10 Celebrities Who Recently Landed In Hot Water With Their Past Racist Comments Resurfacing:
1. Hartley Sawyer:
On June 8, The Flash Star was fired from The CW series after racist and misogynist tweets from his past came to light on social media.
2. Stassi Schroeder and Kirsten Doute:
Two of the most notable celebrities who landed in hot water after past racist comments/actions resurfaced are Reality TV Stars Stassi Schroeder (on the left) and Kirsten Doute (on the right). On June 9, both women were booted from Vanderpump Rules (both women have been part of the cast since the show premiered in 2013) after former co-star Faith Stowers shared on Instagram Live that the two had made a false police report about her in 2018.
“There was this article in the Daily Mail where there was an African-American lady,” Stowers, who appeared on the fourth season of Vanderpump Rules, said in the Instagram Live video. “It was a weird photo, so she looked very light-skinned and had these different weird tattoos. I guess this woman was robbing people. And they called the cops and said it was me. This is, like, a true story. I heard this from, actually, Stassi during an interview.”
Both women have since issued apologies for their actions. Co-Star Lala Kent, who wasn’t involved in the incident, even reached out to Stowers personally apologize to her. Vanderpump Rules rules wouldn’t escape the backlash just yet as Schroeder and Doute weren’t the only stars let go due to past racist comments.
3. Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni:
Schroeder and Doute weren’t the only stars from Vanderpump Rules to get let go from the show due to past racist acts or remarks. The same day that Schroeder and Doute were fired, their fellow co-stars Max Boyens (on the left) and Brett Caprioni (on the right), were also let go from the show too.
In a completely different incident, Boyens and Caprioni were fired after both men had multiple racist tweets from 2012 resurface.
4. Barbara Fedida:
The ABC News VP was put on administrative leave after a June 13 Huffington Post Story detailed Fedida’s history of racist and abusive comments towards fellow colleageues at ABC. When Good Morning America Anchor Robin Roberts wanted a more money in a contract renewal, Fedida reportedly asked Roberts: “What more [could she want] and said it wasn’t as if the network was asking Roberts to ‘pick cotton.”
5. Chase Stokes:
The actor, who plays John B., the lead character on Outer Banks, came under fire in May 2019 (a couple of days prior to George Floyd’s horrific murder) after several of his “insensitive” posts recently resurfaced online. The since-deleted posts were about the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and others.
Although Stokes said in his apology that he wasn’t hiding back from his wrongdoings and that some of posts were due to being hacked, many social media users were skeptical about the actor’s account being hacked so soon after he was criticized for his past behavior.
6. Abby Lee Miller:
Lifetime severed all ties with The Dance Moms coach in early June after allegations of racist comments remarks that she made during the show’s final season. Adriana Smith, the mother of Dance Moms season 8 dancer Kamryn, shared on Instagram that the reason why she and daughter left the show was due to experience with Miller, who reportedly said,”I know you grew up in the HOOD with only a box of 8 crayons, but I grew up in the Country Club with a box of 64—don’t be stupid.”
7. Alex Kompothecras:
Another one of the celebrities who got fired from the Reality TV Show he/she starred in is Siesta Key star Alex Kompothecras. On June 16, MTV, the network that airs Siesta Key, officially cut all ties with Kompothecras for alleged racist social media posts. According US Weekly, Kompothecras used a racial epithet in a resurfaced Instagram post from 2013. He also approved comments about other racist posts.
As the third season of Siesta Key has been on the air since January 2020, producers of the show announced that they would be re-editing the second half of the current season to minimize his presence.
8. Lea Michele:
Of all the celebrities featured in this article, Actress Lea Michele is perhaps the one who’s alleged racist remarks made the biggest waves across social media and had everyone talking. After posting on Twitter her support of The Black Lives Matter Movement, Actress Samantha Ware called her former Glee co-star out for her hypocrisy.
In a response on Twitter, Ware, who appeared on the show’s six season, accused Michelle (who has a reputation of being difficult to work with) of making her life a living hell, tweeting: “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?!” Ware tweeted. “CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD ‘S— IN MY WIG!'” Ware’s tweet went instantly viral and had former Glee cast members weighing in on the situation.
9. Josh Thomas:
The Australian Comedian has been extremely vocal about supporting social issues, like supporting the Indigenous people in his native country. However, he joined the list of Celebrities to have recently landed in hot water after past racist comments resurfaced following controversial comments he made on diversity casting during a 2016 panel discussion resurfaced this past June.
In the video, Thomas claimed that the reason why casting non-white actors in TV Shows was a difficult task because “finding an experienced actor that’s not white is really hard.” After his comments reemerged on social media, the comedian issued a public apology on Twitter and called his actions “dumb, illogical” and “insensitive.”
10. Taylor Selfridge:
Another one of the celebrities fired from their Reality TV Shows due to past racist remarks include Teen Mom Star Taylor Selfridge. In June, MTV cut ties with Selfridge after racist tweets from 2012 resurfaced. The network also pulled the “Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor’s Baby Special” from its schedule.
Are there any other celebrities not included in this article who have also landed in hot water due to past racist comments resurfacing? Let us know which celebrities and what their racist comments were down below!
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I am currently a senior at The University of Miami. I will graduate in December 2021 with a major in Journalism and minor in Sports Administration.