Former WAGS Speak Out About Racism They Experienced From E!
What Happened To WAGS? Black Reality Stars Call Out E! And USA Networks Over BLM Statements
Source: Alexander Tamargo / Getty
Welp! The backlash is real. This week several NBCUniversal networks put out Black Lives Matter statements. Here’s one from E! Entertainment that reads:
E! STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE BLACK COMMUNITY AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM AND OPPRESSION EXPERIENCED EVERY DAY IN AMERICA.
WE OWE IT TO OUR BLACK STAFF, TALENT, PRODUCTION PARTNERS & VIEWERS TO DEMAND CHANGE AND ACCOUNTABILITY. TO BE SILENT IS TO BE COMPLICIT. #BLACKLIVESMATTER
While the sentiments are in line with many corporations, seeking to stand on the right side of history, several former E! talent were quick to call the network out for talking the talk without walking the walk.
“WAGS Miami” star Darnell commented that the show must have been cut due to the network’s large “All Lives Matter” following.
This is why they cut us. Look at how many of their fans are in the comments saying “All Lives Matter” @henyvbaby @astridbavaresco @favenliuget @autumnajirotutu
Darnell tagged several of her castmates in her comment.
Astrid Bavaresco added her own two cents:
Lol this comes as a big surprise! @eentertainment
But that wasn’t the end of it for E!
Another one of Darnell and Astrid’s castmates, Hencha Voigt reposted the statement on her page along with a refutation and examples of racism she experienced while doing ‘WAGS Miami.’
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYX2jpn6CC/
Ok @eentertainment @nbc this is a major lie and I have a bone I’ve been wanting to pick with you guys for almost 4 years now. You guys have been wanting answers and asking us every single day in our comments, lives, dms, why our shows got canceled. This is why, the real reason of @wagsmiami & #wagsla , #wagsatlanta got cancelled?!!!!!! Well, apparently there was a new executive on their board that didn’t like the image of our show. Whoever that executive was thought the shows were too, **let me find a good word for it**, “GHETTO” to be on E! What’s the definition of ghetto?… ghet·to
/ˈɡedō/ Learn to pronounce
noun
a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.
verb
put in or restrict to an isolated or segregated area or group.When I got hired the first thing they said was can I change my hair to straight hair. They didn’t want my Afro or any of our braiding or protective hair styles. I told them that’s how I got casted and picked, if they didn’t like my hair like this which is me they can chose someone else for the job. They knew there was no show without me so they let me be. Same with our braiding hairstyles @darnellnicole @ash3nicole
We were the ONLY shows on @eentertainment history to ever have that many black people combined and they didn’t like that! They didn’t give us no warning, no apology, not even an an email to warn us that we were getting FIRED! We were all so confused, hurt and disgusted! When I say WE i speak for all of us @darnellnicole @ash3nicole @favenliuget @dominiquepenn_ @thesashaway @autumnajirotutu @sincerelyw @telliswift @iamhopesodope @nichecaldwell @thebrandirhodes @arielashleyy @misskierraa @keshadeniseThe show was an AMAZING Show. The whole world still talks about it. The show got cancelled Because WE WERE BLACK!!!!! I’m so sick of holding my mouth, this Entertainment industry is racist too! All actors, rappers etc we suffer because of Racist Executives, that use us as pawn to have a hand in black culture and then dispose of us when they don’t need us anymore.
Remember Don’t ever make theses people make you feel less of who you are because of your skin color. It’s NEVER YOU, It’s Them!
Darnell joined Hencha’s comments to cosign that she and Ashley had been asked repeatedly about wearing certain hairstyles:
Say it Hencha! Ashley and I were repeatedly asked to lay off the braids and “urban” hairstyles! No lie!
Original “WAGS” (L.A.) cast member Autumn Ajirotutu also commented on Hencha’s post
I remember doing green screens and them asking me how I felt. I would say, “I felt E! Was racist. I felt E! Was painting me as the angry Blk woman”. Yes. I’m opinionated…angry, No. I remember being called a bi**h and outside my name by a white girl 5+ times and her begging me to fight her so we can have a good ratings. “Hit me!” , Hit me!” I remember saying “I’m sick and tired of them not painting us in the same light as you painted the other white girls on the show!” I remember sitting down on a couch and Natalie and Olivia attacking me and getting in my face. But That didn’t get showed. It was at a sunglass shop. I remember them being more aggressive than me, but I was painted as the aggressor or getting voice overs saying things I didn’t say in that context.
I remember a lot E! @eentertainment And this statement you made right here in your post is far from the truth. You never stood by us. EVER!!!!!!! Used us to elevate other people who weren’t even in real relationships! Ahahhaha…. I said what I said…..
One of Autumn’s castmates, who joined the L.A. franchise of the show for the third season, Dominique Penn also offered her solidarity.
Speak it!!✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
Ashley Nicole Roberts, who also appeared on “WAGS Miami” posted the statement as well, along with details about her experience on the network.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYmSq5JNTg/
Stop it @eentertainment 🤚🏾 Y’all know good and well yall do not care to show representation of POC on your network. Wags Miami had amazing ratings and was cancelled…. if it had not been for the many times I was asked to not wear braids and to straighten my hair and the other countless times yall felt I was acting “too black” I probably wouldn’t feel this way. But then when I turn the tv on to see who we were replaced with, it all makes sense. It’s a shame because I got and still get so many people reaching out saying how happy they were to see black women shining the way we did. I have yet to see another show on this network that captures how women of color are amazing mothers, entrepreneurs and business women, and better yet showing beautiful strong black families. It’s sad y’all passed on the opportunity to show the world how great black people are through your lenses and im literally smh… This is a movement, not a wave. Be ready to put your money where your mouth is and do the work. ✊🏾
Autumn also commented on Ashley’s post:
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Girl! I was so irritated when I saw that this morning on my timeline. #lies
Michelle Quick, who appeared on “WAGS L.A.” with Autumn and Dominique also added a comment:
Preachhhh!!! Every time we asked to do something that showed who we REALLY ARE , it was shut down ! Sooo many times! so much we wanted to share. So much Substance we wanted to bring to the show… all we heard was “NO” @eentertainment
We covered the cancellation of “WAGS Miami” and Darnell and Ashley were saying pretty much the same thing THEN so they’ve been consistent throughout.
Hit the flip to see what the “WAGS LA” wives had to say about their experiences.
Source: Jeffrey Mayer / Getty
Autumn Ajirotutu was one of our favorite L.A. “WAGS”. What she said in the comments of Hencha’s post was very true. She, along with Sasha Gates, Dominique Penn and Michelle Quick were all married to NFL players while her white castmates Natalie Halcro, Olivia Pierson and Nicole Williams were either girlfriends or just in the dating pool (Williams got engaged to and later married Larry English) for most of the shows three seasons. She reposted the E! statement and in her caption she talks very candidly about how she felt E! tried to divide the cast based on race and portray her differently than she showed up for.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBZBWP3nUVm/ (Autumn)
So this came on my time line at 6am this morning! My mouth literally dropped!!! I sat here perplexed and appalled as I read this. I had to let it set in for a while before I responded. This is so far from the truth.
As an employee for E! Network on the WAGS show for 3 1/2 years, I sat on this show where I saw E! Network uplift the White cast, while they intentionally divided and separated the Black cast. I remember countless times during my green screens when production would ask me questions about how I felt about certain pieces in the show and I would respond, “I feel like E! is racist!
This is not a post to complain. We are all grateful for the opportunity to have the platforms given to us. I’m grateful I at least got on the cover of the promotional things. But the main problem is the equal opportunities as the other cast members. People loved our show, yet we were canceled without any explanation. This is a post to show you that we spoke out, cried, begged and pleaded with y’all and you did nothing to help us feel safe and protected. You did not stand with US!!! It was as if it was a joke to you, or you could tell us how we should feel when we brought up certain matters. We won’t be quite anymore. How we were treated was not okay. From WAGS LA to WAGS MIAMI to WAGS ATL. We deserved better. There is still 0 representation of Black women, mothers, families, entrepreneurs on your network. @eentertainmentYou never stood by us. You used us. Please, tell me what opportunities you offered/gave us after the show ended?! To make us feel included, or to thrive after the show ended? NOTHING ☺️☺️
Dominique Penn spoke up as well and we were appalled to learn E! once used a photo of her husband’s mistress at a photoshoot.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYt0bxsLf1/
Yea the f**k right!!! They don’t give two shi** about black people! They had me on a whole show in 2017 and showed what? That I could be civil in some drama? I had a whole business at the time @strollersandmore A REAL STORE FRONT and @eentertainment didn’t show it not one freaking time. Yet I had to sit and watch a clothing line that wasn’t even out yet. They never truly supported black women unless they were arguing but anything other than black they were arguing, going on trips etc. I was surprised that they even filmed Sasha in Trinidad (I felt because they had to cover their a**es). I repeatedly told them I’m an author, a store owner etc and still received nothing yet I had to go back and fourth with Amber (a racist) about NFL players kneeling. Want to talk about treatment? Hell I went to a whole photo shoot and they had my husband mistress at the time as my picture! @eentertainment doesn’t give two damns so they can save it!! Unless you’re friends of the Kardashians they aren’t fu**ing with you like that!! It is what it is!! Support us by having a show that shows strong black women who are business owners etc. Show that! All the money you have made @eentertainment donate to BLM or the communities of the very people that you praise be fu**ing on. How about that!! Miss me with the fake support. They cut so many scenes that we actually had fun on!! Things that would’ve boosted our ratings on!!! You wanna support us start with the people that you cut off. Take a meeting up so you can diversify your portfolio! I challenge you to that! @henyvbaby @ms_michelle @telliswift @ash3nicole @darnellnicole @favenliuget @autumnajirotutu @iamhopesodope @sincerelyw @thesashaway We are worth more than drama we have real stories! Period✊🏾 We know how to give balance and tea like tf
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Btw this is a message of frustration not anger!! There’s still so much more that I didn’t say! But honey I hope they really try to hold meetings with more black people so they can know how to represent us, and treat us. Not the ones that only fit in the bubble. @ms_michelle and I begged them to show us a trip that we paid for and they refused so yea… they major cappin @eentertainment @nbc
Again, Autumn, Ashley Nicole and Darnell all left comments supporting Dominique’s statement.
Michelle Quick, who is Latina, and appeared on Season 3 of “WAGS LA” had her own story to tell.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBY4CQsB4x2/ (Michelle)
This statement right here 🤦🏽♀️Could not be more inaccurate when it pertains to the network. I’m so glad that my fellow cast mates are speaking up. I know when I spoke up no one listened, no one cared about what i had to say.
But now that they’ve gotten your attention, I’d like to express my embarrassment for ever being part of the show. When people see me out and say “You look so familiar ! Wait you’re on that show Wags”. I immediately get anxiety. My time on the show was NOT PLEASANT! To say the least.
When I first signed on to be a part of the show I was so excited, I was so proud to be a Latina woman on the network! So happy to be able to come on the show build friendships with the other women there, but most importantly happy to be able to stand alongside @autumnajirotutu who seemed to be getting the short end of the stick. I really thought that I was going to be able to showcase who I am as a woman, as a mother, as a wife. Little did I know that reality TV did not actually mean your reality.
I vividly remember my first time shooting, I was eight months pregnant. I was anxious to get to know everybody , I was actually happy and open to the experience. To my surprise they already had a stance on what I was going to bring to the table. They already had a character in mind, they already knew how they were going to upset me , disrespect me, bring out the worst in me. I feel so stupid, I fell for their trap. By the end of the first day I was labeled a hormonal pregnant woman. I was also asked if I got married for my citizenship. It all went downhill for me after that. No matter how hard I tried to enjoy the moment and make the best of the opportunity, those words stuck on to me. In the end I feel like I let so many people down. I wasn’t given an equal opportunity to sit at the table.
I also challenge E! To uplift us! To properly represent us when asked to be part of their “family” @eentertainment @dominiquepenn_ @autumnajirotutu @thesashaway @ash3nicole @astridbavaresco @sincerelyw @telliswift
19h
Autumn showed up in Michelle’s comments for support:
Awwww!!! I love you! It was an awful experience to say the least. While they elevated the other girls it was hard to be around. I am so glad you were able to ride the rest of the shyt out with me.
Hated how they allowed them to treat you was horrible! I’m so sorry!
E! isn’t the only one of the NBC Universal networks to be called out.
Hit the flip to see how one USA Networks star spoke out about how her show was handled.
Source: USA Network / Getty
USA Network was taken to task by Terricka Cromartie over their handling of “The Cromarties”
Here’s the statement from USA Networks, which was posted earlier this week:
And here is Terricka Cromartie’s comment on that post:
But y’all cancel the only Black show y’all have on the network and replace it with a white family 🤣🤣🤣 yea right
Terricka didn’t stop there. Like the WAGS, she also posted the statement on her page along with her refutation:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBY_wOGAtz1/
I missed this Post!! But since everyone keeps sending it to me I’ll address it.. @usa_network you had the opportunity to show that Black Lives Truly Matter. You casted an entire black family on your network only to not give them the opportunity you have given your white family shows. Not one black producer on our show, not one Black writer. Nothing!! I had to remind our producer thousands of times who understood were we were coming from That we were Black! You requested things from us that Black people do not do “ like have Antonio do Jurzie’s hair then dry it using the suction from the Vaccum” ( They really requested that shit straight from the Network. We constantly found ourself saying We are Black, and black people do not do this, or Black people do not say that. Seriously!! You gave the only Black family with 6 kids a show that aired at 10:30 at night. My children and any family with children were not able to watch it because it came on so late. Not only did we have a 10:30 pm show you didn’t even advertise it. We asked if you could market us towards a black Audience, black outlets and you Said No or the Money isn’t there. But you didn’t do anything. I had to even ask the marking girl if she knew any black outlets and she said no.. Listen I am very grateful for the opportunity we had, but seriously there is no diversity on your network and to have a show like ours that’s shows a positive, relatable, fun, successful, Black Family and then take it off the air, tells me That you don’t give a Damn about Black lives. If we mattered you would showcase it on your network.. To anyone who fought for our show thank you, to those who said they did, did you really tho? It went from we love your family so much, let us know what we can do for you, to ignored calls and Text. Out of the 10 executives who booked the show we only heard back from 1. So how much does Black Lives Matter Again? We were the 1ST BLACK FAMILY show on your network and despite the odds we had amazing ratings. You decided to replace our show with your typical TRASH family. Please Stop Lying to the People.. Dear Black People they don’t Give a Damn and my Family of 8 is proof @nbc
Terricka also had receipts, from when she asked the publicist for the show to try promoting on black outlets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBayzpkAYan/
Posting this because I woke up pissed, hurt and mad. I worked so hard on pitching our show, just for them to not give a Fu** and then post now like they do. It’s Bullshit. We might not ever get the opportunity again and that’s fine but Ima share just how this network did not care. Again we were their first Black Show. Why would you not put in the effort. Why would you not ask questions. Why were you trying to make us the Black Chrisley’s? Why even have a black show at all, if this is what you were going to do @usa_network It’s so easy for these networks to just throw out black lives matters but not be their truth. Our PR for the show was a sport agency! A freaking sports agency. They only had a relationship with sports Radio and sports TV. Why would we advertise our show on NFL Network? Our PR tour for 2 days b4 our show aired looked like this, Fox Sports, CBS sports, sporting News, Sirius XM Morning Men, Sirius NFL, and NFL Network. I woke up at 4am to leave my 2 month old at home to go talk about football, and they were all interviews for Antonio. They didn’t even ask us about the show. We had no further PR the entire 16 episodes of the show. We secured Breakfast club because Envy was our Neighbor, Wendy on our own. But how big is E!News @eentertainment is owned by @nbc who also owns @usa_network how easy would it had been to interview our Family on E! News, E! Daily Pop, E! Nightly pop, and the many other networks they own. We did a promo shoot, in which we had to provide our own clothes fine, but I have yet to see any pictures from that shoot anywhere. Everyone who has watched our show found it by accident: yet our show is the #1 recommended show on Hulu and still being viewed on @usa_network to this Day.. I hear they are producing a new biracial family show. I hope they learned from the mistakes they made from us. Maybe my husband should have been white. I pray their show last as it’s with the same production company, the same people who spent days and months in our home and haven’t said shit to us. I get it’s a job, and they just move on and that’s fine, but for our family it was more than that, it was genuine, We made long lasting relationships.
A lot to digest for sure. Hit the flip to see what else E! is doing to try and amplify melanated voices.
