RHOSLC Stars Condemn "Hatred" & "Prejudice" Amid Jennie Nguyen Social Media Controversy
Taking a stand.
Whitney Rose is the latest star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to speak out against fellow cast member Jennie Nguyen's recently resurfaced, racially-insensitive social media posts from 2020.
"Recent events have reminded me of the importance of always leading with LOVE, light and kindness," Whitney wrote in an Instagram statement on Friday, Jan. 21. "It is NEVER ok to blatantly make, comment, post, and/or share any type of racially charged & derogatory statements/posts."
She continued, "Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened at the things that have surfaced online. There is so much deep seeded [sic] discrimination and racism rooted in our country and we all need to do better and work together to make a change."
Whitney ended the statement—which comes two days after Jennie apologized for the "offensive" posts—by sharing her belief that everyone, regardless of "their ethnicity, beliefs, sexuality, or gender identity" should be treated the same.
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It was Jennie herself who called her posts "offensive" on Wednesday, Jan. 19. She took to Instagram to apologize once several screengrabs—many of which were critical of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd—went viral on Twitter and Reddit.
"I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today," Jennie wrote. "At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned how offensive and hurtful my words were."
The RHOSLC star added that she was "sincerely sorry for the pain" the posts caused.
Jen Shah, however, dismissed what Jennie had said as a "disingenuous apology."
As she wrote in a statement the next day, "Since my RHOSLC cast member has admitted that she made those horrible comments and posts, I must now stand up, on behalf of my husband and sons who are African American, to say that I am deeply offended by the racially insensitive posts and comments."
Jen continued, "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."
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After admitting she was "equally disappointed" with Jennie's apology, Jen added, "Needless to say, we have some real s--t to talk about."
RHOSLC's Meredith Marks, meanwhile, seemingly responded to the controversy late Wednesday night by tweeting "Vile," however, she's since spoken out in a much bigger way.
Taking to Instagram on Friday, Jan. 21, Meredith shared a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., urging her followers to "use your voice to speak out against what is wrong and amplify those that are not being heard."
"There is no room in this world for hatred," Meredith's statement continued. "We are all human beings and deserve the same treatment of respect and dignity. Negative commentary rooted in prejudice regarding one's race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or gender is vile and should never be tolerated. Educate if it comes from a lack of knowledge and condemn if it comes from a place of hatred. I pray to see this world without prejudice."
As for the rest of the RHOSLC ladies, Heather Gay shared Whitney's post, while Lisa Barlow—who's been friends with Jennie for more than 10 years—cryptically tweeted "Things get addressed," late Thursday night.
One response theorized that Lisa meant on the next season of RHOSLC since filming on season two has wrapped; however, she wrote back, "Before then."
Meanwhile, Mary Cosby—who recently skipped the RHOSLC season two reunion—has not publicly commented on the situation.
She and Jennie had their own issues earlier this season after Mary made racially-insensitive comments about her. Jennie stood up for herself on the show, telling Mary that the references she made to her "slanted eyes" and "yellow" skin, along with the fact that she imitated the Vietnamese-American's accent, was offensive.
Mary then apologized, insisting she "didn't mean any harm."
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
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