Jennie Nguyen has shared her side of the story.
The “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star, 44, went on Instagram Live Wednesday night — a day after she got fired from the Bravo reality show. Nguyen was kicked out of the series for the racist social media posts she shared in 2020.
Pointing Fingers
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The reality star started by blaming her social media team for sharing the now-deleted offensive posts to her Facebook page.
“I just want you to understand that, during that time, I had a team of people that [were] helping me. Whether they posted [or] I posted, it doesn’t really matter at this point,” Nguyen said, adding, “For me, it’s on my account and I take full responsibility and accountability for what was posted.”
She continued, “I know I hurt a lot of people. My viewpoint during that time in 2020 was emotional and it brings back a lot of memories during that time when we went through such a tragic, terrible year.”
Defending Her Political Stance
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Nguyen’s posts contained memes praising former US President Donald Trump and mocking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the video, she called the shares “disgusting” but admitted that she’s a “proud” Republican and a full-on law enforcement supporter.
“I want you to understand that my political stance, I still support that. I’m very proud to be a Republican. I am proud to be able to say I have the freedom of speech, too, and to have an opinion,” Nguyen noted.
She also said she doesn’t “tolerate violence but I do support my law enforcement,” explaining, “I know with every profession, there’s good and there’s bad. I don’t support the bad. I don’t support the brutality with black people or with any race.”
Nguyen said her supporting the law enforcement “doesn’t make me racist.”
She added, “To support my political stance, that does not make me a racist. I want you to understand that.”
Did She Pull The ‘Friend Card’?
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During her live video, her friend Michael, a black gay man, sat beside her, and told viewers Nguyen’s “not a racist.”
“Over time, I did have to educate her on the whole Black Lives Matter and everything like that because I’m a gay black man, so I live it every day,” Micheal explained. “Anybody that’s saying she paid him to be there or she pulled the friend card, I see all your comments.”
He continued, “But here’s the reality. I know Jennie and I know her character and I know the person that she is inside. She’s not a racist.”
Offensive Remarks
Jennie from #RHOSLC is facing tons of backlash after her Facebook posts from 2020 have came to light. 😳 pic.twitter.com/NnysIqRw9l
— jay (@JaysRealityBlog) January 19, 2022
Nguyen’s insensitive posts mocked the Black Lives Matter movement and protesters in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, who was at the time a victim of police brutality. Her uploads consisted of memes and photos that included phrases like “BLM Thugs” and “Violent Gangs.”
“I’m sick of people saying cops need more training,” Nguyen posted in September 2020, as seen on a screengrab shared on Twitter. “You had 18 years to teach your kids it’s wrong to loot, steal, set buildings ablaze, block traffic, laser people’s eyes, overturn cars, destroy buildings and attack citizens. Who failed who?”
A month prior, she defended police officers by writing, “Hundreds of blacks shot and many killed (including children) by other blacks every week. Over a thousand Officers violently injured, some permanently, by rioters. Anarchists rioting in major cities every night, which has caused billions of dollars of destruction to private and public property. And you still think Police Officers are the problem. You are an idiot.”
Officially Out Of The Show
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On Tuesday, Bravo released a statement saying they had “ceased filming” with the “RHOSLC” newbie.
“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. Moving forward, we will work to improve our processes to ensure we make better informed and more thoughtful casting decisions.”
Apologizing About The Posts
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Last week, Nguyen issued an apology on social media regarding the resurfaced posts.
“I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today,” she wrote in a post.
“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.
Nguyen concluded by writing, “I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused.”
