In a recent interview with Van Lathan’s Red Pill Podcast, Shaunie O’Neal directly addressed the constant criticism she receives for “Basketball Wives.”
When Van asked her if the bulk of the criticism comes from the black community, she said the following:
I mean I get it but I just think that it’s a little more judgmental for when it comes to women of color for us doing that on TV versus any of the housewives of Beverly Hills, Mob Wives. Mob Wives went way harder than we ever did.
But even on Jersey Wives or Beverly Hills, they doing the same thing. Drinks being thrown, it’s physical altercations. It’s tables being flipped. You know nothing different than we’ve ever done. But for us it’s like, “Oh my God, you’re making the world think black women this, that and the other.”
It’s the same as any other reality TV. Could we clean up and do better? Absolutely. I think everybody can.
We’re harder on each other I feel like than anyone else is.
I’ve kind of accepted it.
She also recalled getting a lot of backlash when she attended Essence Fest a couple of years ago:
About two years ago, I went to Essence Festival and they asked me to do a panel. And literally like 75 percent of that room was in there to just be mad at me. They tell me how the example that I was setting and this, that and the other. And I’m like, first of all, thank you all for watching…there’s just so many things to be mad at.
I actually was a little upset because I was like dang they are really mad and I’m not doing anything different than they’re doing on Bravo. But it’s like you are held so accountable for society’s depiction of black women. You’re held so accountable for being an example.
And in my personal life, me as Shaunie, I try to be as best an example as I can. I have kids. I do my very best. But I’m in the business of making good TV as well. And I never, ever ask anybody to do anything.
I just think being a parent and being an example starts at home.
When the topic later changed into black athletes’ interest in white women, Shaunie didn’t hold back on her theory:
I tend to think white girls are just easier. Sorry not sorry.
They don’t challenge a black man the way a black woman or a woman of color does. And not that the challenge has to be aggressive, we’re not just hopping on one foot and barking…I’ve actually had black men tell me that. White girls are just way easier.
We are always harder on each other because we are supposed to look out for us more than anyone else would.
Let em know
I think that’s BS. A lot of us are harder on each other because we care too much about what white people think about us. Some of the older generation can’t stand Shaunie because they feel like BBW embarrasses us in front of white people. But the thing is white people can have a variety of different shows on TV and not one single one is a representation of all of them, right? Why can’t we have that too?
She told not one lie about why they love white girls.
If Black Panther has shown us anything it’s that representation matters. We now have more little black children interested in science and math because of one movie. People are hard on Shaunie because they know that shows like Basketball Wives do nothing but reinforce negative stereotypes of black women. It’s her hustle, but she has to understand where the backlash is coming from and learn how to not take it personally if she has no plans to stop doing the show. I can only hope parents are making sure their kids aren’t watching anything on VH1. It’s all toxic and definitely not suitable for children.
She can’t compare Bravo/Andy to herself. We already know Bravo doesn’t have an invested interest in black people. When black people get in roles of power, we expect them to be smart with it.
I think Mona said something similar a few years ago. Andy does the same thing and gets no backlash. I never understood it.
White girls aren’t easier. They just know how to pretend but the truth comes out after they get the ring. All women are difficult honestly. Men are trash though.
I always knew you were a white woman ??♀️
Not white just don’t buy into the lie that women of color are more difficult. No, we’re just more upfront with ours. Others pretend to be more submissive until they get the ring.
Just because the other network have women acting in certain manors doesn’t mean she has to follow. Why not be honest and say more people will tune in to watch women acting a fool than acting professional and classy and I’m going to show whatever it takes to make my bank account large
Girl whatever.
Mona and Shaunie need to accept that the backlash will always be there because of the platforms they chose to make money off. If they can’t handle the criticism, maybe they should have done something else to make money. And I don’t know how Shaunie can fix her lips to say they are trying to be better when just last season one black woman threatened to stab someone to death. A grandmother at that.
I understand the whole double standard picture she’s attempting to paint here – I just think it’s ridiculous. It’s so annoying to see her advocating for something as silly as their behaviors being accepted. For people like me who don’t care to see it in any form, whether White or Black – her argument here is invalid. Like someone else said, as a Black Woman in a position of power; she (in addition to the rest of them) needs to do better.
Everybody knows that white women are weak aka translation easier to be with….they also raise kids that are confused about they identity and most dont identify as. Bkack which they are not….its a consequence being with them one they arent black and black men lose their blackness
What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul?
why is she comparing BBW to white shows? Society and the media will always look out for them. We have to work 10 times harder. Why give the world a negative view of ourselves. The white man does it for us already. Why help him?
My goodness Jackie and Shaunie are even boring in their interviews. No wonder they weren’t dumb enough to fire Jackie. She makes the show!
If people are going hard on Shaunie for BBW they need to go hard on Mona Scott. Each and every one of the L&HH franchises do Black women and Black men no favors in the representation department.