Former Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Erica Mena says she “let down women of color,” when she called her then-castmate Spice a racial slur as cameras rolled.
Mena was fired from the MTV reality show in September 2023. Her departure came amid backlash for the viral exchange with Spice.
Tensions between the two escalated during a discussion about their families and Mena’s divorce from fellow LHHATL star Safaree Samuels. (Mena and Samuels married in 2019 and finalized their divorce in 2022, according to TMZ. They share two children).
Related: Mona Scott-Young Fires Back at Critics Who Call ‘Love & Hip Hop’ Franchise Ratchet
Mena — who is Dominican-Puerto Rican — yelled at Jamaican dancehall singer and actress Spice — who is Black and has blue hair — “you f–ing blue monkey!”
The comment led to colorism accusations against Mena and her ouster from the show.
The actress, model and video vixen sat down for an interview on the July 26 installment of Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast — and shared her side of what happened.
“I’m disappointed in the fact that I let down women of color,” Mena said in the interview.
She added that she’s taken “accountability” for her actions, but described the way the scene was edited as “horrible.”
“I do wish that more of her actions were shown, just so the audience had a better understanding of what provoked me to actually say that initial comment,” Mena told Newton. “But at the same time, I’m taking my accountability because at the end of the day, it is what it is, regardless of what she was doing.”
She continued, “All you see is me yelling in the window. You don’t see what’s in the window and that was literally her — she had her ass [out], like pulled down her pants and had her ass in the window,” Mena said.
The reality star told Newton she was “wrong in the choice of words” she used.
Mena also admitted she fumbled her platform on the show.
“I understand the impact that I have more than ever now, and after what happened from the impact of that now, I know my mission,” she continued. “I have a lot to make up for now… I know I fu–ed up.”
She vowed to have a more “positive impact” moving forward, adding: “All I’m asking is time to make up for it.”
MTV issued a statement on Instagram in September 2023, explaining why it chose to air the scene.
“The Love & Hip Hop franchise has never shied away from hard conversations in our community,” the statement began. “Working hand-in-hand with our partners, viewers will see the impact of Erica Mena’s remarks play out in the final three episodes of the season.”
The network continued, “Effective immediately, she will not appear in the next season of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.”
LHHATL is known for name calling, drama and heated discussions. The show premiered on VH1 in 2012, and follows the lives of people in Atlanta involved in the hip-hop scene. The series was rebooted and moved to sister network MTV in 2023.
In her interview on Friday, Erica Mena also talked about her love life, growing up in the Bronx, being raised in foster care, and drawing inspiration from Jennifer Lopez’s career.
You can watch the full 2.5-hour interview here.
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