When season 2 of Netflix’s Cheer came out, I managed to binge it in two days. I loved season 1 and was curious to see where season 2 could take us. Like many fans, I was aware of the arrest and allegations of season 1’s breakout star, Jerry Harris. Which was shocking and upsetting. But another shocker to come out of the season ended up being the fallout between Coach Monica Aldama and Navarro’s star tumbler/stunter, La’Darius Marshall.
From the very beginning, the two had an extremely close bond. Monica considered him family and he told her that she was the closest thing he had to a mother. La’Darius had trauma, and Monica and the cheer team gave him something to be proud of. Which made the falling out even that much sadder.
Now Monica is talking to Entertainment Tonight about what went down and where they stand now. Monica revealed, “We’re in a good place. We have spoken quite a bit the past couple of months. Family is family. You go through ups and downs, and I love him.” I’m glad to hear that this continued, as the season finale showed the two coming together in a tearful reunion.
Prior to their reunion, things spiraled out of control when Monica signed up to join Dancing With The Stars, which caused her to leave the team while filming. Former team member Kailee Peppers filled in as a head coach, and La’Darius immediately butted heads with her. He didn’t feel heard and Kailee didn’t feel respected. In an off-camera incident, La’Darius leaves the team and jumped on social media to bash Monica.
RELATED: Cheer Star Monica Aldama Reacts To The Allegations Against Jerry Harris
The fight was so surprising, even the creator and director of Cheer, Greg Whiteley was taken aback. He said, “I would never have predicted the fallout between the two of them. The two of them mean so much to each other. And it’s more than just a relationship between a coach and a teammate. They really have, over the last few years, created a bond. And that feels more to me like a family.” He continued, “Like any family, those relationships can get messy and complicated. And that certainly happened when we were filming. That was a storyline that I wouldn’t have predicted.”
Despite the drama it caused between her and La’Darius, Monica doesn’t have any regrets for doing DWTS. She admitted, “I was very grateful to have that opportunity… I think the team was very supportive of me.”
TELL US – DID YOU WATCH SEASON 2 OF CHEER? WERE YOU SURPRISED AT THE FIGHT BETWEEN LA’DARIUS AND MONICA? WHO DO YOU THINK WAS RIGHT?
[Photo Credit: Jim Spellman/Getty Images]
