Very few people are having a worse September than Erica Mena. She made a nasty racist comment towards Spice on a recent Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta episode. Then, the longtime reality star was promptly fired after the moment aired.
To add insult to injury, the reality star was arrested in Atlanta for a wild nightclub brawl. It’s like she was determined to ruin any ounce of a reputation she had. Now that the dust has settled, Erica has reemerged with an apology. But is it a little too late?
An apology from Erica
For Erica’s apology, she went with the classic black background and white text approach. That’s always the go-to when it comes to celebrity apologies — especially when it’s something as serious as this.
She wrote, “I deeply regret my insensitive comment and want to humbly apologize to anybody I hurt or offended by my thoughtlessness. My choice of words was wrong, and I take full responsibility for what I said.”
The apology started strong, but then she went off the rails. She continued, “I am committed to listening to the voices of those affected and will work toward making amends. As a woman of color and the mother of two black children, I want to make it clear that my use of that word was not in any way racially driven.”
How is it possible to use a racial slur but not mean it in a racially driven way? That one is a head-scratcher; plenty of people in the comments sounded off on her for this part of the apology. The comments have since been disabled.
Still, she continued with her apology by saying, “That said, I do understand the gravity of what I said and want to use my platform to promote inclusivity and equality.”
That’s a nice sentiment. But it’s unclear what platform she’s referring to since she just got fired from Love & Hip Hop. This apology certainly isn’t going to get her job back. Either way, it’s worth noting that she tried to apologize. A bad apology is better than none.
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta airs on MTV, Tuesdays at 8/7c.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ERICA’S APOLOGY? DO YOU THINK SHE’LL EVER RETURN TO REALITY TV?
