‘The Challenge’ ‘Severs Ties’ With Dee After ‘Offensive’ Black Lives Matter Comments
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Dee Nguyen will not appear on future seasons of ‘The Challenge’ after her controversial comments about Black Lives Matter. She issued an apology for her ‘insensitive remarks’ on June 8.
After the current season of The Challenge: Total Madness, Dee Nguyen will not be welcomed back on the MTV show. The decision comes just days after Dee received major backlash on social media for comments that she made about the Black Lives Matter movement following George Floyd’s death. The official Twitter account for The Challenge shared the news on the evening of June 8.
As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her. Out of respect for our Challengers, we'll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.
— challengemtv (@ChallengeMTV) June 9, 2020
“As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her,” the tweet read. “Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.” In a follow up tweet, The Challenge urged fans to “take action to end racism, discrimination and systemic violence,” and shared a link to resources where viewers could learn more (see here).
After news of Dee’s firing broke, the Australian reality star took to Instagram to issue an apology. “The last 24 hours have made me realize what is important and that is forgiveness,” Dee wrote. “I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks. Let me be clear, I am a POC who cares about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media to focus on my well-being and mental health.”
The criticism against Dee began after she participated in Blackout Tuesday on Instagram, but did not use her platform to further condemn racism or support Black Lives Matter. “Wake up! People are dying,” one commenter wrote, to which Dee responded, “People die every f***ing day. U don’t know me or what I do. I suggest you wake the f*** up and get off social media.”
Of course, this response received major backlash, and Dee dug herself further into a hole when she clapped back. “IDK why some of you think I’m anti-BLM,” she tweeted. “I’ve been saying that since the day I lost my virginity.” Her comments went viral after she was called out by two of her The Challenge co-stars, Swaggy C and Bayleigh Dayton. Dee issued an apology on June 7, but the damage had already been done.
Dee made her reality television debut on Australia’s Geordie Shore. She joined The Challenge during season 33, War of the Worlds. She began the season with longtime Challenge veteran, Wes Bergmann, as a partner, and they formed a fast alliance. This connection, along with Dee’s ability to compete, made her a quick threat. However, she was eliminated in episode 14.
Dee returned for season 34, The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2, as a ‘reinforcement,’ and was selected as a member of team U.K. She made it all the way to the final, and won the show alongside Jordan Wiseley, CT Tamburello, and Rogan O’Connor. Dee is currently competing on The Challenge: Total Madness, which airs on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on MTV.