Erica Mena fired from 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' over backlash for using racist slur against co-star Spice
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Erica Mena has been booted from 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' after making racial comments towards her co-star Spice on August 30.
The popular VH1 series made the announcement on social media, "The Love & Hip Hop franchise has never shied away from hard conversations in our community."
The statement continued, "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."
"Effective immediately, she will not appear in the next season of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta," it further read,
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What happened between Erica Mena and Spice?
The announcement came after fan criticism of the reality star after she referred to Spice as a "monkey" during a tense fight at a restaurant.
After Spice stated that Erica's son "doesn't like" her, the two women got into a violent altercation.
The disagreement immediately erupted, with Erica tossing their table and unexpectedly calling Spice a "monkey" and screaming that she "should have died" after a previous near-death experience.
The unsettling event prompted viewers to demand Erica's firing on social media, and many felt it was not just an example of racism, but also colorism, because Erica is a lighter-skinned Afro-Latina and Spice is a darker-skinned Black Jamaican.
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The fight started over Erica's divorce from Safaree Samuels.
Erica expressed displeasure that Spice posed for a photo with her ex-husband Safaree and his alleged new girlfriend Amara La Nega, and it looks like the argument started over this.
Spice, on the other hand, revealed to Shekinah that she had spoken to Safaree to question him about his difficulties in paying alimony to Erica.
She changed her mind about him after he told her that Erica had said derogatory things about her to him.
Erica was also angry with her ex because she believed he had more sympathy for Spice's near-death experience with blood poisoning in 2022 than for their divorce.
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The meeting with Shekinah was supposed to help the women solve their problems, but Spice made them worse when she accused Erica of being selfish and putting compassion for her divorce above more important concerns.
Erica finally lost her temper, knocked over a table, and called Spice a "blue monkey"
The insult certainly stunned crew members on set. For millennia, black people have been humiliated by analogies to monkeys and apes.
Viewers of the show had little sympathy for Erica or her foul language, and many refused to accept her distress as justification for indecent obscenities.
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Safaree claims Erica Mena should be there for their children
Those close to Erica have commented on the incident. Some support her and say that she did not intentionally call Spice a "monkey."
Others, like her baby daddy, Safaree, appear to be significantly less charmed by her antics.
Surprisingly, while releasing his statement on September 3, the 42-year-old opted to take the high road.
The 'Hoodstars' alum posted a photo of himself with his gorgeous two children this afternoon, captioning it, "My kids need their mother."
"My mumma taught me if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all 🙏🏾❤️," Safaree continued.
He then stated that he felt God's protection "24 hours a day, 365 days a year."
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Why was Erica Mena arrested?
Erica is not just out of work, but also facing legal problems after reportedly biting a security guard during an argument and lying to a police officer about her pregnancy.
She is facing charges for her alleged involvement in an August 25 altercation at a hookah bar in Atlanta.
The 'Stepmother 3' actor was one of four people detained, according to records obtained by TMZ, after security reportedly requested the group leave the club.
Erica is accused of biting one guard's forearm and kicking another in the face. According to a police officer, the 'Picture Me Dead' star also resisted his efforts to subdue her.
According to Fulton County Jail records, Erica was charged with intentional obstruction of law enforcement, simple battery, and simple battery against a police officer.
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Did Erica Mena fake her pregnancy?
If you bit and kicked an authority figure, pretended to be pregnant, and got arrested this weekend, you could send your resume to VH1, because 'Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta' star Erica did all those things, too!
Erica won the reality television drama Triple Crown after an uncontrolled brawl at an Atlanta hot spot on September 1, TMZ reports.
The incident occurred at a prominent downtown lounge when security asked four people, including Erica, to leave, although it's unclear why they were asked to leave in the first place.
Drew Findling, Erica's lawyer, later informed TMZ that this claim was false, "On behalf of Erica Mena (who is not pregnant), we will immediately start investigating the events of August 25, 2023. It is clear that this was an incident between citizens, private security, and off-duty police officers that was not properly handled or de-escalated."