The Big Picture
- Erica Mena probably deserved to be fired due to her history of racially insensitive remarks, but the producers should have taken action earlier.
- The Love and Hip Hop production team knew about the incident beforehand and had the opportunity to address it without firing Erica.
- The decision to fire Erica after the backlash seems suspicious, as if the producers were more concerned with generating attention for the show than addressing the offensive comment.
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta is one of the most popular reality shows currently airing and has been a staple in popular culture since its debut over a decade ago. Because of this popularity, many were watching the episode that aired last week when the scene between Erica and Spice regarding marriage, divorce, and children. Things got tense after Spice insulted Erica’s mothering. In return, Erica called Spice a “blue monkey,” a racial slur. It’s not her first time doing so publicly, as Erica has a history of being reckless at the mouth. Still, many social media users were split, considering Spice threw the first jab. Majority agree however that Erica took things too far. discussion was heated, and to quote one X user,
“Spice went low and Erica went to hell”
The scene has sparked a lot of online debate, with many calling on the Love and Hip Hop producers to fire Erica, which they did, pretty swiftly. And while some are applauding the producers for making this decision so quickly, others can’t help but notice the hypocrisy in their actions.
‘LAHHATL’ Did Erica Mena Deserve to Be Fired? Probably
Erica Mena probably deserved to be fired. She has a history of making racially insensitive and colorist remarks, and this allegedly isn’t the first time she’s used the “monkey” slur towards a Black person. She has a history of co-signing colorism despite being the mother of Black children. Her attitude speaks to a much larger issue within in Black and Afro-Latino communities, and is an issue one can see that producers have had no desire to really address in the past. In fact, Erica’s messy attitude has frankly been what’s kept her on Love and Hip Hop for so long, and despite the screen shots of some of her racially insensitive comments and posts still existing, no actions were taken. After all, the actual post was deleted, so who’s to say it wasn’t Photoshop situation, and Erica was innocent? Circumstantial evidence just isn’t enough. This is a logical reason as to why she hasn’t been fired or reprimanded for her behaviors in the past. The logic is there, yes, but there is still a lingering question. Why did her firing happen after the backlash, and not after it happened?
Why This ‘Love and Hip Hop Atlanta’ Firing Decision Seems Suspect
Everyone on the Love and Hip Hop production team was aware of the incident prior to it airing. The production team that was filming was aware of it. The editing team and producers in charge of post-production were aware of the scene. They knew it was happening. The opportunities were there to warn producers ahead of time. Action against Erica could have been taken immediately following the incident, action that would not have necessarily been her getting fired. They could have released a statement about what was coming, while simultaneously reprimanding her. In fact, they could have required her to take racial sensitivity classes and docked some pay, anything. They had time and opportunity to get ahead of this incident in a way that would not only make sense, but also still garner the attention they desired to get the show. That is one thing many fans agree on; the choice to air this scene was a purposeful marketing stunt. In fact several people, including her fellow cast mate Lil’ Scrappy, believe that production set Erica up. The one fault in this statement is that she could have called Spice literally anything else that has nothing to do with skin color. What is suspicious is that it’s clear that they opted to fire her after people requested it, not prior. How could no one on that team see how triggering and offensive her comment was? And yet it was only until after the scene aired and after the fans called for her firing that any action was taken. They had the information, and they knew what was coming. The reason that her firing feels suspicious, is because it was done in a shady way.
