Reality stars don't become well-known by acting like role models, but there are a few that
went way too far and lost their careers as a result.
Alex Kompothecras was once the leading man on the reality show Siesta Key, a series pitched
by his father, an affluent chiropractor and entrepreneur.
The reality show starring his son and his friends was filmed by a production company
and was later picked up by MTV in 2017.
The show followed the lives of Alex and his attractive twenty-something group of friends
as they navigate life and love on a wealthy barrier island in Florida.
Even before airing, the show was controversial, as Alex had ties to a previous animal cruelty
case, but managed to shrug those accusations off.
"You really are a piece of s–t, aren't you?"
"I'm not a piece of s–t."
"No, you are."
Alex's storyline largely centered around his antics as he juggled his on-and-off relationship
with Juliette Porter.
It all came to an abrupt end, however, after Alex's racist comments on social media came
to light in June 2020.
Alex was discovered commenting and laughing at racist posts on Instagram, as well as using
racial slurs.
Just days later, Siesta Key tweeted:
"We've made the decision to cut ties with Alex and are editing the current season to
minimize his presence.
He will not be in future seasons of Siesta Key."
Jennie Nguyen debuted on the second season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in
2021, but her time on the series was short-lived.
By 2022, she was fired from the franchise in the midst of filming Season 3 when her
Facebook posts in the midst of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement resurfaced, which included
memes and photos with the words "BLM Thugs" and "Violent Gangs."
"That's how I talk.
You don't like it, you don't have to listen."
"Wow."
Nguyen deactivated her Facebook shortly after the controversy, but it did little to change
Bravo's decision to fire her, tweeting,
"Bravo has ceased filming with Jennie Nguyen and she will no longer be a cast member.
[...] Moving forward, we will work to improve our processes to ensure we make better informed
and more thoughtful casting decisions."
Nguyen issued an apology via Instagram, writing,
"I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced
today.
At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned
how offensive and hurtful my words were.
[...] I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused."
Peter Hunziker joined the crew of the super yacht The Wellington for Season 5 of Below
Deck Mediterranean, which aired in 2020.
The deckhand had a reputation for rubbing his crew members the wrong way, especially
the female bosun, and his boss, Malia White.
Hunziker ran into problems during the charter season after he referred to White as "sweetie"
and "sweetheart."
After Captain Sandy Yawn had a conversation with Hunziker about his choice of words, the
deckhand continued on for the remainder of the season.
Though he made it through the season, Hunziker wasn't exactly a major presence.
The network cut ties with the yachtie after uncovering racist posts of his on social media,
which included a meme he reposted that showed a naked Black woman in chains.
Shortly after, Bravo announced via Instagram their decision to fire him from the franchise,
saying,
"Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance on subsequent episodes."
Hunziker took to his Instagram to issue a public apology, writing,
"A little over 3 months ago someone sent me a meme on social media and I thoughtlessly
reposted it.
I now realize how painful the imagery and symbolism is and, upon deeper consideration,
I realize that the implicit bias that exists in the brief text written in the meme is offensive."
Before Kristen Doute and Stassi Schroeder became famous, they were slinging Pumptinis
and goat cheese balls at SUR in West Hollywood.
Viewers saw their glow-up for nearly a decade on Bravo's hit show Vanderpump Rules.
However, their long-time run as cast members ended abruptly in 2020 when the network fired
the stars.
The decision came after former cast member Faith Stowers alleged they called the police
on her after seeing a tabloid article about a Black woman wanted for theft.
Both Doute and Schroeder made public apologies for their actions and attempted to contact
Stowers, but the latter declined.
Schroeder also had a history of racist comments prior to the incident.
A since-removed 2017 episode of her podcast resurfaced following the Black Lives Matter
movement in 2020 in which she made racist remarks about that year's trending hashtag
"#OscarsSoWhite."
On the podcast, Schroeder said,
"Maybe you weren't nominated because you didn't do that great of a job in your movie.
Like it's not about race."
She went on to be vocally dismissive of those who argued that race was a factor in award
consideration.
Though Doute insisted on Instagram that neither she nor Shroeder is racist, Stowers isn't
convinced.
She started a GoFundMe page in 2023 to raise money to sue Schroeder.
Stowers is seeking damages for the money Schroeder earned for her book Off With My Head.
She plans to donate the funds raised to charity.
Reality stars Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni, who were both featured in Season 8 of Vanderpump
Rules were both let go alongside Schroder and Doute in 2020.
Boyens’ past tweets from 2012 resurfaced which included his fondness for certain racial
slurs, and his desire to commit violence against the Asian community.
Boyens issued a statement to Entertainment Tonight following the incident, writing,
"I want to sincerely apologize for what I tweeted in 2012 — it was wrong on every
level.
[...] It is not a representation of who I am.
I am shocked I ever tweeted that — and I am disgusted and embarrassed — I am truly
sorry."
Caprioni found himself in hot water as well, when his past racist tweets from 2012 also
came to light, some of which also used racial slurs.
In a statement to Us Weekly he admitted:
"While I'm disappointed to no longer be part of the cast, I respect Bravo's decision.
[...] I continue to be truly sorry for the insensitive comments I made in the past and
have worked within my community to repair the damage I've caused."
Three-time MTV "Challenge" champion Camila Nakagawa is a force to be reckoned with, but
her reputation as a competitor was overshadowed when she made racist remarks while filming
The Challenge: Dirty 30 in 2017.
While competing in the series, she and her castmate Leroy Garrett got into a tense argument
in which she went on a drunken rant that negatively referenced his race.
"Who threw that pillow at me?
Who threw that pillow at me?"
Nakagawa continued to remain in the game following the incident and went on to win the $450,000
prize.
Garrett spoke out about his struggle with Nakagawa's racist comments on Instagram Live,
stating,
"You basically rewarded her for being racist and being violent.
I've seen people get sent home for less "
Nakagawa has since owned up to her remarks, going on Instagram Live to apologize for her
racist statements, saying,
“I'm taking anti-racism courses.
Literally.
I'm trying to educate myself so th at I never make the same mistakes so that
I fully understand my part in just being supportive of the cause.
That's what I want to do, that's it.
I was wrong, period, 100 percent.”
She also admitted she had a conversation with Garrett, saying,
"I know Leroy doesn't care about me, and that's fine.
It's his right.
I probably wouldn't care about someone that did that to me too."
Camila Nakagawa wasn't the only former Challenge competitor who made racist remarks.
Dee Nguyen, who was a winner of War of the Worlds 2, was fired after making racist social
media comments during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
When questioned by a fan for posting selfies in the midst of a day when social media users
refrained from posting to protest racial injustice, she responded to the backlash by writing in
a since-deleted Instagram comment:
"People die every f—ing day."
Shortly after, The Challenge official Twitter account announced that they were cutting ties
with Nguyen, saying,
"We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice."
Nguyen's former cast mate Tula "Big T" also came out against her on her Instagram Story
saying that Nguyen
"...said she was 'blacker' than me because I didn't know the name of a musician and because
she hadn't seen me fight and be aggressive."
Nguyen apologized in a since-removed tweet writing,
"I am sorry for the insensitive tweet I posted earlier.
I was being defensive and not speaking from my heart.
But there's no excuse."
"No one actually likes Jordan, but quite a few people fear him."
Jordan Wiseley has had a long history on reality television.
Before he was a three-time MTV Challenge champ, he was a cast member on The Real World: Portland
in 2013.
His reputation came into question in 2020 when videos from The Real World resurfaced
that featured him making racist comments during a fight.
At the time, Wiseley was in a heated argument with his Black cast mate Nia Moore, during
which he made animal sounds and used racially-charged words during the tense fight.
Wiseley and Moore addressed the fight nearly a decade later on Instagram Live, when Moore
said,
"I didn't attach [his actions] to a racist gesture, I just wanted to kick his ass because
we were arguing about something stupid...
It wasn't heavy for me."
Wiseley owned up to his actions, saying,
"I totally understand I offended people.
[...] I cannot take it back.
It was not coming from a place of hate."
Taylor Selfridge was first introduced to reality TV fans when she appeared on MTV's Are You
The One?
in 2017.
The reality star went on to star in Ex on the Beach the following year, where she met
her partner, Challenge veteran Cory Wharton.
The birth of their first child, Mila, was set to be featured in a television special
in 2020.
However, MTV network decided to pull Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special
from the schedule following the discovery of Selfridge's past racist tweets, in which
she described a fear of specific races and made racially insensitive comments about Asians.
Following the news, MTV announced they were severing ties with the mother-of-two in a
statement.
Selfridge made her own seemingly unapologetic statement on her Instagram, writing,
"As you guys know already our special didn't air tonight.
I made the decision last week to not film the next season of Teen Mom OG with Cory for
the benefit of myself and my daughter.
[...] I don't believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my
life."
Dance teacher Abby Miller has always been a controversial television personality.
Miller made a name for herself after starring in the Lifetime series Dance Moms for eight
years following its premiere in 2011.
The series followed Miller teaching her dancers at her former Pittsburgh studio, complete
with her intense practice regimens and demanding requirements of her students.
She was known to fans as being notoriously bossy and at times over-the-top.
The final season of Dance Moms aired in 2019, and Miller was set to star in a spinoff show
on the network in 2020, but it was canceled due to Miller's racist remarks.
The controversy started after Miller posted a black square to her Instagram during the
midst of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020.
Adriana Smith, the mom of Miller's former dancer Kamryn Smith responded with her own
post, calling out Miller for previous comments that implied that Kamryn was only there because
of her race, and not her talent.
The dance teacher apologized via Twitter, writing,
"I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected [sic] and hurt
those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black community.
To Kamryn, Adriana, and anyone else I've hurt, I am truly sorry."