REAL World Homecoming viewers were stunned after stars Glen Naessens and Irene Berrera-Kearns used a racial slur during a heated discussion with co-star Tami Roman in a recent episode.
Tami addressed the scandal on her personal social media accounts.
The controversy kicked off with a conversation about the widespread Black Lives Matter protests and how Irene, who works as a police officer, handled them.
Things took a turn when Tami, 51, asked co-star Jon Brennan for his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement as a Southern conservative and a white man.
He acknowledged that racism exists among some white people, adding: “OK, I live in the South, y’all. I live in Alabama. Do you know who’s in my house right now? Young, Black-colored people that I’m minister to and I’m a father figure.”
Tami was quick to correct Jon, telling him not to use the term “Black-colored” to describe Black people.
He retorted with: “Well, they don’t mind. They call themselves words I won’t repeat.”
At that point, Glen chimed in, claiming not to “see color,” which only added to Tami’s frustrations.
“Why do we have to educate you on something you should already know. And if you’re talking to a Black person about a plight that affects them, you might want to listen,” she said during a confessional.
Tami explained why his colorblind comment was tone deaf, saying: “You know you need to see some color, so you understand what I’m going through in America.”
It was at this point the Glen began sharing a story in an attempt to show his understanding for the struggle Tami was referencing.
“The first time I really felt what you’re passionate about was when I was with my friend John, and I went to a pizza place, right? And they called him a n*****,” Glen recalled.
Tami was left visibly stunned.
“You don’t say that,” she responded.
Glen began to argue with her, claiming he was called the N-word as well.
Tami explained: “I’m saying that you can say he was called the N-word. You don’t understand that the word shouldn’t come out of your white-a** mouth.”
Irene then jumped in to back Tami up, but wound up saying the word herself.
“You have no idea what it is to be a n*****,” she shouted at Glen.
Tami shook her head as she said: “I can’t. You don’t say it either!”
The reality star looked to David Edwards, another Black castmate, for support but didn’t find it.
He sat quietly as the argument ensued, saying during a confessional: “These two people? come on. It’s not like Irene’s a racist. I didn’t take offense. I didn’t even take offense when Glen said it. And I thought it was unfair what Tami did to them. It was toxic.”
While David didn’t see things Tami’s way, plenty of people on Twitter did.
One user shared a clip from the incident, writing: “Um HELLO?! Is this real?!”
Another tweeted: “Tami came back to the Real World after almost 30 years & still has to deal w this.”
A third Twitter user said: “OMG, the fact that Glen would repeatedly say the N-word in front of Tami and David is SICK.”
Tami herself tweeted about the incident, writing: “I’m just thinking… I shouldn’t have to educate people on how to be a decent human being and to hold their family, friends and associates accountable to do the same.”
She also retweeted Nina Parker, who wrote: “I know @TamiRoman better have gotten hazard pay on top of everyone else because WHAT???”
MTV hasn’t addressed the incident, though the Real World Homecoming Twitter page tweeted out a clip from the conversation.
Tami and her costars originally appeared on The Real World: Los Angeles in the 1990s.
They reunited for the reboot in the same house in Venice Beach they originally lived in.
Tami went on to appear on Basketball Wives, Basketball Wives LA, and The Ms Pat Show.
