The iconic television show aired on VH1 made the announcement public on social media by posting an official statement, ‘The Love & Hip Hop franchise has never shied away from uncomfortable issues in our community.’
‘Working hand-in-hand with our partners, viewers will experience the implications of Erica Mena’s remarks play out in the following three episodes of the season,’ the statement read.
The statement closed by saying, ‘Effective immediately, she will not feature in the next season of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.’
The revelation came after the reality television personality came under fire from fans when she called Spice a “monkey” in the middle of a heated dispute as the two ladies were talking while sitting down at a restaurant.
“After Spice said that Erica’s kid ‘doesn’t like’ her, which escalated an already heated argument between the two women, they eventually got into a physical altercation.”
The debate gradually became more heated, culminating with Erica tossing their table, unexpectedly referring to Spice as a “monkey,” and yelling that she “should have died” during a recent brush with death. These comments took me aback, Spice.
The stunning incident prompted viewers to demand that Erica be fired on social media, and many of them stated it was not only an instance of racism but also an instance of colourism. Erica is an Afro-Latina with a lighter complexion, but Spice is a Black Jamaican lady with darker skin. Many viewers also felt it was an instance of both racism and colourism.
Erica’s divorce from Safaree Samuels was the seed that grew into the antagonism that exists between the ladies.
DailyMail.com has contacted Erica Mena’s and MTV’s respective public relations teams.
The argument began earlier in the episode when Erica revealed to Shekinah that she was furious that Spice had posed for a picture with her ex-husband, Safaree. His reported new girlfriend, Amara La Nega. Erica informed Shekinah that the photo made her feel uncomfortable.
On the other hand, Spice disclosed to Shekinah in a private conversation that she had spoken with Safaree to interrogate him about his problems with paying child support to Erica.
However, once he informed her that Erica had been rudely talking about her to him, she found herself taking his side. He said that Erica had been saying some harsh things about her.
Erica was also angry with her former partner since she believed he had shown more compassion to Spice over the ordeal she had gone through in 2022 when she was hospitalized with sepsis than he had shown towards their breakup.
The meeting with Shekinah was intended to assist the ladies in resolving their differences. Still, Spice exacerbated it when she accused Erica of being narcissistic and focused on obtaining sympathy for her divorce over more significant concerns. Shekinah was supposed to help the women settle their differences, but Spice worsened the situation instead.
She lost her composure, and finally, Erica insulted Spice by calling her a “blue monkey” before flipping a table.
The offensive term visibly stunned members of the team working on the scene. Comparisons of black people to monkeys and other apes have been used as a form of racial derogation for ages.
The viewers who commented on social media had little compassion for Erica or her offensive language, and they did not accept her sorrow as an explanation for saying things that were not excusable.
