Earlier this year, at the end of MTV’s The Challenge Double Agents, longtime vet Leroy Garrett announced that he would be retiring from the show. Leroy surprised a lot of fans but it turns out, he had important reasons to back away from the franchise. In a heartfelt and honest video on his Instagram, Leroy accused MTV of mishandling a racist altercation with castmate Camila Nakagawa.
The incident involved an argument between the two of them on an episode of The Challenge Dirty Thirty back in 2017. Camila was known for her drunken outbursts on the show. But in this one, she called Leroy a “Black motherf–king p–sy” and screamed, “It’s all about Black motherf–kers like that piece of s–t!”
Now that Leroy has brought this feelings about the incident to light, MTV has responded. As reported by Us Weekly, their statement began, “MTV and Bunim/Murray were saddened by Leroy Garrett’s recount of his experience on The Challenge in 2017.” They continued, “We apologize to Leroy who is a beloved member of The Challenge family. While we sought to support the cast and address the incident on air at the time, it’s now clear we didn’t do enough.”
MTV concluded, “We have learned from this experience and are continuing to double down on our education programs for all cast and crew to ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive set free of discrimination and harassment in any form.”
But Leroy endured the shock of dealing with it in real time on the show. He explained that the next day, Camila apologized during their group meeting with host TJ Lavin. But Leroy fully expected her to be sent home and she was not.
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Leroy recalled, “I thought, ‘What the hell is going on? No one is about to talk about what happened?’ Imagine that. The producers didn’t tell TJ to say something. I have to say something. I was the victim last night and I have to bring up why something happened to me and basically force someone to apologize — someone who wasn’t going to do it on their own. Mind blowing to me.”
Leroy points out that the only person to defend him at the time was longterm friend and castmate, Johnny Devenanzio. But Leroy was disappointed that MTV didn’t do the same. He said, “That’s how everyone should feel. MTV, that’s how you should feel. Clearly, you don’t. It’s really heartbreaking and it’s sad. … To know that a network who, at this point, who I’ve given at least seven or eight years to, everything, you guys are basically just recording it. You’re not doing anything to help me. Nothing.”
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Leroy also says that MTV “rewarded [Camila] for being racist and being violent” by letting her finish the season, which she ended up winning. He was also asked if he wanted to see a therapist after the upsetting incident.
Leroy remembered thinking, “I don’t want to see no damn therapist. I want you guys to do something. I want you guys to stand up for me — the same person you call every season and I come running, I want you guys to do something for me. Why are you guys not doing anything? I don’t understand. The fear that I had of speaking up. … That’s not a company that loves you.”
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Ultimately, Leroy wants MTV to take action. He told the network, “I’m more than open to having a conversation with you about how we can make change happen. The ball is in your court. All eyes are on you.”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MTV’S STATEMENT? DO YOU THIINK CAMILA SHOULD HAVE BEEN KICKED OFF THE SHOW IMMEDIATELY? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE LEROY RETURN?
[Photo Credit: MTV]
