Reality TV is headed for “a day of reckoning.” Or at least those are the sentiments of reality TV star Bethenny Frankel of “Real Housewives of New York” fame. Reality television is feeling the heat of harsh criticism from its’ former stars. “Real Housewives of Atlanta” Nene Leakes filed a lawsuit against Bravo TV and NBC-Universal months ago alleging among other things the discriminatory practices of the network. Now MTV and parent company Paramount Media Networks are under fire for the way they reacted, or the delayed reaction in response to an episode of “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” last month where Erica Mena hurled racial epithets at Grammy Award-winning dancehall artist, Spice, during a violent physical altercation.

MTV and its parent company are the home of the “Love and Hip Hop” franchise which includes the cities Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Paramount is also the parent company of VH 1 which is the network that airs “Basketball Wives.” Erica Mena, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, can be seen on camera repeatedly screaming “monkey” at Spice while making monkey sounds and movements during the violent encounter. The controversial episode caused an Internet explosion that has yet to calm. Contrary to what the executives at MTV anticipated, the outrage over Mena’s usage of a racial slur against her castmate, the backlash was fierce and swift. Within days after the initial airing of the controversial episode, MTV released a statement on social media saying that after “working hand in hand with our partners, viewers will see the impact of Erica Mena’s remarks play out in the final three episodes of the season. Effective immediately, she will not appear in the next season of ‘Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta.’” In an effort at damage control, MTV decided to host a roundtable discussion about racism and colorism with several of the “Love and Hip Atlanta” cast members including Spice, Yung Joc, Lil Scrappy and Yandy. Mena was not invited to the filming which aired immediately following the season finale last week. Like clockwork, Mena took to social media to condemn MTV, Paramount and the roundtable titled “Racism, Colorism and the Uncomfortable Truth – Love and Hip Hop Atlanta,” hosted by Dr. Sarah L. Webb, CEO of Colorism Healing. “They had this footage for months. It is only now they are desperate trying to save face and using me to do so,” she wrote on social media. “If you really wanted to save face, why not have the two women … in that scene have this conversation since now this network feels it needs to be had.” The roundtable discussion featuring the cast covered the history behind racial slurs and the tensions that simmer between Latinos and African Americans regarding colorism.

MTV has a long history of racism that goes back to its founding days in the early 1980s. When the network was famous for playing music videos 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which was a novel concept, the channel played videos only by white music artists. Genesis, Hall & Oats, Guns n Roses, U2, David Bowie, and other rock artists were played in heavy rotation. Black artists were noticeably absent. MTV executives at the time stated that the reason that there were zero Black artists’ music played on the channel was because it did not fit the rock music format. MTV first aired on Aug. 1, 1981. Between 1980 and 1982, Prince released three albums that each had a playlist with a song that could be considered rock. But even a mean rock guitarist like Prince, who was a throwback to Jimi Hendrix in some respects, could not get his video played on MTV. It was only when CBS allegedly threatened to withhold their white artists from the MTV video playlist if the network refused to play Michael Jackson’s videos that the network acquiesced and for a while, Jackson was the only Black face on MTV besides the late veejay J.J. Jackson.

MTV then became the first channel to enter the world of reality TV with “The Real World” in 1992. The runaway success of “The Real World” opened a new television genre. Reality TV within the last 20 years has evolved from its MTV roots. It is because of reality TV that the Kardashian – Jenner sisters became millionaires and billionaires, how Donald J. Trump became an international household name and president, and housewives became celebrities. Corporate entities such as Paramount and NBC-Universal raked in the revenue and profits from but help foster a dysfunctional genre that became fertile soil for discriminatory accusations and allegations of questionable production practices. Nene Leakes alleged in an interview with reality TV producer Carlos King last month that Bravo TV producers catered to the requests and needs of white castmate Kim Zolciak Biermann over Black cast members.

On another Paramount Media Networks channel, VH 1, “Basketball Wives,” which was created and is produced by former basketball wife Shaunie O’Neal Henderson, Evelyn Lozado used a monkey emoji to describe castmate Ogom “Og” Chijindu on social media. Lozado, who is Puerto Rica, remained on “Basketball Wives” for another season before exiting the show. Neither VH 1 nor Paramount addressed Evelyn Lozado’s monkey emoji used as a racial epithet or slur. Lozado was not fired or held accountable. In fact, Lozado will return to Season 11 of VH 1’s “Basketball Wives” on Oct. 9. How is this happening? The problem is accountability. Black America must hold television networks, and itself, accountable for what is aired and what we choose to consume. Despite a program boasting a Black cast or production team, we must start asking the hard questions such as, “How does this benefit the culture?” If a series irresponsibly airs a television personality using racial epithets and slurs against a Black cast member, we must demand repercussions … not another season.

TRACEY RICKS FOSTER