Bravo announced Tuesday that “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Jennie Nguyen has been let go from the show after viewers found multiple “offensive” posts allegedly once shared by the reality television star. The "offensive" social media posts have since been deleted.
The individual memes which have not been confirmed by Nguyen resurfaced after a Reddit user posted dozens of screenshots of the content she allegedly shared on her page.
The television network released a statement on its social media account that said, “Bravo has ceased filming with Jennie Nguyen and she will no longer be a cast member of ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.’ We recognize we failed to take appropriate action once her offensive social media posts were brought to our attention.”
At the end of the tweet, Bravo promised to “work to improve our processes to ensure we make better informed and more thoughtful casting decisions.”
Nguyen joined the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” for the show’s second season when it premiered last September. A majority of her storyline focused on her not wanting to have another child after multiple miscarriages.
After seeing her persona on the series, fans were shocked to discover Nguyen’s Facebook posts from 2020 that promoted anti-Black, anti-Black Lives Matter and anti-vaxx messaging. The memes allegedly posted on her Facebook page also showed support for conspiracy theories, Blue Lives Matter and President Donald Trump.
Vulture published an article on Jan. 21 that detailed the now-deleted Facebook page and linked to a Reddit user who posted dozens of screenshots of the content Nguyen allegedly shared on her page.
One of the screenshots from the Reddit user was an Islamophobic meme allegedly shared by Nguyen. It mocked Colin Kaepernick for his faith and for the stance he took in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games as a protest against injustice and police brutality in the United States. Another image included false and derogatory claims about George Floyd’s murder and a separate post that included photos of multiple Black men referring to them as “animals.”
Another screenshot allegedly shared by Nguyen, featured pictures with the Confederate flag and incorrect voting statistics from the 2020 election.
Before she was fired from the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” Nguyen uploaded a written apology to her Instagram account acknowledging that her Facebook page contained posts that were offensive and hurtful. She did not callout or reference the specific memes themselves. “I want to acknowledge and apologize for my deleted Facebook posts from 2020 that resurfaced today," she wrote. "At the time, I thought I was speaking out against violence, but I have since learned how offensive and hurtful my words were.”
She added, “It’s why I deactivated that account more than a year ago and why I continue to try to learn about perspectives different from my own. I regret those posts and am sincerely sorry for the pain they caused.”
Nguyen is the second “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star to be called out for controversial comments this season. During the Dec. 5 episode of the series, co-star Mary Cosby, who was accused on the show of stealing money from congregants and being a “cult” leader by her ex-church members, defended herself by telling cast member Lisa Barlow, “It’s not fair to put me with someone so … like, when I think about Jen (Shah), I see heartless, I see a thug. Like, you know, those Mexican people that make all those drugs.”
After the episode aired, Cosby took to Instagram and wrote, “I used poor judgment in my choice of words. Please accept my apologies.”
In another moment from season two, she also referred to Nguyen–who is Vietnamese–as having “beautiful, slanted eyes.”
Cosby did not attend the season two reunion, which taped on Jan. 6.
On Jan. 13, Bravo released pictures on its website that confirmed Nguyen was present at the reunion. The tell-all episode is expected to air in February.
TODAY and Bravo are owned by the same parent company, NBCUniversal.
Related video: