Now that Jennie Nguyen has been fired by Bravo, that leaves room for housewives across all franchises to speak up about their thoughts on the controversy. After racially offensive memes that Jennie posted to social media surfaced, her castmates immediately unfollowed her and issued statements condemning her behavior. In an uncomfortable Instagram live, Jennie claimed responsibility. But in the same breath blamed her “social media team” for the posts. Fans collectively rolled their eyes and it just made her look worse.
In an interview with Page Six, Noella Bergener, also a freshman housewife, weighed in on the matter. She started, “The worst part is, I really did love Jennie, and then I read [her posts] and it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ No excuse, just no excuse. It’s a shame because I found her very interesting.”
Noella, who is the first Black and openly bisexual cast member of Real Housewives of Orange County, maintained that Jennie’s posts were “really bad.” But she added about the current political climate, “It’s a weird time. I’m not a big believer in cancel culture. But it was really bad and I agree with Bravo’s decision.”
Jennie’s Instgram live included her friend, Michael, who defended her and insisted that she’s “not racist.” He added, “But here’s the reality. I know Jennie and I know her character and I know the person that she is inside.”
But Noella isn’t so sure. She even said that she would be interested in meeting up with Jennie to discuss her problematic posts. Said Noella, “I felt like I kind of need to go up and talk to her. I want her to say to herself, ‘OK, let’s unpack this. Let’s unpack this. Do you really think this way?’”
RELATED: Kelly Dodd Says Bravo Should Have “Better Vetted” Jennie Nguyen Before Hiring Her
In the end, Noella hopes that this brings up more conversations. Specifically about race and the acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community. She noted that Orange County is quite conservative. Noella explained, “I wish that we had more conversations with the ladies about it. I can understand that maybe it’s not a comfortable space, especially here in Orange County with some of these women, to be discussing some of these deeper things. I’m hoping to discuss this more with some of the ladies going forward.”
As for her role on RHOC, Noella is pleased with how it’s allowed her to make connections with Black and queer fans of the show. She admitted, “Fortunately, it’s not gone over the viewers’ heads. So, that’s kind of beautiful. Some of the women don’t really seem to care or acknowledge [my race or sexuality]. But the viewers are tapping into it and that’s kind of everything. It’s an absolute honor.”
She concluded, “Just a few years ago, [my casting] would not even happen because my sexuality is ‘threatening’ to others and my relationship to race and ethnicity is, like, ‘too much.’ It’s really more of a reflection of the times that we’re living in, that it’s not ‘too much.’ These are conversations that people are very much comfortable with … and want to have.”
RELATED: Noella Bergener Thinks She Would “Have Good Sex” With Brandi Glanville; Slams Brandi For Calling Her “Phony”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT NOELLA’S COMMENTS? DO YOU THINK JENNIE SHOULD SIT DOWN WITH NOELLA TO HAVE A CONVERSATION?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
