We’re only three episodes into Next Gen NYC, and Riley Burruss has already been on the receiving end of some microaggressions. It comes with the territory of being a Black woman in a predominantly white “friend group.” We just didn’t expect to see it this quickly.
Next Gen NYC Episode 3 saw Riley Burruss call out Charlie and Georgia
Riley’s first dust-up this season was when she criticized Georgia McCann for not washing her hands after using the bathroom. In Next Gen NYC Episode 3, she found herself in an uncomfortable situation with Charlie Zakkour.
Charlie invited a pair of girls to hang out with the group, and Riley found it odd that the girls didn’t introduce themselves. She walked up to them, but Charlie thought her approach seemed rude. He then tried to imitate Riley, overdrammatizing the way she spoke to the ladies.
Charlie said, “Dylan [Geick] and I are talking to these two girls, and she goes up to one of them like, ‘Yo, you think it’s cool to just be here with Charlie but not come up and make sure it’s cool with me?’”
Riley didn’t like that, and the fact that Charlie did a little neck roll when imitating her didn’t make it any better. She corrected Charlie and said, “I went up and I said, ‘Hey, I’m Riley. You didn’t say anything, you didn’t introduce yourself.'”
Crypto bro Charlie just wouldn’t let it go, and he said that it was actually Riley who didn’t properly introduce herself. That’s when Riley broke down.
“I’m just so mad because every single time y’all do this. And I try not to make it a thing, but I hate when you guys try to play this like I’m scary or scaring a random white girl. It’s just so annoying,” Riley said.
She continued, “That’s cause it’s a real thing I have to go through every day. I’m so f*cking nice to everybody. And there’s always like everyone tries to come off when I’m talking to a white girl that I’m trying to scare them. No, your girls are rude, and it’s disrespectful. You’re around people, introduce yourselves.”
In response, Charlie said that Riley was being “extra” and that it wasn’t a “racial thing.” He also made it sound like Riley was being mean to a “little girl.” If they were so “little,” why are you hanging out with them in the first place, Charlie?
Riley replied, “Little girl? What do you mean? She’s probably older than me! Because I’m taller, I scared her?”
Fortunately, when you have a mom like Kandi Burruss, some solid advice is just a quick phone call away. After the tense conversation with Charlie, she sat down and jumped on a call with her mom. She shared some helpful words with Riley, reminding her daughter that she doesn’t need to shrink herself for this friend group.
“As a Black woman, you’re the minority, and it’s okay. You have learned how to make friends from different circles and all walks of life, and that’s one thing that I’m proud of you about,” Kandi said.
She continued, “And you’re not afraid to speak up for yourself, which you should not be. He’s going to have to learn how to deal with Black women, and if this is his first lesson, then let that be it.”
Next Gen NYC airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. It streams on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE DRAMA BETWEEN RILEY AND CHARLIE? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KANDI’S MOTHERLY ADVICE?
