Myha’la has responded to one The Celebrity Traitors fan who claimed the Industry star was banished because she is Black.
Myha’la was the second contestant banished from The Celebrity Traitors last week after she got a majority of votes at the roundtable. Reflecting on her time on the show, Myha’la shared an Instagram carousel of her blossoming friendship with fellow contestant Richard E Grant, who was banished the episode prior. “Grateful for many things, but mostly for you my friend,” she wrote.
“Unfortunately you were banished because you are BLACK,” replied one user. “This is a consistent thread in this racist show. You were the first one to be strategically banished.” It’s not the first time The Traitors has been accused of having an issue with unconscious racist bias either.
“I understand why you feel this way, and I may have agreed with you had not… sealed my own fate,” Myha’la replied, highlighting that she’d winked at known traitor Richard E. Grant shortly before he was banished, and expressed her thoughts openly in front of everyone. “That early in the game, there is very little to grasp on to, and I gave them a lot.”
“However, I do agree that unconscious racial and cultural bias exists in this game where my authenticity or honesty or the ways in which I choose to express myself look suspicious to people who are unfamiliar with people like me,” she continued. “I had this fear coming into the game, as I am a BIG fan and also clocked right away how prevalent this is in this game.
“I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not saying racism doesn’t exist, but I do have to defend my dear friends on this show who in no way consciously put bias on me because of my race. That’s not a fair or complete assessment of what really happened in my case.”
She went on to say that she believes games like The Traitors should encourage “more conversation around unconscious bias and how, when under pressure, people (society) gravitate towards things they know and understand or subsequently push away from things they don’t.”
The Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursday (October 15).
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