WENNThe comedian also explains why she thinks that the whole controversy ‘really tarnished’ the show and shares that she did try to reach out to Tamar to clear things up but got no response.
- Jun 24, 2020
AceShowbiz – Loni Love is telling her truth in her new memoir, “I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have to”. In addition to telling stories about her childhood and dating mishaps, Loni addressed her career journey which included the whole controversy surrounding Tamar Braxton‘s sudden firing in 2016 from “The Real” that most people believed had something to do with Loni.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said, “Everybody gets their day in court and everybody gets to tell their side and everybody gets to tell their truth. That’s the reason why you write books — it’s to tell your truth,” referring to her other co-hosts, Adrienne Bailon, Tamera Mowry and Jeannie Mai who were equally shocked when they found out that Tamar was let go. “The fans deserve it, the fans want to know another side. Well, you’re gonna get it.”
Talking about how people accused her of being responsible for Tamar’s exit, Loni explained, “I used to be the person that was like, ‘You know what? It will all blow over.’ But we live in the age now of social media where it doesn’t blow over. It’s there forever, there are things that everyone on the show has said that are still living. So, you still have to continue to fight for your character, and I think there’s nothing wrong with fighting for your character and fighting for your truth.”
“I’ve always been a strong person, and in the book, you will understand why certain things were said, why certain things weren’t said,” the comedian added. “Hopefully this will give people another view.”
“I think I got a bad rap, and all the girls got a bad rap. But it was really mostly on me because we weren’t allowed to speak about it and when you’re not allowed to speak about it, that means only one side of the story is out there,” Loni continued. “Then what happens is perception from that one side becomes reality, and that’s what hurts.”
She said, “It’s so unfair, but people in the industry, they probably know, but outside people don’t and that’s what is totally not fair. None of the girls should have been blamed. None of us did anything.”
Loni also noted that decisions about co-hosts were “all above my pay grade, but people want to believe what they want to believe.” While she said that she felt bad because she was blamed for it and because “somebody did lose a job,” Loni added, “That was embarrassing, it was hurtful, it was confusing for all of us. I have a set of fans that really want to understand it, so I put it in a book.”
As to why she thought that the whole controversy “really tarnished” the show, Loni stated, “You look at other talk show hosts. They get canned and contracts end all the time. … This was the first show that was like, all women of color, and it really tarnished the show, I believe. It left this cloud of suspicion on the show, and it took like a couple of seasons for us to get over that. The show wasn’t meant for that. The show was really meant to uplift and show diversity amongst women.”
Loni added that she did try to clear things up with Tamar but got no response from her. “I just wish her the best. I think she’s a powerhouse… But I think it’s time to really get together, and she knows that we’re not mad at her. We’re not upset, it’s just that we just want to clear the record, seriously clear the record. And the only way you’re gonna clear the record is if she says something or we all meet and we just have it publicly out there,” Loni divulged. “It doesn’t have to happen with any cameras or anything like that. I just want her to know.”
Source: Television - aceshowbiz.com
