A controversial episode of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta has a lot of people talking. A confrontation on the show between Erica Mena and Spice lit the internet on fire.
During an on-air verbal spat, Spice told Erica Mena that her son does not like his own mother. That comment led to Mena flipping over a table at the blue-haired Jamaican Dancehall artist.
Security officers attempted to break up the fight as Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta co-star Shekinah Jo also tried to get both women to stop. Mena, who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican ancestry, then took aim at Spice by using a racially insensitive insult.
“That b#### should’ve died!” screamed Erica Mena. Spice fired back, “Your son hates you, b####!” Mena could then be heard yelling, “You monkey, you f###### blue monkey!”
Many online commenters pointed out that calling a Black person a “monkey” has a long history rooted in racism that caused other celebrities to lose their jobs. For example, in 2018, ABC fired Roseanne Barr for referring to former U.S. government official Valerie Jarrett as “planet of the apes.”
Erica Mena’s “blue monkey” clapback angered a large section of online fans. However, Spice also received backlash for mentioning Mena’s child. The Emancipated album creator addressed the negative reactions to her remark.
“Kids are off limits right??????? But I guess it’s only when I ask cause where’s the same energy when Scrappy and Stevie J talked about it, but now I’m a Monkey and should have died on the table? Ok, Erica,” wrote Spice on Instagram.
It has been a very newsworthy week for Erica Mena. The 35-year-old television personality was among three Love & Hip Hop cast members reportedly arrested on August 25 in Fulton County, Georgia following an alleged violent incident.