Tulisa Contostavlos has issued a second apology to Misha B following claims she had made about facing discrimination while being a contestant on season 8 in 2011. The apology comes in the form of an Instagram post after her initial response was seen as defensive. Tulisa admitted that her first response was less about Misha and more about her own emotions after receiving death threats.
In the statement Tulisa said; “I fully acknowledge the pain I caused & fully accept people should be angry about it. I can state again there was nothing racial in my thought process. When I referred to Misha as being feisty & competitive that was a reflection of myself because I saw myself in Misha.” She continued by saying “However, I totally understand that it made Misha feel a certain way, as a young black girl hearing it from a young white girl on a huge platform, living in the oppressed society we do, full of racial slurs and undertones, not knowing my thought process.”
She defended her actions by stating that when another contestant had come to her crying about Misha’s actions, she went into fight mode and decided to call her out on air. “I ran out there thinking, I’m doing the right thing, I have to call her out.”
Misha B, full name, Misha Byran, spoke out recently on Instagram live about the ‘bully’ label the X Factor painted her with while she was on the show, perpetuating the ‘angry black woman’ narrative. Tulisa called her out live on the air and said she was making mean comments to other contestants backstage, which was swiftly backed up by fellow judge Louis Walsh.
Misha revealed that she was inspired to speak out about this because of the Black Lives Matter Movement, saying “Seeing the continuous mistreatment of my brothers and sisters all around the world has reawakened the PTSD that I have worked tirelessly to uproot and I know I do not stand alone on this.” She spoke honestly about what she describes as the most painful experience of her life; “They saw an opportunity to tear down a black girl that came from a broken home and worked together to sabotage my career by orchestrating lies upon lies.”
However, Misha was not impressed by Tulisa’s statement. In a now deleted tweet, Mischa wrote; “I heard you the first time LOUD AND CLEAR. You can stop shouting now Karen. You and I have zero things in common. Two different kinds of women. My upbringing and yours are totally different. Also the c**ns and uncle Toms you have recruited for damage control can’t save you.” ‘Karen’ is a name used to describe white women who are obnoxious, insufferable and often times racist.
A spokesperson for The X Factor released a statement saying “We are currently looking into this matter and are reaching out to Misha to discuss important issues she has raised. The welfare of contestants is our priority and we are committed to diversity and equality.”
