Source: Randy Shropshire / Getty
Pop The Balloon has gone Hollywood, and it’s not going well.
The show started as a viral hour-long show on YouTube where men or women were presented to about a dozen potential suitors, equipped with a balloon to pop as soon as they’re no longer interested.
Now, they’ve scaled up with a star-studded Netflix version of the show that’s gotten off to a bad start thanks to a comment made by reality star and MTV star Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio.
After all eight women on stage had already rejected him, host Yvonne Orji asked him which contestant he was initially interested in the most. He immediately peers down to see who has pedicured feet and complimented two women before it went off the rails.
“You look like you sleep from a tree upside down,” he said while appearing to point at a Black woman’s feet.
Everyone on set immediately gasped at his comment as the camera panned down to her toes, and she looked shocked.
“Me? Oh, you don’t want the smoke from me, Johnny,” the woman responded. “Was he talking about me?”
Orji tries to shake the awkward moment, joking, “None of these toes are going to help you build a home.”
The internet was immediately upset at Bananas’ comments, calling him out for seemingly comparing a Black person to any animal.
But once the moment started racking up views and retweets for all the wrong reasons, Bananas hopped on social media to clarify who the diss was towards and a screenshot for evidence.
“Hey morons, I was actually talking about the WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a f-cking tree! It’s wild how fast some people can twist a moment into a false narrative,” his tweet read. “There’s real racism out there, weaponizing fake outrage for clicks cheapens it.”
The reality star has been involved in racial debates before, including a spat in February with Taylor Hale —the Black woman who won Big Brother 24— when he tweeted her several banana emojis followed by a gorilla one. He later apologized and blamed a marketing agency he was working with.
Social media can’t decide how to feel about his comments or explanation. But see the reactions below.
