Erica Mena shocked Love and Hip Hop fans in 2023. She referred to fellow cast member Spice as a "blue monkey" during an episode, and was widely criticized for her racially-charged comment. Mena was then kicked off the show. The reality star was initially reluctant to apologize, but she walked back her stance in a recent appearance on Cam Newton's Funky Friday podcast. Mena tried to make it clear that she was in the wrong. It didn't do much to repair things with Spice, however. The Love and Hip Hop star made her opinion known in a scathing IG rant.
Let's unpack Erica Mena's apology, first. The reality star admitted she was being insensitive towards others. "I’m disappointed in the fact that I let down women of color who felt that I was speaking in that manner," she told Cam Newton. She did, however, claim that her "blue monkey" comment was taken out of context. Mena felt that the Love and Hip Hop producers didn't show what Spice was saying and doing before Mena lashed out. "I do wish that more of her actions were shown," she stated. "So the audience had a better understanding of what provoked me."
Spice Attacked Erica Mena For Her Racist Behavior On Set
Spice did not like what she heard. The Love and Hip Hop took to the Shade Room comment section to get her bars off. And did she ever. Spice immediately called out Erica Mena for being disingenuous with her apology. She also claimed Mena was adopting a "victim mentality" to elicit sympathy. "Take me out of the equation since you still have a Victim mentality in our situation," she wrote. "Remember you are a repeated offender. You have no remorse for a culture that put millions of [dollars] in your pocket. You could have said anything but you chose to disrespect a whole Nation."
Spice didn't stop there. She implied that the "blue monkey" controversy was not an isolated incident. She implied that Erica Mena regularly displayed racism on the set of Love and Hip Hop. "Blue monkey," evidently, was just the one that got her in trouble. "You couldn’t sit at my table because I been knew you think you’re better than dark skin girls," Spice asserted. "I heard how you spoke about me behind my back, you just got caught on camera that day." Unsurprisingly, Mena has not responded.