Is it too late? Folks have had enough of “Basketball Wives” making a mockery of black women on TV and Shaunie O’Neal, Vh1 and Shed Media are now making promises that may be hard to keep — no more physical violence on the show. We know Jen must be relieved she won’t be getting smacked on camera anymore! Peep the full statements below. From Shaunie O’Neal: “This has definitely been a heated season. “Basketball Wives” is filled with a lot of strong personalities with months, weeks, days and hours condensed into about 45 minutes each episode. Unfortunately, a lot of these personalities have clashed and let their opinions and emotions overwhelm them which has at times gotten the best of them, escalating into physical confrontations. As this group has been blessed with strong, smart, independent, sassy women with as much passion as vocabulary, there’s NO excuse for physical violence. So the cast, SHED Media and Vh1 have done a gut check, to stop allowing physical violence demoralize the show and impose a no-physical violence policy. Personally, I almost didn’t come back to the show but I thought it was important for this to be said as some of the past actions this season I have not agreed with, it’s not what I stand for and never have. So moving forward, we have agreed to better the show, still with plenty of drama and fun (how can we help that?!) but with a more responsible attitude all around. This is important for me specifically as an executive and what I do and don’t attach my name to, as a grown woman, and as a positive role model to my kids. “ Nice — but how much fun has this season really been? Especially for poor Jen? Here’s the statement from SHED Media: “Shed Media US is fully committed to telling the compelling stories of the Basketball Wives in a balanced way. Our producing partner Shaunie O’Neal feels strongly about this, and we fully agree with this stance. We support her as she encourages the cast members to work out issues in a non-violent fashion,” reports Shed. “We look forward to working with her and the rest of the cast on conveying more balance in the next season.” And this is what Vh1 had to say: “Lately, there has been a lot of conversation about Basketball Wives, a series featuring strong, intelligent women with very passionate viewpoints which can sometimes escalate. We at VH1 agree with and support Shaunie and the show producers’ “no excessive physical confrontations” policy on the series moving forward,” reports VH1. “We are all committed to balancing the candid, bold excitement that the viewers have come to love in the series with storylines and representations they can be proud of.” Is it too little, too late? And do you even believe them? Continue reading →
