The reality television series, starring and executive produced by Shaunie O’Neal, is full of intrigue, suspicion and down and dirty fighting.
The show’s ratings might lead one to believe that the public doesn’t care if a bunch of women of color act out one degrading stereotype after another, but one might be wrong. The show’s head diva appears to be feeling the heat caused by all the violent behavior with which her show has become synonymous. Though she has managed to remain above the physical fray, O’Neal’s representatives recently released a statement explaining her position on the matter.
“I’m extremely happy that Basketball Wives continues to have another successful fourth season. As the ratings have been through the roof since our season opener, fans continue to tune into the lives of Evelyn, Tami, Jennifer, Royce, Suzie and myself. As there is always controversy and indifference projected on the show, because we are all individual personalities, I always hope that people will find that as much as you may agree or disagree with the opinions, the behavior, [and] even our different taste in shoes, you are taking a look inside the lives of four complete different women. I will never say I agree with some of the behavior between my girlfriends on the show, but if we were to edit certain things out, the show would be scripted and not reality,” said O’Neal via the release.
“As a woman of color with kids, I am very aware of myself, but I also have to be aware that my choices cannot be the same for everyone on the show and I have to respect that. I hope the fans feel they see a balance and know we have always been real with our stories, even though it may not always be a positive portrayal of adult women, but real women nonetheless. I look forward to developing other media platforms in the future and hope that fans will continue to support.”
In the meantime, if you still can’t get enough of the show, tune in to “Basketball Wives” every Tuesday at 7 p.m. eastern on VH1 for your weekly dose.
