The past has come back to haunt Taylor Selfridge.
And to also impact both her present and her future.
In a statement to People Magazine, MTV said last night that is has ended its working relationship with the reality star following the backlash over her history of racially insensitive messages.
The network also yanked its special starring her Teen Mom star boyfriend, Cory Wharton, Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor’s Baby Special, which was set to air last night.
An MTV spokesperson said of essentially firing Taylor:
"MTV pulled Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor’s Baby Special from its Tuesday schedule and is ending our relationship with Taylor Selfridge in light of her past racist statements on social media."
"MTV strongly condemns systemic racism and stands with those raising their voices against injustice."
As fans recall, Selfridge and Wharton welcomed their first baby together in April.
The latter is also the father of a daughter with Teen Mom OG cast member Cheyenne Floyd, hence his affiliation with that show.
He has been dating Selfridge, who he met while they were both contestants on MTV’s The Challenge, while Cory also had roles on Are You The One and and Ex on the Beach.
(In related news, MTV has also cut ties with Dee Nguyen of The Challenge due to her recent Black Lives Matter remarks.)
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Selfridge’s comments.
During season 8 of Teen Mom OG, Taylor apologized for her past remarks while having a conversation with Floyd, saying she was young and stupid when she posted things such as:
I hate it when white girls talk like they’re black.
We have to greet everyone at work but sometimes I won’t greet the black people cause they scare me.
Black pussy is probably really scary.
These Tweets were shared in 2012 and, as we just mentioned, were brought up during an on-air discussion between Floyd and Selfridge.
"At the time, because I was younger, I wasn’t thinking it was anything negative. I thought ‘Oh, this is funny’ or something like that, but it’s not," she said. "This happened a long time ago."
"That’s my biggest mistake," she added. "I just had to grow up, honestly. I had to experience other places."
Such an error in judgment could maybe be forgiven.
However, due to the recent killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minnesota – along with the ongoing protests that have sprung up across the nation in response – the country is facing a moment.
There appears to be a race-related reckoning on the horizon, at last.
And with Cheyenne Floyd calling out cast members to speak out against racism, Teen Mom producers simply could not justify keeping Selfridge on board during this time.
Selfridge, meanwhile, addressed her departure in an Instagram post, saying she would like "move on and continue to be the best version of myself."
"As you guys know already our special didn’t air tonight," she said.
"I made the decision last week to not film the next season of Teen Mom OG with Cory for the benefit of myself and my daughter."
"I don’t believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life," she said.
"With current events being what they are and reality tv being selective in who they apply rules to or what is considered acceptable behavior, I do not have any further respect."
She continued:
"Once again, I apologize for anyone I have hurt or offended in the past.
"I have addressed my mistakes many times on the network and I would like to move on and continue to be the best version of myself.
"My past does not define who I am today and I hope you guys can see the change. Please respect my decision to provide a normal, healthy life for my family."
The Cory and Taylor special was filmed entirely with self-recorded footage.
It was set to take fans inside the concluding weeks of Selfridge’s pregnancy as the couple faced the reality of a global pandemic due to COVID-19.
Guess we’ll have to use our imaginations now.
Wrote Wharton online, just hours before this cancelation news was confirmed:
‘You’ll see ALL the struggles it wasn’t always smiles and rainbows."
"Love you guys thank you for all the support throughout the years."