Erica Mena is speaking out about the time she called her former Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta castmate Spice a “monkey” during filming, which led to her being booted from the show.
According to Mena, she was the target of “selective outrage” and still maintains that her remark was not racially motivated.
“You’ve got another woman that’s obviously a lot darker than me, she came at me in regards to my son, and [I used] a word that, yes, has been used to belittle a race at one point in time. It wasn’t said because I was racist, I said it because it was more of an appearance thing, It wasn’t skin related,” Mena said on The NeNe Leakes Show.
“It [monkey] wasn’t said because I was racist, I said it because it was more of an appearance thing.”
Almost 2 years later and Erica Mena still hasn’t learn anything from the situation with Spice. Black people being called monkey is not just because of the color of our skin but… pic.twitter.com/6XfZW8l9PI
— (@_romeko) August 7, 2025
“People have selective outrage because this is the woman you guys are going so hard for but she literally went viral or should I say had a whole media campaign about becoming a white woman, and how proud she was to bleach her skin, or I don’t even know what her MO (modus operandi) was at that time, ” Mena continued.
Fans have reacted to Mena’s remarks, claiming that she has not learned anything since the debacle and urged her to take accountability.
| Things went LOW between Erica Mena and Spice on the most recent episode of ‘Love & Hip Hop.’ After Spice suggested Erica’s own son hates her, Erica proceeded to call her a “monkey” who should have died. pic.twitter.com/mpHFxc1euc
— KenBarbie™ (@itsKenBarbie) August 30, 2023
After the backlash, Mena did apologize to Spice about her hurtful words.