Some of the stars of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City have been accused of possibly racist actions, and it's time to delve into those troubling accusations. Although talking about race was avoided in the early seasons of almost all shows in Bravo's Real Housewives franchise, newer seasons of those series, including RHOSLC, have engaged in these complicated conversations. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of New York City have both been airing for over a decade, but only introduced Black full-time cast members within the past couple of years. Where the other franchises have been slow to address possible racism, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City stars haven't been shy about calling out their costars' alleged biases.
On Salt Lake City, accusations of racism have become fairly common, as half of the original six cast members have been labeled racist by at least one fellow castmate since the series launched. While some of these claims have merit, certain fans think that The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City stars might be too quick to accuse their fellow housewives of racism. Many viewers believe that housewives have tried to cancel their co-stars to get back at them for drama on the show, without evidence of racist behavior.
Jen Shah has a Tongan and Hawaiian background and was the first woman of Polynesian heritage to be cast as a full-time housewife, which she explained makes her very sensitive to her cast members' possibly racist behavior. Jen has claimed that two of her friends were racist for calling her "aggressive." She also said that alleged cult leader Mary Cosby has made racist remarks of her own. While it's great for RHOSLC to feature discussions about these difficult issues, some viewers aren't sure that they've been handled in the most appropriate manner.
Heather Gay
Although Heather Gay and Jen were introduced as a pair of best friends on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 1, that didn't stop Jen from claiming that Heather is possibly racist. Jen shared that she thought it was racist for Heather to label Jen "aggressive" during their trip to Las Vegas. Jen explained that people of color are often made out to be bullies and antagonists for just having normal human emotions. While this is valid, Heather was referring to Jen slapping her hand and yelling at all of the RHOSLC stars during their Vegas stay. On season 2, Heather Gay confronted Jen Shah and asked, "Why would I be your best friend if I was racist?" Heather claimed that Jen called her racist to get back at her, and Jen apologized.
However, Jen isn't the only one that called Heather out for possibly being racist. This past summer, Page Six reported that Mary accused Heather of racism as well. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Mary wrote, “If you want to know why I Blocked Heather Gay is [sic] because Heather Gay is a racist! … LET'S SPEAK TRUTH!!” Mary went on the call Heather a "Karen," but never expanded on what Heather did that makes her possibly racist.
Whitney Rose
Like her cousin Heather, Whitney Rose has also been called racist by Jen and Mary. Heather and Whitney were a united front in their condemnation of Jen's actions during season 1, which meant that Whitney garnered the same criticism from Jen as Heather did. Also, at the reunion, Jen claimed that Whitney and Heather were taking advantage of their white privilege when labeling Jen "aggressive." Mary also claimed that Whitney is possibly racist. After Whitney shared that she and Mary no longer speak, the pastor took to Twitter to air out her grievances. Although Mary's tweets have since been deleted, Reality Tea reported that Mary tweeted, "She’s lying with a straight face she’s also very Racist!" Mary never explained why she believed her co-star was racist, which prompted Whitney to tweet, "I don’t respond to crazy or baseless accusations."
Mary Cosby
Surprisingly, Mary was the first of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City stars to get called out for saying something that's possibly racist. Although Pastor Mary Cosby is the show's only Black housewife, Jen called Mary out for making anti-Black comments. Jen referred to Mary's statement that she was made uncomfortable by a group of Black men standing outside a 7-Eleven. At the reunion, however, Mary clarified that she was talking about sketchy people in general and not specifically referring to Black people. The reunion got worse for Mary as Page Six quoted her saying, "My taste of black guys — that’s not my taste." However, Mary ultimately corrected herself, ending her controversial The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 1 with, "I think all colors of black are beautiful... I’m proud of my culture."
Sources: Page Six, Reality Tea, Whitney Rose/Twitter, Page Six