If recent ratings are any indication, the calls to boycott “Basketball Wives” may be working.
Ratings for the hit VH1 reality series have been steadily slipping this season. While the premiere episode attracted more than 2 million viewers, last week’s episode pulled in 1.76 million, according to The Futon Critic.
Sponsors are also responding to the boycott against both “Basketball Wives” and “Ev & Ocho.” Reportedly, Summer’s Eve is pulling its ads from both shows. With a number of other advertisers involved, another sponsor dropped and will be announced on Change.org this week.
Alexis M organized the petition in protest of violence amongst women on the VH1 show. The campaign, which also calls for viewers to avoid the spin-off show, “Ev & Ocho,” has gathered more than 23,000 signatures.
Celebs are also noticing the over-the-top behavior on the show. Star Jones expressed her displeasure via Twitter, and Wendy Williams vowed earlier this year that she was not going to watch this season of “Basketball Wives.”
When Wendy asked her audience if they watched the show this past week, she concluded that viewers are tuning out.
“I guess the boycott is working,” Wendy commented last week on her show. “When Evelyn [Lozada] came across the table like a monkey and when that girl Nia [Crooks] slapped Jennifer [Williams] in the head, I said, ‘I can’t watch it anymore’ on the strength of being a woman first and being a Black woman.”
Wendy, like Star, wants the show cancelled because of the negative portrayal of Black women displayed on television.
—Gianna Banner
Where do you stand? If you ever watched "Basketball Wives," are you still tuning in, or have you tuned out? Leave your comments below.
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