Real Housewives of Dallas newbie Tiffany Moon recently opened up about the one-on-one conversation she had with fellow castmate Brandi Redmond over her racist video.
You’ll recall that, early last year, a 2017 video of Brandi resurfaced in which she mocked Asian women as a monolith. The video showed her mocking “squinty eyes” and doing a stereotypical, non-descript Asian accent.
Tiffany, who is the first Asian housewife on RHOD (she was born just outside of Beijing, China), felt a responsibility to discuss the video with Brandi.
Speaking with E! News, Tiffany said,
“I felt responsible to address Brandi for it because I think when she did it, she didn’t mean any harm and she didn’t know how her words and actions could be interpreted by many people such as myself as hurtful or bringing back memories of being called certain names and told that I have slanty eyes and things like that. So I wanted to address her personally. We did it just she and I because I wanted her to know even though sometimes you don’t mean harm with your actions and words, that they can be hurtful.”
She continued,
“We really just made it a teachable moment. But I felt no need to berate her or make her feel worse or suffer because I think it was very clear to me that she was sorry for what she did and she had learned her lesson. So I think the viewers will get to see all of that pan out this season.”
Tiffany said she experienced her fair share of racism, especially when she first immigrated to America at 6 years old. She said,
“For me, it brought back so many memories of being picked on when I was little.”
It’s clear that Brandi took the situation seriously and knew the harm her actions have caused.
In the first episode of RHOD season 5, Brandi sat with costar Stephanie Hollman to discuss the video and told her,
“I understand that I hurt people. Honestly, it was stupid and ignorant. I did it in front of my children and it was horrible. I want to be a good example for my children. I was wrong.”
She added,
“I went away for treatment because I was suicidal. I had so much guilt and shame. I needed help. I was willing to end my life, because I felt like that’s what I should do. I’m extremely sorry for my actions and the pain that I caused people. I’m putting that pain back on myself because I’m ashamed.”
The Real Housewives of Dallas cast already has a history of racism. Last season, former cast member LeeAnne Locken made several racist comments toward costar Kary Brittingham (who’s originally from Guadalajara, Mexico) throughout the season. She was subsequently fired.
Real Housewives of Dallas season 5 airs on Bravo on Tuesdays.