MTV’s ‘The Challenge’ Severs Ties With Dee Nguyen After ‘Offensive’ Black Lives Matter Comments

“The Challenge” is cutting ties with contestant Dee Nguyen.

According to screenshots from fellow “The Challenge” cast member Bayleigh Dayton, Nguyen had posted “Idk why some of u think I’m anti BLM. I’ve been saying that since the day I lost my virginity” in a since-deleted tweet. On Instagram, Nguyen responded to someone who criticized her for continuing to post pictures of herself after posting a black square for #BlackoutTuesday by saying “people die every f––ing day.”

In a statement posted on “The Challenge’s” official Twitter account, reps for the show said, “As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her. Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.”

Nguyen responded to the controversy in a statement of her own. “The last 24hrs have made me realised [sic] what is important and that is forgiveness,” she wrote. “I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues to whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks. Let me be clear I am a POC that cares about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media to focus on my wellbeing and mental health. This is not a goodbye, it’s a I will see you again.”

Nguyen’s comments come as the U.S. has seen large-scale protests in every state over the death of George Floyd, a Black man, during an arrest in Minneapolis. On May 25, Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The results of an independent autopsy released last week found that Floyd died by asphyxiation.