‘Below Deck Med’: Tumi Mhlongo Blasts Racist ‘A**holes’: ‘I’m Tired of the Narrative’
Below Deck Mediterranean chief stew Tumi Mhlongo is seriously over some of the racist and aggressive comments she’s received on social media.
As the first Black chief stew, Mhlongo is a trailblazer for the series. But she shared being in the public eye on a predominately white show has had its drawbacks. She dragged trolls who attacked her online and recently said she has no regrets about putting them on blast.
“I think I’m also just tired of the narrative. I’ve just had it. You know, when you work so hard to be where you are and then that get discredited because of your race …it’s just offensive,” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Cohen referred to the comments as being made by “a**holes.” Mhlongo said the remarks were truly “disgusting.”
“I just draw the line,” she added.
“Especially, by the way, since there are so few people of color in the yachting industry. So, yeah, I know. It’s crazy,” host Andy Cohen said. “I’m sorry you are going through that.”
Mhlongo added, “It felt good to put them on blast.”
Tumi Mhlongo stands up to racist remarks
Mhlongo, who arrived late to the Below Deck Med season due to immigration issues dragged a Below Deck fan who referred to her as a “diversity hire.”
She took a screenshot of the person’s remarks and added her own comments on her Instagram story. The person wrote, “You were CLEARLY a diversity hire, not a merit based hire.” Adding that Mhlongo should be “shamed” because they didn’t believe she earned her role whereas others on the boat did.
“I have been silent but I am tired of your racist comments,” Mhlongo shot back. “All you are doing is proving what we’ve been saying for years. Enough is enough.”
In another Instagram slide, she added, “This is a final warning. I will put you on blast one by one. Enough now! You don’t have to like me but bringing my race is a step too far.” She concluded the story thread with a photo of South African anti-apartheid activist and politician Nelson Mandela.
Prejudice in yachting isn’t always about race
Below Deck Med deckhand Mzi Dempers said prejudice is very alive in yachting, but it isn’t always about race. “A lot of time it’s people’s preferences,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in 2021. “So there’s obviously discrimination, but not necessarily towards race.”
Dempers, who is Black, said some yachties face discrimination due to their sexual orientation. “I mean you get discrimination in terms of culture,” he remarked. Adding that a yacht owner may just not like Americans, for instance. “So it’s not generally towards race,” he said.
“But I think in the yachting industry, Black individuals are the minority,” he said. “So that’s where it could seem as though it’s generally towards race. But I think discrimination happens all around. Like you’re working with the top 1% so they can do whatever they please. So it may not necessarily be the color of your skin. But where you’re from or ethnicity or anything like that.”
