‘The Real’: How Amanda Seales Felt About Jeannie Mai’s ‘Dark Meat on the Side’ Comment
Fans of The Real watched Jeannie Mai and Jeezy’s love story. But some had reservations about their romance due to Mai’s past controversial statements about interracial dating. As a cultural critic and activist for Black civil and social rights, Amanda Seales had her own thoughts about Mai’s comments. Seales, who is also considered overly critical at times by some, didn’t take much offense to Mai’s remarks for a specific reason.
Jeannie Mai previously joked that she liked Black men as “dark meat on the side”
During a 2014 segment about dating, the hosts of The Real opened up about what their preferences were in men. When interracial dating was brought up, Mai spoke about dating Black men in the past but choosing to marry a white man.
“I loved Black guys! I did, I did. But for me, dark meat on the side,” she said. “White keeps me mean and lean, you know? That’s why I married white. That’s what I like.” Mai was married to Freddy Harteis at the time. The two divorced after 10 years of marriage.
Mai’s co-host, Tamar Braxton, was not happy with her remarks. Mai elaborated on her comments, saying, “What I’m saying is I really do think Black men are attractive. When I think about men, I like dark men. I used to date Black men. I think they’re attractive. But when I decided to stick to – because it just kept me happiest – was my man Freddy, who just happens to be White.”
Amanda Seales reflects on Jeannie Mai’s comments and says it was a joke that fell flat
Seales was Mai’s co-host on The Real for six months. During their time, there were some tense discussions about race, one of which went viral where Seales educated Mai on racial inequality and how it relates to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Despite some tense conversations, the two women are close friends.
Mai even publicly supported Seales when Seales was left out of a video montage of eight years on the show by doing a joint Instagram live video with Seales and Adrienne Bailon. Seales has been open about how appreciative she is of Mai’s support.
When discussing her time on the show with Jason Lee, Seales was asked about Mai’s controversial statements about dating Black men. “When you’re in those situations on those shows, you’re really under pressure to like, try and be funny. And if you’re not like an actual comedian who has material prepared, it can fall flat, and you can also get in the moment,” she explained.
Jeannie Mai is now married to a Black man, rapper Jeezy
Many critics of Mai’s previous comments felt like she upgraded from a side dish to have a Black man as the main dish when she began dating rapper, Jeezy. The two reportedly began dating in 2018 before marrying in 2021. They welcomed their daughter, Monaco Mai Jenkins, in 2022. She previously vowed off having children, but says Jeezy changed her mind.
