‘The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles’: Tami Roman Says Irene Acted Like a ‘Karen’ in 1993
Tami Roman from MTV’s The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles said Irene Berrera-Kearns was having a very “Karen” reaction when she referred to Dave Edwards as a rapist and was going to call the cops in 1993.
Roman reflected on the discussion over the infamous “blanket” incident that played out in 1993. She was in bed and joked about having no clothes on. Almost everyone in the house laughed as some cast members tried to pull the blanket off of Roman. Edwards took the joke too far. Some of the women, including Roman, expressed being uncomfortable with Edwards remaining in the house. But Berrera-Kearns and Beth Stolarczyk used the word, “rape” when it came to Edwards.
That moment got him kicked out of the house and ultimately destroyed his career. Roman said experiencing that moment from 1993 today, feels very different in light of growing racial injustice, especially against Black men.
Tami Roman from ‘The Real World’ says Irene’s comment would have massive implications today
Roman said calling a Black man a rapist has serious consequences, often seen with “Karen” type instances seen in recent months.
“And even when it aired, I didn’t really process [it],” she remarked in her YouTube Bonnet Chronicles recap. “I think I was so busy in my own mind and with my own emotions of being angry and feeling humiliated. Especially in the moment, I did not hear it. Then when I saw it, when the show aired, I was going on with my life.”
“But it stuck out to me this time around,” she continued. “Especially because of everything that’s going on in the world today. David was very upset of having the label rapist being put on him and rightfully so. But to see that came from Irene, who was a woman in law enforcement.”
“And she said, ‘I’m going to pick up the phone, call the police and scream rape.’ It resonated to me today because of everything that’s happening in the world,” she added. “It’s such a Karen-esque thing to say. Such, a Karen-ish stance to take when that’s not what was happening. Nothing was happening to you, so you didn’t need to pick up the phone and call the police to say s***, you know what I’m saying. And then to just throw that out there with everything that’s happening with the police and the falsities that a lot of women of other races are putting on Black men today. I don’t know it, just it just touched me the wrong way.”
Did Irene Berrera-Kearns apologize for her remarks?
Roman was happy that Berrera-Kearns recognized the impact of what she said and apologized. “But what I was thankful for was that she acknowledged that it was wrong,” Roman said.
“And that it was something that she never should have said out of her mouth. Her taking accountability in front of David for the world to see.”
“I felt was definitely needed,” she added. “Now we can’t go back and change anything about the past 27 years. But going forward, I’m happy that she acknowledged that was the wrong thing to say. But equally so because I think her saying that and Beth hearing that, that’s what drove Beth to her analogy.”
Tami Roman doesn’t think the same ‘Real World’ incident would play out the same way today
How the blanket incident played out in 1993 probably wouldn’t have the same ending in 2021, Roman believes.
“I don’t think anybody, but most people would not take, ‘Hey, I pulled the covers off of you. But you were laughing, so you must have been cool with it.’ And tie that to an analogy of that’s what a rapist says,” Roman concluded. “I’m taking something so, so valuable from you. But you wanted it. You liked it. You know you, instigated this action.”
“I don’t think most people would do that,” she added. “But I think Beth in 1993, she didn’t see nothing wrong with that. And the Beth of today definitely understands that was the wrong analogy to make in this moment, and I’m glad they both took accountability for that.”
