Vas J. Morgan has accused ‘The Only Way is Essex’ of "systematic racism".
The 31-year-old reality TV star felt he wasn’t "treated equally to the other cast members", and has claimed he was "almost never allowed to show any sides of my personality that wasn’t angry, aggressive or negative" during his four years on the programme.
Vas has shared a lengthy statement on his Instagram, which he captioned: "Dear @towie I am sure my invite to the 10 year anniversary series will be rescinded after telling my truth but that is ok because @iamenough (sic)"
Part of his statement reads: "While I have always been proud to be one of the only black and gay reality TV stars on British Television, I have often felt conflicted over the way I was treated and the way I was portrayed. During the four years I filmed the show, I was almost never allowed to show any sides of my personality that wasn’t angry, aggressive or negative. And while I repeatedly asked producers to allow me to show other sides of my personality; my funny, sensitive and loyal side, I was consistently put into situations that perpetuated the same racial stereotype that has been used to oppress and control black people.
"I often warned producers that I didn’t feel comfortable arguing with women as regardless of my sexuality; I was a 6.2 feet tall black man. This concern was always ignored. Countless times I’ve been in environments where I’ve had to endure racist language being used casually. The fact that it wasn’t directed at me doesn’t make it less painful to hear.
"It was often said to me and I felt that I was the token representation of minority in our cast, there to be paraded out as a symbol but never treated equally to the other cast members and despite having some of the most progressive and talked about scenes on the show, my story ark was never nurtured the way that my white counterparts were.
"The invitation to bring family members on the show was never extended to me and when I came out publicly on national television and struggled offscreen with depression, substance abuse and addiction I was never offered support in the other ways my white cast mates were. Even now, during this time of global recognition for the black lives matter movement; Towie have failed to reach out. I would have appreciated having someone to hold my hand through some of those difficult journeys but I was left alone.
"I have felt guilty for not sharing this part of my journey sooner. But like so many other people who are dependent on those in power, the fear of being blacklisted within my industry and never working again has always held me back. The experiences I had on the show are part of the systematic racism that for the first time has had a spotlight put on it on a global scale.
"This systematic discrimination starts from the tip down. From leadership positions within the network, to the writers room, to our day to day producers. During my time at Towie I only ever worked with one black producer. Out of the dozens of producers I worked with; I never met one black executive, writer or anyone in a significant position of power.
"As the show approached its 10 year anniversary it has made me think how disappointing it is to have been the only black male cast member. While I am telling my full truth, it is also important to add that I have worked with some incredible people as well.
"People who have become some of my greatest friends and supporters; Luke, Paul, Hetal, Mesha, Anthea and Kate. As a network, as a show and as a society, we must do better (sic)"
Vas – who appeared on ‘TOWIE’ from 2014 to 2018 – spoke out about his experiences after commenting on the ITVBe show’s Black Lives Matter post.
He wrote: "I want to address a recent incident that has not sat well with me. It began with a post on the @Towie instagram account that was in support of the black lives matter movement. It read ‘We stand in solidarity with our black colleagues, storytellers and viewers around the world because #blacklivesmatter.’
"I was saddened but not shocked to see so many racist comments from fans and viewers and felt the need to respond to one comment in particular that read ‘white lives matter ALSO’ I simply replied ‘this comment is idiotic.’
"While I don’t believe that I am responsible for educating other people on racism or the meaning of the black lives matter movement, it is fundamental to understand that until black lives matter, all lives can’t matter. While I have been conditioned to expect uneducated comments, like the one above I was deeply saddened by what happened next.
"My response was deleted within minutes. I posted another message, this time writing ‘@towie why are you deleting my comment’ within minutes this too was deleted. I then took this off the public forum and direct messaged the account asking why my comments were being deleted but racist ones were still there; They responded ‘Hey Vas, I’ll delete that comment now, I’ve only just seen this so not touching your comments. (sic)"