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Johnny Bananas, the MTV reality veteran, has responded to accusations that he made a racist comment during his appearance on the Netflix live dating show Pop the Balloon.
The incident, which aired in April, sparked controversy after viewers believed a joke he made was directed at a Black contestant.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Bananas, 42, stated that a close-up camera angle made it appear he was addressing the wrong contestant.
According to Bananas, Netflix has since updated the streaming version of the episode with a wider camera angle that clearly shows which contestant he was addressing.
‘They corrected the error and the footage as it lives now accurately shows who I was actually speaking to,’ Bananas told DailyMail.com. ‘Now it’s clear to anyone who watches the Pop the Balloon episode that the comment I made was directed towards a white contestant.’
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Johnny Bananas, the MTV reality veteran, has responded to accusations that he made a racist comment during his appearance on the Netflix live dating show Pop the Balloon; (seen in 2023)
The incident, which aired in April, sparked controversy after viewers believed a joke he made was directed at a Black contestant
DailyMail.com has reached out to Netflix for comment but has not received a response.
Bananas further stated, ‘I want to be absolutely clear… anyone who knows me, knows my heart and my character, and they know that I’m not a racist and would never make any sort of racist comment towards anyone.’
The moment in question involved Bananas moving down a line of contestants, jokingly commenting on their toes as a quirky dating preference.
He stopped at one contestant and said, ‘You look like you sleep from a tree hanging upside down.’
In response to the backlash on Twitter—where one user posted, ‘That’s so racist @netflix’ —Bananas shared a photo from the scene along with a message clarifying his remarks.
He wrote that he was referring to the ‘WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a tree,’ and criticized what he described as a ‘false narrative’ around the incident.
Bananas told DailyMail.com that the exchange was meant to be playful banter, noting the live format encouraged a back-and-forth dynamic among contestants.
‘There was a fun, kind of back-and-forth with multiple contestants on the stage. Insults were flying around,’ he said. ‘I was getting made fun of for my age, the way I dressed. And I was just firing quips because the show was live.’
In response to the backlash on Twitter— where one user posted, ‘That’s so racist @netflix’ —Bananas shared a photo from the scene along with a message clarifying his remarks
Despite this, Bananas acknowledged that the backlash affected him and apologized for any hurt caused by the incident.
‘The damage has already been done,’ he said. ‘While the correction has been made, the record has to be set straight.’
Bananas, who has appeared on more than two dozen seasons of MTV’s The Challenge as well as shows like House of Villains, Love Island, and the latest U.S. version of The Traitors, expressed surprise at the accusations given his long career in reality television.
‘It’s kind of crazy that after 19 years of being on TV and all the media training I’ve had, and the diverse groups of individuals I’ve filmed with, that I would do something as dumb and as insensitive as making a blatantly racist comment on live national television,’ he said.
Bananas also shared that the controversy has led to significant online criticism, including death threats.
He attributed the incident primarily to the camera angle and editing rather than intent.
‘I think none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for this camera angle and the way it was edited,’ he said.
‘I don’t think this was an edit done to intentionally try to harm me.’
‘If this could change one person’s mind who was truly hurt by what happened, if one person can be convinced that I’m not what they might have thought based on that edit, then that means the world to me,’ he concluded
He added that he supports accountability when it is warranted but felt this situation was a misrepresentation.
‘Accountability has to be based on truth,’ Bananas said. ‘What happened here wasn’t accountability. It was a rush to outrage fueled by a misrepresentation of something that should not have aired the way it did.’
Bananas concluded by expressing hope that the clarification will help address any misunderstandings.
‘If this could change one person’s mind who was truly hurt by what happened, if one person can be convinced that I’m not what they might have thought based on that edit, then that means the world to me.’
