A tough situation. Cory Wharton went live on Instagram on Wednesday, June 10, hours after his girlfriend, Taylor Selfridge, was fired from MTV for past racially charged comments.
The Challenge star, 29, began by reading his previously released statement but paused midway through as he started to get choked up.
“I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional, man, this just hurts,” the Real World alum said. “Everybody makes mistakes. I think we’re missing the main message here and I want it to be that there needs to be change.”
MTV announced its decision to cut ties with Selfridge, 26, on Tuesday, June 9, also revealing that the network chose not to air the couple’s baby special. Wharton filmed the birth of their daughter, Mila, for the Teen Mom OG special to show what it was like to have a child amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, he will share the birthing video on his YouTube channel next week.
“I’ll be commenting about how this whole situation played out, kinda like, where I stand, where my family stands,” the Teen Mom OG star said about the video, dropping on Wednesday, June 17. “This time we get to control the narrative and I’m all about it.”
Wharton, who has been on MTV since 2014, also noted that although the network made its decision, he hopes that things change across the board.
“I’m not on here to bash anybody. I’ve had my conversations with MTV, they know how I feel about this. I’m really trying to keep everything positive,” he said. “All I’m asking is that you hold everybody accountable and that’s that. If you guys want to go down this route, I just hope that they hold everybody accountable.”
Although the Are You the One? vet didn’t appear in the video, he gave an update on how she is doing amid the firing.
“Taylor’s strong. She’s pulling through and I’m super proud of her and you know, I feel like she’s apologized for this many times on the network and she’s probably going to continue to have to apologize for it,” Wharton said. “But I know this girl better than anybody else, and when you see somebody that you love being painted a certain way and that’s not who she is, it’s hard.”
Selfridge, for her part, released a statement on Tuesday night following MTV’s firing, claiming that she actually chose to step away from Teen Mom OG. She also explained that she’s apologized many times — including in a conversation that aired during last season — but is still sorry to “anyone I have hurt or offended” with her 2012 tweets.
“I don’t believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life,” she wrote. “With current events being what they are and reality tv being selective in who they apply rules to or what is considered acceptable behavior, I do not have any further respect. … I would like to move on and continue to be the best version of myself. My past does not define who I am today and I hope you guys can see the change. Please respect my decision to provide a normal, healthy life for my family.”
