Julia, who was standing nearby, then remarked: “She's not your boat n*****.”
Later, Sloane is shown in tears as the gravity of her actions dawn on her. She also says in her on-camera confessional: “It’s an old boating term. I should never have said it.”
Many fans of the Bravo hit series took to Twitter to express their feelings on the situation, check it out below:
"I don't believe in apologies, but I do believe in corrected behavior"— cher.leviege (@simply_Kii) August 25, 2017
I am Gilda. Gilda is me.
LOL #RHOAKL
I feel bad for Michelle. #RHOAKL— Tre (@shadekingtre) August 26, 2017
DRAG THAT BITCH!!!!! #RHOAKL— King Freddie ♌ (@thestig_95) August 26, 2017
I love seeing Julia get destroyed. #RHOAKL— King Freddie ♌ (@thestig_95) August 26, 2017
Do it Michelle throw her overboard!! #RHOAKL— c (@buflsabres) August 26, 2017
Julia, Julia, Julia. Shame on you. #RHOAKL— c (@buflsabres) August 26, 2017
Too late Julia! #RHoakl 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/lT5jrTmKQR— Brightly (@Brightly5) August 26, 2017
Someone get a gif of Louise's facial expression. #RHOAkL— c (@buflsabres) August 26, 2017
What did this d-list trophy wife Julia say? Please not something racist. #RHoakl— Faith Zaid (@faithzp1) August 26, 2017
It seems like they're focusing on Julia way more than Michelle after the incident. 😒 #RHOAKL— King Freddie ♌ (@thestig_95) August 26, 2017
#RHOAKL is fucking amazing. Minus the racism part that I'm told is hard to watch. I haven't gotten to that part yet https://t.co/FQNEBZ7Y3z— Christian Snow (@_christiansnow) August 26, 2017
Michelle just made me cry! Julia is out of her fucking tiny mind. #RHOAKL— Mame (@mamecastle) August 26, 2017
#RHOAKL OMG! WOW! Julia is dropping "N" bombs left and right! "Boat N*gger" and "House N*gger"! WTF!?!?! WOW! Just WOW! Julia dug her grave!— MR. SHAUN WILLETT (@MrShaunWillett) August 27, 2017
#RHOAKL I wish the US edit wasn't edited. Seeing Michelle flip out and go against Julia is awesome! FINALLY some real fireworks.— MR. SHAUN WILLETT (@MrShaunWillett) August 27, 2017
#RHOAKL Seriously though, I am gobsmacked that Julia would be so casual and wreckless w/her remarks. These remarks were quite "not random."— MR. SHAUN WILLETT (@MrShaunWillett) August 27, 2017
#RHOAKL Michelle let Julia have it. Absolutely checked her and put her in her place.— MR. SHAUN WILLETT (@MrShaunWillett) August 27, 2017
Finally watching recording of #RHOAKL. What in the HAIL did Julia say??? She's lucky Michelle didn't throw her overboard to that shark!!!— Monique (@MaraliGrace) August 27, 2017
It's "an old boat saying"?? It's also an old slavery saying, genius. #RHOAKL— Jacque Butler (@jacque373) August 27, 2017
Plus, no matter how 'mainstream' it seems to be it's still not ok. Not just shocking she said it but on international television. #RHoakl— stacey (@MoonOverKeyWest) August 27, 2017
This week, YIKES!! I cannot believe that Julia would be so NOT self-aware. OK well maybe I CAN believe it... lol. #RHOAKL— Angel Benton (@AngelBenton) August 28, 2017
When the episode originally aired last year in New Zealand, Sloane issued a public apology to Blanchard after the controversial episode aired.
In a statement published on Stuff Entertainment, Julia admitted she “wasn't thinking” about the harsh wording of her remark. “I wasn't thinking, I made a mistake and I have apologized to Michelle for my remark,” Julia said. “There is no excuse for using offensive words under any circumstances and I have learned from this foolish mistake.”
Sloane added that she was “moving on” from the “distressing experience.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Race Relations Commissioner, Susan Devoy also released a statement to Stuff in regards to the racist remark.
“I do not think that ignorant, overt racist behavior is part of Kiwi culture so we all need to call it out when it rears its very ugly head,” the official wording read. “People like Julia need to understand that using words like that is not how we roll here. That is not us.”
As for Michelle, she originally up about the racial slur used against her after the episode aired last year in New Zealand. Blanchard said she had “no problem” with Sloane - with whom she has a “professional working relationship” - but that doesn't change what she said.
In a statement to The Spinoff, Blanchard said: “It came out of her mouth. So she needs to own it. Don't blame it on anybody else or make it out to be a light hearted comment that you jokingly use, because you know what? It is not a light hearted comment. It's an offensive comment,” said Blanchard.
“I've had people make slurs or whatever - but never the ‘N-word.’ So I was shocked by that.” But more of the frustration came from the fact that at first, Blanchard thought Sloane had said “house” rather than “boat.”
She continued: “When she came and corrected me to say “oh no, I didn't say ‘house’, I said ‘boat’.” That infuriated me. I just saw red at that point. I thought “do not try and justify what you've said or done in any way.” That's how I felt at the time. That's why I had that reaction.”
She also responded to Sloane's husband Michael Lorimer, who defended his wife saying the comment was taken out of context, was a tongue-in-cheek boating term and the result of his wife having had a few cocktails.
“Put it this way,”Blanchard says. “Michael should come down to Harlem or Brooklyn, where I've just been, and stand there with a sign saying “boat n*****s needed for a hand on a boat.” See how long he could stand there without getting shot.”
And while Blanchard accepts some people will side with Sloane on account of the awful things Blanchard has said about the other women in the past, she says this is a whole other level.
“If it is something someone can change about themselves, it's fair game. But if it's something you can't change - if you're disabled, if you're of a different ethnicity, you can't change that. So don't throw the knife. I think it's an unfair game to play. It's just not right to go there,” she says.
She added: “I just hope people who watch it realize that using that term is not acceptable. It's not a cool term to use. And I don't want people to think that.”
Photo Credit: Bravo
