A colleague of ours called us the first week of August to ask if we thought the ensuing battle between to reality TV starlets was a publicity stunt. Immediately, we said “NO.” We couldn’t imagine people would do some of the stuff we’d witnessed over the past few weeks just for publicity.
A little background: R&B singer K. Michelle, one of the stars of the critically acclaimed reality show, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, is an up-and-coming star who used to date the husband of Toya Wright. On the show, K. Michelle alleges that her ex physically abused her and misspent her album’s $2 million recording budget.
Wright is the ex-wife of rap megastar Lil Wayne and the star of the reality shows “Tiny and Toya” and “Toya’s Family Affair.” Wright has also written two books, launched a clothing line, skin care line and hair extensions line, and opened a boutique, among other business ventures.
Since that time, Wright reluctantly responded to the claims by calling the starlet irrelevant and proclaiming that she’s never met the man K. Michelle describes. K. Michelle retaliated via Twitter, ironically saying she’d “slap” Wright if she ever saw her in public. She even released a video to stand against domestic violence. Here’s a post, courtesy of Miss Jia, that summarizes the drama.
If domestic violence is apart of an artist’s story, then they should be able to confront their abuser and heal. However, we’re not sure how attacking another woman will heal the wounds of abuse. The singer has a unique story to tell and she’s using the show’s platform to tell it. Unfortunately, we fear that she may be harming her image and damaging her career by perpetuating such negativity.
We know K. Michelle has a publicist. In fact hers is the well-known and successful CEO of KAC Images and U. The firm is known for creating buzz around talented musicians. K. Michelle has been seen in lots of print media and she can be heard giving interviews on radio stations nationwide, so we know her publicist is doing a great job promoting her music career.
Still, on the personal side, we’ve got to ask. K. Michelle, where is your publicist?