BBC responds as I Kissed A Girl cast member alleges racism during filming
I Kissed A Girl star Lindsey (BBC/Two Four/James Stack)
The BBC has responded to I Kissed a Girl participant Lindsey’s allegations of racism and anti-Blackness during filming.
Lindsey set out her claims in a 90-minute YouTube video, posted on 18 October, which also included allegations about some of her co-stars. In it, she said she experienced racism and anti-Blackness from some co-stars and crew members during filming.
She also alleged she was sexually assaulted by an unidentified cast member after filming wrapped, at a cast event that was not linked to production of the show.
In the video, Lindsey said the atmosphere on set left her feeling excluded, and that conversations about race and Blackness did not make it into the final edit. “One of the most exhausting things about experiencing racism is the expectation that you must always be prepared to explain it, prove it, soften it, and make it understandable to people who may never have to think about it themselves,” she said.
Lindsey also described feeling questioned about her boundaries around intimacy in the masseria, including bed-sharing. “My ‘no’ wasn’t enough,” she said.
A BBC spokesperson told Them: “I Kissed A Girl is, and always has been, a dating show with inclusivity at its heart. The BBC and the producers of the show are taking these allegations extremely seriously and we do not tolerate discrimination of any form.”
The series, including its brother show I Kissed A Boy, was cancelled earlier this year, with the BBC citing “funding challenges”.
What have other participants said?
Lindsey’s video prompted other cast members of colour to share statements about filming and the programme’s final cut. A number of other cast members shared statements on Instagram which have since circulated around social media, agreeing that conversations about race, culture and religion were left out.
Almayra wrote that while she had extensive conversations about queerness and Islam in the masseria, her experience as a queer Muslim was reduced to a short clip. She said she was given “a small two-minute window” to speak about being queer and Muslim.
In another recirculated screenshot, Nikita wrote that her experience with the edit was “traumatic”, and claimed the show was edited “through a white lens”. Pippa, who is non-binary, also criticised the edit, writing that it was through a “white cis lens” and reduced the lived experiences of contestants of colour.
What else did Lindsey claim?
Elsewhere in the video, Lindsey claimed some of her co-stars had mocked prominent members of Black history, including Malcolm X and Rosa Parks.
Tyra, who identified herself as the person with the Malcolm X lock-screen of which Lindsey spoke, said Lindsey’s account of that incident “did not happen”, but agreed that the final edit of the show cut important conversations on race.
Lindsey also alleged an unnamed co-star sexually assaulted her, and another laughed it off, suggesting it was a drunken mistake.
Kayleigh, who identified herself as the co-star with whom Lindsey spoke of the alleged incident afterwards, disputed Lindsey’s characterisation of her response, writing that she was not told Lindsey had been assaulted and that Lindsey had discussed regretting sex and being intoxicated.
