The cast of the Netflix reality show Happiness, which tells the story of Navarro College’s nationally ranked cheerleading squad, is back on the front page for another controversial reason. after the cheerleader Jerry Harris was arrested in 2020 For sexual offenses involving minors, the cheerleading squad finds itself embroiled in a blackface scandal, as a photo of an alleged initiation ritual was posted on social media this month. Now Happiness Star Gabi Butler was criticized by a teammate for lying about the controversy.
After a photo of Gabi Butler in blackface was posted by a anonymous twitter account the cheerleader replied with a declaration he explained that the photo was taken in 2018, when veterans of the team told him and other rookies to wear black and paint their faces. He also shared pictures of other teammates wearing blackface and said others, “including some who were also people of color,” also agreed to the request. However, his partner Happiness co-star La’Darius Marshall has denied being complicit in blackface, Tweeter :
No, what we won’t do is throw “other black people” under the bus. The rest of the minority spoke out against it, I spoke to you personally and said it wasn’t a good idea. So no, we don’t all feel the same, I’ve forgiven you for that, but don’t sit here and lie.
La’Darius Marshall, who quit the cheerleading squad in the second season of the Netflix series but still appeared on the show, applauded Gabi Butler’s claims that rookies, including Marshall, did as they were told without arguing . He said other people of color had also raised concerns and even told Butler it wasn’t a good idea. Marshall also stated in another tweet that the situation has been reported to Navarro and other authorities and no action has been taken. In his words, the blame should fall on:
Our Coaches, President, Police, School Board and Title 9 BC were notified of this wrongdoing and did NOTHING. This is what @’td should look like but he chose a low shot trying to make it look like something it wasn’t and I just fixed it
It is certainly not the first time that the Happiness The stars have seen the controversy. Former fan favorite Jerry Harris is currently serving a 12-year sentence. in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old during a cheerleading competition and paying a 17-year-old to send him sexually explicit videos and photos via Snapchat. Harris has reportedly admitted to other misconduct cases involving minors, but was only convicted of those two counts due to a plea deal. the situation was located in Happiness Season 2 with two of Jerry Harris’ accusers explaining why they had come forward.
It remains to be seen what the blackface situation will mean for Navarro College and Gabi Butler, who People reportedly signed with WWE in November and begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Source: Cinemablend
