Michelle Blanchard was "infuriated" by a racial slur a fellow Housewife made. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
Michelle Blanchard was "infuriated" by a racial slur a fellow Housewife made. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
Michelle Blanchard has spoken out about the racial slur used against her in an upcoming episode of Real Housewives of Auckland.
The Herald on Sunday broke the story, detailing how in this week's episode Housewife Julia Sloane refers to Blanchard as a "boat n*****" whilst the cast are all on a boat trip in Port Douglas.
While Sloane apologises saying it "came out wrong", Blanchard refuses to forgive her and doesn't look likely to do so any time soon.
Speaking to The Spinoff, Blanchard says she has "no problem" with Sloane - with whom she has a "professional working relationship" - but that doesn't change what she said.
Michelle Blanchard and Julia Sloane still maintain a professional relationship. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
"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.
"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".
"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.
Julia Sloane with her husband Michael Lorimer. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
"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.
"I just hope people who watch it realise that using that term is not acceptable. It's not a cool term to use. And I don't want people to think that."
