LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Amanda Seales attends Take Action LA hosts a special screening of "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody" during Mental Health Awareness month at Cinemark Baldwin Hills on May 20, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)
Amanda Seales seemingly feels like the love she pours into her community isn’t reciprocal, especially in Black Hollywood. The ‘Insecure’ star recently opened up about feeling unrecognized in Black industry spaces. She shared her sentiments on Instagram amid this year’s NAACP Image Awards.
Her initial message took over social media, soliciting responses from Essence, other celebrities, fans, and some critics. Keep scrolling to catch the full story!
Amanda first said that despite her contributions to the industry, she’s often left without an invite to the cookouts!
“I just wanna say something, if it wasn’t for y’all I would really think that I ain’t doing sh*t because the industry I’m in does not recognize me. And to be clear, I’m speaking about the Black spaces in the industry. Cause y’all know I don’t give two damns about any of these other spaces, but the Black spaces is what I’m referring to.”
Amanda Seales shared that the exclusionary treatment is “the reason” for her desire to “shift” out of the industry. She then listed off some Black-owned-and-led events that her invites are few to none.
“I don’t get invited to Essence Women in Hollywood. I’ve never been invited to the NAACP Image Awards. I’ve been nominated for an Image Award, never been invited to the NAACP Image Awards. Never been honored at Black Girls Rock. Like I’ve hosted these events. I literally hosted the BET Awards in 2020 at my f-ing house and I was not invited to the BET Awards since.”
She went on to thank her 2.2 million followers for their support and reminded her that she’s “valuable because the game and industry” had never “let [her] know.”
Watch Amanda’s initial comments below.
She later clarified her intentions with her initial message. Amanda said that the delivery might’ve interrupted the message, which was that the PEOPLE matter to her and not the machines.
See her clarification on her Black Hollywood comments below.
Amanda’s initial post got over 5,400 comments and more than 68,000 likes. One notable response in her comments came from Essense, whom she name-dropped as one of the brands that had not shown her love.
Essence’s account wrote, “We hear you and we love you. We will do a better job at showing up for you and showing you that the love is real. Happy to offline to see where we can show up for you.”
Tamika Mallory, a well-known activist like Amanda, also hopped in with thoughts. She wrote, “While I have been invited to the BET Awards and Black Girls Rock, and I’ve been honored at both, I feel you. I know exactly what you are talking about.”
TV personality Jessie Woo added, “I look up to you so much. You’re fearless. You say the things that others are afraid to say. You stand your ground while standing up for what you believe in. Thank you for being you.”
Singer-songwriter Syleena Johnson wrote, “We see you and hear you sis! You are very MUCH a house hold name where I’m from! Same here sis, this industry pretty much rotates the same people, luckily success isn’t measured by those invites! You’re providing thought that helps to change hearts and minds. Way more important in my opinion.”
Activist Amariyanna Copeny, known as Little Miss Flint, sympathized with Amanda. She wrote, “Hugs. I needed to hear this.”
Even reality TV stars Bambi and Tanisha Thomas dropped some encouragement for Amanda.
“I randomly thought about you today and how much I truly appreciate everything you’ve been doing… and I’ve learned so much from you. It sucks not getting the acknowledgment you deserve, but you have some people who really appreciate you,” Bambi wrote.
“[heart] you for being you and whew this was felt,” Tanisha added.
And if anyone needs a reminder about how Amanda Seales is THAT GWORL, swipe below for a small slice of her greatness.
