Johnny Bananas Speaks Out After Accusations of Racially Insensitive Comment

Television personality Johnny Bananas has denied targeting a Black woman with his controversial comment on Netflix‘s “Pop The Balloon LIVE!.”

A well-known dating show called “Pop The Balloon Or Find Love,” previously popularized on YouTube by the couple Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu, has now made its way to Netflix, premiering its first episode on a Thursday.

Shortly after its Netflix debut, the show generated significant attention on social media due to a remark made by Bananas that many online users interpreted as being directed towards a Black woman.

The show’s host, Yvonne Orji, then asked him which of the women would have been his type.

Bananas scanned through before turning to the women on his left and checking their toes. He then told two of them they had “really pretty toes.”

The controversial moment occurred when Bananas appeared to comment to one of the female contestants, who happened to be a Black woman, by saying, “You look like you sleep hanging from a tree upside down.” The camera then shifted focus to the Black woman dressed in a blue checkered two-piece outfit.

The woman asked if Bananas was talking about her while the other women reacted with laughter. Orji then asked Bananas if toes were important in home building, and he responded, “You need good toes to build a home.”

Online blog Glock Topickz reposted a clip showing the moment Bananas made the controversial comment, and several netizens took turns slamming him and Netflix.

One person said, “That is racism asf. @netflix to sit here and copy a show that isn’t even yours then allow this facially challenged white man to say that to her is absurd. What is wrong with y’all?”

A second person cursed Bananas, saying, “So how many times does he have to be racist before they cut ties with this lil midget b-tch?”

A third X user recalled Bananas’ spat with “Big Brother 24” winner Taylor Hale and how he allegedly called the latter a monkey.

The fan wrote, “He also called Taylor Hale a monkey on here like 2 months ago… Like seriously, how many strikes does he need before enough is enough?”

However, one person noted, “Sometimes commenters can say things like that without much intent. I hope she didn’t take it personally.” Meanwhile, another X user added, “Cancel the show.”

Bananas didn’t take time to respond to the backlash he was receiving.

He replied to Glock Topickz‘ video post and claimed he wasn’t referring to the black woman when he made the comment.

Bananas said, “Hey morons, I was actually talking about the WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a f-cking tree!”

He continued, “It’s wild how fast some people can twist a moment into a false narrative.”

The television personality concluded, “There’s real racism out there, weaponizing fake outrage for clicks cheapens it.”

In addition to his post, he shared an image where he circled the toes of the “WHITE girl” he claimed he was referring to when he made his comments.

Several netizens reacted to Johnny Bananas’ post, with some people supporting him while others faulted his defense.

One person wrote, “They are all jealous of king @johnnybananas.”

Another fan added, “I hate that they keep trying to do this to you for real. It’s starting to piss me off. Next time don’t even respond to these idiots!”

However, another person noted, “I love you Johnny but the white girl/green dress’ toes weren’t hanging over her shoes when you zoom in.”