Another high profile celebrity has quit Twitter over racist tweets and abusive messages. Normani Kordei, 20, one of the members of Fifth Harmony, posted a message on Saturday that she has quit Twitter after being “racially cyberbullied with tweets and pictures so horrific and racially charged that I can’t subject myself any longer to the hate.” Unlike Leslie Jones, Kordei did not retweet the worst messages, it sounds like she just reported them to Twitter, who to their credit took care of them. It seems to have stemmed from an alleged beef she had with another Fifth Harmony member, Camila Cabello, 19. Kordei was in a Facebook Live interview last when she was asked to come up with nice things to say about her bandmates. When it came to Cabello, Kordei hesitated for a moment and then called her “quirky” and “cute.” That’s it! Then she got so much hate on Twitter for it she posted this message on Friday. (E! Online has more along with the background.)
It is a shame that after four years together as a group I have to address foolishness manufactured by those that have absolutely no idea what goes on. I have shown nothing but commitment for the success of Fifth Harmony even promoting on my days off but yet I always find myself as the target of unjust hate and slander. It’s just not right. I give 110% on and off stage because I am true to myself and the artistry. We learn in life that evil spirits exist and people don’t always treat you fairly but you continue to love anyway. I have love and respect for all four of my bandmates whether you choose to believe it or not.
There’s more and it’s a bit over the top but she’s 20 and she’s surely dealing with a lot of crap on Twitter, especially given some of the bottom feeders who hang out there. It also sounds like Cabello isn’t her favorite person or else why wouldn’t she address that directly? That’s not the point though, the point is that some users attacked her personally and some used racial slurs and sent her terrible photos (just like Leslie Jones revealed), causing her to quit Twitter for a while. You can read her full tweet from Saturday below and here’s most of what she wrote:
I am taking a break from Twitter for now. Over the past four years of being in the public eye I’ve learned to grow a thick skin to critics and those who may not like me. I’ve never been one to deny anyone of their opinions, but over the course of this last week and especially over the last 48 hours I’ve not just been cyber bullied, I’ve been racially cyberbullied with tweets and pictures so horrific and racially charged that I can’t subject myself any longer to the hate.
I’m not the first black female celebrity to deal with this and I’m sure I won’t be the last. I want to take this moment to say Love goes much further than hate in this world. Hiding behind a computer and putting people down, especially for the color of their skin doesn’t make you coo, it makes you a coward!
I have nothing but love for everyone, even the haters and I hope I can lead by example
I also want to thank Twitter for immediately jumping into action when they were alerted to the situation.
E! didn’t mention this but Korei has a very thoughtful tweet about the Black Lives Matter movement and the senseless deaths of black men at the hands of the police. She’s had that pinned since early July but it possibly got her more attention from the racists after her non-beef with Cabello came out.
Cabello has responded to this controversy and while it sounds like there’s no love lost between her and Kordei, she doesn’t condone any racism.
i stand by the words "love only", meaning I won't tolerate on my timeline any kind of hate, racism, or discrimination towards ANYONE. period
— Camila Cabello (@camilacabello97) August 6, 2016
So yet again Twitter is getting headlines for racist attacks on female celebrities in particular. It’s a shame that someone had to go through that yet again but I hope it puts their feet to the fire and helps all users, including non-celebrities and people just trying to say their piece, have a place where they’re not racially attacked or subjected to over the top abuse. Twitter needs to give users more tools to control this (similar to how Facebook lets you control who posts on your page and who sees it) and they need to make racism an immediately bannable offense.
Here are Kordei’s tweets. (I have them in text above as they’re difficult to read as images.)
Thoughts. pic.twitter.com/51aZF7zB2O
— Normani Kordei (@NormaniKordei) August 5, 2016
To my fans: pic.twitter.com/7yICp10G5Z
— Normani Kordei (@NormaniKordei) August 7, 2016
photos credit: WENN, FameFlynet and Getty
People are awful. It’s seems like social media, but twitter in particular, collects the worst of the worst. Twitter takes part of the blame too. Poor girl.
I was surprised that she’s 20, so I googled them ,and good God, they are so young! I thought they were late 20s early 30s. And they’re pretty horrible, aren’t they? They can sing, but they are the shining example of style over substance.
Eh, I wouldn’t call them horrible. I don’t really follow them, but Normani can sing and dance, and apparently Camila can sing too. Their songs are bubblegum, but no worse than what everyone else has out there.
Yeah most pop singers are style over substance.
I watched X factor the year they were on it and have paid attention to some of their music. Vocally Ally Brooke Hernandez is the weak link (not saying she can’t sing at all- she’s not impressive, but she’s a little better than Taylor Swift and maybe Katy Perry) with Normani and Camilla being somewhere in the middle of the group and Lauren and Dinah being the best. As singers I think they’re more talented than Little Mix overall, (Perrie Edwards has a great voice though) but Little Mix has better music. Fifth Harmony’s music is mostly meh and has cheesy levels of pop culture references.
Cyberbullying is the coward’s sport, and I get saddened when it overwhelms you to the point you can’t ignore it anymore. I’m glad Cabello spoke out, even if it’s not directly at her band mate’s situation. I’ve never liked Cabello though, and Kordei is such a great performer and a very beautiful lady. I wish her the best.
Cabello called Normani the n word in leaked chats so she has no grounds to stand on.
What? Do you have proof of this? I have no horse in this race but this sounds good. I don’t understand these girls’ management. Maybe you won’t be able to post links but let us know.
WHAT? Uh, that changes it quite a bit from a little band disagreement if that’s true. Links?
I didn’t see this at all or I would have included it but I do need links to add it.
In this post there are links http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/102809639.html (I read it yesterday, and I’m not sure if they were on the main post or on the comments)
http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/982185-Fifth-Harmony-Member-caught-in-second-racist-N-Word-Scandal
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/78816766.html
yep yep yep. This is what started the whole thing. Sent the 5H fans into a tizzy
Normani even got sent photoshopped images of her being l*nched. Those trolls are disgusting!
…I am not the one.
I’d have been physically removed from that group for verbally assaulting a trick till she needed intensive therapy for year to come.
Wow. I had no idea about that (or about the overall messiness surrounding Camilla in the group). They should kick her out and maybe replace her with someone more talented (or just become Fifth harmony-1). I hope she flops as a solo artist.
That link was really useful as a timeline for all the messiness. They should just let Camila go solo and flop lmao
Cause you know she will.
Racism is getting out of control.
I’m just so disgusted with what has been going on.
Yep, hate crimes, attendance in racist groups, and racially motivated violence is on the rise.
Why do you think that is? And increased since when?
@ Mary, It is a well know fact and easily researchable that attendance to hate groups/ and membership to the KKK among other things has been on the rise since Obama first came into office in 2008.
Twitter needs to get its act together. Also the groups management must be super inept to not only allow bandmate disputes to leak into the fandom but to not cordinate the band mates responses to cyber racism. I mean…RACISM. A smart management team would manipulate this moment to turn them into pop cultures ambassadors for inclusion or atleast anti bullying.
There is a little bit of a backlash on twitter from their fans towards te managment for what u said and because they only tweeted a hashtag in support of her and not a statement when a few weeks ago they wrote this long statement about the fans not approaching the girls at shows.
I enjoy their music but I have to admit I can never enjoy these kinds of groups too much, especially post 2000’s in a X-Factor and American Idol.
It’s all about how much money they can wring out of these girls like a towel rather than longevity or their personal well-being. Even the fact the two girls don’t seem to like each other but (from what little I’ve seen) the one being most supported has no extra discernible talent or vocal ability, but because she got on a few singles with other artists where they can also collect money they’re willing to let it slide.
A bit over the top, yes. This is a very well spoken and intelligent young woman. And she needs to realize that she’s never going to make everyone happy. But that doesn’t mean she should be subjected to the verbal abuse she experienced on Twitter. You know some people take offense at anything and Twitter is where everyone goes to be outraged about something. So she described her band mate as quirky, that doesn’t merit disgusting racial commentary and vitriol. I honestly don’t get what goes through the minds of people who feel the only way they can put someone in their place is by attacking them for something they have no control over. She can’t help being black but these people can help being trolls. I agree with past commenters who say that Twitter should require some form of personal verification even for non-famous individuals.
The cyber bullying of Leslie Jones and this girl has truly been next level. It breaks my heart that even the younger generation is so racist .
Yea she’s been dealing with the racist attacks since the group came out. The recent crazy came out after rumors (and screenshots) of Camilla trashing her bandmates came out and it basically sent a fracture between everyone esp Normani and Camilla. So of course because fans are ridiculous they’ve been attacking the other members in support of Camilla but I think because Normani is black and very outspoken about it she’s gotten the brunt of the abuse.
Its a shame because these girls are talented and young. They shouldn’t have to deal with this crap
I feel so bad this young lady. First she has to be in a group with a girl, Camila, who openly called her the n-word and her penance was to apologize on twitter and say that it was a mistake because she was young. Mistake my butt, that girl was nasty. Then she has to deal with Camila’s fans photoshopping pictures of her being lynched. Yet, somehow the media has Normani looking like the bad guy and Camila, looking like some saint. That’s not right.
…wow. This whole comment is insane. Poor girl. Contracts are a bitch too, I bet she’d love to leave the group and get away from Camilla but is strapped down forever.
Jaysus. I don’t even have words. Photoshopped her being lynched? I just . . . I can’t.
is crazy to me that:
*Twitter can’t get this sh*t together
* That no matter your level of celebrity as a black woman is easy to let you hanging down the wind ( see other whatever this group name members sorta not strongly and forcefully standing with this girl or The Ghostbusters debacle and the costars ho hum reaction)
*that Taylor swift gets a filter from IG within the hour but is Crickets when is for example FKA twigs getting abuse in IG
I see you Mofos.. I see it.. Our womanhood is .. less defensible
All of the above.
Trying to think of more to say but no really that nails it.
It pisses me off all these young companies from supposedly new age touchy-feeling give me a Kale milkshake and my Labradoodle men who act like they’re truing to change the world but are just utterly useless in dealing with anything real because their asses never experienced it outside of their Silicon Valley bubble.
Hate Speech is NOT Free Speech and for god’s sakes fellow humans of people suffering from racism GET ANGRY, SAY WORDS, BE A REAL ALLY, not a pat on the back on to the next question type of ally. There are ladies on this board who have gone to bat harder on a computer screen for racism than some of these celebs.
Well Mama, you know, is ALWAYS more important to let vile sh*t cook and boys will be boying and so on that protecting women, you KNOW this, you KNOW to that this society black women/ girls are next to nothing if not perma sturdy, perma hard. perma sexual, disposable, probably looking for the attention, too grown, super abrasive the Mules that do the work.. you KNOW our vulnerability and innocence might as well be a myth
My heart goes out to her. This is completely unacceptable, some people are just the worst and the lowest. I hope she’s okay.
QQ: I’ve seen your posts for years but I feel your pain on this one. You know this to be true, but I just wanted to say You matter. Black women and girls are not disposable. I needed to say it.
Aw Thanks Baby! *snuggly kisses* that;s very kind of you
We (Black women and girls) know that we are not disposable but the larger society reflects something very different and not only in the larger sense but also in the smaller, everyday acts and microaggressions. I am amazed at how invisible I can be being so black and tall and present. Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is still so relevant almost fifty years after it was first written: “what can one do with something of no value on the open market.” That’s why we have to band together, see and support each other, keep saying over and over again that we matter and give each other love. Some of us are so traumatized by centuries of hate and neglect that we turn it inward, dying early and/or hurting each other for the reflection we see. Especially given how racist this younger generation is and the kickback to how Blackness has been centered (with Obama, with Black Lives Matter, etc.), I doubt most of us alive today will ever see a change. So we must be each others’ support and source of light and love.
^^ THAT IS IT!
you don’t see me but I’m fist pumping for you and for me and for all the girls in here that stay indefatigable and Black and Gracious ( cause make no mistake I’m in awe of Leslie Jones Still giving me that Loving Jingoistic Olympic love when in reality… what reason does she have at this point other than her inner Goodness??! I say this as someone who daily sees more and more of my black and brown people lose their faith in people/white people specific, the justice system, our govmnt, media giving us a fair shake, our own men! etc etc etc
So true.