The Challenge may be done with Dee Nguyen, but the recently fired cast member is not done with MTV.
Page Six is reporting that she is looking into pursuing legal action against the cable network after it severed ties with her on Tuesday following racially charged comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“An Australian firm with renowned entertainment lawyer Matthew McCormick has been appointed to review the current situation under consultation by BLVK Management,” Nguyen’s rep, Joseph Lamanna, told the outlet Wednesday.
While a lawsuit has not yet been filed, Lamanna told Page Six that BLVK hired McCormick to “have a look at all aspects of the case” and “in due course, a further statement will be made.”
Nguyen has issued another apology following the decision to oust her from the series.
“I want to sincerely apologize to my fellow cast members, the production crew at Bunin-Murray and staff at MTV for my choice of words and actions in the most recent events,” she said, adding that her comments were not “meant to be hurtful or discriminatory.”
She explained that it was a “knee jerk of a reaction,” and claimed that “it’s certainly not the way that I feel.”
Nguyen said that “having had to deal with racism my entire life, ironically through all this, there is a warm feeling I have with the fact that humans are standing together to call out unacceptable comments and behaviors that in the past were rarely called on.
The drama erupted a few days ago after, Bayleigh Dayton — who is also a contestant on The Challenge — shared screen captures of an interaction Nguyen had with a Twitter user over her Blackout Tuesday post.
The user told Dee to “READ THE F–KING ROOM.”
“All you posted was a black square and went about your day and posting your lame ass thirst traps,” the follower continued. “Wake up!!! People are dying. Smh.”
Dee followed that up by writing “people die every f–king day” and shared the following:
“U don’t know me or what I do. I suggest u wake the f–k up and get off social media.”
In messages that have since been deleted, Nguyen also shared a post in which she wrote: “IDK why some of u think I’m anti BLM. I’ve been saying that since the day I lost my virginity.”
Dayton took Dee to task for her comments.
“THIS IS NOT A TREND. THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH FOR US,” she wrote on Twitter, adding: “THIS IS NOT HOW YOU SUPPORT BLM. I’m disgusted and disappointed.”
“Posting for clout about the death of black people? Shame on you @deenguyenMTV”
The pair went back and forth, prompting Christopher Jordan “Swaggy C” Williams, who also appears on The Challenge and is married to Bayleigh, to chime in.
“Dee acts like a villain on social media then calls every cast member crying her eyes out EVERY DAY saying she’s struggling & the fans hate her and she has to ‘play the part of a bitch,'” he wrote.
“Fakest person on the cast by far. Does everything for clout.”
“Everything is not for f–king clout and drama. The f–k. CLOWN. I’m bout to air her whole s–t out. Using BLM for clout.”
“I am sorry for the insensitive tweet I posted earlier. I was being defensive and not speaking from my heart. But there’s no excuse,” Dee later wrote.
“I also want to extend an apology to Bayleigh and Swaggy- who are my cast mates and deserve my respect and compassion…
“Let me be clear I am a POC that crew about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media too focus on my wellbeing and mental health.”
But the damage was done and Nguyen was promptly fired.
“As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her,” the statement read from The Challenge’s social media accounts.
“Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned.”
“We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice.”
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.