Taylor Selfridge Quits Reality TV After MTV Cancels Teen Mom Special Over Resurfaced Racist Tweets

MTV may have made the decision to cancel their scheduled "Teen Mom OG" special focused on "Challenge" alum Taylor Selfridge and boyfriend Cory Wharton, but it's Taylor who's made the decision to cancel her involvement with reality television at all.

It was a last-minute decision for MTV, announcing earlier in the day on Tuesday that they had pulled the plug on that night's planned premiere of "Teen Mom OG at Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special" in light of resurfaced racially insensitive tweets from Taylor's past.

In an awkwardly cropped statement on her Instagram page, Selfridge called out reality television for "being selective in who they apply rules to or what is considered acceptable behavior."

She emphasized that she had previously apologized on the air, writing, "I have addressed my mistakes many times on the network and I would like to move on and continue to be the best version of myself."

"My past does not define who I am today and I hope you guys can see the change," she continued. "Please respect my decision to provide a normal, healthy life for my family [final words provided by People]" She also apologized again to anyone she has offended or hurt in the past.

According to Selfridge, she had already made the decision last week that she and Cory would not be returning for the upcoming season of "Teen Mom OG," but added, "I don't believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life."

"MTV pulled 'Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor’s Baby Special' from its Tuesday schedule and is ending our relationship with Taylor Selfridge in light of her past racist statements on social media," an MTV spokesperson told People on Tuesday. "MTV strongly condemns systemic racism and stands with those raising their voices against injustice."

Selfridge did address and apologize for her past tweets, dating back to 2012, during Season 8 of "Teen Mom OG." During a conversation with Wharton's ex, Cheyenne Floyd, she acknowledged that she was coming from a place of immaturity at the time.

"I wasn't thinking it was anything negative. I thought 'Oh, this is funny' or something like that, but it's not," she said. "I just had to grow up, honestly. I had to experience other places."

The special was intended to explore the intimate pregnancy and birth of Wharton and Selfridge's daughter while under strict COVID-19 quarantine and was filmed entirely by Selfridge and Wharton themselves.

As evidence how last-minute the decision was by MTV -- occurring after the tweets were again resurfaced in light of ongoing civil unrest and protests in the wake of George Floyd's murder -- Wharton had actually taken to his social media in excitement for the special's premiere just hours before it was scheduled to launch. MTV aired a repeat of "Catfish" instead.

Below is a sampling of Selfridge's racist tweets from the last time they were resurfaced, back in February 2019. The post has comments from fans back then saying that MTV should fire her.

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