HGTV has canceled the show “Rehab Addict” and pulled it from its platforms after a video leaked of host Nicole Curtis saying the N-word during filming.
The video was first posted yesterday (Feb. 12) by the entertainment site, Radar Online. It shows Curtis on camera working on a renovation, before suddenly using the racial slur.
“Why? It’s the last one. Oh, fart n*gger,” she says in the leaked clip. Immediately, when she realizes she said that while being recorded, she tries to backtrack and even asks for production to get rid of the footage.
“What the f*ck is that I just said?” she said, before addressing the film crew. “Nick, you gotta, you gotta, can you kill that? F*ck my life.”
In a statement to US Weekly, HGTV said the network was “recently made aware of an offensive racial comment,” and it was removing “Rehab Addict” from all of its platforms, including HBO Max and Discovery+.
“Not only is language like this hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it does not align with the values of HGTV,” the statement said. “Accordingly, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms. We remain dedicated to fostering a culture of respect and inclusion across our content and our workplace.”
HGTV also scrubbed the show from its website.
The “Rehab Addict” host has already spoken out, defending herself on social media on Wednesday. On her Instagram stories, she argued that there is more context behind the damning clip, and that she is no longer focused on her career, but “on my relationships and my community – the people who truly know my character and where my heart is.”
In a statement to TMZ, the television personality also claimed that it is not in her nature to use the N-word.
“I want to be clear: the word in question is wrong and not part of my vocabulary and never has been, and I apologize to everyone.”
