‘W.A.G.s to Riches’ Was The Picture Perfect Reality Show, Then It Became Exploitive
By Keydra Manns ·Updated February 27, 2025 < /> W.A.G.s to Riches, the latest Netflix reality series to follow the wives and girlfriends of top athletes and rappers, checked all the boxes of a quintessential reality show: juicy gossip, shady reads, lover’s quarrels, beautiful yet cunning opinionated women, and the accomplished men who support them. On the surface, this show had the juice, but as I kept watching, I noticed that the plot was littered with contradictions and racial insensitivity. Throughout the show, its queen bee, real estate broker and founder of Allure Realty LLC, Sharelle Rosado, preaches to the other women the importance of a good reputation, especially if you want to be successful. We’ve all heard this concept before, but this idea becomes problematic when Rosado weaponizes fellow cast member Lastonia “Stoni” Leviston’s sex tape against her. Leviston, the mother of rapper Rick Ross’ first child, is initially shunned by the group due to a sex tape scandal from over 10 years ago. The discussion around Leviston’s sex tape was hard to watch. During a sit down with fellow cast member Alexis Stoudemire, ex-wife to former NBA star and Olympian Amar’e Stoudemire, Leviston explains that a former partner released a video of them having sex without her consent as revenge porn after they broke up. During the time Rick Ross and 50 Cent were feuding, Leviston’s ex allegedly sent the video to the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ rapper, to which he then posted the video to his website. In one of the show’s early scenes, Rosado admits that she can’t see herself hanging out with Leviston because of the sex tape and accuses her of being an escort. Leviston vehemently denies the escort claims, but Rosado holding revenge porn over her cast mate’s head feels gross. Not only are Black women disproportionately at risk for being victims of sex crimes, but we are less likely to expose our abusers. Leviston took legal action and won, getting justice for the crime against her. Instead, the show takes a vulnerable and sensitive topic and uses it to berate. She is made to look weak and has to constantly defend herself over something that was out of her control. It’s a wonder that she completed the season after how poorly she was treated. Stoni, from Netflix’s ‘W.A.G.s to Riches’ Courtesy Netflix/Tudum And if the topic of reputation is such a big deal, one can only wonder how Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson landed a supporting role. Rosado, The post ‘W.A.G.s to Riches’ Was The Picture Perfect Reality Show, Then It Became Exploitive appeared first on Essence.
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