by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
December 10, 2023
Nick Cannon and Zeus Network are receiving backlash for their Bad vs. Wild Las Vegas event, which features a “Lightskin vs. Darkskin” competition.
Nick Cannon and Zeus Network are under fire for promoting their Light Skin vs. Dark Skin competition. The “Wild N Out” host and the network released the flyer for fans to watch the live event on December 7, but was immediately met with pushback due to the coloristic nature of the description.
The Las Vegas event was supposed to be a competition between “Wild N Out” stars and women from Zeus’ “Baddies” franchise, billed as “Bad vs. Wild.” However, on the original flyer, the women were divided by skin color, including teams with light and dark skin. But shortly after the event was posted on social media, users flocked to note that pitting women of different skin tones against each other was coloristic and divisive, Complex reported.
In response to the backlash, Zeus changed the title of the event to “Chocolate Goddesses vs. Caramel Goddesses,” but kept the same imagery that was also part of the theme.
“Hey beautiful people,” the post captioned. “Our goal at #BADVSWILDLASVEGAS is to unite, celebrate and laugh together as we explore the diverse facets of our community. Today we are excited to bring you a show full of fun, music and empowerment with the beautiful @Sukihanagoat and her Chocolate Goddesses and @mxrvssa and her Caramel Goddesses!”
The caption went on to explain that the event was intended to “break down stereotypes,” but commenters didn’t believe this.
“This isn’t any better,” said one commenter on the revised post. “Letting dark-skinned women compete against light-skinned women. This further fuels the colorism that black women have always fought against.”
Since the women on the flyer were still separated by their skin color, many were also confused about what their skin color had to do with the event itself.
“Can you all stop,” another user shared. “I put it this way [doesn’t] make it better.”
Despite the backlash, the event went on as planned, including a performance by hip-hop artist Sukihana. However, whether it will air on Zeus or not is yet to be announced.
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