The star of 'Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory and Taylor's Baby Special' expresses his disappointment at the decision made by the network in light of his girfriend's past racist statements.
- Jun 11, 2020
AceShowbiz - Cory Wharton is trying to remain positive in the wake of Taylor Selfridge's firing. Shortly after MTV ended its working relationship with his girlfriend and announced cancellation of "Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special", the former cast member of "Real World: Ex-Plosion" broke his silence on the matter.
"One of my favorite athletes of all-time is Kobe Bryant and one of his favorite philosophies is 'control what you can control.' What I can't control, though, is the decisions that MTV as a company has made," the 29-year-old said on Wednesday, June 10. "To those of you that were ready to watch the special, I want to say thank you for your support. I have such an amazing community that supports me, my family and my daughters."
In the statement to the press, the TV personality further expressed his disappointment at the network and sadness over its decision. Having said that he has "no ill-will against" the network, he clarified, "I have not parted ways with MTV. That needs to be understood. I've learned that burning bridges is never the solution."
"As all of you know, narrative is a very powerful tool," Cory continued sharing his view. "I feel like the narrative that you want about me should be accurate. It should be true, and it should be from me. This is why I am putting all of my time, energy and effort into my YouTube channel - The Wharton Family. That's where you'll get an inside look at my family as we build our life together."
Claiming that he is currently practicing Kobe's favorite philosophy, Cory concluded his statement by revealing what video he will present next. "I hope you guys see my growth through this response, and I'm excited to say all hope isn't lost, on next week Wednesday (June 17) we will be uploading the birthing video :) It won't be the special but it will introduce you guys to MILA," he spilled.
On how Taylor coped with her firing, Cory opened up during an Instagram Live that his girlfriend "is strong and she's pulling through and I’m super proud of her." He went on to add, "I feel like she's apologized for this many times on the network and she's probably going to have to continue to apologize."
Admitting it was tough for him to see Taylor "being painted a certain way and that's not who she is," Cory expressed his belief that "we're missing the main message here and that's that I think that there needs to be change." He continued, "All I'm asking Is that you hold everybody accountable. If you want to go down this route, I just hope they hold everybody accountable."
On Tuesday, MTV replaced the scheduled premiere of "Teen Mom OG At Home: Cory & Taylor's Baby Special" with an episode of "Catfish". A spokesperson for the network then announced, "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. MTV strongly condemns systemic racism and stands with those raising their voices against injustice."
Taylor's racist statements at issue stemmed from her 2012 tweets that resurfaced online recently. In regards to the cancellation of her TV special, the 25-year-old explained in an Instagram Story post, "As you guys know already our special didn't air tonight. I made the decision last week to not film the next season of Teen Mom OG with Cory for the benefit of myself and my daughter."
"I don't believe the reality tv lifestyle benefits me any further at this point in my life. With current events being what they are and reality tv being selective in who they apply rules to or what is considered acceptable behavior, I do not have any further respect," she continued. "Once again, I apologize for anyone I have hurt or offended in the past."
Taylor then expressed her hope that others can see her growth. "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 explained. "Please respect my decision to provide a normal, healthy life for my family."