The girl group's members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall appear to hit the unfollow button on their former bandmate's page just a day after she released her new debut solo single 'Boyz'.
- Oct 11, 2021
AceShowbiz - The three existing members of Little Mix have unfollowed ex-bandmate Jesy Nelson on Instagram. Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall appeared to hit the unfollow button on the "Boyz" singer's account just a day after she dropped her debut solo single's music video, for which she was accused of blackfishing.
However, Leigh-Anne reportedly said it was Jesy who blocked them. When an Instagram influencer named No Hun talked about Little Mix during a live stream, Leigh-Anne allegedly joined the live session and commented, "[Jesy] blocked us. Cut us off. Horrible person." After No Hun asked his 342,000 fans if he should make up a dance routine to "Boyz", Leigh-Anne replied, "No. Do a video about her being a blackfish instead."
Jesy landed in hot water for her appearance in her debut single "Boyz" music video, in which she appeared alongside Nicki Minaj and P. Diddy. "Jesy Nelson's new video for 'Boyz' features Nicki Minaj, a black woman. Why is Jesy's skin DARKER than Nicki's? Is this blackfishing, and is it acceptable?" asked one online critic.
"Not only is 'Boyz' by Jesy Nelson a bad song but the music video does nothing to quell the accusations of blackfishing she's faced her entire career," a separate social media user fumed. Meanwhile, another fired, "Jesy Nelson really is the poster girl for blackfishing at this point."
Responding to the claims, Jesy defended herself during an interview with Vulture, noting that she has been accused of blackfishing since leaving the "The X Factor"-winning band in December 2020. "The whole time I was in Little Mix I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it," she said.
"I'm very aware that I'm a white British woman. I've never said that I wasn't," Jesy stressed. She went on to add, "But I mean, like, I love black culture. I love black music. That's all I know. it's what I grew up on. I'm very aware that I'm a white British woman. I've never said that I wasn't."
Prior to this, Jesy revealed that she and other Little Mix members "haven't spoken" since her departure. "I haven't spoken to the girls," the singer told Glamour magazine. She went on elaborating, "It is weird because for so many years we were as close as sisters, together every hour of the day for weeks, sharing beds, laughing, crying just 24/7 the four of us together and then…Nothing."
"I can't explain it, it's like there has to be this distance," Jesy shared. She continued, "We were so close so you can't do in-between, there has to be space and hopefully…hopefully at some point in the future we can all come back together."
