YouTuber Tana Mongeau has been in hot water over past racist behavior toward former friend Kahlen Barry — but it seems the allegations don’t stop there. Fellow YouTuber Nessa Briella (a.k.a. SimplyNessa15) is also accusing Tana, 22, of racist microaggressions, alongside her manager, Jordan Worona. Here’s a breakdown of the accusations against Tana.
What Did Tana Mongeau Do?
According to the longtime vlogger’s video “Dear Tana Mongeau,” Mongeau claimed Briella was talking about her behind her back, which she then used as an excuse to imply Briella was “crazy” or that she had anger issues. She also alleged Briella had schizophrenia, which she has never been diagnosed with. Mongeau would allegedly act like things were cool between them face to face, then make these claims behind the scenes.
Mongeau and Briella came onto the YouTube scene at the same time — and Briella actually introduced Mongeau to her manager. At the time, Briella was signed to Jordan’s roster and he signed Tana “on the spot.”
What Did Jordan Worona Do?
According to the “Social Suicide” singer, Jordan was the one who continued to push the rumor that Nessa was unstable. He even allegedly called her schizophrenic, though she was never diagnosed. He allegedly used these tactics to alienate Nessa from anyone affiliated with himself or Tana.
He eventually dropped Nessa, who is Black, as a client and introduced her to a manager who would “get her” — which turned out to be a Black manager.
Is This the First Time Tana Has Been Accused of Racism?
No, it isn’t. In mid-June, former friend and fellow YouTuber Kahlen Barry alleged Tana gaslit him when they worked together on their old YouTube channel, “Trash,” between 2012 and 2014. The vlogger believes the comments came from a place of racism.
While they worked together, Mongeau was called out for using racist slurs in tweets and on Snapchat and other livestreams. When Barry approached the reality star about it, she dismissed him as an “angry Black person.”
Shortly after Barry’s video dropped, old tweets resurfaced where Mongeau called BFF Imari Stuart a “cotton picker” and to “go back to the plantation,” among other racial slurs.
Has Tana Apologized?
After Barry’s video was posted, she apologized to him directly in a series of tweets stating she was sorry if “anything I ever did to make him feel that I was being micro-aggressive or racist.”
“I’ve been trying to find the words to address this and apologize in a way that that won’t further hurt anyone, and educate myself on how to handle this properly,” she added about why it took so long for her to post. “I am so sorry that came with any silence.”
Mongeau also noted on July 10 that videos were “coming” to address the situation with Briella. On her Instagram Stories, she assured fans she saw the tweets asking her to come forward about the accusations.
“I will be making several videos over the next coming weeks, fully just addressing it all with full honesty and taking full accountability for so many of my wrongdoings in the past,” Mongeau said. “I just want to let you guys know that is coming. I just want to take in everything everyone is saying and I want to do my best to show you who I am at this point in my life and take accountability for a lot of my wrongs in the past.”
She also apologized for not making the videos sooner. “There’s nothing I can say, no excuse I can say to make that right. I should’ve made this video weeks ago and I didn’t and I’m sorry for that,” she explained. “And I will explain further in the videos but if you don’t want to listen, I also fully understand.”
Mongeau added she knows some people will always be mad at her for what she’s done — but that’s not why the apology is important.
“It’s about me growing and becoming a better person and actually holding myself accountable for my past and actually discussing that in a manner that isn’t deflecting,” she said. “I know who I am now and I know that’s not enough. Regardless, I have a platform and I have to be accountable for my past, regardless of how far I am from it now.”