Johnny Bananas Responds After Being Accused of Making Racist Remark on Netflix’s ‘Pop the Balloon’

Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio took to social media to respond to the backlash he received online after his remarks to a castmate went viral.

“Pop The Balloon Or Find Love,” a famous dating show made popular on YouTube by couple Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu, moved to Netflix, with its first episode airing on Thursday.

However, it didn’t take long for the show to spark a buzz on social media following a comment from Bananas that netizens felt was aimed at a Black woman.

During the first episode of “Pop The Balloon” on Netflix, Bananas of “The Challenge” fame was interacting with the women looking to find love on the show.

The show’s host, Yvonne Orji, then asked him which of the women would have been his type.

Bananas scanned through before turning to the women on his left and checking their toes. He then told two of them they had “really pretty toes.”

However, he seemed to tell one of the ladies, a black woman, “You look like you sleep from a tree upside down.” The camera then focused on the black woman wearing a blue two-piece plaid dress.

The woman asked if Bananas was talking about her while the other women reacted with laughter. Orji then asked Bananas if toes were important in home building, and he responded, “You need good toes to build a home.”

Online blog Glock Topickz reposted a clip showing the moment Bananas made the controversial comment, and several netizens took turns slamming him and Netflix.

Johnny Bananas from “The Challenge” told the black woman on ‘Pop The Balloon’ LIVE that she looks like she sleeps from a tree upside down https://t.co/gDfpztJOD1 pic.twitter.com/8oajjEvDeI

— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) April 11, 2025

One person said, “That is racism asf. @netflix to sit here and copy a show that isn’t even yours then allow this facially challenged white man to say that to her is absurd. What is wrong with y’all?”

A second person cursed Bananas, saying, “So how many times does he have to be racist before they cut ties with this lil midget b-tch?”

A third X user recalled Bananas’ spat with “Big Brother 24” winner Taylor Hale and how he allegedly called the latter a monkey.

The fan wrote, “He also called Taylor Hale a monkey on here like 2 months ago… Like seriously, how many strikes does he need before enough is enough?”

However, one person noted, “Sometimes commenters can say things like that without much intent. I hope she didn’t take it personally.” Meanwhile, another X user added, “Cancel the show.”

Bananas didn’t take time to respond to the backlash he was receiving.

He replied to Glock Topickz’ video post and claimed he wasn’t referring to the black woman when he made the comment.

Bananas said, “Hey morons, I was actually talking about the WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a f-cking tree!”

He continued, “It’s wild how fast some people can twist a moment into a false narrative.”

The television personality concluded, “There’s real racism out there, weaponizing fake outrage for clicks cheapens it.”

In addition to his post, he shared an image where he circled the toes of the “WHITE girl” he claimed he was referring to when he made his comments.

Hey morons, I was actually talking about the WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a fucking tree! It’s wild how fast some people can twist a moment into a false narrative. There’s real racism out there, weaponizing fake outrage for… https://t.co/jryR1OICox pic.twitter.com/cmjgdKs8aj

— Johnny Bananas (@johnnybananas) April 11, 2025

Several netizens reacted to Johnny Bananas’ post, with some people supporting him while others faulted his defense.

One person wrote, “They are all jealous of king @johnnybananas.”

Another fan added, “I hate that they keep trying to do this to you for real. It’s starting to piss me off. Next time don’t even respond to these idiots!”

However, another person noted, “I love you Johnny but the white girl/green dress’ toes weren’t hanging over her shoes when you zoom in.”

Another X user asked, “I could see how that could happen but the question is, why did the cameraman zoom on the black girl as you said that? Was he being intentional or did he/she zoom on whoever you were pointing at?”

This is not the first time Johnny Bananas has received backlash for allegedly being racist. In February, a controversial and now-deleted tweet was posted from his X account in response to a comment Taylor Hale made about him.

Bananas’ tweet included six banana emojis and a gorilla emoji, sparking accusations of racism. However, he clarified that Step Up Social, a marketing agency promoting a cryptocurrency project, posted the tweet without his consent.

In a chat with Variety, he said, “I do not take this situation lightly,” adding that he contacted Hale immediately to explain.

Meanwhile, Hale stated she didn’t believe the tweet was intentionally racist but was disturbed by the racist messages she received from some fans afterward. She also expressed disappointment in the delayed public response.

Bananas later issued a statement denouncing the tweet and considered legal action against the agency. Step Up Social also apologized, acknowledging the post was inappropriate despite the emoji’s usage in crypto marketing.

via: The Blast

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