The reality TV star Pete Hunziker of Below Deck exited the show early, allegedly due to a sexist and racist post that was posted on his Instagram page.
When you are in the public eye, you need to be wary of almost everything that you say. One would think that celebrities, or even the average human being, would have learned that by now.
There are stories about people saying something offensive almost every week. “Cancel culture” has now moved on from social media and has entered people’s workspaces. That is what happened to Below Deck Mediterranean’s Pete Hunziker.
The deckhand was fired by Bravo following a post on his Instagram page that was perceived as both misogynistic and racist.
Pete posted a meme of a naked bBack woman who was in chains. He was fired immediately after Bravo learned of the post. His firing was shortly after the season five premiere.
“Pete Hunziker of Below Deck Mediterranean has been terminated for his racist posts. Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance for subsequent episodes,” a Bravo spokesperson told People during the time of his termination.
This was not the first time that Pete had been reprimanded for sexist remarks. He had been heard calling one of the members of the crew “sweetheart” more than once, even after being told off for it.
Weeks after being fired from the show, the actor issued an apology statement:
“A little over three months ago, someone sent me a meme on social media and I thoughtlessly reposted it. I now realize how painful the imagery and symbolism is and, upon deeper consideration, I realize that the implicit bias that exists in the brief text written in the meme is offensive. To all those I have hurt and offended, please know that I am genuinely sorry. I have always supported equal rights and equal opportunities for all people,” he captioned the Instagram post.
The star has since deactivated his Instagram account.