The business of showbiz often has incredibly high stakes, and so operations can get ugly when things don't go entirely according to plan for all parties involved. The latest ugliness concerns a group of former employees of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' musical channel Revolt TV. The former employees - all of whom are white - claim that they were fired from their positions at Revolt TV because they were not young and black.
The lawsuit alleges that five Caucasian producers who were over the age of 39 were wrongfully terminated from Revolt TV based on their race and age. The five men were fired from the channel back in December 2014; if the suit is to believed, they were then replaced by less experienced employees who were African-American.
The claims don't stop at wrongful termination. According to the lawsuit (via Page Six), higher-ups at Revolt TV were often rude and dismissive to the five men who ultimately lost their jobs, which contrasted with the more respectful and amiable treatment of younger African-American workers. It even goes so far as to allege that one production assistant frequently arrived at work late, intoxicated, and ready to sleep during work hours. Additionally, the suit says that other employees beyond just the one production assistant would come to work drunk or hung over.
If the allegations are accurate, then the five men were fired from Revolt TV because of a bias and "animosity... towards Caucasians." Unsurprisingly, a lawyer for Revolt TV has deemed the claims without merit. In fact, according to the lawyer, the claims have already been dismissed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The situation doesn't seem to have escalated just yet, but the terms of the lawsuit mean that interactions between the two sides could get ugly. Discrimination lawsuits - whether based on race, gender, or even pregnancy - are hot button issues, and this suit against Revolt TV makes some pretty weighty allegations. We can only hope that the truth comes out sooner rather than later.
Revolt TV was founded by P. Diddy and launched on October 21, 2013. A statement released by Diddy and his team of attorneys says that Revolt "has always been committed to diversity in the workplace" and also "is an equal opportunity employer." We'll have to wait and see what happens next.
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