Amanda Seales has been in the spotlight since the 90s, appearing in numerous movies and TV shows, including the Nickelodeon sitcom My Brother and Me. She has also worked as a stand-up comic, an on-air personality, and appeared on HBO’s Insecure. Throughout her career, while advocating for Black issues, she’s managed to ruffle quite a few feathers.
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In a March 2024 Instagram video, Amanda opened up about feeling overlooked by some Black individuals in her industry. She explained, “The industry I’m in doesn’t recognize me, and I’m specifically talking about Black spaces in this industry. I don’t care about any other spaces, and that’s part of why I realized I need to move on. For example, I’ve never been invited to Essence Women in Hollywood, the NAACP Image Awards, or honored at Black Girls Rock, even though I’ve hosted these events. In 2020, I even hosted the BET Awards from my house, but I haven’t been invited back since.”
Perplexed about why she wasn’t on anyone’s invite list, she turned to social media for answers. Users quickly chimed in with their opinions. “Baby, if you’re a public figure and can’t figure out what’s wrong, just ask your community; they’ll definitely tell you, especially Black folks,” one comment read. Some blamed her for having a whiny attitude, while others pointed out that she had a habit of burning bridges and making enemies throughout her career. One user bluntly said she wasn’t enjoyable to be around. The general consensus was that for Black Hollywood to turn its back on someone, it had to be for good reason, and Amanda’s situation seemed to fit that bill.
After sharing her thoughts on Instagram, Mo’Nique Judge, a writer for The Grio, published an article titled “Amanda Seales Is Not a Victim of Anything But Her Own Hubris.” This was the third major article highlighting Amanda’s ego, which set her off. “Honestly, I’ve had enough,” Amanda ranted. “Three articles from three people I’ve never met, all from publications that claim to uplift Black people—something I’ve dedicated my life to doing. It seems you can’t stand that someone who has studied and read extensively is speaking out.”
In her video, Amanda made contradictory and condescending remarks about Black people and her love for them. She suggested that the backlash she receives is because “you can’t stand that someone loves us so much that their passion exudes through the phone, touching those who have never felt such love and don’t know how to process it.” Though she didn’t mention Mo’Nique’s name directly, it was clearly visible on the screen, leading many to believe Amanda was inciting her followers to target the journalist. “Now y’all are reaching. She wrote the article, didn’t she? Anyone could look it up and see Mo’Nique’s name on it,” Amanda retorted.
Mo’Nique tweeted that Amanda’s fans had bombarded her Instagram with hateful comments. Amanda was not only stirring up trouble with her fan base but was also targeting a Black woman. This was especially surprising given that Amanda had previously pledged to love, admire, and protect Black women at all costs. “Yeah, maybe she didn’t mean those Black women. Maybe she didn’t mean the Black women who were attacking her. I mean, damn.”
Amanda’s relationship with her Insecure co-star Issa Rae has been rocky. According to Amanda, it all began when Vanessa Anderson, who does PR work for Issa, wouldn’t let her into the 2019 Black Emmy’s party. Amanda shared in an interview with Club Shay that she had been invited to the party, but Vanessa told her she wasn’t on the list. Although Amanda eventually got in, a security guard later forced her to leave at Vanessa’s request. “Bye, ashy,” Amanda recalled saying.
Four security guards then approached her, and one even roughed her up, telling her, “Get your ass up out of here.” As she was being thrown out, much like how Uncle Phil used to toss Jazzy Jeff out of the mansion, Amanda noticed her Insecure castmates sitting comfortably inside the event. Amanda said this was just one of many times Issa hadn’t stood up for her, claiming that this kind of behavior is common in Hollywood circles. Two days after the party, Issa reportedly reached out to Amanda, saying she had nothing to do with the incident. Her co-star, Sarunas Jackson, later tweeted and then deleted, “You can’t be a disrespectful ass human being and expect people to want to hang out with you. It’s quite simple. Sit it out.”
“Damn, is she really that bad? I need some secret footage of her when she didn’t know the cameras were rolling to see how bad she is in person, ’cause you all act like she’s a demon.” Although Sarunas deleted his tweet, online users used it to support their case against the actress. This led to a whole Black Twitter versus Amanda situation, with Amanda calling out Black Twitter for dragging her after she had used her platform to fight for their “raggedy asses.” “I know that’s right, Amanda!”
Speaking of Sarunas, more than four years after he posted and deleted his tweet, reportedly directed at her, Amanda was still upset. On an episode of The Amanda Seales Show, she said Sarunas had the nerve to “open his tacky mouth on Twitter in 2019 to disparage me about something he had nothing to do with.” Amanda then called Sarunas and his brother Darius Jackson, who was dating Keke Palmer at the time, “two cornballs in a pod.” “Not two cornballs!” Amanda didn’t stop there. While appearing on Club Shay, she referred to Sarunas as an “Earthworm Jim-looking” guy and said he just wanted to join the “I hate Amanda bandwagon” for clout. “He needed some clout, ’cause I didn’t even know who he was in 2019.”
Rodney Reed, who is on death row for the murder of a woman, has received a lot of public support, including from many celebrities. Amanda was initially one of those supporters, but after looking more closely at the case, she withdrew her support and called him a danger to women. Internet activist Shaun King responded to Amanda’s video, pointing out over 20 factual errors, including a false claim that Reed had killed a woman while still in high school. King clarified that the woman Amanda mentioned is actually alive and well. He warned people to be cautious of those like Amanda who spread misinformation after doing just a few Google searches.
A few days later, during an Instagram Live session, Amanda stood by her belief that Reed is a danger to women and refused to take back any of her original statements. This led to criticism from many who accused her of potentially ruining Reed’s chances of being released, though some people supported her stance. Despite the inaccuracies, Amanda’s post about Reed is still up on her Instagram profile. Meanwhile, Rodney Reed’s execution has been delayed.
In 2019, Amanda shared an unsettling experience involving an individual she connected with online, leading to troubling phone conversations. This person was later revealed to have harassed other women, prompting Amanda to speak out. In a now-deleted video, she named Myron Rolle, a former NFL player turned neurosurgeon, as the alleged perpetrator, citing accounts from eight women.
The situation sparked debate, with some assuming Amanda herself was a victim while others accused her of tarnishing Myron’s reputation without cause. Amanda clarified that she wasn’t personally harassed but felt compelled to raise awareness based on others’ experiences. Myron responded on Instagram, vehemently denying the allegations and asserting his respect for women.
In another twist, Amanda’s brief stint replacing Natalie Stewart in Floetry brought its own drama. Rumors swirled about clashes with group member Marsha Ambrosius, including a rumored fistfight during their joint tour. Amanda set the record straight on The Breakfast Club, acknowledging tensions and a lack of transparency about her role within the group. She criticized Marsha for not supporting her introduction to fans and believed she was set up for failure due to inconsistent performances.
“I’ve heard Marsha Ambrosius can be a handful to work with. That’s just the word on the street, you know? So, if you put someone like Marsha together with Amanda, it’s no surprise if things didn’t go smoothly.”
“By the way, while we’re on this topic, am I the only one who feels this way? No offense to Marsha—I like Floetry; their songs are great, and I’ll enjoy them if they play in public—but I’m not going to play them at home. I’m not a fan of Marsha’s singing style. Do you all like that kind of scatting she does? I don’t; it really gets on my nerves.”
Eventually, Natalie rejoined Floetry, and Amanda was let go. This seems to be a recurring theme in Amanda’s life—she often accuses others of not supporting her, but people have noticed she’s usually at the center of these conflicts.
In April 2024, after appearing on Club Shay, Shannon Sharpe faced criticism for how he handled Amanda’s explanation of her Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. He questioned if she had been clinically diagnosed and later apologized for coming across as combative. “So, you think your brain functioning differently caused it, or is there a clinical diagnosis? Are there clinical diagnoses for you?” “Yes, there are clinical diagnoses for autism.” “Yes.” “Yeah, and I know that when you take the test…”
Amanda later posted on Instagram that she deflected his question because she wasn’t going to be pressured by “this man who was interrogating me with absolutely zero love for me.” She added that she didn’t have to prove anything to him, especially since he seemed determined to undermine her. People came to her defense, saying her past behavior now makes more sense, and urged others to be more sympathetic now that her diagnosis is public.
Amanda took to Instagram to clarify that she hasn’t been clinically diagnosed. “No, I haven’t seen a doctor because I’m not spending $10,000 on that. Most people will tell you that at this age, you don’t need a clinical diagnosis in that sense.” She also claimed that Shannon’s podcast was another Black space trying to degrade and defame her. “Not this again,” one user commented. “So, the person who blamed their social issues on a recent diagnosis hasn’t actually been diagnosed? I’m shocked.”
“Now, hold on a minute,” another user chimed in. “People who have issues often know they have issues, you know? You don’t always need a diagnosis to recognize it. Do you need a doctor to tell you you’re morbidly obese? We don’t need a doctor to tell us we’re overweight, right? Do we need that? Or do we already know? Okay, that’s all Regina is saying. I do agree she should get clinically diagnosed; that’s not the argument. I’m just saying, if the shoe fits, wear it.”
Amanda is undoubtedly a polarizing figure in today’s society. Some people support her, while many find her problematic and extremely unlikable. Do you think Amanda is just misunderstood, or is all the criticism justified?