Zendaya Coleman Half Congratulates Alexandra Shipp On Landing Aaliyah Role

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One of Zendaya Coleman’s things to do this past weekend was offer her social media followers her explanation for what she supposedly walked away from playing Aaliyah.

Here’s what Zendaya had to say in the set of three IG videos posted to her account:

“Let me just explain something. The reason why I chose not to do the Aaliyah movie had nothing to do with the haters or people telling me that I couldn’t do it, I wasn’t talented enough, or I wasn’t black enough. It had absolutely nothing to do with that. The main reasons were that the production value wasn’t there, there were complications with the music rights, and I just felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately considering the situation.

And I tried my best to reach out to the family on my own, and I wrote a letter, but I was unable to do so. Therefore, I felt not really morally okay with moving forward with the project.

With all that being said, congratulations to the new woman playing Aaliyah. I only hope she does not have to deal with half the hate that I had to deal with. And remember that we are all human beings trying to do what we love to do. Let’s practice motivation and love — not discrimination and hate. All right? Mwah.”

47 COMMENTS

  1. She looks really high in that picture I think she is just bitter and upset she was on a lot of thing promoting her self hard for this movie I did not even know who she was until they said she was cast to play Aaliyah I think she did it to her self she was acting like a diva that the movie could not go on with out her in it .we’ll to bad they made a better choice . Some times is better to just shut up. Lol at the haters part.

      • Blindgossip tea, was she was fired and thrown under the back of the bus. You’d be pissed to, if they brought in a mixed girl, when they told you ,you were not black enough.

    • Sorry Zelma, I have to disagree. This young lady did exactly what she was told to do…promote a movie, get the viewers minds prepared to see her as Aaliyah. What they did not count on was the ignorance of the black race to hate on her so much and hard. So they fired her, told her to go quietly into the night and keep her mouth shut. The new girl is just as light, and also mixed. They can just make her look the part more so that Zendaya.

      • Fuck you and her. The features of the women cast in the role are certainly African American dispute being light skin while Zendaya looks like a f*cking Mexican. Keep your racist mouth shut.

        • But how racist is it really? Alliyah from what I have seen on her online, looked biracial ish to me. (I’m speaking from the perspective of someone who was young when she passes. No shade, I just don’t really remember her so I had to look her up). I don’t think they are trying to disrespect darker skinned actresses, they are just trying to nail Alliyahs look.
          Zendaya ain’t it but the new girl seems more on point. I agree Zen comes off a little smug for my taste

          • The part where she called the entire African American race ignorant was a racist comment in my opinion.

            • I might have not chosen the word ignorance, but other than that I agree with Sunni. It was a damn embarrassment what Black Twitter did to Zendaya, and all it did was to get the director to hire yet another biracial girl.
              Yes, the new chick does look more like Aaliyah, but looking exactly alike has never been the criterion for hiring an actor to play a role in a biopic. I do not recall a soul bitching about Denzel playing Malcolm.
              The makeup artists used all their wizardry to adjust Denzel’s hair and skin to look more like Malcolm, and they would have done so for Zendaya too.
              All our internecine complaining about “who s black enough to be black” is an just another sad thing we do which wastes time and energy.

            • First of all what is black twitter….. Sounds a little racist to me, and who is going to argue with Denzel…… He is probably the best African America actor that we have to offer….. He could play James Brown and probably knock it out of the park. I don’t know your race but it sounds if you are African American you know full well that blacks have never gotten a fair shake in the movie biz and things like this have to be addressed to ensure that we don’t slide back to watching black face movies. You would never see Will smith or for the sake of the argument Pablo Martinez playing Christopher Columbus and if you did I am willing to bet money crackers like you would have something to say about it.

            • Black Twitter is “a collective of active African American Twitter users who have created a virtual community” per Wikipedia.

              If you find the term racist, you should take it up with Twitter and the 12 million members of Black Twitter. SMDH.

              What in the f*ck is wrong with folks here? I use the term Black Twitter and I am suddenly a crakka? Some folk look for racism at every turn.

            • I noticed you only mentioned the black twitter part and did not mention anything else

            • What are you talking about? You call me a crakka and you expect me to have a conversation? FOH

        • Looks like a Mexican..lol…wow…the girl is beautiful..no she doesn’t look like the part but they could have made it work…

          • I’m sorry, but if Keke could be cast as Chili anything is possible. Where was their mixed girl then. Hell, a latina could have played Chili. IJS.

      • Well all black people look alike. Why else would HBO want Gabourey Sidibe to portray Nell Carter?

  2. Zendaya won’t be around much longer. It is hard to believe she is only 17. She is at that age where people won’t work with her if her attitude sucks, as it does, or when she is no longer a fresh face, which she is not.

    No one cares about her feelings re: the Aaliyah biopic. She will not be portraying Aaliyah, so she should be quiet and go book another gig. Smooches.

  3. Another thing why don’t you just tell the truth you did not walk away from it you was let go from all of your diva demand what you don’t recall saying I was born to play this role. Don’t recall of that.how do I know she said that because every time I turned on TV she was on it.

  4. If Aaliyah was still alive no doubt they wouldn’t have let her play herself in her movie; bi racial or not at all.

  5. This bitch was fired! Why does she insist on telling lies? Stop making excuses and admit that you were fired for being a shitty actress!

    • Because if she admits that she was fired, she may never work again. It’s a double edge sword in Hollyhell.

      • This I agree with. Offend certain people and you r out. Remember when Megan Fox was supposed to be the next Angelina Jolie….she called Michael Bay a fascist (and suppdly refused to give him brain)…._Steven Spielberg got offended by her comments too . Now old girl barely works . Gotta be careful whatcha say.

        • True that! Remember when she was hot and on top, the next it girl…Then she says the TRUTH bout Mike Bay(don’t suck dick for roles!!)now we all know what her thumbs look like!

  6. I agree with the comments with this girl Zendaya being arrogant and full of herself. She definetly needs to humble herself which only proves she was the wrong choice to play Aaliyah. I cant understand the disrespect that lifetime has for the Haughton family. I see no comparison with this new girl Alexandra Shipp and Aaliyah. Shame on hollyweird.

    • Why are you blacks so stuck up on who’s is playing this inconsequential singer! Are any of you investing in the movie? No! If you loved this girl so much why did you have to wait for white people to produce the film, why did you not do it yourselves years ago? (That a rhetorical question by the way.)

      • I have a question too: why are you joos so opposed to Palestinians having their own state?

  7. I thought it depends on the father, that’s why Tia and Tamara are considered black

    • You are correct Just saying. According to Biology of the DNA structure, the father has the dominant recessive gene.

      • Tia and Tamara father is white,and their mother is black.

        You rarely see their mother with them, only on a few rare occasions she photographed..

        • Stop making up shit.
          The mother is their manager and she was always with her children when they were younger.

          That’s probably why they turned out okay as opposed to the Biebers, Britney and Rihanna’s out here now.

    • Tia and Tamara have always played up the blackness! They were told to, but we all know they are mixed… but they hide the non black parent. Just like Jamie Foxx and his WHITE wife!

  8. In whose eyes? In the eyes of 87% of US residents if you have black parent you are black period.

    What difference does it make? If we exclude those who have dual racial parentage, our numbers just continue to plummet.

  9. I’m glad she gave me a reason to not like her. I was feeling bad about it until now.

  10. people we must think logically about this she’s with disney if she did the movie. it would of ruined her wholesome
    girl nexts door image. remember there’s a sex scene in the movie it would of tarnished her career

    vanessa hugdens posed naked the producers of the HSM was threatening to boot her off the movie

  11. Wow is the girl Zendaya forreal? She claims she’s an Aaliyah fan but prounounces baby girl’s name wrong. If you cared anything about Aaliyah you would have respected the family wishes. You did not reach out to the family because if you did they would have said so. You and your family were only in it for money and to make a bigger name for yourself.

    • Aaliyahs name is pronounced AAH-LEE-YAH, per Aaliyah herself. It’s the “fans” who always mispronounce it. She pronounced it correctly.

  12. She need to make a video about that old ass dancer from Dancing with the no stars she’s layin with. Val better quit gasin her head up, she’s sitting up here talking like she’s Whitney Houston or some shit. She doesn’t dance that damn well and let’s not talk about her singing. That movie Zapped was cute but that’s where it ends. I will say this though, I never understood the idea that she was too light skinned to play her or that she is “mixed” so what? Aaliyah was not dark. Both my folks are black and I have a similar look to Zendaya complete with the bellpepper nose just like her.

  13. She’s a young lady. When they announced her name for the biopic, the reaction was swift and fierce. Whereas producers have stood behind Zoe Saldana who’s slated to play Nina Simone (which a lot of people, including Ms. Simone’s family, don’t like), her producers did not stand behind her. Hopefully she’ll move on to bigger and better projects. Let’s hold all the venom until she’s at least 21.

  14. i am so proud of the disney star who respectfully pulled out of a production that is not being done in in good taste because it did not get the family permission. i am team zendya all the way

  15. Team zendaya. I have never really seen her to have an attitude. I think some people are a little jelly.

  16. i think its good she made her dissision from a moral point of view more in the industry should do so,i also agree that we should move from a point of compassion and love not hate etc

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