Oxygen Network Stops Development of “All My Babies’ Mamas”
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Brad Barket/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A reality-TV special in development by the Oxygen Network that had sparked controversy has been canceled. All My Babies’ Mamas was set to follow Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo and his 11 children with 10 different women, although the network said in a statement that the production company was considering other families as well.
Pre-production clips had leaked on YouTube showing Shawty Lo, 36, most famous for the song “Laffy Taffy,” referring to his children’s mothers with nicknames like “Jealous Baby Mama,” “Baby Mama from Hell” and “Shady Baby Mama.” The show would have reportedly introduced viewers to Lo’s 19-year-old girlfriend.
Oxygen released a statement to ABC News: “As part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special.”
Only a few months into development, the special had created more anger than excitement, and protest groups we’re calling for the show to be canceled.
Change.org circulated a petition with more than 37,000 signatures calling the program, “an attack not just on African-American parents and children but all parents and children.”
The Parents Television Council also chimed in, calling it, “grotesquely irresponsible and exploitative.”
“If Oxygen moves forward with the program, we will be contacting every corporate sponsor that buys advertising time on the Oxygen network to hold them accountable as well,” the council said.
In a December news release, the Oxygen Network said viewers would see, “an intimate look at unconventional families with larger than life personalities and real emotional stakes.”
But no air date had been set for the one-hour special and following the initial controversy, Oxygen said the special was, “not meant to be a stereotypical representation of everyday life for any one demographic or cross section of society.”
Following the cancellation, Oxygen said, “We will continue to develop compelling content that resonates with our young female viewers and drives the cultural conversation.”
Oxygen Media was launched in 2000 and its programming is geared toward women. Oprah Winfrey was one of the founders of the network, which was purchased by NBCUniversal in 2007.
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