The 'Game of Thrones' actress becomes the latest star questioning BBC's decision to hire the Girls Aloud star to host a new podcast series about R'n'B music.
- September 3, 2021
AceShowbiz - Nathalie Emmanuel has joined the growing backlash against the BBC's decision to choose Cheryl to front a podcast about R&B music.
The former Girls Aloud star's "You, Me & R&B" went live on Wednesday (01Sep21), prompting immediate mockery from social media users, many of whom slammed the organisation for not choosing a Black presenter for the podcast.
And "Game of Thrones" star Nathalie was among those having her say, as she tweeted, "Like RnB music hasn't been appropriated enough… Had it's narrative controlled over and over by those who weren't the originators (sic). Like we don't have incredible, iconic Black British RnB talent & creators… but they won't get a platform like this…. Because… well we know why."
Other critics of Cheryl's new gig included popular podcaster Uhura, who suggested Mica Paris or Beverley Knight would have been better choices to present the podcast.
"It feels like again, black voices and black talent is being pushed to the side and ignored (sic)," Uhura adds. "Yet again, there is a white woman being rewarded. Does she really have the credentials? From my understanding she's a pop singer, not an R&B singer."
Responding to the backlash, a statement from the BBC read, "We feature a wide range of voices spanning different genres across our extensive music output. Many of our shows are fronted by DJs who are experts in their fields, others are hosted by people with a passion for their topic."
