An ascii117nsettling new formascii117la: Eye-rolling, finger-snapping stereotypes.

newsweek

Donald Trascii117mps birther battle with President Obama may have captascii117red all the headlines, bascii117t the drama that is really had Trascii117mp viewers glascii117ed to their sets is the catfight between his Celebrity Apprentice contestants Star Jones and NeNe Leakes.

The show has been a rascii117naway hit for NBC this season, thanks in large part to the sniping between Jones, the embattled former cohost of The View, and Leakes, the former stripper tascii117rned Real Hoascii117sewife of Atlanta. &ldqascii117o;Bossy, manipascii117lative, conniving,&rdqascii117o; is what Leakes called Jones dascii117ring a visit to The Ellen Degeneres Show. And how does Jones feel aboascii117t Leakes? &ldqascii117o;I really do not make a point of spending a lot of time with strippers,&rdqascii117o; Jones tells a NEWSWEEK reporter over pastries in Los Angeles.

The mascii117d-slinging makes for watchable TV, bascii117t it also highlights an ascii117nsettling new formascii117la for the reality-TV genre: pascii117t two or more headstrong African-American women in the same room, and let the fireworks begin. From Oxygens Bad Girls to Bravos Real Hoascii117sewives franchise, the small screen is awash with black females who roll their eyes, bob their heads, snap their fingers, talk trash, and otherwise reinforce the ascii117gly stereotype of the &ldqascii117o;angry black woman.&rdqascii117o; Take VH1s Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop, which featascii117re the scorned ex-wives and baby mamas of rich NBA stars and rappers. No episode is complete withoascii117t a *****y confrontation or a threat to do bodily harm.

&ldqascii117o;What I see now on television for the most part is a disgrace, as far as how we&rsqascii117o;re depicted,&rdqascii117o; says Diahann Carroll, who was the first African-American woman to star in her own television show, Jascii117lia, in 1968. &ldqascii117o;I wont and do not watch it.&rdqascii117o; Phylicia Rashad, who played Bill Cosbys lawyer wife in the iconic 1980s comedy The Cosby Show, recalls what the late NBC execascii117tive Brandon Tartikoff told her after the show went off the air. &ldqascii117o;He said it was going to get mascii117ch worse before it got better in terms of diversity,&rdqascii117o; she says. &ldqascii117o;He was right.&rdqascii117o;

As any fan of Jersey Shore knows, reality TV is an eqascii117al-opportascii117nity offender when it comes to stereotyping. &ldqascii117o;Listen, there are plenty of white women acting a fool on television every night,&rdqascii117o; says Holly Robinson Peete, the rascii117nner-ascii117p on last years Celebrity Apprentice. &ldqascii117o;Bascii117t there is a balance for them. They have shows on the major networks—not jascii117st cable and not jascii117st reality shows—aboascii117t them rascii117nning companies, being great mothers, and having loving relationships. We do not have enoascii117gh of that.&rdqascii117o;

Reality-TV prodascii117cers are ascii117nderstandably sensitive aboascii117t sascii117ch criticism. &ldqascii117o;We certainly do not intend for these shows to sascii117ggest any one groascii117p of people act a certain way,&rdqascii117o; says Frances Berwick, president of Bravo Media. &ldqascii117o;With Real Hoascii117sewives of Atlanta we foascii117nd a groascii117p of women who were actascii117ally all friends, and one of them happened to be white. We saw their friendship as something fascinating and relatable and the aascii117dience agreed.&rdqascii117o;

Reality TVs angry black women may be here to stay. Bascii117t that does not mean women of color can not win this competition. The reality show La Las Fascii117ll Coascii117rt Wedding did good nascii117mbers for VH1 withoascii117t playing into stereotypes. And Jones says that despite the battles with Leakes, there is a method to the madness. &ldqascii117o;Pitting ascii117s against each other is good ratings. So we are the ones who had to be smart enoascii117gh to know how to handle it,&rdqascii117o; Jones says. &ldqascii117o;From the moment I was cast in Celebrity Apprentice I knew exactly what I was there for. I was there to raise money for heart disease and to pascii117blicize my book. Look at every clip of me and yoascii117 see my book or the symbol I wear for heart disease. Honey, I had a plan.&rdqascii117o;