Family

Realty TV’s Unintended Victims: The Family

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How Lisa Nicole Cloud and Others Deal With Accusations Against Their Families

By Britney Hardweare

 

Reality TV has made stars and has damaged, in some cases permanently, some careers. Enter women like NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciack, who we had never heard of before the TV show Real Housewives of Atlanta. Today, these women have been on Broadway (Leakes) and produced hit records (Zolciak).

Admit it, whether attraction is to the glamour, the violence, or other shenanigans, reality TV is addictive. And while we all sit and sip tea and these stars cash their checks, we fail to realize that these are real people who experience real consequences to their actions and exposure.

One of the most recent examples of the side effects of reality TV is Married to Medicine star Lisa Nicole Cloud. From fashion designer to business mogul to motivational speaker, it seems that there is nothing that Cloud can’t successfully achieve. She also juggles her professional career with her personal life as a loving wife and mother of two.

With such an accomplished and hectic lifestyle, it is hard to believe that she has time to fit in the drama, gossip, and lies that the hit reality TV show has brought to her life. However, has the show done more harm than good for this multi-faceted mogul?

“I feel like when I came on reality TV, it was really my hopes to try to reverse the stereotypes of African American women and the way they are portrayed on reality TV. When you try to be that positive person, you try to have positive storylines, you get labeled ‘boring girl.’ It’s unfortunate,” says Cloud.

On the show, Bravo exposes the lives of female doctors, as well as the wives of doctors. Well, it seems that the show has not only exposed, but turned Cloud’s life upside down. In a whirlwind of background checks, disgruntled employees, and informants, the show has potentially exposed Cloud’s family life in a way she never intended or imagined. “You can work years to build your brand, to build your reputation, build a career, and one statement can totally reverse those years and years of effort,” adds Cloud.

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Rumors of her husband’s, Dr. Darren Naugles, bi-sexual infidelity were fueled when Naugles’s alleged lover, Damen Wayne, confronted Cloud’s co-star and adversary, Quad Webb-Lunceford, at an event. These rumors stretch as far as accusing Lunceford of setting up Wayne’s appearance. “I did not solicit the information about Darren sleeping with Eye Liner, nor did I pay him,” Lunceford stated on her online Bravo blog.

Lisa protested, saying, “I think what she’s trying to do is discredit. Obviously, I have a great reputation in the community. I’m a person that tries to do positive and make a difference.”

Previously, Cloud spoke candidly about her husband’s infidelity. “Even though you forgive someone for infidelity, you don’t forget. It still can be a very sensitive topic, especially if people are trying to make light of it or throw it in your face.”

She clarifies, however, the incident concerning her husband. “He did not have a one-night stand when he was with me. That was when he was in college, before he even knew me. When he got with me, I actually made him take a paternity test to see if the child was his because the way I said it is ‘if any man is going to be with me, I have to know that he can take care of his responsibilities.’ What turned out when he took the paternity test, it came back negative. It wasn’t his child,” Cloud said.

The drama began when it was revealed that Cloud, as a “business decision,”ran background checks on her co-stars before joining in on business ventures, as stated on her Twitter. Lunceford did not take the news too well. Since then, Lunceford has been on the offensive, claiming on her blog that Cloud’s is a “liar” and her husband, Darren, is a “cheater.” The tension then spiraled out of control resulting in a scuffle between Cloud and Lunceford, throwing hands and water.

“They edit a lot,” explained Cloud. “They edited out some punches that she threw, which is what really caused me to grab whatever was closest to me to defend myself. They cut a lot of that out.”

Meanwhile, all of this drama has real implications for the families involved. “[Quad] doesn’t realize the damage that can result when kids hear things like, ‘Oh, I heard your dad was having an affair with a man.’ She don’t understand the kind of conversation you have to have with your children to let them know this is not true. This is a lie that was made up for a TV show. And kids are cruel just like they are very cruel on social media. I’m shocked at some of the things that people put up there that are negative towards me.”

To some, the goal of reality TV is not to uplift these women and foster cooperation, understanding, and reconciliation, but rather to exploit and manipulate the emotions of women who chose to make their lives vulnerable to their viewers. “When the altercation went down, they did not try to stop it at all. They did nothing. The only reason why it stopped was because my husband burst through the door and broke it up,” explained Cloud.

The show’s producer, Matt Anderson, addressed the fight on his Bravo blog, maintaining that he actually “had to step in [t]here.” He also acknowledged that his method of filming usually never involves “break[ing] the flow of a scene.”

In some cases, these women were building their respective careers and empires before they appeared on reality TV, but now they are trying to save what is left from the ruin. Hopefully, Cloud and other reality TV stars can move toward reconciling damaged relationships – either publicly or privately – for the sake of those who may pay the ultimate price for public skirmishes – children and spouses.

“I never realized how this industry was,” said Lisa. “I’m still optimistic that I can turn this mess into a message in a ministry, but I really have to figure out how to do it, and what is the ministry that people watching it will be able to relate to… I’m not sure what the message is going to be, but whenever things happen in my life that are negative or can be perceived to be a setback, I always figure out what’s the lesson I’m supposed to learn and how do I use the setback as a setup for a comeback.”

We’ll have to wait and see.

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