Why I took umbrage at ‘I don’t like journalists’ comment
I DIDN’T plan on writing anything beyond what has already been written about the third season of Kelly Khumalo’s reality show on Showmax. I think the timing of it – especially with the interest around the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa trial – heightened its appeal.
But the boredom of load shedding saw me stream the first two episodes of Life with Kelly Khumalo.
Free time, as such, means I can binge-watch. And I find the Safta award-winning reality show entertaining. After all, being a fly on the wall in the life of a celebrity can be therapeutic sometimes. Not everything goes smoothly. And they, like us, have their good and bad days.
So what changed my mind? Well, I took umbrage at her comment about journalists, to be honest. The disdain that she displayed towards the media in episode two, which I’m sure we will learn more of in the third instalment, was disturbing.
Having followed several of her reality shows, this one being arguably the best of what she’s done so far, I understand that Life with Kelly Khumalo is about her revealing who she is as a person.
As she’s pointed out in several interviews we’ve done so far, she’s not looking to set any record straight – even though she inadvertently does so.
Now, as a woman, I respect her standpoint. That she is unapologetic about all she does is no secret. She’s a take-it-or-leave-it kind of person. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
In my last interview with her, for season two, she said: “I’ve said what I wanted to say then and I stand by any words that I’ve ever said where that is concerned. I’m not here to please
anyone. It is my life and my journey. If you don’t like it, look away.”
Back to the new show. In the second episode, Khumalo attended an exclusive French affair at a private residence.
Throughout the commentary for the show, she made it clear that air kisses and fake conversations are not for her. Nor is posing for the camera. She prefers to be captured in a moment – that is what’s real for her.
Okay, moving on because she clearly didn’t get the brief about what being a public figure entails.
Of course, with the media at the event, she was grabbed for a quick comment. And the young host, caught up in the hype of being among a crowd of Mzansi’s elite, made the cardinal mistake of asking her how she is dealing with the drama.
Kudos to her for not rolling her eyes. Her response was something we’ve come to expect. She basically fobbed it off as it was not hers to deal with. It’s theirs. End of story.
Towards the end of the episode, there was a luncheon and Khumalo found herself seated at a table of journalists.
Now such a set-up is not uncommon when a PR wants to get maximum coverage for an artist. However, Khumalo perhaps wasn’t briefed on what this would entail as you could see her struggle to contain her fury when she was bombarded with questions.
First, I would like to point out that with such events, PRS are not circumspect about who is attending to cover it. They welcome a greenhorn with the same relish they do a seasoned writer.
Yes, the singer was bombarded with questions. But isn’t that why she was there? To promote her work, to get coverage for it.
Young writers who are still finding their feet and voice in the industry are bound to ask questions that are perhaps not the most well thought out. Of course, we don’t live under a rock. So some of the questions, while awkward, contentious and unsettling, are bound to come up.
But this child of God, who says she is not challenged by situations and merely grows from glory to glory, was fazed. That much was clear.
And in her feedback commentary on the reality show, she brazenly confirmed: “I am not a fan of journalists.”
Again, that is okay. When you live under media glare and public scrutiny, you will have a jaded view of anyone who calls you out.
That said, she had no qualms when the media wrote about her launching Controversy Gin or releasing her eighth studio album, Voice of Africa, or the success.
She had no problem getting publicity around her gospel concert earlier this year, either.
Perhaps the next time she decides to shade the media, she needs to remember that they were the ones that helped her with publicity on the back of her winning a gospel talent show and finding her foot and voice in this cut-throat industry.
Also, it is not fair to paint every journalist with the same brush.
Lastly, she needs to acknowledge that being a celebrity automatically makes you a person of interest in the public eye. What you say and do matters.
So the next time she has something to say, she might want to choose her words more wisely.
Journalists may not have a reality show to speak their minds but, rest assured, they will find a way to do so one way or another.
A little humility goes a long way. Perhaps it would be best for Khumalo to remember that the next time she decides to speak with such unbridled recklessness. Respect begets respect. Period.
¡ Life with Kelly Khumalo 3 is streaming