*Reality TV veteran Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio is under fire after a post from his social media account sparked controversy.
The post, which included six banana emojis followed by a gorilla emoji, was seen as a response to a comment from “Big Brother” winner Taylor Hale, the first Black woman to claim the show’s top prize.
The emoji choice came during an exchange that began as part of the ongoing competitive banter among reality TV stars, particularly those who have appeared on “The Challenge,” “Big Brother,” and newer series like “The Traitors,” Too Fab reports. Devenanzio, who appeared on “The Challenge,” denied making the post himself. However, the situation fueled debate among fans and reality TV personalities.
“That yellow fruit man pinned a tweet to his profile at 8AM saying he was looking for engagement, and by 3PM you all gave him exactly what he asked for?” Hale posted to her X account.
“I don’t want to hear a single word if he somehow pops up on every show in the conversation,” she added.
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That yellow fruit man pinned a tweet to his profile at 8AM saying he was looking for engagement, and by 3PM you all gave him exactly what he asked for?
I don’t want to hear a single word if he somehow pops up on every show in the conversation ?
— Taylor Hale (@TheTayMack) February 3, 2025
Devenanzio claims he was unaware of the controversial post, and that he had relinquished control of his social media account to Step Up Social as part of a promotional campaign for his new cryptocurrency, $BANANAS.
“I went back and forth with this company for a few days, putting tweets together that I approved being posted from my social media accounts,” he told Variety. “What I did not approve was them to go rogue and start responding to others.”
He went on to explain, “There are certain emojis that are symbolic of different things in the crypto world, one being the guerrilla emoji, one being the ape emoji. They symbolize strength, symbolize going in full force.”
Devenanzio also noted that he is “strongly considering legal action” against Step Up Social.
“I do not take this situation lightly at all,” Devananzio explained. “As soon as I was made aware of what happened, I reached out to Taylor because my main concern was making sure that she had as much clarity as she could have… I wanted to make sure she knew the truth.”
Meanwhile, Step Up Social apologized to Hale for the comment.
“We sincerely apologize for the unauthorized content of a recent tweet posted on behalf of Johnny Bananas by our agency designed to promote the $BANANAS cryptocurrency,” the organization posted on Instagram.
“However, given the nature of the reply, it is clear that the content was inappropriate and does not reflect the values of our agency or our client,” the statement continued. “We deeply regret any harm this may have caused and are reviewing our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again and we are working closely with Johnny to address the situation and restore trust.”
Hale has made clear that she does not blame Devananzio for the initial post, but she does “hold him responsible for the response.”
“Public disrespect should be met with the most immediate public apology through the same medium,” Hale said. “I believe Johnny and i can agree we’d like the narrative of racism to be put to rest, and for the temperature to be brought down on all sides.”
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