Dorion Renaud is no stranger to reality TV.
He first graced the small screen way back in 2008 with BET‘s College Hill: Atlanta. Since then, she has continued to enter the skin care industry while maintaining a low public profile. But the Texas native certainly hasn’t seen it yet this previous level of sketchiness!!
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MTV has been much-anticipated new series out called True Friends from WeHo. It follows a group of (um, supposed to?) friends in the LGBT-friendly El Lay enclave of West Hollywood. The new series traces the social life of a gay group and all the fun and drama that comes with it. But apparently it’s not exactly what it seems?!?!
Fans have been furious with MTV executives for cutting it look‘s Drag Race – from episodes of 90 minutes to only 60 minutes – so make room for the program True Friends. But now, according to Renaud, that’s not the only reason people should be disappointed! In fact, how all this is a story in itself!!
Renaud spoke to Love B. Scott Friday afternoon, announcing the process to enter the picture was apparently shrouded in some pretty substantial mystery! At Buttah The skincare mogul explained how he originally told the show would be called List A: Los Angeles. It was intended to be a spin-off of the show Logo ran in 2010 and 2011 called List A: New York.
As Renaud spoke to the outlet, he was told about the series:
“I was approached to return in March 2021. It has been pitched to me as List A: Los Angeles. That [was] supposed to be a reboot of the series List A: New York. I was told it would be a docuseries style that follows me working with the brand and shows parts of my personal life. Also, I was told the show will be on the Paramount+ streaming service. I initially said no several times, but ended up signing the contract at the last minute.
But for the group of “true friends,” as we now know them, the show is called, Dorión has never met them!!
He explained how he only knew the cast couple Curtis HamiltonHe was present before filming, but was left in the dark by everyone else involved:
“During the process of her dating me, the production told me the names of the people she approached. Except for Curtis [Hamilton] that I have been friends for several years, I had no idea who was in the picture until filming. I was filming stuff with Buttah for 2 weeks before I even met the cast. The production is very tight-lipped about who is on the show. Remember, all the time I think the event is still A-List: Los Angeles.”
damn…
It sounds crazy to hear him tell now, but Renaud said he just found out real event title when the press release comes out! He just learned that it is set to air on MTV as well. And that presence will take time away from the beloved Drag Race! What a trifecta of unexpected and unexpected surprises!!!
Renaud explains:
“I found out in the press release, we didn’t know we were going to MTV and we were going to cut it Drag Race. i see Drag Race and I love Ru, it’s good. Again, I am still under this impression A-List: Los Angeles for Paramount + so I was shocked to find out it was going to MTV. I’m not into MTV. I didn’t see that poster before either. I saw the same time as everyone else and that’s where I had a serious problem.
So sketch it!!
He was surprised that he didn’t live in West Hollywood:
“They’re promoting the show as six gay guys living in West Hollywood who are friends. First of all, I don’t live in West Hollywood, I live in the valley, I love the valley. I’ve never been to West Hollywood, I’m not in that scene. Apart from Curtis, I’m not friends with the cast. I’ve never confirmed or talked about my sexuality. I feel betrayed because they think I’m not. I’m Dorión Renaud.”
Love a good shoutout Valley!
Now, he is angry about what he says is a misleading process through filming.
As she told the outlet, she made a lot of money to do something for her skin care line along with the show. Now, to make the planned “docuseries” turn out to be very different than expected to surprise:
“I brought Macy to the show, and I had Cassie take the campaign for Buttah. I spent a lot of money myself promoting the business for the series, because I filmed in the impression of this docuseries that followed me as an entrepreneur. I was definitely misled; I can’t say what told by other cast members.
Don’t expect them to promote the show either. Renaud explains how he doesn’t want to lend a brand to an unregistered item:
“This happened in College Hill, but I was still young and did not have a voice. But I am now, I have concerns for the higher and basically to be a happy camper and to promote the event. But I will not promote something that I cannot stand behind. I tried to exit the show several times, but I couldn’t.
damn!!!
Then, he concluded by asking some of the most vocal critics on social media to let them know if the cast looked as good as the audience:
“It’s crazy, we don’t get any support. People say the most negative things online, some have received death threats and we don’t get any support from the network or the production company. It’s not the fault of the cast that we ended up at MTV. I’m not going to get into it. on this show if I know about the name change, show theme change and network change. I don’t feel comfortable representing a city/community that is not my part.”
Such a crazy situation! So shady!
You can read Renaud’s full interview here.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers?? Share in the comments (below)!!!
[Image via MTV/YouTube/Dorión Renaud/Instagram]