The Real’s Newest Co-Host: Amanda Seales

For those of you that watch the Real or are fans of the show, you may have noticed that there is a new face at the table. Last month, actress and comedian Amanda Seales was selected to be the fifth co-host of the daytime talk show after almost a year of there only being four hosts following Tamar Braxton’s departure. Fans have definitely missed Tamar’s outspoken nature and funny comments. What was ironic was how after she left, the other co-hosts seemed to be more open to certain topics. Go figure, right?

Amanda Seales has been a guest on the show multiple times. She always brought excitement and a fresh perspective to the table. You may have also seen Amanda Seales on the show Insecure or spotted her book, Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use which was released in 2019. But whether she is on stage singing or in front of the camera acting, Amanda is known for her unapologetic personality. She is arguably just as outspoken as previous co-host Tamar. She simply does not care whether people agree with her or not. She is persistent about getting her points across and she refuses to be disrespected. This shows that she is a no-nonsense person. 

Just as her other four co-hosts do, Seales brings unique life experiences to the table. She is particularly passionate about racial issues and never quite seems to back down from a discussion about them. Normally daytime television shows tend to steer away from topics that are too controversial to avoid too much negative backlash, but race makes up a significant portion of Amanda’s brand. With her at the table, the cast won’t be able to avoid the touchy subject and it will be interesting to where it leads them.

If this is any indication, however, there was a small incident recently that sparked attention.  Amanda was talking about Martin Luther King Jr. day and how the civil rights activist would look at our present state. Claiming that nothing has changed, Amanda said, “We still have a prison industrial complex, we still have racism, we still have things built into our laws…” Co-host Jeannie Mai interrupted by adding that mental health was also a key factor. Not only was the comment sort of random, but Amanda blatantly ignored her response and disregarded it with the statement, “It’s specifically about race,” before continuing her point. Because I am familiar with her personality, this did not surprise me but I’m sure it did surprise some of the viewers. Yes, ladies, all of the hosts are women of color but there can still be different perspectives and huge disagreements among them. 

Fans of The Real have had less than positive responses to the newest co-host. According to cheatsheet.com, some are calling this pick a “lapse in judgement.” Others have qualms about her big personality and say things like, “her mouth gone get them all in trouble.” Still other fans believe that Amanda Seales won’t be seated at the table for very long and therefore, aren’t worried about it. Only time will tell if she’ll be accepted by the fan base. 

What is your take on co-host number five?