EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Real Housewives of DC Hair Stylist Says 'Integrated Salon' Comment Not Racist
Aug. 13 2010, Published 7:55 a.m. ET
The premiere episode of the Real Housewives of Washington, DC showed Mary Amons telling Stacie Turner and hair stylist Ted Gibson that hair salons should be integrated; since the episode aired, the backlash against Mary has been intense, Breaking Celebrity News has learned.
Critics are saying that she is an insensitive racist, but Ted Gibson told Breaking Celebrity News exclusively that he disagrees with them.
“I didn’t find it racist,” Gibson told Breaking Celebrity News.
“I didn’t think her statement was insensitive. I think she was trying to get across letting people know a salon should be integrated.”
Ted is the hair stylist to the stars, including giving Kate Gosselin her $7,000 extensions, which Breaking Celebrity News reported exclusively.
He opened his salon in Washington, DC about a year-and-a-half ago and is a regular on the Real Housewives of DC television show.
“Mary and I are really, really close friends. She was actually the first housewife that I met, even before she started to be on the show.
“As Stacie said, DC has been known as 'chocolate city.' My view on salons is that it doesn’t matter who you go to in the salon you should be able to get your hair done.”
He defended Mary’s intentions, acknowledging that she had been drinking.
“When Mary was talking about having integrated salons I think that what she meant was just that not necessarily that they’re segregated, but there is an element of white people go here, black people go here, Asian people go here, and I’m working on bringing that all to the same place.”