“The last 24hrs have made me realised [sic] what is important and that is forgiveness. I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues to whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks,” the statement read. “Let me be clear I am a POC that cares about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media to focus on my wellbeing and mental health. This is not a goodbye, it’s a I will see you again. To my fans thank you for believing in me and for your support. It helps. I see every single one of you and I remember your stories. Stay strong and safe my friends.”
Later Tuesday, castmate Wes Bergmann spoke out about how he played a role in getting Nguyen to a “mental health lodge.”
“What Dee did was absurd, insensitive, & wrong. But most of all, it was ignorant.” Bergmann wrote. “Dee was basically my daughter. I made the decision to ask her to leave in less than an hour. This public decision is what the world needed & deserved. But it doesn’t stop my grieving. I then preceded down a 24 hour road of finding a place for her to go. Her mental health by this time had deteriorated to a level where being in a hotel alone would have been the most dangerous option of all. An international flight out of Missouri in the early evening of a pandemic is non-existent. And none of the above keep her safe, heal or educated her.”
He continued explaining, “I required third party counseling to ensure I was making the safest & most legal move. It required speaking to a doctor, a hotline, a CEO, and a lawyer. What was happening was so beyond my experience and a lot was at stake: everything from the continued momentum of a movement I firmly believe in, all the way to a literal human life. Throughout this time we were able to sit with her and educate her on her mistakes. Systemic racism can not be explained in a night, but I tried and made as much progress as could be expected in this short of a window. This growth will continue where she has been transplanted.”
“Yesterday we successfully landed her in what I’m going to refer to as a mental health lodge,” he described. “We have sourced daily psychotherapy sessions in an effort to essentially build her an outpatient care program for when she eventually leaves. Where she’ll go is unknown at this second, and not the current priority—but my best guess is [her native] Australia. I could not have done more, faster. Now that I can breathe, please give me time and privacy to grieve for all those affected by the last 48 hours.”
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