So Sad: Ex-‘Black Inker’ Dutchess Says She Was Suicidal After Leaving The Show & Says Ex-Cast Mates Brutally Bullied Her
April 19, 2018
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Dutchess Says She Was Suicidal After Leaving “Black Ink”
Dutchess Lattimore is speaking candidly on what really went down after she left her VH1 reality show.
The former “Black Ink” star turned full-time entrepreneur recently visited Sister Circle TV and told hosts Rashan Ali and Miss Quad that she overcame a bout with depression.
According to Dutchess, she was suicidal after leaving Black Ink and was harassed by cast mates who’d call her tattoo shop and taunt her mother.
Not only that, she was publicly humiliated when the new season aired and she was once again the topic of discussion.
“When I first walked away from the show I wanted to kill myself,” said Dutchess. “I went through a serious depression. I went through getting harassment from cast members, death threats… they would call my shop and tell my mother the most heinous things that they were going to do to me if I came back to New York. It got to a point where I didn’t think I would ever escape it. This is 2 1/2 years ago and the new season of the show starts nd I’m the topic of discussion every episode and I’m not even there.”
Not only that, Dutchess said she felt like an outlier on the program because of several factors including her background and education.
“The show wasn’t in line and in tune and conducive to the woman that I want to be. I had to learn that the hard way. First of I’m from North Carolina, I’m the only person that’s not from New York that was on the show. Then I’m a black woman in a male-dominated industry being a tattoo artist, then I went to an HBCU graduate so I’m the only college educated one on the show, I’m the only one that came from a two-parent household.”
Luckily Dutchess has overcome her depression and she’s flourishing in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tattoo shop owner is also a radio host on 92.7 FM.
Watch the full interview below.