T.I. Under Fire After Reality Show Airs Deyjah Harris Response To "Hymengate"

T.I. is facing backlash all over again after his reality show featured Deyjah Harris speaking about the strained relationship with her father after he made comments about her private life.

BYErika Marie
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Prior to this season of T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle hitting the airwaves, it was revealed that T.I.'s relationship with his 18-year-old daughter Deyjah Harris would be a talking point. Last year, T.I. visited a podcast and stated that he accompanies Deyjah, who was 17 at the time, to the gynecologist. He said that he requests that the doctor examine her thoroughly to make sure that she wasn't sexually active and that her hymen was still intact.

The response to his remarks came in like a tsunami, and soon people had named the social media scandal "Hymengate." On tonight's (June 15) episode of the show, Deyjah stated that she was "shocked, hurt, angry, and embarrassed" by the ordeal and added that she and T.I. weren't very close at the moment. The teen was tearful as she said that this incident caused their father-daughter relationship to be changed forever, but he would still be her father.

Later, she told her cousins that she struggled with how differently T.I. treated her brothers, especially King. Deyjah Harris said that T.I. jokes that King will one day be someone's "baby daddy," but holds her under his thumb. It seems that one of the few people who came to Deyjah's defense was T.I.'s mother, Violeta, who was horrified to hear T.I. confirm his statements about Deyjah. He also added that since Deyjah didn't find the need to confront him about his comments, which he said were just a joke, he didn't think he should pay any attention to it.

During an interview she conducted in April, Tameka "Tiny" Harris said that T.I. "had no malicious intent" when he made those initial remarks about his daughter.

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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.