Charmaine Walker is responding to recent backlash she faced for a TikTok video she shared of herself and her 3-month-old daughter Nola Bey.
The TikTok challenge Walker participated in on June 10 consists of parents splashing water from a bottle onto their children. While a few fans laughed at the “Black Ink Crew: Chicago” star’s now-deleted post, others condemned her action. Some users even accused the new mother of “child abuse,” claiming she put her daughter in harm’s way.
After a few days, Walker decided to address the incident head-on and assure the public that her baby is safe and sound.
She released a statement on her blog with Chicago’s “WGCI,” where she works as a radio host, and said she thought the challenge would be “funny to do” until the backlash rolled in.
“It turned out to not be funny at all once I received backlash and realized it could have been dangerous. I felt so misunderstood because I couldn’t believe people would think I would harm my precious child !” Walker exclaimed. “Water hit the side of her face and chest but people made a really big deal saying she was gasping for air. She absolutely was not !”
The “Black Ink” fan favorite went on to say that she would never put her child in any “danger,” adding that baby Nola had the same reaction as other children seen in challenge videos.
“I thought it was okay to post but after re-evaluating it probably was just a bad idea overall because I would never want her to be put in harms way,”Walker continued. “I apologize to anyone I have offended, but one thing for sure and two things for certain….. I’m a great mom !”
Walker eventually deleted the June 10 video from social media, but not before telling critics to not get their “panties in a bunch.”
Despite the backlash, a slew of her fans continued to shower Walker with support. One person wrote, “Yall be doing to damn much she shouldn’t even have to keep defending her mothering. that’s her kid. Hella ppl doin this challenge.” Another added, “I’m glad she apologized. And all first time mothers make mistake social media is the devil I swear.”
