On Tuesday night Boity Thulo announced on social media that she‚ along with Thomas Gumede and Nigerian comedian Basketmouth‚ were going to be the new hosts of Ridiculousness. While a handful of loyal fans congratulated her on the news‚ most lashed out‚ questioning why MTV had chosen well-known celebrities instead of looking for fresh talent.
The debate saw local celebrities take a stand against the criticism‚ sparking even further debate which saw over 16 000 Tweets using the hashtag #OpenUpTheIndustry.
Speaking to Sizwe Dhlomo and Gugs Mhlungu on Talk Radio 702 on Wednesday night‚ Bonang Matheba explained that one gig simply doesn’t pay enough.
“As an artist you cannot survive on just one job in this industry. If I was just doing Top Billing I wouldn’t be able to support myself.”
Bonang‚ who was also drawn into the battle with people criticizing her for holding down numerous jobs on several platforms‚ fought back explaining that people only see the end result.
“What they don’t know and see is the grinding. We live in an era of instant gratification. People don’t understand the importance of hard work. Everyone sees Bonang getting her big break now. They want to be famous right now but no one wants to put in the years.”
MTV Base Channel Director Tim Horwood admitted during the discussion on the radio show that having a recognizable face helps ratings.
“You have to ask yourself how the person adds value. How do they add to the pr effect? Some of this debate stemmed from Boity being chosen to host Ridiculousness. It’s a high-profile show that is chasing the ratings. So you put a big name on it. Now it’s created debate and caused a trending hashtag.”
An angry Tumisho Masha called into the radio station‚ defending actors in the industry. “The tweets pissed me off. Some of us studied this. It’s a profession. In South Africa we have a real problem. When I first started out‚ back then I was getting R2.500 for a call. Some actors earn less than that on Isibaya today.”
On Twitter Pearl Thusi also commented on the backlash‚ pointing out that she had to do several jobs to make ends meet.
