Neighbours star Sharon Johal details racism she experienced on the show
Another Neighbours cast member has come forward with shocking allegations about what she says she endured during her time on the show.
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Neighbours is in crisis after a third star has come forward with claims she experienced “direct, indirect and casual racism” while working on the soap opera.
Sharon Johal played Dipi Rebecchi on Neighbours for four years before announcing last month that she was leaving the show.
She decided to speak out about her experience on the show after fellow Neighbours stars Shareena Clanton and Meyne Wyatt last week detailed racist incidents they say they experienced on the set of the iconic show, claims which prompted the production company to launch an independent legal investigation.
“The past week for me has been a traumatising, triggering and painful experience, with the resurfacing of compounded trauma I have tried to deny, bury and ultimately, survive,” Johal wrote in a lengthy statement posted on her website.
“I feel morally compelled to support the actors who have come forward with their experiences of racism, at a huge cost to themselves, just as this statement is to me.”
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Johal wrote that there are “many people at Neighbours who are genuinely working behind the scenes to support minorities as much as they can in their respective positions”, but added, “in saying this, my experience on Neighbours has also been painful and problematic”.
“Like my colleagues who have spoken out over the past week, I too have experienced direct, indirect and casual racism in this workplace,” she wrote.
Johal then detailed several incidents that she claims took place while she worked on the set of Neighbours.
“On more than one occasion a current cast member (non-POC: non-person of colour) directly referred to me as ‘you people’ when speaking in derogatory terms about an altercation they were involved in with an Indian person,” Johal wrote.
“The same person repeatedly referred to me as ‘the black one’ and/or ‘blackie’ behind my back in the presence of other crew members.
“I have been told that the same cast member also repeatedly claims that the show only employs ‘Indian actors’ and diverse actors of colour to ‘fill their diversity quotas’ and ‘not because they are any good’.
“Another example of direct racism I endured … was from a former cast member (non-POC) is being compared to a bobblehead toy accompanied by the comment ‘oh it’s like you guys’ (referring to Indians),” Johal continued.
“The same cast member repeatedly mimicked the Indian character Apu from The Simpsons with accompanying Indian accent and movement of head in my presence, despite me requesting they desist.
“I was not supported by other cast members in these distressing moments,” the actress added.
Johal also claimed in her statement that she was “trolled by racist abuse consistently on the show’s social media platforms”.
When it became “unbearable”, Johal claims she requested the comments be moderated only to be told “we leave the comments as they are for people to discuss”.
“I believe production has a duty of care to moderate such comments and protect its employees, especially as we were instructed and expected to promote the show on our own social media platforms,” Johal wrote.
She also claimed there were also instances of “culturally insensitive scripts and storylines” during her time on Neighbours.
What happened when Sharon Johal complained?
After being called “the black one” by a current cast member, Johal said that she “communicated these racist comments to management and while they were sympathetic and the actor being questioned on one occasion to my knowledge (causing me to be targeted again), no further action was taken”.
Johal wrote: “Management’s position was that I needed to speak to management directly at the time each of these incidents occurred. This practice does not take into consideration the reticence of a victim to come forward in a workplace culture where perpetrators are not seen to be held accountable (so why report?), and where the person reporting is afraid of being further targeted by the perpetrator and in fear of losing their job.”
The actress said that she felt “isolated, marginalised and not supported for speaking up on issues before by some cast members” and therefore after further incidents she “did not have faith that I would be adequately supported should I have taken the action to instigate a formal investigation into the allegations”.
Johal added: “The culture has created an environment where the ‘bystander’ phenomenon is rife, resulting in ‘he said/she said’ situations where no real outcome is achievable. Also, I did not want to be perceived as the ‘trouble-maker’.”
Johal suggested management reacted the way they did because they didn’t want to disturb the tight production schedule.
“I believe a workplace operating at such a fast pace as Neighbours, has enabled a cultural ‘bubble’ where the highest priority is not to disrupt the production of the show and that we should just ‘work things out’,” she wrote.
“I believe mishandling of these disputes has occurred, with management attempting to mediate situations they are not necessarily qualified to handle, due to the lack of training/non-practical application of resource/systems in place.
“This has also been my experience with management in relation to another non race related, extremely serious matter that only upon my insistence was elevated to the production company’s HR department.
“I was left powerless, isolated and marginalised. I had to seek external counselling to deal with the trauma I experienced.”
Why Sharon Johal has decided to speak out
The actress wrote that she believes this can be a “transformative moment in the show’s history, creating a culture where there is deep listening, where cultural awareness and education is at the forefront of our minds, where cast and crew are encouraged to speak up and stand up for others, where unity is cultivated over division, and where people of diverse backgrounds can work in an inclusive and safe environment”.
Johal added: “As a qualified lawyer, I see this very clearly as a human rights issue – an issue that is not exclusive to this specific workplace, but rather endemic to our society as a whole.”
Fremantle’s response to Sharon Johal’s claims
A spokesman for Fremantle, the company that produces Neighbours, told news.com.au: “We remain committed to ensuring a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees on the set of Neighbours and take very seriously any questions about racism or any other form of discrimination.
“We are engaging an independent legal investigation to work concurrently with Campfire X’s cultural review and hope to work directly with the individuals that have raised concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps are appropriate.”
Originally published as Neighbours star Sharon Johal details racism she experienced on the show
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