American actor Myha’la has defended her fellow contestants on The Celebrity Traitors against allegations of racial discrimination following her elimination from the reality show, while acknowledging that unconscious bias can influence how players judge one another.

The Industry star addressed the controversy on Instagram after a viewer suggested that she had been banished because she was Black. She said it would be unfair to attribute her exit entirely to racism, arguing that her own actions during the competition had also given other contestants reasons to suspect her.

According to The Independent, Myha’la was eliminated during the round-table vote on Thursday, October 8, after winking at Richard E. Grant, who was secretly a Traitor, before voting against him. Her conduct during a challenge and her willingness to share her suspicions about other players also drew attention from the group.

Myha’la said she entered the competition aware of concerns about how contestants from ethnic minority backgrounds could be perceived. She acknowledged that differences in cultural expression and communication could influence judgments of trustworthiness, particularly when players were under pressure to identify the Traitors.

She nevertheless rejected the suggestion that her co-stars had deliberately targeted her because of her race. The actor also expressed solidarity with viewers who had grown tired of seeing Black contestants attract suspicion on reality television, agreeing that the pattern was exhausting.

The debate has extended beyond the celebrity edition of the programme. The Independent reported that the first three contestants eliminated from the fourth series of the regular Traitors were all from ethnic minority backgrounds. Separately, The Guardian reported that non-white dancers on Strictly Come Dancing were 71 per cent more likely to be placed in the bottom two.

Myha’la called for more discussion of unconscious bias, noting that people can favour what they recognise and distrust what they find unfamiliar. She maintained that acknowledging this wider concern did not mean disregarding the specific circumstances surrounding her elimination.