Season 12 of Basketball Wives has officially gone off the rails. Jackie Christie, the OG of the LA franchise, has spent the season working through the issues in her relationship with her daughter, Chantel Christie. They’re both full-time cast members this season.
In the Season 12 Episode 11, “Aloha Bitches,” things between the mom and daughter went all the way left, and they got into a physical altercation on camera. Yes, Basketball Wives has a mom and daughter putting their hands on each other. It only took 12 seasons to stoop this low, and now, Chantel is opening up about the unbelievable moment.
Jackie and Chantel’s relationship has been precarious for years, with Chantel accusing her mother of being emotionally unavailable, among a laundry list of other accusations. They’ve been addressing their issues throughout Season 12, but things reached a tipping point during a cast trip to Hawaii.
The mother-daughter duo went to Jackie’s room to try to hash things out, but a verbal altercation ensued. A fed-up Jackie tried to get Chantel to leave the hotel room. Cahntel pushed her on the way out of the room. That’s when Jackie cocked her hand back and popped her daughter, right in front of the cameras.
The clip is going viral on social media, and Chantel shared her thoughts about it in an Instagram Story on July 23. According to her, she’s proud of how she handled things.
“I’ll start by saying-if you’ve never dealt with a toxic mother, then you truly have no idea what it feels like. As painful as it’s been to watch these moments of my life play out on TV, I know my younger self is proud of the woman who finally stood up for herself,” Chantel wrote. “The truth is-this dynamic isn’t rare. It happens in more families than we’d like to admit.”
In the episode, it did seem like Chantel pushed her mother first. However, Chantel claims that her mom “touched” her arm, which is actually what sparked the physical fight. The power of a mother’s touch.
“She touched my arm, I pushed her off of me, she swung. Plain and simple,” Chantel continued. “It’s unfortunate things played out this way, and I wish it never happened, but if you knew our history, then you’d know this was a long time coming.”
“I may not be proud of all my choices this season, but I’m also not ashamed,” Chantel added. “This is my real life. And I doubt anyone judging me lives a perfect one.”
According to Chantel, the Jackie that we see on television is a different person from the mother who raised her. She said her mom is demonstrating a “masterclass in narcissism” by stirring the pot behind the scenes, and then making Chantel look like the aggressor.
“I know what really happened on and off camera — all season long. So no — the internet cannot bully me into submission. Y’all know the TV character. I know the mother,” Chantel added. “To those of you who’ve met me with threats, vile statements and extreme judgment — may you never understand my plight. Celebrating my darkest moments says more about you than it ever will about me.”