Table of Contents
The Big Picture
- Shay’s first reality TV stint was on
Flavor of Love
, where she vied for Flavor Flav’s love. - Drama ensued on
Love & Hip Hop
due to Scrappy bringing Erica Dixon on the show. - Scrappy helped Shay out of an abusive relationship before their romance and appearance on the show.
Shay Johnson’s first foray into reality TV was not on Love and Hip Hop, but another series that focused on the love life of one rapper, or rather, famous hype-man. She was one of many women vying for the love of Flavor Flav on VH1’s Flavor of Love, and was bestowed the nickname Buckeey. She’s definitely come a long way since then and sat down with Carlos King recently to chat about her life and experiences. Shay appeared on Carlos’s podcast, Reality With the King, and she talked about what it was like to date Flavor Flav, as well as her journey to Love and Hip Hop.
Shay’s time on Love & Hip Hop has been fraught with drama from the jump, thanks to Scrappy bringing Erica Dixon onto the series while he was still in a relationship with Shay, leading to a love triangle storyline almost immediately. Shay was blindsided by the move, as she shared during her interview with Carlos King that she brought Scrappy onto the show thinking that they’d appear together as a couple. She had no idea Erica or his mother, Momma Dee, onto the show as well. She shared that she only found out about Erica joining the show after seeing the release and was naturally furious. Despite his initial betrayal when joining the Love and Hip Hop cast, Shay has much love for Scrappy due to their prior friendship and another piece of information that she shared with Carlos.
Love & Hip Hop
As bold, edgy, gorgeous, and diverse as the city it’s set in, meet the movers and shakers turning up the heat and making the 305 the place to be.
- Created by
- Mona Scott-Young
- Latest TV Show
- Love & Hip Hop Atlanta: Run It Back
- Upcoming TV Shows
- Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
- First Episode Air Date
- June 18, 2012
Before ‘Love & Hip Hop.’ Scrappy Saved Shay Johnson From an Abusive Relationship
Shay shared with Carlos that she and Scrappy had been longtime platonic friends before things got romantic between the two of them. She said, “We were friends for years. No sex, no nothing. He was just my best friend… I could tell him anything, and it didn’t go anywhere [it stayed] between us. I would travel with him. We went out the country together; there was no sex. We went to London, Switzerland, Amsterdam… We were always together all the time.”
‘Love & Hip Hop’ Star Bambi Admits to Dating Scrappy While He Was Engaged
A whole new kind of love triangle!
She also shared that it was their friendship that ultimately got her out of an abusive relationship. She shared, “I was in an abusive relationship. Scrappy helped me out of it. A lot of people don’t know that that man is in jail for the rest of his life right now, but not for beating me; for another situation. I care not to talk about [it] but he used to beat me all the time. So, Scrappy helped me out of it. I had to literally move out my house… He helped me move. He just helped me out of it… financially and everything he helped. He helped me with everything.” She also shared that their relationship began shortly after, which is what led to her inviting him onto Love and Hip Hop.
Shay said, “Scrappy did not get on Love Hip Hop until I asked him to come on the show with me. I am the one that got Scrappy on Love Hip Hop. Mona [Scott-Young] did not call Scrappy and say, ‘Hey, you want to do this show?’” All of which led to the storyline that started it all.
Love & Hip Hop can be streamed on Paramount+.
