Moving on. Jemmye Carroll, best known for her appearances on The Real World and The Challenge, is leaving her reality TV career behind.
“I just want to start by saying I know that all of us are swimming in uncharted waters and I pray each and everyone of you reading this is finding some type of peace in this time of uncertainty,” the former MTV star, 33, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, April 5. “The past few weeks have been challenging but my time in solitude has provided me with clarity I didn’t even know I needed.”
She continued, “I’ve talked to myself. To God. And to the Universe. My focus has shifted in a new direction. So without hesitation or reservation, I have made the decision to step away from reality TV and my YouTube channel indefinitely. Where you invest your love, you invest your life. Moving forward, I plan to center my life around what matters to me now more than ever, service. May we all rise from this like a phoenix from the ashes.”
Carroll first appeared on The Real World: New Orleans in 2010, where she met her late boyfriend Ryan Knight. The Mississippi native later competed on numerous seasons of The Challenge, including Battle of the Seasons, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, XXX: Dirty 30, Vendettas and Final Reckoning.
Carroll costarred on a few seasons of The Challenge, including Battle of the Exes II, with Knight. The Wisconsin native died of accidental acute mixed drug and alcohol intoxication in November 2014 at the age of 29. Carroll told Us Weekly in 2015 that she and Knight “still talked a lot” prior to his death, although they were no longer dating.
“We’ve done these shows together, and we were constantly connected through our Challenge family and Real World family,” she said at the time. “Every show, he was there. I could never escape him. I don’t think it would ever feel right being there without him.”
Carroll was no stranger to controversy even when she wasn’t on screen. The Real World: New Orleans alum feuded with Lolo Jones on Twitter in May 2019. Carroll didn’t appear on The Challenge: War of the Worlds, but she shared her thoughts on the way the Olympian, 37, cohosted the reunion show.
“It’s truly hard for me to watch reunions bc I just think of all the BETTER follow up questions I would ask,” Carroll tweeted at the time. “The host should know everything that happened not only on the episodes BUT on social media bc social media drama is such a huge part of reunions. I would honestly kill it.”
Jones clapped back, “Honey subtweets are beneath the power and strength I represent as a female, olympian and hard worker. Just @ me. Be a bad ass b–ch and go for yours don’t be a b–ch and go for others. You can have success without climbing on other people’s backs @JustJem24.”
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