Insecure star Yvonne Orji is finally addressing the backlash over Netflix’s Pop The Balloon Live!, the reimagined version of Arlette Amuli’s hit YouTube series.
In a recent chat with Vibe Magazine, Orji, 41, admitted she saw the criticism after the show’s April 10 premiere and, honestly, she gets it.
If you’re late to the drama, fans of the original Pop The Balloon series have been dragging Netflix for allegedly “watering it down.” Some claimed the show lost its edge and authenticity, with one viral comment accusing the streamer of turning it into a “paper bag test” by “adding DEIs.”
“That’s not the show I signed up for,” Orji said, referring to some of the more WTF? moments viewers flagged from the premiere.
“We want people looking for connection and authenticity. It’s huge for me because what are we doing if we’re not being authentic and true to ourselves?”
Still, Orji’s asking fans not to count the show out just yet.
“We’re so quick to judge off one episode,” she told the news outlet. “Stick around, there might be a second, third, fourth episode that you’re like, Oh, there it is.”
She continued: “I think some of the fans may think it’s a replica of the show. But just by the nature of it being live, it’s not going to be a replica. It’s more of an adaptation. And once you add the live element, it’s a completely different show.”
Orji also acknowledged the growing pains of figuring it out in real time.
“I think we’re all kind of finding our footing, because it does take on a different shape when it’s live,” the Nigerian-born actress and comedian explained.
“So, we’re all like, ‘Alright, did that work?’ What I love about the producers and network (is) we’re all on the same page in terms of refining and just keeping the show what we intended it to be.”
Although she’s not listed as an executive producer, the Insecure alum has been in conversation with producers about potentially having a hand in casting future contestants.
Orji believes getting to know the daters ahead of time could help her better anticipate sparks—or lack thereof—on stage. That said, she made it clear she wouldn’t interfere with their decisions.
“I had a conversation with the network,” she said. “I was like, ‘What’s the tone? Are we really going for love? Because that’s why I would sign on. They were like, ‘Yes, we want people to find their matches, if possible.”
“My tagline for the show is, ‘We listen, we don’t judge, but I do have follow up questions,’” she joked.
Orji also gave props to Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu (BM), the creators of the Pop the Balloon series and executive producers of the Netflix version.
“They’ve been very supportive,” she shared. “It’s been great having that kind of energy and encouragement from the people who built this show from the ground up.”
New episodes of Pop the Balloon Live! stream Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, so tune in to see what changes unfold and how Orji guides the next round of contestants.
And if you’re still hooked on the original, Arlette and BM are still dropping weekly episodes of their YouTube series—so you’ve got the best of both worlds.
