Sparks are flying in the latest season of Black Ink Crew after former-boss Ceasar Emanuel‘s dramatic firing from the show in 2022.

At the time, show producers VH1 released the following statement: “We have made the decision to cut ties with Ceaser Emanuel from Black Ink Crew New York… this decision will not impact the upcoming season.”

This was all in response to a viral video allegedly showing Ceasar abusing his dogs. Ceasar claims that he was trying to break up a fight between the two animals.

He gave a radio interview shortly after the decision to let him go, saying, “I regret it 100%. Like, sometimes I wish I can take that night back but you can’t take nothing back… That s**t shouldn’t have happened. I’m more intelligent and I’m more mature than that. And that couple seconds basically cost me a lot.”

According to his lawyers, Ceasar was inundated with death threats from animal rights campaigners, and suffered depression and anxiety as a result. He acted quickly to prevent the situation happening again, giving one of the dogs to a friend.

While everyone would condemn these threats and wish Ceasar better mental health, abuse of innocent animals is still upsetting for all dog-lovers out there. Nevertheless, the former Black Ink boss has and continues to do great work for the black community in New York, raising the profile of black businesses and providing valuable employment opportunities in the traditionally white-dominated tattoo industry.

Despite the controversy, Black Ink Crew shows no signs of slowing down, and fans remain hooked.

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