Milk talks fallout from sex tape, future in media (Video) 2012

Four years removed from the most controversial moment in her career, one of Jamaica’s most prominent media figures insists that she’s stronger in spite of the public fallout.

Amelia ‘Milk’ Sewell became one of Jamaica’s most regarded television hosts during her stint as the host of CVM Television’s E-Strip (Hit List) as she instantly connected with fans of all sectors of Jamaica while becoming a face of the Dancehall & Reggae community. However, Sewell’s career and life was forever altered while at its peak after a sex tape of her went viral in whichshe was seen performing oral sex on her long-time boyfriend and prominent disc jockey turned deejay, Michael ‘ZJ Liquid’ Brissett. 

Milk spoke out publicly about the fallout from said tape during a recent interview on the Lauren O Lauren (LOL) show, stating that originally found out about the tape leaking through her hairdresser who discovered the tape on a customer’s phone. Once she found out, Sewell first thought about her family and how she would explain such a thing to them, particularly her son.

“My son is old enough to understand. I just equipped him with the response to anything that anyone could ever say about the tape. He goes to Wolmer’s…believe u me, no one said anything to him, no teacher asked him about it…They saved him from going to school every day and being jeered.”

Shortly after the tape emerged, Sewell was axed by CVM and received public backlash as a result of the controversy. To this day, the prominent media personality believes that she didn’t receive a fair shake in the wake of the sex tape from the network; intimating that she never got the support that she hoped for from them at the time.

“I really, really wished and hoped that they stood behind me and made something of it…They didn’t work with me and I was very, very disappointed in how they reacted and how they treated the situation. They wanted me to stay out of the public eye when it happened…I didn’t feel like I didn’t need to hide away from the public because I didn’t do anything wrong.”

 Now four years removed from the sex tape controversy, Milk says that she’s still being looked on negatively as a result and all that the fallout has affected her ability to rebound and make strong income.

“The way how Jamaica looks on it is very double standard. Four years later, it’s still affecting me. It affects my income and my earning, it affects the way I take care of my son. I have to be finding and inventing all different kinds of things to get by and make it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Milk conceded that she did lose friends following the controversy as they could not accept appearing with her in public given that she was caught in such a compromising position. However, she credits her dedicated fans for sticking by her while also revealing that internationally renowned disc jock turned deejay, Tony Matterhorn helped her get through the public scrutiny.

“I big up Tony Matterhorn every single time I tell this story because he made it ok for me to come into the dance and nobody don’t say anything to me. Every place I went, Matterhorn was there and he just made it ok,” she said.

Sewell also credited former Miss Jamaica World and Jamaica’s current Minister of Youth and Culture as one of many female public figures who supported and encouraged her during her toughest time.

As for her future prospects, Milk continues to work on the set of Dancehall megastar, Vybz Kartel’s reality show, Teacher’s Pet and also has been recording in recent times as she looks to score a major, mainstream hit musically while trying add to her already verse repertoire. Additionally, she says that she has advised young girls who’ve been through similar plights so that they can overcome such an experience, using the experience iconic media personality, Fae Ellington as a source of inspiration after Ellington overcame being raped over 30 years ago towards becoming one of the island’s most successful media figures.

“I really helped a lot of people, gave a lot of people advice on how to deal with it…The strongest woman I know is Fae Ellington who went through what she went through and is still ok. I drew from Fae Ellington’s experience and give what I go through and what I know what keeps me together to the young girls.”