"He was begging for his family back, you were being physical" - Internet reacts as Safaree shares footage of Erica Mena abusing him
Well-known reality star Safaree has been trending online for some time due to his ongoing battle with ex-wife Erica Mena regarding child support. While the former requested to reduce the amount he was paying, Mena claimed in a deleted Instagram post that Safaree visited the kids only 16 times this year.
Also known as Safaree Lloyd Samuels, Safaree has now released footage where he was assaulted by Mena in front of the kids. The Shade Room also obtained the clip and shared it on their Instagram page. Lloyd Samuels addressed the footage, saying:
"I have to put myself first. Because I'm either gonna end up in jail or worse because I'm dealing with someone who's anger management is nonexistent."
The video shows Mena pushing Lloyd Samuels while he was trying to go out of the house. The clip then shifts to Mena banging on a glass and speaking to an anonymous person.
Netizens took to the comments section of The Shade Room's social media post to react to the clip. Some users were spotted criticizing Mena, with one of them writing:
On the other hand, many others criticized both Lloyd Samuels and Erica Mena. One netizen even said that Samuels was trying to portray himself as a victim in front of everyone, while others pointed out that Mena may have anger issues and stated that men can be victims too.
Lloyd Samuels and Mena's relationship dates back to 2017 when they worked together on the VH1 horror reality show Scared Famous. The pair got engaged the following year and exchanged vows in 2019. They later became parents to three children.
Erica Mena responds to the assault footage shared by Safaree
While Safaree's assault footage led to a lineup of reactions, Erica Mena had responded to the same, adding a lengthy statement on her Instagram Story on October 17, 2024. She started by saying:
"All my home footages alone just in May of you trying to get into my house and begging for me to take you back will shut down everything you just try to put out on me. I'm getting better advice from my lawyer not to because it's better for the courts, but if you wanna take it there, we can."
Furthermore, the Master of None star addressed Lloyd Samuels by telling him to mention that the footage was recorded in May this year. Erica continued by saying the actor was at her residence attempting to get her back. Mena also wrote:
"I have you in my ring camera begging to get into my house this very same week on numerous occasions, please don't make me take it there and post all my home videos of you begging on your knees for me to take you back in front of our kids – because you know I would."
As mentioned, Safaree and Erica Mena's relationship has been going through some problems for some time. The former approached a court in Georgia in June 2023 to reduce the amount of child support he was paying Mena based on his monthly earnings.
The petition claimed Lloyd Samuels' earnings decreased after their split while Mena's earnings increased. Hence, Safaree asked to lower the child support amount to $4,305 and even asked Mena to help with legal fees. In Touch Weekly reported that the case has not proceeded anywhere ever since it was filed at the court.
Erica Mena claimed in a recently deleted Instagram post that Safaree met the kids only 16 times in 2024. She also previously claimed in July that he could not take care of the kids properly, saying he repeatedly failed to pick up the kids from school.
