“Basketball Wives” Cut Royce Reed, Jennifer Williams and Kesha Nichols? (Video)

The show Basketball Wives just cut three of its stars. Royce Reed, Jennifer Williams and Kesha Nichols will reportedly not return for another season.

The three cast members that won’t return came as a surprise to fans of the show, which had been getting complaints about the high level of violence that played out during the past few seasons. The three women that were booted were typically not the cast members known for swinging.

The reason for Williams departure may be because producers aren’t happy that she slapped Evelyn Lozada’s assistant, Nia Crooks, with a lawsuit after Crooks slapped Williams in the face. Rumors soon began swirling after the incident that Shed Media, the company behind the Vh1 show, urged Williams to drop the lawsuit, but Williams went ahead and filed a complaint against her.

Reed reportedly got axed because she wasn’t able to divulge all the juicy details about her famous ex, Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, thanks to a gag order. Reed was also at odds with some cast members in past seasons and was unable to be filmed with them, making her part on the show quite small.

Nichols too was dropped from the show for being one of the least interesting, according to reports. Nichols was seen little in the past season though she was one of the featured cast members during the last few episodes of Basketball Wives, when cast member Tami Roman practically waged war with her, though Kesha didn’t want to get involved in an altercation and told Roman “I don’t want to fight with you.”

The high level of violence that played out during the past seasons had viewers unhappy and rumors of the show being canceled began swirling shortly thereafter. The show was ultimately renewed for a fifth season, but Shed Media insisted the cast would be encouraged to resolve their issues in a “non-violent” way.

Shed Media later released a statement that promised less violence.

“Shed Media US is fully committed to telling the compelling stories of the Basketball Wives in a balanced way. Our producing partner Shaunie O’Neal feels strongly about this, and we fully agree with this stance. We support her as she encourages the cast members to work out issues in a non-violent fashion,” a Shed Media statement read, according to Christian Post.