'Below Deck Med's Malia White Addresses Breakup, Captain Sandy Yawn 'Outing' Her

Malia White is speaking out about her breakup from Tom Checketts -- and Captain Sandy Yawn recently suggesting that they split because White is gay. Yawn, an openly gay woman, claimed on Cameo that the crew suspected White was gay. 

White took to Instagram on Tuesday to clear the air. In a message to fans, theBelow Deck Mediterranean star confirmed she and Checketts -- who joined season 5 of the Bravo series mid-way through as the new yacht chef -- had broken up. The bosun also said she was "shocked" by Yawn's comments about her sexuality, and stated that if she was gay, it should be her decision if and when to come out. 

"Hey guys, it's Malia. My personal life seems to be quite the topic at the moment. I am not on Twitter, I don't do a lot of Instagram Lives, so I thought that I would send out a message in my own words. So, first off, yes, Tom and I have split. The details surrounding all of it, I am trying to keep a little private, just out of respect to him and I. But yes, I am single," White began.

"Second, Captain Sandy's Cameo -- I was just as shocked as everyone else. I'm not sure why my sexual orientation is being discussed in Cameos. First off, if I was gay, I would just like to say it should be my decision when and if to out it to the entire internet," she continued. "But no, I'm not, but if I was, I would be openly proud to be gay. I'm a huge supporter of the community and, yeah, I'll just leave it at that."

In the second part of her message, White addressed the criticism she's faced from fans as this season of Below Deck Med airs. White is deemed responsible for longtime cast member and chief stewardess Hannah Ferrier getting fired from the boat. White discovered Ferrier had undocumented prescriptions onboard their yacht and turned that information into Yawn, who ultimately let Ferrier go. Some fans theorize that White turned Ferrier in to get revenge on her for turning down White's request to move bunks on the boat to room with Checketts.

"Throughout the years, you guys have watched me fall in love, fall out of love. You see my relationships, you've watched my career happen. You've been introduced to members of my family. You've seen a lot of my personal side. Some of the good, a lot of the bad," White said on Instagram. "You know, I've made a ton of mistakes. I am only human and I don't think I've been as vocal on social media as some people want me to be, or expect me to be. To that, you know, I just want to say, I'm really sorry if I have disappointed anyone with my actions or, you know, whatever else it may be."

"But I am learning, from a personal standpoint and professional, this is all new to me and I can only hope to grow from each and every experience," she added. "Bear with me, please. I am listening and I appreciate the feedback, even if you don't hear from [me]. I hope this clears the air. Thanks for listening."

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. See more on the show and Ferrier's departure in the video below. 

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