Bravo Fires Below Deck Mediterranean's Peter Hunziker After Alleged Racist Social Media Posts

Below Deck Mediterranean star Peter Hunziker has been fired by Bravo for alleged racially insensitive social media posts.

"Peter Hunziker of Below Deck Mediterranean has been terminated for his racist posts," a Bravo spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

Hunziker first joined Below Deck Mediterranean as a deckhand in the season 5, which premiered on earlier this month and has aired three episodes so far.

"Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance for subsequent episodes," the network said.

The show's official social media pages shared the same statement on Wednesday. PEOPLE has not been able to contact Hunziker for comment.

Hunziker's time on the show had not been smooth-sailing. In the early episodes, he was reprimanded by Captain Sandy Yawn after referring to his boss, bosun Malia White, as "sweetie" or "sweetheart," which was deemed inappropriate.

Last week, Bravo cut ties with four Vanderpump Rules stars: Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni. Their exits came days after Schroeder, 31, and Doute, 37, apologized for calling the police on former castmate Faith Stowers after spotting a tabloid article about a black woman wanted for theft in 2018. Boyens, 27, and Caprioni, 32, were fired over past racist tweets that resurfaced last winter.

On Friday, a rep for Schroeder and Doute told PEOPLE they want to "move forward as part of the solution."

"Stassi and Kristen acknowledged what they did was wrong, have apologized and been punished," said their rep, Steve Honig. "Without casting aside their actions or the impact of those actions, they want to move forward as part of the solution in ways that are productive, meaningful and sincere."

"Both of them recognize actions speak louder than words and that is what will guide them as they move forward," Honig added.

Schroeder is also expecting her first child with fiancé Beau Clark.