Dear Gossips, It was a week ago this morning that Christian Cooper, while bird watching, encountered Amy Cooper (no relation) in Central Park and asked her to put her dog on leash so as to stop disturbing the wildlife. Christian’s life was then put in danger when Amy called the cops to report that “…

Dear Gossips, It was a week ago this morning that Christian Cooper, while bird watching, encountered Amy Cooper (no relation) in Central Park and asked her to put her dog on leash so as to stop disturbing the wildlife. Christian’s life was then put in danger when Amy called the cops to report that “…

As I write this, several British tabloids are still obsessed with auditing every single little thing regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The British papers are just obsessed with the idea that Harry and Meghan might be spending THEIR OWN MONEY on much-needed security to protect themselves from all of the unhinged people agitated by the British media’s ginned-up fake scandals. I bring up the press’s obsession with the Sussex finances because I would love for those same media outlets to bring a similar energy to the Duke of York and his *extremely* shady financial situation. Years ago, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson purchased a Swiss chalet on some kind of payment plan, where every few years they would make a multi-million lump payment. They missed the 2019 payment of £6.7 million because, mysteriously, Andrew’s finances took a hit after Jeffrey Epstein’s death (coughcough). So the original owner of the Swiss chalet is currently suing Andrew and Fergie. But the Queen might pay to make it all go away for her favorite son:

The Queen is to pay off Prince Andrew’s £6.7million ski chalet debt to save her son further embarrassment, it is claimed. Her Majesty will step in to end the Duke and Duchess of York’s feud with a French socialite over the luxury home in Swiss resort Verbier. Isabelle de Rouvre sold the Yorks the huge seven-bedroom lodge for £18million in 2014 but she is now pursuing them through the courts, alleging they still owe her £6.7million.

An insider told US jet set mag Air Mail that the Queen will pay the debt herself — to avoid another scandal engulfing her son following the ­Jeffrey Epstein affair. The source said: “Otherwise it’s going to court and things will get really bad.”

Madame de Rouvre, 74, had become a friend of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, both 60, when they repeatedly rented the chalet. It is said to boast a 60sq metre indoor pool, a sauna, bar and entertaining area. Madame de Rouvre employed six full-time staff and let it for more than £22,000-a-week. After selling it to the Yorks, who remained pals after their 1996 divorce, she claims they missed a December 31 deadline to pay the outstanding amount. Speaking this month, she said the case was “really difficult”, while a source added it had “severely tarnished” her friendship with Andrew and Fergie.

Air Mail also claims Andrew had gone to his US billionaire paedo pal Epstein’s New York home in 2010 to beg him to help his ex-wife out of debt. The mag says Fergie had owed a £3.2million bank overdraft. A source said: “He went with his begging bowl to scrounge for her. Everyone in the Royal Family knows this is why he was there.”

[From The Sun]

The fact that this is happening at the very same time that the Windsors and the British media are nickel-and-diming Harry and Meghan to “repay” the costs of Frogmore Cottage’s renovation… well, it’s not a good look. And it’s weird that the Queen magically has £6.7million to blow on her fave’s Swiss chalet, right? It’s totally strange that the Queen can find that kind of money to rescue Andrew from embarrassment. This is what has set my teeth on edge for the past year and a half: the very direct comparison between how the Windsors have treated Andrew versus the Sussexes’ treatment within the same damn time frame. It’s startling and shocking to see how tone-deaf they are.

Update: after I wrote this up, Andrew’s spokesperson (how does he still have a spokesperson??) told the Evening Standard: “The Queen will not be stepping in to settle the debt owed on the Swiss chalet. The chalet is currently on the market and it is expected that its sale will enable all outstanding debts to be met.” Wait, what? He still owes about $8 million on the chalet, so he doesn’t really OWN it, and he’s selling it and that will settle the debt? Hm.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red and WENN.

With his “you ain’t black” gaffe (somewhat) safely behind him, Joe Biden has spent the last five days doing pretty good work around the flaming pile of bullsh-t that is America. Biden has been focused on all the right things: recognizing racism for what it is, recognizing social injustice for what it is, and using the right language throughout. Biden’s team posted this photo of Joe attending a protest on Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware. The image of Biden truly taking a knee to speak to a black child is a good one. He posted the photo with this message:

We are a nation in pain, but we must not allow this pain to destroy us. We are a nation enraged, but we cannot allow our rage to consume us. We are a nation exhausted, but we will not allow our exhaustion to defeat us.

The only way to bear this pain is to turn all that anguish to purpose. And as President, I will help lead this conversation — and more importantly, I will listen, just as I did today visiting the site of last night’s protests in Wilmington.

[From Biden’s social media]

Biden has continued to tweet throughout the protests, and directly taking aim at how Donald Trump has fueled white supremacy and more:

This is no time for incendiary tweets. This is no time to encourage violence.

This is a national crisis — and we need real leadership right now.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 30, 2020

It’s time for us to take a hard look at uncomfortable truths.

It’s time for us to face the deep, open wound we have in this nation.

We need justice for George Floyd.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 29, 2020

I’m reminded again of how the South Carolina primary changed everything for Biden, because of Jim Clyburn’s endorsement and the reality of communities of color coming together to say that Joe Biden is their guy. He’s the one they trust. He’s put in the work over decades with the black community and they know he screws up sometimes, but they also know that they can work WITH him and that he’ll listen and actually try to do stuff to help them.

While this isn’t the most important thing to come from the past week, I f–king love that Amy Klobuchar is now last on the list for Biden’s VP. Before last week, I could feel a movement afoot to say that Klobuchar was “the safe choice” and someone who could get those elusive white “economic anxiety” Undecided voters. But her office didn’t prosecute George Floyd’s killers when she had the chance, and she’s been tone-deaf on race this whole time. You know who has come out of this week looking forward-thinking and effective? Sen. Kamala Harris.

George Floyd was murdered. Every single officer involved must be held accountable.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 31, 2020

Black communities have not received equal justice under law for centuries. Black blood has stained America’s sidewalks. The pain is real. It’s deep. It’s legitimate. We must listen, acknowledge that, and take action to transform our communities.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 31, 2020

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Joe Biden’s social media, Getty.

On Friday, Forbes dropped an incredible bombshell: Kylie Jenner is not a billionaire. Not only that, but Forbes had the RECEIPTS on how the Kardashian-Jenners falsified tax returns and business records to hype Kylie Cosmetics for years ahead of KC’s sale to Coty last year. Forbes originally declared Kylie to be a billionaire last year, when Coty purchased 51% of the company for $600 million, meaning that KC was valued at the time at $1.2 billion. Plus, before Coty’s purchase, it was widely assumed – especially given the data provided by the Kardashian-Jenners – that Kylie, as sole owner of KC, had been raking in tens of millions in profit for years because of her overpriced lip kits. Now Forbes says that Kylie has been completely misrepresenting the size of her business, the profit from KC and the sales figures in general for years. You can read the full Forbes piece here. Here’s just a chunk:

But in the [Coty] deal’s fine print, a less flattering truth emerged. Filings released by publicly traded Coty over the past six months lay bare one of the family’s best-kept secrets: Kylie’s business is significantly smaller, and less profitable, than the family has spent years leading the cosmetics industry and media outlets, including Forbes, to believe.

Of course, white lies, omissions and outright fabrications are to be expected from the family that perfected—then monetized—the concept of “famous for being famous.” But, similar to Donald Trump’s decades-long obsession with his net worth, the unusual lengths to which the Jenners have been willing to go—including inviting Forbes into their mansions and CPA’s offices, and even creating tax returns that were likely forged—reveals just how desperate some of the ultra-rich are to look even richer.

Based on this new information—plus the impact of Covid-19 on beauty stocks and consumer spending—Forbes now thinks that Kylie Jenner, even after pocketing an estimated $340 million after taxes from the sale, is not a billionaire.

[After the Coty deal was made], there were Kylie’s financials. Revenues over a 12-month period preceding the deal: $177 million, according to the Coty presentation—far lower than the published estimates at the time. More problematic, Coty said that sales were up 40% from 2018, meaning the business only generated about $125 million that year, nowhere near the $360 million the Jenners had led Forbes to believe. Kylie’s skin care line, which launched in May 2019, did $100 million in revenues in its first month and a half, Kylie’s reps told us. The filings show the line was actually “on track” to finish the year with just $25 million in sales.

“I think everybody was surprised,” says Wissink, the Jefferies analyst, who was on the call. “The negative that came out of that announcement was that the business was a lot smaller than everybody had expected.” So much smaller, in fact, that there’s virtually no way the numbers the Jenners were peddling in earlier years could be true either. If Kylie Cosmetics did $125 million in sales in 2018, how could it have done $307 million in 2016 (as the company’s supposed tax returns state) or $330 million in 2017?

The more likely explanation: The business was never that big to begin with, and the Jenners have lied about it every year since 2016—including having their accountant draft tax returns with false numbers—to help juice Forbes’ estimates of Kylie’s earnings and net worth. While we can’t prove that those documents were fake (though it’s likely), it’s clear that Kylie’s camp has been lying.

[From Forbes]

Personally, I think it’s idiotic to go to these lengths – if Forbes is correct in their analysis – just to hype the hell out of a profitable, successful business to the point where they’re forging documents. It’s not like the Jenners were actually hiding corporate malfeasance or losses – they were forging documentation so that Forbes would say Kylie was a billionaire. Kylie Cosmetics was actually a successful business and Kylie was raking in millions of dollars of profit, but she just wanted KC to look like it was twice as profitable as it actually was. Of course, all of that hype also helped Kylie sell a controlling stake in KC in a deal which is looking more and more like a poor investment, or simply an overpriced investment.

Still, the thing is… Kylie is still rich as hell. Forbes says that using the new data and assumptions from Coty, they figure that Kylie is worth “just under $900 million.” For the love of God. They also say that, of course, the business is down because of the pandemic and that’s affecting all of their predictors too.

Anyway, Kylie and Kris Jenner are reportedly “freaking out” and their lawyer dropped this:

“We have reviewed Forbes’ article accusing Kylie of engaging in deceit and a ‘web of lies’ to inflate her net worth. The article is filled with outright lies,” the lawyer, Michael Kump, said in a statement to The Post on Friday. “Forbes’ accusation that Kylie and her accountants ‘forged tax returns’ is unequivocally false and we are demanding that Forbes immediately and publicly retract that and other statements. It is sad that, of all things, Forbes has devoted three reporters to investigate the effect of the coronavirus crisis on Kylie’s net worth. We would not expect that from a supermarket tabloid, much less from Forbes.”

Forbes said it stands by its story. “Today’s extensively-reported investigation was triggered by newly-filed documents that revealed glaring discrepancies between information privately supplied to journalists and information publicly supplied to shareholders,” said Forbes spokesman Matthew Hutchison. “Our reporters spotted the inaccuracies and spent months uncovering the facts.”

[From Page Six]

I don’t know, I believe Forbes. I think Forbes’ original billionaire claims had some educated-guesswork, and so does this new report. It sounds like the Forbes reporters were genuinely shocked by Coty’s filings and they just decided to dig deeper. Kylie also had to tweet something. Again, we’re talking about the difference between “Kylie is worth $1.2 billion” versus “Kylie is worth $900 million.” At some point, it’s really f–king tacky to complain about this sh-t.

what am i even waking up to. i thought this was a reputable site.. all i see are a number of inaccurate statements and unproven assumptions lol. i’ve never asked for any title or tried to lie my way there EVER. period

— Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) May 29, 2020

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Backgrid and Forbes.

Intro: Minutes 0 to 8:30
We didn’t have a podcast out last week due to Memorial Day. I took an exotic dance class online and it was the highlight of my week. Chandra has been watching Hannibal (she wrote about it here) and is really enjoying it. I tried to watch it but realistic crime and police procedurals are hard for me to take. Hannibal bugs Chandra because none of the FBI characters are seeing Lector for the manipulative killer he is. I make the point that there are a lot of crime procedurals, especially British shows, but Chandra finds a lot of them unrealistic. I went to an online podcasting conference and they told us to ask our listeners for stuff. If you write us a five star review and email me a screenshot to info-at-celebitchy.com I’ll pick one person randomly to win a half hour zoom call with me. This prize was poorly thought out because you can talk to me every Wednesday at 4pm EST during our weekly Celebitchy Zoom meeting. Sign up for an invitation here. They go out Monday mornings around 9am EST. You can listen below!

That crazy Tatler story: Minutes 8:30 to 29
Duchess Kate is covering Tatler with headlines reading “Catherine The Great” and “How the crisis made Kate the Kingmaker.” It initially reads like a sugary puff piece meant to embiggen Kate, but it ends up making Kate and William look lazy, petty and entitled. There’s a lot of shade in the full article, including details which make the Cambridges and Middletons look bad. The real story is how the piece came about, especially considering that the Cambridges clearly participated in it. The Cambridges’ half-denials of the story made it even more interesting. Tatler called them out and said they were aware of the piece and asked Kensington Palace to work with them on it. Chandra points out that the official denial, “This story contains a swathe of inaccuracies… which were not put to Kensington Palace prior to publication,” only specifies that the Cambridges didn’t get to read the story before it went out, not that they weren’t aware of it or didn’t participate in it. This suggests they’re used to reading and approving stories.

My favorite part is about Kate trying to tell Meghan that the child bridesmaids at Meghan’s wedding needed to wear tights. We heard, for years, that Meghan made Kate cry in the lead-up to Meghan’s wedding. Now that we know the actual incident that led to that, Kate sounds even more dictatorial and petty.

The Cambridges’ denial to Richard Kay in The Daily Mail confirms “the tights episode,” but say it’s “not quite right.”

One of the more ludicrous part of the Tatler piece was when a Cambridge source claimed that “the Sussexes have effectively thrown their three children under a bus. There goes their morning school runs as the responsibilities on them now are enormous.” First of all, there are no school runs at this time and Will and Kate have barely worked for years. Will and Kate denied that too but in their denial they focused on how Kate is “s juggling a lot with three young children at home while contributing when she can to the national effort.” GMAFB!

The author, Anna Pasternak, must have spoken to the rich aristocratic women in Norfolk, known as the Turnip Toffs and presumably led by William’s possible mistress, Rose Hanbury. There are a lot of judgy bitchiness about Kate and her family. There are some barbed quotes about Carole Middleton stage managing Kate’s life and decorating Kate’s country home like only the nouveau riche can.

Chandra says William and Kate shot themselves in the foot by exiling the Sussexes because now the spotlight on them and they can’t handle it. My friend Zakia reads a ridiculous segment from the article where William is “incandescent with rage” at the Sussexes. It’s enlightening how quickly the Cambridges responded to this Tatler article where they couldn’t say a kind word in defense of Meghan for years. The fact that Kate and Meghan’s entire rift was over tights at Meghan’s wedding just goes to show how they policed and nitpicked Meghan.

Lana Del Rey: Minutes 29 to 32:15
Lana Del Rey decided to defend herself against alleged criticism that she sings about damaged relationships. She called out multiple other artists, most of them women of color, for doing the same thing and not getting as much backlash as her or something. It was tone deaf and obnoxious and her follow-up statements contained so much coded racism, including calling herself “a more delicate personality.” She just kept issuing statements and it was so convoluted that no one could understand what she meant. It was also obvious that many of the women she mentioned had tried to contact her and that she continued to talk over them and not listen to their feedback.

Central Park Karen: Minutes 32:15 to 38:15
Earlier this week a video was trending where a woman in Central Park was threatening to call the police on a man telling her to leash her dog. She got fake hysterical on the phone claiming an African-American man was threatening her life. It went viral because it was just one minute and you could see her switching from being aggressive and mad and then acting hysterical and playing the victim on the phone with 911. It was a textbook example of white people weaponizing the police against people of color. It also went viral because it had a happy ending. The woman was identified quickly, fired from her job, and had to surrender her dog to the rescue agency. We got to know the man who taped the incident, Christian Cooper, and he’s handsome, an avid birder and is on the board at the Audubon Society.

White people know that they can call 911 for any reason while black people are so often targeted by police that they often fear contacting them to report crimes. I found duplicates of the Central Park Karen, Amy Cooper’s, Instagram account for her dog and the dog has been hurt at least two times which she posted about, because she regularly let him run free in the park. She could have easily fixed this by getting him a special harness.

Shame f*cks: Minutes 38:15 to 40:30
In an excerpt from our Zoom meeting, Rihannon loves Ben Affleck and Karen tells me to talk to Chandra about her love of Diplo. Sara says after you hook up with Diplo you have to go “straight to the sexual health clinic” afterwards. Chandra explains her love of Diplo again.

User Feedback: Minutes 40:30 to 41:30
Thanks to Ashley and Angie on Twitter for your kind words about our podcast. Also thanks to Gil for complimenting Chandra’s laughter.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 41:30 to 44:30
My comments of the week are from Jules and Lightpuple on the post about what a great influence Ana de Armas is on Ben Affleck. Chandra’s comments of the week are from Biff and Alissa on one of the posts about Lana del Rey’s ridiculousness.

Thanks for listening bitches! Call us or leave a voicemail at 434-218-3219.

Photos credit: WENN, Backgrid and Avalon.red

On Saturday, Donald Trump attended the SpaceX launch at Kennedy Space Center. He said bigly, unhinged words about space, rockets, astronauts and, of course, the protests in cities across the country and now across the world. Trump said, in part:

“I understand the pain that people are feeling. We support the right of peaceful protests and we hear their pleas, but what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with the memory of George Floyd. The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups who are terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses and burning down buildings. The main victims of this horrible, horrible situation are the citizens who live in these once-lovely communities… The mobs are devastating the life’s work of good people and destroying their dreams. We support the overwhelming majority of police officers who are incredible in every way and devoted to public service.”

[From The Hill]

“The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups…” Yeah, no. There’s quite a bit of evidence that many Black Lives Matter protests are peaceful, and they’re being infiltrated by *other people* who have violent agendas. There’s a ton of video evidence that white folks are doing A LOT of property damage, tagging, arson, what have you. In addition to that, this weekend, it really felt like the cops were the ones violently rioting. It’s this kind of chaotic situation which could use a national address, right? Except no one wants to hear from the white supremacist-in-chief. Good thing too, because he doesn’t wanna do it.

Never in the 1,227 days of Trump’s presidency has the nation seemed to cry out for leadership as it did Sunday, yet Trump made no attempt to provide it. That was by design. Trump and some of his advisers calculated that he should not speak to the nation because he had nothing new to say and had no tangible policy or action to announce yet, according to a senior administration official. Evidently not feeling an urgent motivation Sunday to try to bring people together, he stayed silent.

Trump let his tweets speak for themselves. One attacked the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis; another announced that his administration would designate the antifa movement a terrorist organization; a third accused the media of fomenting hatred and anarchy; and in yet another, he praised himself for the deployment of the National Guard and denigrated former vice president Joe Biden.

Inside Trump’s political circle, advisers have expressed conflicting views about how Trump should demonstrate leadership after the death of a black man, George Floyd, in the custody of a white police officer sparked outrage nationwide. The president, in consultation with some aides, decided not to give a speech Sunday about the violent protests over what many see as systemic racial injustice by law enforcement.

[From WaPo]

WaPo also says that Trump’s advisors have convinced him to do a “listening tour” in which he’ll sit on his fat ass in a bunker and he’ll refuse to listen to what people are saying. That’s where he was for most of Sunday – in a White House bunker built to ensure the safety of a president during a bombing or chemical attack or worse. And Bigly Baby Fists got scared of some protesters outside and so he had to go to his little bunker.

I’m including some of his unhinged tweets from this weekend below. I’m doing this merely to show how gleeful he is to pour gasoline on the fire.

The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020

LAW & ORDER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020

Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors. These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW. The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe. Is this what America wants? NO!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Well, well. Looks like Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair still has her job. Turns out being the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s hagiographer pays off sometimes, especially when Kate f–ked up in a big way and she’s trying to make sure no one (else) calls her out on it. Kate clearly okayed Tatler’s cover story and authorized her friends and (what I assume) the Kensington Palace communications staff to speak with Tatler. Then she didn’t like the result, because so many of those people in or around Kate’s orbit actually think she’s a lazy a–hole, probably. So KP tried to say that the Tatler story was made of lies and Tatler came out and said well, actually, we came to you months ago about the story. Now Kate is “threatening” Tatler with “legal action,” which is just vague enough.
Thankfully, Kate is keen about pivoting to another subject… sort of. This VF piece is FASCINATING. This is Kate’s very obvious attempt at damage control and it’s just as keen as you would imagine. Some highlights:

Kate works! After Kensington Palace went into firefighting mode this week to deny a report that the Duchess of Cambridge is feeling “exhausted” and “trapped” in her royal role, it seems a refreshed Kate is ready to return to work. While aides are working on an autumn program for the Cambridges, Kate is preparing to resume her work into her early years campaign as soon as the lockdown is lifted sources close to the royal have revealed.

But a little sidenote about the Meghan story: The article also asserted that Kate and Meghan Markle had a fallout in the run up to the latter’s wedding to Prince Harry over hosiery. Sources who work closely with Kate said *that* allegation had not rattled her, citing again her displeasure with the idea that she felt somehow overworked. The royal has been “more than happy” to step up to the plate and always wanted 2020 to be a pivotal year, sources said. According to one well-placed source, she is looking forward to resuming her official program when she can. “It’s the suggestion that she resents her duty and hard work which has upset her,” says a source. “She takes her role very seriously and has been working harder than ever. The idea she feels trapped and exhausted simply isn’t the case.”

She’s enjoyed the lockdown: According to one family friend, both Kate and William have enjoyed lockdown. “It has meant lots of time together as a family, which they don’t often get, and they have enjoyed doing their bit to help out at this time,” says the friend. Contrary to Kate feeling under too much pressure, sources close to her say she is enjoying being so busy and looking forward to picking up where she left off. “She has really been enjoying the early years work and has found her stride and purpose,” says a source who works closely with her. “She sees this work as a life-long commitment and she has worked really hard on this campaign.”

Kate is a “grafter”: At the palace, the Duchess has a reputation for being a grafter, to use the British term of art. “She has thought long and hard about what she wants to do and how she can make a difference,” says an aide. It is why the organizations and causes she has chosen to work with reflect her personal interests: the importance of nature, sport, child development, and photography.

Ah, back to the Struggle Survey: “A lot of hard work went into the planning of this year,” says an aide. “The focus for Catherine was always going to be the Early Years and making a real difference in this sector.”

[From Vanity Fair]

“Sources who work closely with Kate said *that* allegation had not rattled her, citing again her displeasure with the idea that she felt somehow overworked.” Meaning, Kate’s intention when she greenlighted the Tatler piece was always to throw Meghan under the bus yet again. Kate was disturbed that all of the “she works so hard” embiggening sh-t came across like she’s an out-of-touch lazy dumbass who *thinks* she works as hard as a CEO. I had to look up “grafter” too – I thought it was British slang for a criminal or con artist, but that’s because it sounds so much like grifter. Apparently, “grafter” is a “hard worker.” Which… I mean, does Kate have the reputation as a grafter? No. She doesn’t. She has the reputation as a royal grifter who makes other people talk about how she’s keen to be a grafter.

As for the Early Years stuff… in this week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast (recorded on Thursday) I mentioned that no one has said one f–king word about the Struggle Survey in months and how weird that is. And now look, she’s keen to be back at work on something to do with surveys or children or private meetings or something. And the full VF piece has all of these references to how Kate lifted the spirit of a nation by making some Zoom calls and giving us dumb-fun gossip with the Tatler piece. The reason why the Tatler story painted Kate as someone so oblivious to what real people are going through is because she’s surrounded by people who tell her that she’s an amazingly hard worker and patriot because she Zoom’d a bingo game with some seniors.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid.

I’m of the opinion that good allies can support Black Lives Matter in a variety of ways both big and small. You can repost and spread awareness in your own social group. You can vote in every election and elect people who will affect social justice. You can work on political campaigns and social movements. You can donate money. You can offer your couch or guest bedroom to activists working in your city or county. You can go out and physically protest. You can make statements and videos and agitate in your own way, while ensuring that you’re not drowning out black voices. My point is that I’m not going to judge various celebrities or public people for doing allyship in different ways. But I will judge a wealthy fashion designer for complaining about looting and then only donating $50 for bail? So it is with Virgil Abloh, the man who charges hundreds of dollars for Off-White bags and hoodies and “streetwear.”

Since the protests have broken out and people have taken to the streets to express their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, many protesters have been arrested for ‘looting’ and ‘violence’. Several celebrities have come forward offering to pay for the legal expenses and release of the protesters who have been taken into custody. While celebrities like Chrissy Teigen have already pledged thousands of dollars to help out the imprisoned protesters, Virgil Abloh the founder and CEO of the premium brand ‘Off White’ and artistic director of menswear line at Louis Vuitton, had a very interesting way of expressing his support to the movement.

In the backdrop of protests, Abloh took to his Instagram to rant about ‘streetwear culture’ and slammed the protesters for ransacking Sean Wotherspoon’s store. He then said that the ones who have looted the merchandise should be ashamed of their actions. In another Instagram story, he posted a screenshot of his $50 contribution to Fempower, to help with the legal expenses of the arrested protesters.

People were left amused by his measly contribution of $50 when the designer is worth millions, and even his lowest priced merchandise costs more than the sum he donated. A user tweeted, “Is Virgil Abloh serious for donating 50$? Cheapppp b***h and he works in LV and Off white…” Another wrote, “Virgil is more upset at people looting the WHITE store then police brutality. Let’s remember that VIRGIL’s Offwhite employees are all white so he never cared for black people anyways.”

[From Meaww]

I mean… I’ll be generous for a moment – Abloh’s concern for small businesses seems genuine. I watched his Instagram Stories and he seemed upset about the idea that his designer friends and small shops (wealthy boutiques, if you will) will have to rebuild. And $50 is better than nothing. But man, that’s setting the bar low, especially for a black designer who has profited enormously from “streetwear” aka monetizing a sanitized version of black street-fashion for white folks. (Meanwhile, problematic Marc Jacobs refusing to take down his “black lives matter” IG after his store was destroyed is a whole-ass mood. Also: HOT TOPIC!)

I know Virgil Abloh is lying to me! Lmao. pic.twitter.com/H9JHTNF8MY

— “Aye aye aye” – Larry June (@yoyotrav) June 1, 2020

marc jacobs vs virgil abloh….

cringe. pic.twitter.com/wESurGHSbU

— ®? (@RIFAYAYO) June 1, 2020

Period Hot Topic. This is how you do it. Might just go buy me a studded belt and some Riverdale leggings pic.twitter.com/CnqKDNZ1rL

— DRACARYS (@bria_tortilla) June 1, 2020

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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I was scrolling through my Instagram stories when I watched Winston Duke’s brief video, which he posted Friday night at about 10pm EST. It moved me and I wanted to talk about it. At that point we were watching protesters clash with police after peaceful protests of George Floyd’s murder had turned to riots and destruction in cities throughout the US. People are fed up with the police targeting and murdering people of color. I still remember the riots in ‘92 after Rodney King’s beating was caught on tape. It’s been almost 30 years and not much has changed except police brutality has gotten worse, more black Americans are incarcerated, more prisons are privatized, and the president is a white supremacist telling police, the military and his racist followers to target people of color. At least we can now record and share footage of the unlawful arrests and murders, but the more we see the more hopeless and systemic it feels.

I’m so upset by the violent treatment of protesters, and my stomach hurts and I’m having trouble sleeping. However I can leave my house and not have to worry. I can travel without looking up whether people will treat me poorly in that area. I don’t have to coach my son how to act with police. He can get up in their faces and challenge them, and so can I, with hardly any repercussions. We can call the police when we need them and not have to worry that they’ll treat us like criminals. So when Winston tells people to guard their hearts and protect their mental health, he’s talking to the people who are living under this weight every day, and who feel it now more than ever. Here’s what he said:

It’s been a very heavy week on all of us. Just remember to keep working through. Prioritize progress. Make sure you keep working on your own self growth, you protect yourself, protect your energy, protect your heart, protect your soul, protect your mind. You need all your faculties at this time. Prioritize mental health. Prioritize progress, whatever that means to you. Make sure you focus on that.

[From Instagram]

I’ve heard that people are afraid to leave their homes, that they need to take mental health days from work, and that they can’t sleep. I wish this national nightmare would end and we would finally have fair, competent leadership again, but more than that I wish this wasn’t all on the people affected by racism to silently take it. This isn’t the protesters’ fault, they’re asking for basic civil rights and the right to feel safe in their homes. The police, government and court system have been destroying communities from the inside for decades. Plus there are so many reports that white supremacist organizations are coming in to destroy property and agitate people, so it can conveniently be blamed on peaceful protesters. The chief of police of Atlanta confirmed that it’s happening in her city and I’ve seen footage from other cities where it’s happening and protesters are trying to stop it.

He also wrote a statement on how we can contribute:

I know that a lot of us may be feeling helpless and/or unsure how to positively participate. Donating to frontline organizers and bail funds is particularly encouraged right now. Bail support is needed because police are arresting protesters and taking them to overcrowded facilities, some of which have confirmed Covid-19 cases

[From Instagram]

Winston shared these links to donate to help bail out protesters out. I’m including his tweet with the screenshots below and here are the links:
Help protesters post bail in NYC
Support frontline organizers in Minneapolis
Donate to Reclaim the Block
Donate to the North Star Health Collective

Thread of bail funds across the country

LA: https://t.co/GT76ZWKO2k

Philly: https://t.co/BJ54hdiAbm

Chicago: https://t.co/oTDavcxraH

Minneapolis: https://t.co/Ftz7fj7c2h

Atlanta: https://t.co/SuLDQEq3wx

New York: https://t.co/KC7LJL9wkX

Columbus: https://t.co/5q51txzSlC

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) May 31, 2020

Chrissy Teigen has said that she’s donating to bailouts too, but I wanted to focus on Winston because he had more practical advice and I’d rather listen to him any day.

In celebration of whatever the fuck maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country.

— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 30, 2020

Stop telling people protesting, specifically these young Black kids, to register vote instead of raising up. They are registering the pain, frustration, anger, and angst that their votes have ignored.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) May 30, 2020

Thanks VV for alerting me to this tweet:

Torn between needing to stay present and connected so that I know exactly what’s going on & needing to unplug to catch my breath because I am extremely overwhelmed

— aaliyah (@notevenalli) May 29, 2020

CALL TO ACTION pic.twitter.com/ISc5OLgYWf

— Winston Duke (@Winston_Duke) May 30, 2020

photos credit: Avalon.red and WENN